1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Let us continue to consider the importance of love for believers.

ü 1 Cor. 1:12-13: Love is the greatest, greater than faith or hope.

ü Mark 12:29-31: Rom. 13:10: Love fulfills the law.

ü 1 Cor. 16:14: Love must characterize everything we do.

ü Gal. 5:13-14: Love is the way we serve our brother.

ü Col. 3:14: Love makes every other quality perfect or complete.

ü 1 Tim. 1:3-5: Love gives sound doctrine a good conscience.

ü 1 Peter 4:8: Love covers a multitude of sins.

ü 1 John 4:19: Love is the only proper response to God’s love.

ü 2 John 4-6: Love makes the truth complete.

But we must ask, “What is love?”  Is it the feeling in the stomach a young man might feel for a young lady?  Is it sentimentalism?  Let us consider briefly the description in today’s passage.  (Each will be accompanied by a brief definition and a Scripture where this aspect of love is seen in a ministry context.)

·        Love suffers long (Jn. 21:15-19).  It has great patience with people.

·        Love is kind (2 Tim. 1:16-18).  It meets needs with specific acts.  This is especially critical in loving one’s enemies.

·        Love does not envy (Phil. 1:12-18).  It is not displeased when others succeed.

·        Love does not parade itself (1 Th. 2:5-6).  It does not boast about itself.

·        Love is not puffed up (1 Tim. 3:6; 2 Cor. 12:7-10).  It is not proud.

·        Love does not behave rudely (1 Tim. 5:1-2).  It is not indecent or disgraceful; love is not lust.

·        Love does not seek its own (2 Cor. 12:14; Phil. 4:17).  It doesn’t seek fame.

·        Love is not provoked (Acts 16:16-40).  It is not easily angered.

·        Love thinks no evil (Gal. 2:11-16>>2 Pt. 4:15).  It keeps no record of wrong.

·        Love does not rejoice in iniquity (1 Cor. 5:2,6).  Love will confront or discipline sin but will grieve over the sin.

·        Love rejoices in the truth (Ac. 18:24-28; 1 Tim. 1:3-5).  It presses for truth.

·        Love bears all things (1 Cor. 9:12).  It doesn’t get weary in well-doing.

·        Love believes all things (John 21:15-19; Acts 9:13-17,26-27).  It is not gullible or naïve but believes God can work all things.

·        Love hopes all things (Lk. 7:36ff; 19:4-10; John 8:1-11).  Again, this is not blind stupidity but godly optimism.  No situation is hopeless with Christ.

·        Love endures all things (2 Tim. 2:10; 3:10f).  It is patient in all circumstances.

·        Love never fails (John 13:1; 2 Tim. 4:6-8,16).  

These passages are worthy of study.  But believers know that one story illustrates love as no other and that is the story of the cross of Jesus Christ.  There is no greater love than the cross (John 15:13).  The cross is the ultimate lesson in how we ought to love one another in the body of Christ (1 John 4:7-11).