Bulletins
Love Is...
In 1 Corinthians 13, the Holy Spirit through Paul spoke to the church at Corinth about the love brethren should have for one another. The word used for love is agape, which involves selflessness and sacrifice. It is a deliberate choice to seek others’ highest good, rather than only thinking about oneself.
When we direct such love toward others, the fruits listed in verses 4-7 will result. For instance…
Love is patient: The ASV says “love suffereth long.” If we love others as we should, we won’t be short-tempered with them or retaliate when treated poorly. Instead, we will be longsuffering toward others, as God has been to us (2 Pet. 3:9).
[Love] is kind: If we love others as we should, we will not be bitter or harsh toward them. Instead, we will treat others gently and act benevolently.
Love doesn’t envy: Envy involves discontentment when good comes to others. Such is the opposite of love’s attitude. If we love others as we should, we will be happy for blessings that come their way.
Love doesn’t brag: Boasting seeks to exalt self above others. Love opposes such aims, wanting instead to help others.
[Love] is not proud: Boasting is in many ways rooted in pride. While worldly wisdom may promote esteeming and exalting self above others, the wisdom from above does not (cf. Phil. 2:3-8).
[Love] doesn’t behave itself inappropriately: The NKJV says that love “does not behave rudely”
(1 Cor. 13:5). Love leads to treating others with respect and politeness, rather than crudeness.
[Love] doesn’t seek its own way: At its core, love is about selflessness. Philippians 2:4 perhaps gets at the heart of agape love. The verse commands, “each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.”
[Love] is not provoked: Love does not lash out in hasty anger at others. It has too great a concern for others’ well-being.
[Love] takes no account of evil: If we love others as we should, we will not keep a mental list of their wrongs. We will not be bitter or resentful, but forgiving.
[Love] doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth: Love encourages righteousness. Love never delights in the faults of others.
[Love] bears all things: This might allude to the fact that if we truly love others, we will not gossip about them.
[Love] believes all things: Love is not gullible, but it does give the benefit of the doubt instead of jumping to conclusions that assume the worst in others.
[Love] hopes all things: Love also desires what is best for others.
[Love] endures all things: Even when faced with hardships, including mistreatment from others, love endures.
These fruits of love serve as a measuring stick for self-examination. They also demonstrate that at the root of treating others rightly is the simple but weighty command, “love thy neighbor as thyself” (Rom. 13:9).
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