Love Like a Raging Torrent

Paul’s prayer for abounding love comes in Philippians 1:9-11. And rather than giving a typical outline, I’ve portrayed the text itself in an outline form that it might be clearer what each phrase is doing/modifying in the sentence. Philippians 1:9-11 is one long sentence in the GNT and in our English translations, so this is especially important to keep the last few phrases in their proper place. The following is the TVBAV: “Tohu va Bohu Amalgamation Version”:

The most important thing to note is that there really is only one request. Everything else modifies that one request, expanding or clarifying it. Each subsequent phrase burrows down a little deeper into the one main idea.

And the request itself is found in the first part of the content:

your love may abound still more and more

I’m kind of disappointed with the ESV here. The NASB gets it right. In verse nine we observe the verb abound (περισσεύῃ), an adverb still (ἔτι), and then another adverbial phrase more and more (μᾶλλον καὶ μᾶλλον).

This is known as making a point. Why do I say that? Because praying for their love “to abound” is adequate. By definition something that abounds is more than enough. Praying that it would abound “more” would have sufficed too, “more and more” is perhaps better, but “abounding still more and more” makes quite a statement.

Add to that the present tense emphasis of “keep on abounding” and you’ve got a picture with highlighter marks all over it. The whole phrase conveys the idea of overflowing and overgrowing love. Perhaps the imagery is of a river spilling over its banks during a flood. Here is love, not just vast as an ocean, but like a raging torrent.

We talk about being “in love” with someone. What do we mean by that? We’re not referring to a bare minimum level of affection. We’re talking about being head over heels, captivated, twitterpated, consumed, preoccupied. This is the kind of love we’re to have; love that is superabundant.

Now who is the object of this love? Abounding love to whom? There is no explicit object mentioned in verse 9.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:11-13 Paul uses some of the very same vocabulary as he does here in Philippians, including the words for abounding love. But there he specifically prays that they would have love “for one another and for all.”

So what do we do with Philippians 1:9? Should we see it as similar or different from 1 Thessalonians? I believe there is probably a close connection, but I don’t think the best choice is to limit abounding love as something only for others. Rather, when Paul prays that their love would abound still more and more without explicitly mentioning an object, I think he is concentrating on their love for God — that spills over onto others. As our affections for Him increase and abound, that will necessarily result in an increased love for others.

But don’t miss the primariy point: love is to be always abounding. Individuals and churches should expect and pray for advancing from one level of loving to more and more mature and lively levels of loving. You should love God and others more next year at this time. Your love should be ever greater 5, 10, 35 years from now. In heaven there will be a glorified capacity to increase in love. Love never ends, and it should always be abounding.