Text: 1 Cor 13:1-7, Title: Church Personnel Manual Part 2, Date/Place: 2/5/12 NRBC
What Love Does (v. 4-7)
He gives us fifteen verbs, not adjectives, which show the defining qualities of how love is practiced. These are not potentialities, nor is it a salad bar theology of choice, these are the essential characteristics of practicing Christian love.
Patient: It is speaking of love’s self-restraint. It endures willingly much suffering at the hand of another, refuses to retaliate. It spoke of love’s ability to be wronged or taken advantage of without anger. Its primary concern is for the welfare of others, therefore it is much more willing to be taken advantage of, than to take advantage of another, much less retaliate. “Christians need to be given the painful reminder that frequent displays of temper betray the absence or at least the severe limitation of love.” Paige Patterson
Being Kind: This is the more pro-active side of patience. This word means serving graciously. It means to be helpful, willing to assist, or willing to furnish what is needed or beneficial to another. The church father, Origen described the verb as “sweetness to all persons.” It is the opposite of being neglectful, harsh, sharp, bitter, and resentful.
Not Being Envious: This is being content with what you have been provided, AND what your fellow church member has been provided. “If you find you’re lacking anything, neighbor, let me know and I’ll show you how to live without it,” said the Amish man to his techno neighbor.
Not Being Proud: The first of these words means to brag or boast about oneself publicly to the point of bubbling over. It is the outward manifestation of the second word, which means an inner attitude of self-exaltation. Literally it means to be inflated, or full of ourselves. A little boy and a little girl were riding a mechanical horse in a shopping mall. The little boy, who was riding in front, turned to the little girl and said, "If one of us would get off, there would be more room for me."
Not Being Rude: The idea behind this is that love is tactful or proper in its expression. It is very cautious and careful in how it presents itself in word and deed out of concern for others. It is careful not to disgrace, mistreat, or embarrass, even though it may be necessary to deal with some hard issues. Jim Key speaking of a church member who consistently offends everyone coming and going, young and old, visitors and members, by the words that they say.
Not Being Selfish: “Does not seek its own things” or “insist on having its own way.” hence, is never selfish (REB, Moffatt); is never self-seeking (TCNT); does not pursue selfish aims (O. M. Norlie); is not self-seeking (NIV); does not insist on its own way (NRSV). A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, 5, and Ryan, 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. “If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake; I can wait.” Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus!”
Not Becoming Easily Angered: This word means to be easily angered, irritated, incited, or stirred up to anger. It means something between irritation and anger which takes offense because one’s self-regard has been dented, wounded, or punctured by some sharp point.# It speaks of love’s ability not to be led into sinful reactions toward others, even when persistently pestered. It speaks of a lack of concern for one’s own rights, in that we don’t get angry when we are deprived. “Love cannot alter the fact that one may get on your nerves, but it can rule out allowing yourself to be provoked by it.” Karl Barth
Does Not Keep A Record of Wrongs: This word can also be, and most often is translated counts or keeps the books, for it was a commercial bookkeeping term Cartoon of wife to marriage counselor, regarding husband: “And then, do you know what he did on our honeymoon, just 21 years ago?” Kathleen Sanborn
Rejoices in Truth: Love takes no joy in sin. Whether that is someone else’s sin or a sin that is inflicted on you or another. Not in others, not in self, not anywhere! To rejoice in evil is to justify it, or call it OK. As we have mentioned before, love does not tolerate sin. No joy in global forms—war, poverty, suppression, or local forms—fall of a brother or an unbeliever. Love stands on the side of the gospel and looks for mercy and justice for all, including those with whom it disagrees. “An unwillingness to support enthusiastically all the accurate teaching of Scripture inevitably betrays the failure of an individual to love Christ as he should.” –Patterson.
Bears All Things: This word means to cover in order to protect. Love always looks for the best way to protect those it loves. Even in correction, rebuke, or admonition, it seeks to inflict the least amount of pain absolutely necessary. It would rather conceal what is wrong in another, rather than broadcasting it before the world.
Believes All Things: Love is not suspicious or cynical. If there is any doubt as to a person’s intentions, love always opt for the more favorable possibility until it knows otherwise. And it wants the best to be true. It desires to believe the best about a person or situation. Sometimes we say, “What did you expect from so and so?”
Hopes All Things: A confident, trusting expectation in something or someone based on Someone. It speaks of a hope that is fixed in something. It has an emotional component to it. This teaches that love refuses to accept defeat as final. story about the wife who believed for her husband from the book about success in ministry.
Endures All Things: This was a military term that was used of holding a position at all costs. Literally it means to remain under a load. Under attack and stress is assumed. Relationships do not go long without a hitch. Love is not easily squashed. Love endures what is otherwise unbearable.
Closing illustration: “The local church, therefore, may be viewed as a spiritual workshop for the development of agape love. Thus the stresses and strains of a spiritual fellowship offer the ideal situation for the testing and maturing of the all-important qualification for sovereignty. Most controversies in local congregations are produced, not primarily by differences over essentials, but by unsanctified human ambitions, jealousy, and personality clashes. The real root of many such situations is spiritual dearth in individual believers, revealing lamentable immaturity in love. Therefore the local congregation is one of the very best laboratories in which individual believers may discover their real spiritual emptiness and begin to grow in their agape love. This is done by true repentance, humbly confessing the sins of jealousy, envy, resentment, etc., and begging forgiveness from one another. This approach will result in real growth in the love that covers.” –Paul E. Billheimer, from his book Love Covers based on Pro 10:12 and 1 Peter 4:8. If you are driving along with ordinary tires and a nail goes through one of them, whis-s-s, you lose all the air. But a puncture-proof tire is different-if a nail goes through, there is some stuff inside that runs around and stops the hole and the air stays in. The heart of a Christian is like that puncture-proof tire. An ordinary heart may be filled with love, but when someone does something to puncture that heart, all the love runs out and hatred and hard feelings take its place. But a puncture-proof heart is different. It is filled with the Spirit of Christ and when someone, through their words or deeds punctures that heart, immediately the hole is stopped up tight and the love stays in."
Recap
Invitation to commitment
Without love you are a total failure, with it you may become everything God wants you to be for His glory. Love is patience. Love is kindness. Love shows its first concern is for others. Love thinks correctly of itself. Love speaks softly to build up. Love shows its last concern for its own interests. Love defers anger. Love thinks the best and keeps no records of the worst. Love delights in truth and refuses to acknowledge any value of sin. Love sustains others and itself during trials in the present. And love trusts in the future graces of God Almighty to bring about the best in all things. True agape love never fails, but brings glory and praise to the Lord both now and forever!
Additional Notes
Dr. Baucham writes about 4 myths promised by this Greco-Roman love, lies that most westerners have been deceived into believing. 1. Love is a Random Force. We’ve all heard or said, “We don’t choose who we fall in love with.” The problem is that if you can fall in love, you can fall out of love. 2. Love is an Overwhelming Force. Love is something that “happens” to you, not a choice you make. 3. Love is an Uncontrollable force. We’ve all heard someone say, “We just fell out of love.” How many times has this been used as an excuse for divorce? 4. Love is a Sensual Force. Sex equals love in today’s terms. Instead of people asking, “Did he pop the question,” we hear “did you sleep with him?”
Based on Matthew 22:37-39, Baucham argues that “love” is biblically defined as an act of the will, accompanied by emotion that leads to action on behalf of its object. Loving with your heart in the local church is often thought of primarily as a feeling, but this isn’t the biblical definition. Biblically, to love with your heart is to love with your “will.” Love is a choice.
Love is also accompanied by emotion. If a man’s will is determined to love, then he will be emotional about his response, for his entire existence will be determined in fulfilling his will. The Greco-Roman myth teaches that emotion leads and determines love; while the Bible teaches that emotion accompanies the choice to love; but the choice leads, not the emotion.
Love also leads to action on behalf of its object. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” If all of you, your heart, soul, and mind, are loving God, then this love will always produce action. Unfortunately, I believe this Greco-Roman view of “love” has encouraged Christians across this world to sit around and wait to “fall in love” with Christ again. Instead of Christians being driven by the choice to love Christ with all our hearts, souls, and minds, we are sitting around waiting to “catch” love, like catching some disease.
