Love - Intro

All of us have most likely read 1 Corinthians 13, heard it quoted, seen it on cards and probably even listened to it preached. In spite of all of this attention on the “love chapter” I’m convinced 1 Corinthians 13 is still a commonly misrepresented passage. Today I would like to provide a brief introduction and a bit of context so that over the coming weeks we can take an in-depth look at what Paul and the Holy Spirit are really trying to tell us through this challenging passage.

Context: Chapter 13 is a breath of fresh air in a book that up to this point (1-12) has been rife with problems, warnings, explanations and corrective instruction. In the closing chapters to come (14-16) Paul will give a hopeful encouraging conclusion to the book, but before he does he presents us with the beautiful challenge of chapter 13.

13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 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.

In the first 3 verses Paul lays some groundwork for his following dissertation on how we are to love. It is not a difficult introduction, he is merely using hyperbole (exaggeration) to show that even if we were able to posses unattainable abilities and use them for good, our actions will mean NOTHING if they are not properly motivated by a genuine Godly love. He wants us to realize the great importance of true Agape love.

Once the significance of love is established, Paul then lays out a picture how love looks and functions in verses 4-7. His portrait is essentially a definition meant to teach us not only what love is, but how we are to love. We in America tend to have a misguided understanding of love. The first definition my dictionary has for the word love is, “a passionate attraction and desire.” The second and third definitions are, “very strong affection, and romantic affair.” Add in some “respect” and “adoration” and you have a fairly representative definition of how we American English speakers understand love.

Next time we will begin to break down verses 4-7. If you are anything like me you are sure to find this to be challenging passage to accept and apply to your daily life. Until next time I leave you with one homework question (Please feel free to comment): Define love as used in 1 Corinthians 13.

Posted in: Early DoF,Love - 1 Cor 13