LET LOVE BE THE GREATEST
LET LOVE BE THE GREATEST- Evangeline Esaaba Folson
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal and though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.”
According to experts on the study of love, there are three major kinds of love:
- Agape; (the unconditional love that can only be given by God)
- Filo/Filial (brotherly love, love between siblings)
- Eros (love between married people)
1 Corinthians 13 talks mainly about agape, the unconditional love given by God, and expected among Christians. 1 Corinthians 13: 1- 3 quoted above teaches that in the sight of God if you have special gifts from God that enable you to speak in tongues, prophesy, understand mysteries, have great knowledge, give all you have. to the poor and even sacrifice your life but you do not have charity (love). you have done nothing, and you will gain nothing. Everything we do in this world should be driven by love. 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 gives details on the characteristics of agape love lets analyze it verse by verse.
1 Corinthians 13: 4
“Charity suffereth long and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth, not itself, is not puffed up.”
Filo and Eros’s kind of love is based on conditions. For instance, you love your spouse because he/she is handsome, pretty, generous, etc… you love your brother and sister because you have the same parents, live in the same house, do everything together.
Agape love is unconditional, it is not based on anything you do or do not have. God loves you for being you. That is the kind of love God wants all his children to develop and learn. We are to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31). The first. Characteristics of this kind of love are given in 1 Corinthians 13:4. Love suffers long and is kind. It is not envious or arrogant. We must learn to accommodate each other’s errors/mistakes and any behavior that we find unpleasant in others. When your neighbor is prosperous or successful in life, there is no need to envy the person and make plans to destroy him/her. Be happy for your neighbor who is prospering, bearing in mind that God will also lift you up or cause you to prosper soon. Let’s not be arrogant or puffed up because of our achievements, it is not by our own strength that we achieved what we have. it is God’s blessing to us.
1 Corinthians 13:5
“Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil.”
To be able to show unconditional love, we must not always want to have our own way when there is a decision to be taken or some work to be done. We must not be selfish or want to have everything for ourselves without thinking of the welfare of others. It should be our desire to not think evil of others.
1 Corinthians 13:6
“Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.”
According to this verse, love or charity does not delight in doing the wrong thing or engaging in sinful things. Rather it delights in living in the truth that the word of God instructs us to. To be able to exhibit the love of God or agape love we should stay away from sin and uphold the truth of the word at all times.
1 Corinthians 13:7
“Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”
The unconditional love of God bears all things. God does not stop loving us because we misbehave, God always believes the best about us, even when our lives do not fall in line with his word. Our Lord hopes for the best for his children and does not give up on us because we keep doing the wrong things that displease him in our walk and relationship with others God expects us to show this kind of love. In spite of what our loved ones do, God expects us to bear all things and endure all things.
1 Corinthians 13:8
“Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.”
This verse teaches us that the important things in our Christian walk with God like prophecies (Which God uses to warn his children about the danger and prepare them for good things), tongues (that helps us to pray better and draw closer to God) and knowledge (facts about God) will all pass away but love never fails.
1 Corinthians 13:13 says “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
Concluding Remarks
The message and plan of salvation are all about love. it was love that moved God to create man. This same love made him find a way of reconciling man to God after. Man disobeyed him. Love is the central truth of the gospel. God is love, therefore, let us seek.at all times to walk in the love 1 Corinthians 13 teaches. If we love God and our neighbors sincerely, we can change the world and make it a better place. At all times let us seek to make “LOVE THE GREATEST” motivation that moves us to do things each day.
References
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