Episode 208 - "High Definition Love" - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

1Cor. 13:4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

I would suspect that John 3:16 is perhaps the most well-known verse in all the Bible. But this passage in 1 Corinthians 13 may be the second for the very reason that it is often read at weddings. It’s beautiful, profound, and I believe it resonates truthfully within the minds of all people. At least in principle, people believe it’s an idealistic view of love.

I must admit that studying this passage this time was the first time I noticed that Paul tells us more about what love isn’t than what it is. He says that love is patient, kind, rejoices in truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

Love is/does NOT envy, boast, arrogant, rude, insist on its own way, irritable, resentful, and does not rejoice in wrongdoing. By my count that’s 8-7 in favor of what love is not. My suspicion is that Paul is highlighting the attitudes and characteristics that have been creating division and conflict among the believers at Corinth. In other words, Paul is telling them (and us), “Who cares if you have the gift of tongues if you are arrogant? What good is the gift of prophecy if you are rude to your brothers and sisters in the faith? Why should anyone listen to you if your boasting or always insisting that things are done your way? That’s not love and love is more important than all of those things! The gifts are only valuable if exercised in love.”

Sometimes we need a reality check, a correction in our thinking and attitudes, before we can move forward and grow in our faith. In way of application, it seems good to ask ourselves if we have self-serving, arrogant attitudes among others and confess that to the Lord.

Love IS patient and kind. Love rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. I don’t know about you. But verse 7 threw me a curveball especially in the statement that love “believes all things.” Really? Am I supposed to believe everything I hear? I don’t think that is what Paul is saying. Why? Because he already said that love “does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with truth.” He is not saying that we should believe everything people say because people believe and say things that are not in-line with God’s truth. Reading all of this within the context helps guide our understanding, doesn’t it?

It would seem then that what Paul is saying is that we should not have a cynical spirit in interacting with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Therefore, demonstrating love would be evident by listening with a true concern for the other person. We can be discerning and even disagreeing if something being taught is in contradiction with God’s truth. A common problem in our society today is the notion that I must agree with you to demonstrate love or that if I don’t agree with you, I must obviously hate you. This is a lie. If someone has an addiction that is clearly harmful to them or others and we tell them that or attempt to get them to stop, we don’t hate them. On the contrary, we’re showing more love to them than they are showing to themselves. Self-destruction is self-hate. More universally, we have rules for our children for the purpose of protecting them and guiding them toward that which is good, safe, and healthy. We don’t hate them by imposing such rules. We demonstrate love.

It is in these tough situations in which loves “bears” and “endures” all things. Love is not only manifest when things are going good. The addict won’t necessarily respond to our advice in love. We don’t need to compromise truth. We find ways to stand our ground on truth without being arrogant and we can be patient and kind.

That brings up one more thing that I would suggest that love isn’t. It isn’t easy. This means that we need to draw upon the love of Christ towards us to guide us and sustain us as we seek to hold to and rejoice with truth while demonstrating patience and kindness with others.