Love Bears All Things

Alba 1-4-2026

LOVE BEARS ALL THINGS

I Corinthians 13:7

I Corinthians 13:7 continues to define love the way God sees it, and gives it. In this verse the phrase “all things” is stated four times. The first thing in this list says that love, “bears all things”... A minister was speaking about all the things money can’t buy. “Money can’t buy happiness, it can’t buy laughter and money can’t buy love”, he told the congregation. Driving his point home he said, “What would you do if I offered you $1,000 not to love your mother and father?” A hush fell over the congregation. Finally a small voice near the front, raised an important question, “How much would you give me not to love my big sister?”

Apparently there was a problem in that relationship and that young person was unwilling to “bear all things” with the big sister. You may have someone like that in your life. People can be difficult. They can get on your nerves. They can be hard to bear. So what are you going to do with this verse that says if you are going to practice the kind of love God wants to see in each of our lives, you will bear all things?

It is not as easy as it may first appear. Some people are just not that lovable. It is easy to get annoyed and bothered by the habits and actions of another person. But that creates a danger if it determines the way you treat your spouse or children or other people close to you. That is why family and the church is the best place to put this verse into action.

I say we should especially practice this with family and the church because there are other people in the world whose actions are not things we should “bear” with at all. There is sin in this world. I think you know that. And the Bible makes it clear that even good people need to confess and turn from wrong doing. Sinful action does not need to be accepted under the umbrella of “bear all things”.

For example, a wife should not be expected to “bear all things” from a violent husband who beats her. Scripture does command a woman to submit herself to her husband. But the husband is commanded to love his wife to the extent that he would give his life for her (just as Jesus has done for the church).

So lets put this phrase “bears all things” in its proper perspective. The Verse by Verse Commentary gives two ways that the word “bear” (stego) can be translated. The first is to “cover over or shelter”. There are some translations of scripture that use that way to translate this word. The idea is that love covers the sins of others and does not hang them out for all to see. Love does not gossip or listen to gossip. It does not make any difference whether the accusation is true or not. Love takes an interest in the best interests of others. This is not an issue of shielding the sin, but the sinner. The idea here is that love covers the faults and shortcomings in the lives of others.

We can better understand what that means if we consider how God has loved us by covering our sins. God certainly does not ignore or excuse our sins. But He has provided a way that they can be covered through the blood of Jesus that He shed on the cross for us.

In the same way, when we bear or cover all things, we do not ignore or excuse sin. But there is a sense in which we choose to “cover” or “bear” their faults, and focus instead on their capabilities that would enable them to do well and complete the task ahead of them.

Think about a father and young son taking a walk. The child is walking at a different pace than the father, and the child might say, “Dad I have to take three steps to every one of yours.” Now an impatient father might say something like, “Hurry up, catch up with me, get back over here now.” But a wise father slows his pace, teaches along the way, and enjoys that fact that they are together. The difference between those two reactions define whether or not there is a love that covers over the child.

Then think of another boy and his dad hiking together on a familiar path. As they make a sharp turn in a narrow section of the path they come across a big rock blocking their way. The little boy asks his father, “Do you think I can move it?” His dad says, “Why, of course. If you use all your strength, I’m sure you can move it.”