It's All Greek to Me

There a four words for love in Greek:

Storge - Familial, the love a parent has for their child
Philia - Friendship
Eros - Intimate, sexual, romantic
Agape - Charity


This made me think about all of the different personality tests out there that try to figure out the human population. They sell you their perfect formula for successful relationships, and expect everything to be fixed. However, if we go back to the Greeks, we can see a very simple understanding of the different kinds of love that must be present in a healthy spousal relationship. There's no course fee, no personality test, just four types of love that should be present in a relationship.
Agape, the charitable love, is necessary in romantic relationships because both parties need to be serving one another. Without charity, the relationship will be unfair for one, or both of the persons. If both is the case, both will get tired of not having their needs met and become frustrated (at which point Charity would be the most pertinent solution, but it often is not). Eros, the passionate love, is incredibly valuable in a marriage. The sexual relationship that spouses have with each other is something beautiful and healthy. Without sex and other forms of intimacy, the marriage wouldn't be fulfilling. Sex is a natural and God-given gift to his children to become more like Him, and without it we would not be fulfilling our divine purpose. Philia, or the friendship love is important if you're going to live with someone for the rest of eternity. Not only must you love your spouse, you must like them. I know I want to marry my best friend because there wouldn't any other person that I'd like to go through life's trials with than my best friend. Finally, Storge, the familial love happens when a husband and wife are providing for each other's needs much like a parent provides for a child. This includes monetary provisions, emotional stability, and advice. When the need for all of these kinds of love are met, the relationship is able to flourish and become something it couldn't have become on it's own.