As we continue a mini-series on 1 Corinthians 13, it’s time to learn what love is. As a reminder, there are different words for love in Greek, like brotherly love or family love. However, thanks to an online Bible app that lets me check the Greek for the next few verses, I can confirm that it is agape love (άγάπη) that is being described here. This is not a love that is limited to a husband and a wife, or even a “brotherly love”, but a love that is expected among all members of the body of Christ, because it reflects the love that God has for us.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV
So, rather than a sermon or lesson where we dig through each of these attributes of love and discuss each one, I’d like to ask you a few questions. Please get this passage in front of you (1 Corinthians 13:4-7), preferably in your own Bible or online version of your favorite Bible translation as you get ready to answer some questions.
Which of these attributes of love (or things that are not included in love) is the easiest for you to practice? For me, verse 6 seems straightforward. When I love someone, I can celebrate when their life is righteous and following the truth. For those who I really love, not dishonoring others is important to me. I don’t want to ever speak something negative about my wife, for instance, unless perhaps it’s a joke that we agree is OK. (I can’t say that I’ve never made a mistake here, but this is something I take seriously.)
Which of these attributes of love is the most difficult for you to practice? Let’s be frank: some people are challenging to love. Personally, I struggle with getting angry and not letting things go, especially with people who I should love but who I don’t get along with. These people tend to be certain ones at work or in the news, and I get angry with myself when my mind goes back to how they have hurt me, even while I try to let things go and forgive them as I have been forgiven.
Which of these attributes of love is the most hurtful to you when someone else doesn’t show it to you? I could probably choose several of these, but one big turn-off for me is when someone else is boastful. That can get me off on the wrong foot with someone right off the bat. However, I’m called to love boastful people as well.
Which of these attributes of love has the best positive impact when someone else shows it to you? For me, I really need others to persevere (or “endure”, see NASB) for me. I make so many mistakes, and mess up relationships so many times, that I need others to be patient and forgiving with me, while they stick with me until I can work through things.
In the Lookout, David Faust quoted another pastor as saying, “The biblical concept of agape love involves giving of yourself for the benefit of another, even at your own expense. Biblical love is defined by passionately and righteously seeking the well-being of another. [It] is an act of the will and not just a fuzzy feeling in the stomach.”
I hope that these questions about love are helpful starting points for you to think further about love, and how you can best show it to others today. That’s better than a strange-feeling stomach.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for April 21, 2024
References:
- The Lookout, April 14, 2024, © 2024 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – 1 Corinthians, by Richard E. Oster, Jr. © 1995 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 