FIRST CORINTHIANS THIRTEEN
VERSES 1-8
The churches of Christ Greet You (Romans
Exactly what is (AGAPE) love? Is it merely a
sentimental,
emotional disposition towards God? Or does love involve more than that?
When
the Lord suggested that the “great” commandment is loving God with all
of one’s
heart, soul, and mind (Matthew
First, love is active. It is not mere
emotionalism; it is
revealed in obedience. Jesus said: “If you love me, you will keep my
commandments” (John
Second, the verb “walk” translates the Greek peripateo, which denotes a sphere of existence. It takes a present tense form, hence, suggests a sustained mode of activity. Underline “walk,” and write Keep on Walking.
Third, observe that “love” and “commandments” are
not
mutually exclusive. Some contend that the New Testament is a series of
“love
letters,” and so is not to be viewed as “law.” John recognized no such
distinction. Love recognizes and honors law (commands). Circle
“commandments.”
Connect it back to “love,” and observe: Love and Commands not in
conflict.
AGAPE
The noblest form of love in the Greek language is agape.
William Barclay, in his superb discussion of this word, noted that “Agape
has to do with the mind: it is not simply an emotion which rises
unbidden in
our hearts; it is a principle by which we deliberately live” (New Testament Words, p. 21).
It is the kind of love that we must have for all
men – even
our enemies (Matt.
Unquestionably, the most exhaustive treatment of
what this
kind of love involves is found in First Corinthians, chapter 13. Within
this
context, the inspired apostle gives more than a dozen descriptives
which
regulate the operation of agape love. And what a challenge they
are. To
study them carefully is to come to the rude awakening of how far we
fall short
of measuring up to the divine ideal of concern for others.
THE CONTEXT
A word must be said, though, regarding the context
in which agape
is employed in this epistle. By the imposition of apostolic hands (cf.
Acts
Some of these Corinthian gift-holders, however,
were abusing
their spiritual privileges – exercising the signs as an end within
themselves,
and not out of regard for their family in the Lord. For example,
sometimes
there would be multiple verbal presentations simultaneously, creating a
climate
of confusion (cf. 1 Cor.
In addition, the apostle noted that the time was coming when these gifts would be removed from the church’s possession. When the revelatory process was completed (with the finished product of the New Testament), the gifts would cease (1 Cor. 13:8ff).
The discussion of “love” thus serves a twofold
function in 1
Corinthians 13.
1. It seeks to
regulate selfish abuses of spiritual gifts;
2. Love’s abiding
nature is contrasted with the temporal character of miraculous gifts.
In the balance of this discussion, we will reflect
upon the
quality of agape-love as described in this context.
THE CHARACTER OF LOVE
Love Is Long-Suffering
The word makrothumei literally hints of
taking a long
time to get hot! In the New Testament, it has to do with how one should
respond
to abuse. Love patiently waits and attempts to win over one’s
adversary.
William Barclay tells the enlightening story of
how Edwin
Stanton was the bitter opponent of Abraham Lincoln in the early days of
their
political careers.
Love Is Kind
A wise man declared: “That which makes a man to be
desired
is his kindness” (Prov.
In a world that is saturated with harshness, a
kind
disposition is a refreshing breeze. There is many a woman who would
trade a
handsome husband for a kind one. Kindness would stifle the plague of
child
abuse. More kindness among brothers in the Lord would alleviate so much
church
trouble. The Scriptures demand that we be kind to one another (Eph.
Love Is Not Jealous
What is jealousy? Jealousy is a feeling of
displeasure
caused by the prosperity of another, coupled with a desire to wrest the
advantage from the person who is the object of one’s envy. The
consuming flames
of jealousy are as cruel as the grave (Song of Solomon 8:6). Jealousy
has
destroyed many a home and church. The loving person will rejoice at the
success
of others.
Love Vaunts Not
Itself
“Let another man praise you, and not your own
mouth” (Prov.
27:2). Is there anyone more of a bore than a braggart? Genuine love is
selfless. It seeks to extol the virtues of others. Love has words of
encouragement for the lonely, the down-trodden, and others who deserve
and need
uplifting. But some are ever tooting their own horns. When a windbag
preacher
boasts that were it not for his efforts the whole brotherhood of Christ
would
be immersed in apostasy, one cannot but be reminded of this
descriptive.
Love Is Not Puffed Up
The original language here denotes one who is
inflated with
a sense of personal pride. Pride is unreasonable self-esteem, generally
accompanied by insolence and rude treatment of others. It deceives the
heart
(Jer. 49:16), hardens the mind (Dan.
Love Does Not Behave
Itself Unseemly
The Greek expression here literally suggests the
notion of
being “without form.” It encompasses all sorts of evil activity, bad
manners,
and brutal rudeness. Love doesn’t deliberately seek to be offensive.
Have you known anyone who took pride in his
ability to
bludgeon others? The Christian’s vocabulary should be characterized by
such
expressions as, “No, you first,” “please,” “thank you,” “how may I help
you?”
etc. Love operates with determined politeness. The terms “gentleman”
and “lady”
should reach their zenith in the context of Christianity.
Love Seeks Not Its
Own
The meaning is, love does not pursue its own
interests. Love
is not selfish. It has been said that there are two kinds of people –
those who
are always thinking of their rights, and those who concentrate on their
responsibilities. Ours is an age of woeful selfishness.
Everyone is protective of their own rights – let
others fend
for themselves. After all, it’s a jungle out there – a dog-eat-dog
world.
Whence came the origin of this fang-and-claw philosophy?
By way of contrast, consider the sacrificial
example of the
Son of God (Phil. 2:5-8). Love thinks of others and seeks to serve.
Love Is Not Quickly
Provoked
Love does not have a short fuse; it does not
stroll about
with a chip on its shoulder. Some folks are cocked, just ready to
explode.
Their day is ruined if someone does not provide the opportunity for
them to
give a piece of their mind. Genuine love does everything possible to
avoid
combat. If conflict for truth has to come, so be it; but one should not
live in
the objective case and kickative mood!
Love Takes Not
Account of Evil
This descriptive does not mean that love ignores
evil. That
view would contradict numerous other passages of scripture. There are
times
when evil must be exposed, rebuked, and disciplined. The Greek word for
“account” is from logizomai, a commercial expression which
suggests
writing a transaction in the record so as not to forget it. Love does
not keep
score, as in, “Three times this month he has neglected to speak to me.”
The one
who says, “I must forgive you, but I will never forget what you did,”
has
miserably failed the test of agape. Love does not harbor bitterness nor
does it
plot revenge.
Love Does Not Rejoice
in Unrighteousness, but Rejoices with the Truth
Since love always seeks the good of others, it can
never
rejoice when evil prevails. When a brother falls – even an obnoxious
one – we
should never entertain secret thoughts of satisfaction. Rejoicing in
moral
wickedness is at variance with biblical love and does not have
humanity’s
welfare at heart.
For example, those who exult in parades for “gay
rights,” or
who gleefully celebrate the liberalization of abortion laws, have
utterly no
perception of what real love is. Divine love cannot be divorced from
objective
truth.
Love Bears All Things
The verb stego conveys the picture of one
object on
top of another, thus hinting of either support (by the lower object),
or concealment
(by the upper object) [W.E. Vine, 1st
Corinthians, p. 132]. The ideas are not mutually exclusive –
especially
in this context.
Love supports, uplifts those who are in need of
such. Jesus
was constantly in trouble with His Jewish critics because of His
encouragement
of the downtrodden (cf. Luke 15:1ff).
Moreover, one who operates out of love will cover,
i.e., be
slow to expose, the mistakes of another. Love “would far rather set
about
quietly mending things than publicly displaying and rebuking them”
(Barclay).
Of course there may be a time for the open exposure of wrong (cf. 1
Tim.
Love Believes All
Things
This does not mean that love is gullible.
Believing error is
both wrong and dangerous (cf. 2 Thess.
When you hear a distasteful report concerning a
fellow
Christian, do you hesitate to believe it until the evidence is
overwhelming? In
these times when error is so rampant in the church, we must resist the
temptation to be quickly and recklessly suspicious. We should strive to
be more
trusting of our kinsmen in Christ.
Love Hopes All Things
Love is optimistic; it entertains the highest
expectations.
Sometimes we see a struggling brother and perhaps think: “He will never
make
it.” Whereas we ought to say, “I believe that with God’s assistance –
and mine
– he will make it!” If we must err on the pessimism/optimism scale, let
us err
in the direction of hope.
Love Endures All
Things
Even when adversity challenges again and again,
love
continues to operate. Agape is tough. It is not easily discouraged.
True love
does not give up – on God, or on others.
Again we must emphasize – no one can see his
reflection in
these words without embarrassment. The divine dictionary of love will
be a
lifetime challenge, but the demonstration of this virtue will evince
that we
are truly the Lord’s disciples (John
LOVE NEVER FAILS! (vs. 8)
There are three things that
remain –
faith, hope,
and love – and the greatest of
these is
LOVE! (vs. 13)
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in the Life of a Christian
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