The Love Chapter

A Chapter by Not A Writer

A commentary view on 1 Corinthians 13. The emphasis is on loving others.

The Love Chapter

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 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. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Introduction

After seeing what love is and what it is not, it is time to discuss what love looks like towards others. No other portion talks about the relationship of one to another in love as much as First Corinthians chapter thirteen does. So in this chapter, we will examine this portion of scripture like a commentary would approach it. The more we see what love looks like: the more we can apply love in our lives. Let us than get down to the business of loving one another.

Background

It would only be proper to give the background of 1 Corinthians before I jump into chapter thirteen. The Corinthians were a wise group of people who did not show much or if any love to one another. Paul writes to them in 1 Corinthians 1:10 saying, “I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and though. The first six chapters show the division of the church, while chapters seven through twelve show the lack of love toward one another. So all the pressure and drama ends up, and instead of drawing another problem from the Corinthians, Paul simply just talks what love is.

Verses one through three

Verse one, Paul addresses tongues speaking. In the Apostolic era, speaking in tongues were not out of the norm. Indeed, the Corinthians were striving to speak in tongues. Indeed, they were striving the lesser instead the greater gifts, like prophecy. This is where the Corinthians were having the problem because tongue speaking only benefited the person speaking, unless those around could understand the language spoken. Although this gift was greatly desired, it was probably doing no good in the church at Corinth because it was not edifying those who hear. This is where, Paul says, if I do not have long, I am only making a bunch of noise. If in tongues I speak without love and am considered without love to be nothing. How much more am I considered to be nothing if my speech is not “seasoned with grace and edifying one another?”

While the first verse deals with tongue speaking, the second deals with knowledge. The Corinthians were obsessed with knowledge. Paul had to address them about it in chapters one and two, and you can see their obsession about it by the questions they ask throughout the book. Although, prophecy is greater than speaking in tongues, even that is considered to be nothing without love. Yea, even if I can understand all kinds of theology and knowledge, that is considered to be nothing for that knowledge is only kept to myself. Love reserved to self is considered to be a wasted life. Even with faith, this will be considered to be vain. I can trust that my God will heal someone, but if I pray for them out of duty instead of loving them, even than will I be considered loveless. I would be like the Pharisees. Believing, but not really loving. John Piper says of this, “They are ready to trust in their priileges, and especially such extraordinary privileges. They are exceedingly ready to trust in their knowledge, as the same Apostle observes, "knowledge puffeth up." So the Pharisees trusted.” There will be people in the world, who apparently have exercised some sort of gifts, yet will not be able to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 7:22 says, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works?" Something is wrong with us if we do not show love. Matthew 25:34-40 says, “Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I need clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” Love defines the Christian. No faith or gifts will ever match up to the love we give.

The third verse is the most startling for me. If I give myself to any ministry, camp, church work, or anything else, if I do not have love I am nothing. If I give away everything without love, it counts as nothing. John 15:13 reads, “Greater love has no one than this, that hey lay down his life for his friends.” However, if this is founded only upon self-interest and no regard for others, than it is not motivated by loving motives. If the man gives himself sacrificially, yet complains, he is not acting out of love. Love must have a solid basis inwardly and outwardly.

Verses four through seven

While the first three verses tell the Corinthians, “Hey, you may have this, but if you do not love, you are nothing.” However, the next four verses say, “Hey, this is what love is.” The Scripture never specifically say what love does, it only describes what it is. By understanding what love is, we can learn to love others more than ourselves.

I have more than once prayed in the past, “God, may you help me to love more.” Every Christian should desire to be more like Christ. We can do this by showing out our faith by our works. We can love. However, God has already taught us to love when we are born again (1 Thess. 4:9). Not only have we received love by God the Father, but also by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5) and by God the Son (1 Jn. 4:19). We cannot show true agape love on our own unless we are born again. When we are born again, and lean on God more than us and progress in sanctification, we will receive the fruits of the Spirit. The fruits of the spirit are “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” But love is mentioned first for a reason because love makes up all the others in the list to follow love. Without God, we can’t love. 1 John 4:7 says, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”

Love is patient. Patience by Roget’s Thesaurus means long-suffering, resignation, submission, and sufferance. This is a virtue needed although it is looked down upon. If we are not aware of the importance of patience, when trials come that test our patience, we will more than likely fail. What does patience look like? Patience is a brother maintaining his composure although his sister is annoying him by asking lots of questions. Patience is a wife calming herself even though the husband said he would take out the kids over half an hour ago. Patience overcomes the irritation that we receive concerning our relationships with people. We get irritated because the situation has not met according to our standards. However, when we are aware that God controls all the circumstances, this is how it is easy to overcome our ability to be rash and angry. We can have more patience by becoming more God-centered than self-centered. When we are aware that God controls all the circumstances, we know that God’s will is being orchestrated, and we just praise that His will is done rather than us being all upset. Paul had to speak about patience because the Corinthians rushed into lawsuits with one another.

Love is kind. Kind by Roget’s Thesaurus means indulgent, compassionate, merciful, lenient, and gracious. Kindness goes a step beyond patience in that it not only forbears others, but it also acts benevolently. This benevolence is not false, but it is true love that flows from the heart from what Christ did for us. You can be patient, but at the same time, you can be considered not kind. Somebody can be annoying and that indeed is love, but it is not love manifested. It is love forbore. Kindness takes a step farther and does something to the man although he or she is or not annoying. What is kindness? Kindness is a friend making jokes at you yet you buy him a candy bar. Kindness is doing something for you father even though you do not feel like it. No one feels like being kind because it is against their nature. Also, it is easy to make excuses not to love such as: Oh, I was too busy or I did not know that they were hurt. However, God does not give excuses for people not to be kind. Love is kind despite of the information not received. Remember, love is unconditional. Love loves no matter what. True kindness will be shown if true patience is shown. We need grace from God for kindness as much as we did for patience. Paul had to talk about kindness because it’s not enough to just put up with the trouble because that will only cause bitterness, but to do something for them. Love makes compound interest. The more we love the more we will love more.

Love does not envy. Envy by Webster’s New World Thesaurus means jealous, ill-will, rivalry, opposition, grudge, malice, prejudice, malevolence, covetousness. Whereas the first part of verse four shows what love is, Paul now explains what love is not. He continues this cycle until verse seven. Envy is a broad subject of evil, but one thing is for sure. Envy is absolutely against a person. There is no sympathy, no compassion, only evil directed towards the person. However, in order to not be self-righteousness, we should examine ourselves if there is the slightest hint of an envious spirit within us. Envy in our lives is you going to get punch instead of going in the line to get food because she is getting food and you do not want to talk to her. Envy usually shows outwardly by inward thoughts. Envy talks poorly about others, or envy will just ignore people. We usually think envy as a serious sin that only bad people commit. However, this sin is prevalent even among the respectable Christians in our church. Any division is based on envy. Any evil is based on envy because it is against the person. You cannot be envious one moment and kind the next. Light cannot exist with darkness. 1 John 2:9-11 states,

“Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blind him.”

The only way to be in the light is to be kind to all. Remember what James said, “Show no partiality.” The person who is receiving the evil that you are giving is just as evil as you are. The key to withstanding the sin of envy is to remember Christ’s love for everyone. Just as Christ died for you, He also died for that man. Paul had to address the issue of envy for the Corinthians were giving lawsuits against each other. Moreover, they were arguing who was the greatest apostle: Paul and Apollos. When love is absent, envy takes root.

Love does not boast. Oxford dictionary defines boast as talk with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities . . . . Pride is defined as the quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one's importance: First Corinthians chapter thirteen defines love in the space of our relationships with men. Although the Bible has verses that talk about our love directed to God, this will be discussed in the later chapters to come. However, how can us having pride affect one another? The same way it affected those around the Pharisees. Pride does not look for the welfare of others. It only protects its own agendas. Pride only protects what it values most. Since it only protects self, it tries to make self look good. It will appear as righteous and under control. It takes the role as God, though in the original purpose of things it did not plan to at first. Pride can be a person appearing to be the best basketball player on the court during practice, he looks puffed up. Pride can be a man talking about how well he fared during an activity or whatnot. The word boasting seems like what only evil people do; however, boasting is also done among us. We are not excluded, for we must not assume that we have made it or am no longer immune to the sin. When pride settles in our hearts, even the slightest action which seems to love others is not true love. Either it will be antinomianism or have false motives to love. Paul had to talk about boasting to the Corinthians because a man in the Corinthians was being proud about having sex with his father’s wife. A little yeast in the whole dough will corrupt the whole lump. Instead of being proud, we should clothe ourselves with humility because with humility we are willing to serve one another. Colossians 3:12 states, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, cloth yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Now in the ESV it does not include the phrase, “it is not proud”; however, those who boast are arrogant. It is assumed.

Love is not rude. Rude means crude, coarse, gross, ungraceful, indecent, rough, violent, and disgraceful. Rudeness is a broad subject in from what we do to what we say. Being rude is more than a lack of table manners, it is not respecting or esteeming others like kings or queens. Every person should be treated with the utmost respect. Now when someone talks to the president, doubtless to say, he does not call the president names or is uncouth with him. Likewise, instead of being sarcastic to each other, we should refrain from being mean. Galatians 5:15 says, “If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.” Silly unnecessary comments that degrade others are better not said. They are rude comments. Even if you mean it jokingly and even if the other does not think much of it, it is not loving. Love is not rude is on the other side of the spectrum of love being patient. Paul had to talk about love is not rude because rudeness was grabbing the Corinthians as they were being mean to each other as they were seeing who was better Paul or Apollos.

Love does not insist on its own way. Now Paul uses all these words and phrases as to what to do and what not to do. So to say love is not self-seeking implies that love looks out for the needs of others. So love seeks to benefit others. Matthew 7:12 states, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Love takes the initiative to spend time with someone in order to love them more. Philippians 2:3-4 states, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” For instance, the disciples when they entered the upper room were used to servants washing their feet. Since there was no servant present at the time, Jesus completed the job. Now would anyone enjoy washing somebody’s feet before the act done? No, but when one does the task, they continue to do it because they enjoy helping the other for their happiness.

Love is not irritable. Everybody can name at least someone who gets underneath their skin. However, love does not focus on the things that annoy them. While patience is love in long circumstance, love choosing not to be irritable focuses on the temporary. Why is love not irritable? Well, everybody is flawed, but to focus on the flaws or the things that people do to annoy you, will only lead to bitterness or resentment. People can choose whether they want to let something annoy them. But one can choose to let something not annoy them, by various means. First, to learn to know that we are on a mission field of love. If I harbor on the annoyances of someone than I will focus on them and have negative feelings toward the person. Love does not do that. Instead of being annoyed, one should remember that even Jesus died for these.

Love is not resentful. People being hostile to others come out of a deeper problem. Yes, it comes because someone has done something to you. The person has violated your standards of the Laws of Good and Evil, and you get resentful of it. However, instead of being mad and committing evil about it, one should calm down. We must all remember that even us, ourselves, have done something to make somebody upset. When we upset somebody, we want them to accept our annoyances even unknowingly. It is something we take for granted. Love not only does not resent people but does good to them.

Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing. This is a broad area here, but man does not rejoice in a man committing wrong when he is going against God. Love cares for others in the light of God. He cares that man walks in God’s statues rightly. When one rejoices in evil, than he is not caring for the person because true love is based on a love for God. In high school, I had a group of friends who would make nasty crude jokes, people would laugh which would only encourage them making the jokes. Instead of delivering them out of sin, they only encouraged them. Instead of rejoicing at wrongdoing, we should rebuke those in order so that they do not fall in the sin that would get them to deface the glory of God. A true friend will truly point out the sin and discourage sin. Also true love does not rejoice doing evil. It does not rejoice in being malevolent to others because there is truly no gain.

Love rejoices with the truth. Truth here can mean the Gospel. Love rejoices with the highest good and instead of rejoicing in evil that is contrary to the Gospel, it rejoices by the success of the gospel. We rejoice about the story of the Gospel and the Gospel being manifested in people lives. When good is being done by someone, we inwardly are joyful because the Gospel is being spread and God’s will is being done. We do not get jealous that the other is doing good deeds, but we rejoice with them and encourage each other to love even more. In order to rejoice with truth, we must have our minds set on completing the will of God.

Love bears all things. 1 Peter 4:8 states, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” Love will overcome anything that it faces against. Love is the strongest weapon in this world. It is the same weapon that God used to overcome sin and the world. It is also the same weapon we can use to help one another. When someone confesses a sin to someone else, the person hearing the confession does not go to one another and spread what he heard. He keeps it secret to himself instead of doing the person harm. This can be illustrated by Shem revealing the iniquity of Abraham in Genesis. Hem and Japeth only concealed their father’s sin. Love will do anything to make a person look good as long as it is for the good of a person.

Love believes all things. Love believes the good of a person unless otherwise proven to be false. Love never doubts that the other is not telling the truth. It will believe as far as necessary and will not doubt the other person’s integrity. Love also believes God. In the steps to salvation, a man will forgo who he was and what he loved in order to love God. The start of loving God is the step of faith which than believes. In order to believe in God, he or she must not love the things of this world. He that is already saved believes God in what He says in His Word. He that truly believes what is said will act upon it. Love will believe what God has said and who He truly is. Love believes because it loves whatever it’s object is.

Love hopes all things. Hope and trust are similar to each other. If I trust in something or someone, I hope that it is going to work out for my good. Now how is this love? Love chooses to hope that the man will do his word or deed. To not trust someone is to not have faith in them. Love trusts that the man will do his deed because he believes in them. “Hopes all things” and “believes all things” are similar to each other. As I will discuss later, love makes up hope and faith. Love puts its trust not only man will do his deed, but that God will protect us for the day of salvation.

Love endures all things. When a husband and a wife conjoin with each other in marriage, they make a solemn vow with each other. It states, “to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.” This vow is exactly how we ought to love each other. Love will overcome any circumstances that in the way. Like the lady with the two mites in Luke 21:1-4, love will overcome anything. Love is stronger than our own desires and meets the desires of someone else. Even in sickness and in health, it is there to provide for the person as long as he or she lives. Each of us should love. There are no excuses to love. Love overcomes self and the excuses we makes such as “Oh, I am too busy” or “I was too tired.” Love endures all things for man as well as for God because they are first priority in our lives.

Verses eight through twelve

Love never ends. Knowing that love never ends has changed how I think what love is. When I work with someone when I do not feel working with them, I know that I should not suddenly ask if I should leave, but that I should stick it out to the end and be a help to them. Even when I am done with the task, I will try to help out again in the future. Because love is not a one time thing. It never ends. My love should be like God’s love for me. Like the song which sings, “The love of the Lord never ceases, his mercy never come to an end. They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness, Oh, Lord.” I will admit that loving people is never easy. God said loving people would never be easy. However, we cannot love with God’s help. 2 A song says a wonderful thing about God’s grace, “His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men; For out of His infinite riches in Jesus He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.”

The rest of the verses up to verse thirteen simply explain that everything in this world will pass away. These verses go beyond the scope of this study, so I shall not talk about it. But one thing is for sure, love will endure and it is the one word that will define when we inhabit eternity.

Verse thirteen

Love is the greatest out of faith and hope. Warren Wiersbe say on verse thirteen, “Not that all three of the Christian graces will endure, even though ‘faith will become sight and hope will be fulfilled.’ But the greatest of these graces is love; because when you love someone, you will trust him and will always be anticipating new joys. Love energizes faith and hope.”Love makes up faith and breast plate. One can only love when they are born again. 1 Timothy 1:5 says, “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” The first requirement is a sincere faith. If you are an unbeliever, you need faith in order to show true agape love. If you are a believer, you must make sure you have pure faith currently. The next step is to have a pure heart and a good conscience. That means your heart must be meditating on the right Thing and your mind must be meditating on pure thoughts. Both will manifest themselves by the actions they do. You can have a pure heart by treasuring Christ who died for you and you can have a good conscience by having good thoughts. The Westminster Confession of 1647 says this think about faith showing itself in love, “Faith, thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification; yet it is not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but worketh by love (Jn. 1:12; Rom. 3:28; Rom. 5:1; Js. 2:17, 22, 26; Gal. 5:6). Love makes itself manifested through works done (Col. 1:5). If we forsake love, we are missing a vital part in protecting our lives. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 states, “having put on the breastplate of faith and love . . . .” Love cannot be false. Love is first an inward motive and comes from the inside out. When our love for God increases, our love for others will increase also.

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