Love
Again this week I pleaded with the Lord for a topic. Asking him what is the most important for them to learn ? This week the answer again was Love. Last week we spoke of John’s acknowledgement of Jesus’s love and the importance of us acknowledging Jesus’s love as John did. This week we shall speak of our love for each other.
How many of us really know what love is ? Song writers and poets have written of it since time began. Yet how much do we really know about it?
Inorder to see what the Bible has to say about love let us look at the Apostle Paul’s exhortations on love to the Corinthians .
Corinth was one of the largest and greatest cities of Greece. Its population was about 75,000. It had been one of the most important cities of Greece since about the 8th century B.C.
It was destroyed by the Romans in about 146 B.C and rebuilt by Julius Ceaser around 44 BC. Its two harbors allowed excellent access to both Asia and Italy making it an important stop on the valued Mediterranean trade route. It did a flourishing business in trade and was a bustling tourist center with many people drawn to its shrines
Corinth was long before Christianity a city of love in the worldly sense. There existed there the Temple of Aphrodite- The Goddess of love, a temple dedicated to her stood on a high hill near the city. It was said to have been populated by thousands of temple Priestess. In essence temple prostitutes. Who taught that sexual love with them was the way to truth. An interesting and popular misconception in its day. It also housed the Temple of Dionysus - the Greek God of Wine and intoxication and the Temple of Isis an Egyptian Goddess - the Enchantress and Goddess of magic. Corinth was an UnGodly party town at its best.
Amongst Corinth’s many visitors were large numbers of sailors who after many months at sea found the lively Corinth a welcome beacon. When it came to worldly love Corinth appears to have been the capitol.
There is no doubt in my mind though that Corinth to borrow from a song lyrics - "gave love a bad name."
Why had Paul chosen this den of iniquity as the place for his exhortations on love ? I suspect because many of the people of Corinth had the wrong idea of Love. Just like many of us do. Paul knew Corinth well as he had preached there.
Paul’s dissection of love is a work of startling simplicity and yet it truly strikes the very heart of the matter.
Read his words to the Corinthians-
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails.
Lets take a closer look at his exhortations:
Love suffers long -
It will endure . It is not quick to anger. It puts up with the inadequacies of others stoically. It can endure evil and provocation. It endures with many slights and neglects from the person it loves and has patience to await the eventual good that it believes shall eventually prevail in others thru faith in God’s ability to change them. It has self-restraint. In our current day of domestic violence, sexual unfaithfulness and broken relationships it is an important aspect of true love and one against which many of us will surely be tested, for in it we see that love can and must be able to suffer the pain of betrayal without ceasing to truly care for and continue to love those who have betrayed us, wronged us, or who simply do not accept or understand what true love is.
Love is Kind -
It is useful, benign, not rough or harsh. It seeks to do good, It is patient though injured by others. The purpose of love is to seek the welfare of the one loved. We also learn that kindness is more apt to encourage good in another person. This kindness brings out the best in they who are loved.
Let us now look at Paul’s exhortations about what love is not.
Love does Not Envy -
It rejoices in the successes of others. It is content with what the Lord has kindly allowed it. Envy is least productive of all sins as it wishes less for someone else while doing nothing productive for they who envy. In real love we are not envious of those who appear to be getting a better break than us.
Love does not Parade Itself -
It subdues pride, it will esteem others and limit its own esteem. It will wait patiently until others praise it. It is anonymous. It does not brag about its own accomplishments, and is guardful of even carefully worded subtle statements of self promotion. It does not put itself in the spotlight. It handles its own prosperity and successes in a humble manner - it does not boast.
Love is not Puffed Up -
It is not bloated with self-conceit. It abhors flattery. It understands that one who is full of themselves has no room to feel the pain of others. Puffed up people have an exaggerated opinion of their own importance and often feel that their happiness and well being are the most important thing in life, as such it is easy for them to dismiss the needs and feelings of others.
Love does not behave Rudely -
It behaves with reverence and respect toward all mankind. and towards love itself. It does not unduly censure or despise others conduct. It will do nothing that is unbecoming to it. It holds true love as a precious thing deserving of respect and does not publically parade it. It does not ever ask any one do something that is contrary to the good principals of conscience, faith and God’s Moral Principals as established in the Holy Bible. In essence don’t misuse the name of love for unGodly Purpose for it is the clear indication of a love that is not - for real love seeks always the best for they that are loved and does not look for personal gain, pleasure or control.
Love does not seek its own -
It is an enemy of selfishness, does not seek its own praise or profit. It often neglects its own for the sake of others. It prefers the welfare of others before itself. It is self sacrificing.
It looks out for the interest of others. As Paul notes in Philippians Ch2 vs. 3-4...."let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind. Let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his interests, but also for the interests of others."
Love is not Provoked -
It is not sharp tempered - it sweetens and softens. It is not quick to display its passions. It confines them within proper limits. It is never angry without a truly just cause and even then tempers it to good Godly purpose alone.
Love Thinks no Evil -
It has no malice, thinks not of revenge ,and has no long anger. It does not ascribe guilt to others by inference or innuendo. It is not jealous or suspicious. It will never indulge suspicions without proofs. It will only reluctantly give into a poor opinion of another and only with regret and reluctance when the evidence can not be reputed. It will never suspect ill or reason itself into bad opinions upon mere appearances. It will always think the best it can even when circumstances might appear damning. It does not store up the memory of wrong doing.
Love does not rejoice in iniquity -
It takes no pleasure in hurting others. It thinks no evil without clear proof. Real love can not treat evil as an innocent option but hates the evil and not the doer. It wishes ill to none. Nor will it rejoice in the faults or failings of others. In fact the sins of others will stir all its compassions. Love does not gossip or publish the news of someone else’s shame. It does not find delight in anything God says is wrong.
Here again Paul exhorts us with what love does :
Love Rejoices in the Truth -
It is happy in the success of the Gospel and rejoices to see man molded by it. It takes no joy in the sins of others but is highly delighted to see them do well as a result of being led to the truth. It wants to see truth and justice prevail. He who does not believe in truth takes pleasure in unrighteousness. We know that the Bible is truth and need rejoice in it and lead others to do likewise while also rejoicing in the presence and fellowship of the like minded. Celebrating truth and joyfully fellowshipping with our Christian brothers and sisters to honor it and He who gave it to us.
Love Bears all Things -
Love covers. It covers as a shield or roof to protect. It is not for publishing the faults of a brother. It will put up with injuries, without indulging anger or cherishing revenge. It will be patient with provocation and it will hold firm. Though it be shocked and borne hard upon it will sustain all manner of injury and ill treatment bearing up under it. It will put up with all manner of hazards and difficulties. Love even gives the unrepentant sinner an advocate and intercessor who prays for their well being. Love provides a shelter that withstands the worst circumstances. Let all reside under our sheltering love.
Love Believes in All Things -
While not naive, it hopes within reason, well for all. It will stretch its faith beyond appearances to have a kind opinion. Fueled by our faith in God it is central for developing a Christ like love - rooted and grounded in the right kind of faith.
Love Hopes all Things -
Where it can not believe well it will at least hope well of others. It will champion the rightful cause of the underdog. It does not give up when others might. It knows that failures are not final. Does not bend to the popular negative opinion. It understands that God can do all things and does not give up when situations seem impossible. It is undying optimism through faith in an all powerful God providing hope to the hopeless.
Love Endures All Things -
Though it be mistreated, unappreciated, unreturned, and unevenly matched true love remains steadfast. Through insult and abandonment, trials and tribulations true love remains steadfast- it does not give up, it does not walk away. It may be shaken but not broken. It is the solid rock firmament which Christianity is built upon and like the rock it will endure.
Love Never Fails -
It is a permanent and perpetual grace. It always overcomes. It always wins out in the end. While other worldly gifts and possessions will someday lose their luster only love will always persevere and reside with us even into heaven. We will take nothing else with us - it is the only of our worldly possessions that we will be allowed to retain and while all other things must some day fall away it alone remains always with us as a parameter that we shall be judged against, and as our gift and celebration with the Heavenly Father.
These then are the things that we are to measure our love by - these are the benchmarks of true love. First don’t measure other’s love by these - measure your own.
Now can you say that you are a true lover - remembering that our charge is to love all our neighbors, or is there room for much improvement ?
Paul has set before us a true challenge. Can you not see that love as true as Paul has outlined can not help but to be loved back ? Can not help to be but a true blessing that no one can take away from you ? Can you also not see that Paul took Jesus’s love as this model ?
Replace above Jesus in each of Paul’s Exhortations where he has used the word love. He fulfills them all does he not ? Now try it with your name. Sounds foolish doesn’t it, but it is our duty that each day it begin to sound a little less foolish until we also truly fit.
He tells us at the end that Love Never Fails - a clear indication that we need to be those things and look for them in others, also as our duty requires helping them to fit.
I hope you have found Paul’s exhortations on Love helpful. The list I know is daunting. We all need to work diligently at becoming the kind of people who can stand up to Paul’s urgings.
Just incase some of you were wondering - who won out in Corinth ? Well it took a while, actually many years, but it was the Apostle Paul and true love who eventually won out - the Temple of Aphrodite was in the end converted into a Christian Church.
Sure seems that Paul was right - Love Never Fails - so learn to master it, and master it well, for it will be the only worldly thing that you will be allowed to retain into eternity.
-Love to you all -
† Yours in Christ †
Dennis C.
Christian Fellowship
Cocoa Beach, Florida
References -
Mathew Henry - Commentary on 1 Corinthians 13
Ray Steadman - Message of First Corinthians Matthew Henry
David Guzik - Study Guide for First Corinthians Ch. 13
Chuck Smith - Study Guide for First Corinthians
David Guzik Agape Love 1 Corinthians 13
New King James Version copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
RBC’s Ministries Discovery series pamphlet - "What is Real Love"
