1 Corinthians 13:4 – “Love is patient, love is kind…”

Love is one of God’s highest priorities for us as individuals and for our churches. This Bible passage teaches us that love is a more important characteristic of a church than any type of spiritual gifts, healing, miracles, prophecies, or revelations. Of course, God wants every church to have those things as well. Love is even more essential than revelation. Revelation is necessary (we need to know the will of God so we can obey it) but this passage says that lack of love negates the intended effect of revelation, making it pointless (1 Corinthians 13:1-2). Similarly, the Bible says “without faith no one can please God” (Hebrews 11:6), because faith is essential. Even so, love is greater than faith (1 Corinthians 13:13).

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1 Corinthians 13:4 – “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”

Love wishes the best for the other person, and delights in seeing the other person succeed and prosper. Envy does the opposite. Christian love wants to see God glorified through everyone. The love described in 1 Corinthians 13 is not just a feeling or emotion. The original Greek uses a different noun here than the word for emotional or sentimental love. The love described here is a choice that we make, a character trait that we consciously cultivate in ourselves.

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1 Corinthians 13:4 – “Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.“

God is love.  The Bible teaches that love is more important than spiritual gifts, miracles, doctrinal teaching, or hope (of course, God wants every church to have those things as well).  The Bible says love is even greater than faith (1 Corinthians 13:13).  Love does not boast.  Boasting is incompatible with Jesus living in us and loving others through us.

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1 Corinthians 13:4-5 – “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”

Love is not rude. As Christ’s love grows within us, and shows itself more and more to those around us, it constrains us against being rude or offensive. Christians should have a reputation for being gracious and friendly, not insulting or offensive.

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1 Corinthians 13:4-5 – “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”

Love is not proud. In some ways, this subject is difficult to teach because the New Testament warns against pride in so many different contexts. Jesus forbid pride toward other church leaders or members: “Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave…” (Matthew 24:25-27).

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1 Corinthians 13:5 – “Love is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”

Love is not self-seeking. More than any other aspect of love listed in 1 Corinthians 13, selflessness distinguishes this kind of love (“agape”) from all other sentiments that we call “love.” Infatuation or romantic love is inherently self-seeking; it is no different than “desire.” Friendship or familial love are good and may be sacrificial at times, but these relationships serve our own self-interest so much that even wicked, completely selfish people have friends and families (see Matthew 5:46-48). Love for our own nation, people, or tribe  is also self-interested. Nationalism merely prefers those who share our self-interests to those who do not.  Apart  from Christ’s love, all other forms of human affection, appreciation, and allegiance are arguably self-interested or self-seeking.

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“If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.  What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it.”   - 1 Corinthians 9:17-18 continue

“My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.”   - 1 Corinthians 2:4-5   continue

“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.  To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.”  – 1 Corinthians 12:7-10   continue

1 Corinthians 16:15 - “You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints.”

There is a lot of talk right now about “values” and family issues in our society.  The Bible has a lot to say about families beyond the basic “rules” about morality and implied gender distinctive.  In Exodus 10:13 it says that God’s people had light in their homes even when the world around them was engulfed in darkness and confusion. God’s light – his revelation – comes to us through the Holy Spirit. We believe God wants His people to have the Holy Spirit operating in their homes and within their families.

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