Week 46 - November 14th, 2021
1 Corinthians 13:4–7
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.
Context: Situated in the middle of a discussion on spiritual gifts, this text is much more than a wedding homily. The Corinthian church was filled with immature believers concerned with position and prestige. Paul emphasizes that God’s gifts are meant for service to others and do not exist for our personal exaltation. All spiritual gifts are given so that we might better love our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Meaning: If there was a word that could serve as love’s opposite, it would be “selfishness.” Through and through, the traits that Paul celebrates are those that abase and demote individual cares and concerns for the good of those around them. Commentator Bruce Waltke has observed that in Scripture, “it is the righteous who will seek to disadvantage themselves for the sake of their community and it is the unrighteous who will seek to disadvantage their community for their own sakes.” This comment would appropriately apply to this passage.
Life Application: Love is the ultimate solution to dysfunction. When we truly love one another we will begin to treat each other in the same ways that Christ treats us. Strikingly, these words are written to the whole church—both the functional and the dysfunctional. Whether we perceive ourselves as the offenders or the offended in a relationship, we have a high and holy calling to love our brothers and sisters as Christ Himself loved us—even giving up our lives for their sake.
For Further Study: Paul brings the image of sacrificial love to its pinnacle in Philipians 2:1–11. Read this passage and meditate on it. How can you love others in your life to this same degree? What opportunities do you have to humble yourself? Who can you consider more important than yourself?