What is love really? The reason why we are in relationships? What we feel for our family, friends, siblings, etc.? In this post, I am going to break down the true meaning of love, based on what the Bible says about it in the NIV version of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.
Before we get started, allow me to introduce myself. Hi! I’m Hailee, a high school blogger, jeweler, musician, and daughter of the King! To learn more about me and my mission, click here!
And without further ado, let’s get started!
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV)
Before we start breaking down what love really is, let’s read the five verses in the Bible that give a perfect definition of love:
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. Love never fails.
Alright, let’s get some context! Both of the books of 1 and 2 Corinthians were written as a letter by the apostle Paul to a church in Corinth. In his letters, Paul gives the Corinthians advice (that we can still use today) on how they can “…consistently embody the new life of God’s kingdom…” (1 Corinthians Intro)
These five verses consist of eight things that love is and eight things that love is not. Let’s break these down together!
What love is
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says that love is patient and kind, that it rejoices with the truth, that it always protects, trusts, hopes, and always perseveres. Let’s look at each of these in detail!
Patient
I know firsthand how hard patience can be. But, when we are patient with others and others are patient with us, it shows just how much we love them and vice versa.
Think about when you were younger and your parents, or other adults in your life, had to be patient with you. Don’t you think that that shows love? I know it probably isn’t easy to be patient with me, especially when I was younger, and I can see the love of my friends and family members shine through their patience.
Kind
When people are kind to you, don’t you feel loved? I know that sometimes, it can be hard to be kind to others, especially when they aren’t being kind to you. Personally, I think that it shows even more love when you are showing kindness to those who aren’t showing it back.
How can you show love by being kind to people in your life today?
Rejoices with the truth
When we sin, it can be easy to take the sin even further and lie about it to others. But, when we tell the truth, we are loving those around us and even ourselves! Remember, John 8:32 says that “the truth will set you free.” So the next time you or someone around you tells the truth, rejoice for that is showing love!
Protects
Admittedly, I had kind of a hard time writing this one. What does it mean that love “always protects?” I think that God showed love to the Israelites by protecting them in the Old Testament.
Furthermore, I did some research and found that gotquestions.org has a really good definition for this. It says:
“One of the marks of love is that it always seeks to protect the loved one. This doesn’t mean that we excuse wrongdoing or seek to evade the natural consequences of sin; it means that we strengthen what is weak, shield what is vulnerable, and forgive what is provoking.”
So good, right? I think that this basically sums it up.
Trusts
If you truly love someone, hopefully, you will trust them too, right? I think that loving someone by trusting them means that you give them the benefit of the doubt, aren’t constantly suspicious of them, and accept their apologies quickly and fully, trusting that they are sincere and will try not to commit that sin against you again.
Hopes
Again, I had a bit of a hard time coming up with an explanation for this one, but I liked the definition from gotquestions.org, which says:
“Part of showing love is hoping, and part of hoping is seeing the potential of others. As Goethe said, “If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.” In love, we can always be hopeful and show confidence in others. This does not rule out confrontation or the redress of wrongs, but the impact of a positive attitude in the life of another person is incalculable.”
Perseveres
Love “always perseveres.” What does that mean? I think that to persevere with your love means that you love unconditionally. You love people when they love you back, when they sin against you, when you aren’t feeling loved yourself; the situations are endless, and yet we are called to love at all times!
What love is not
These eight things are what Paul writes that love is not. He says love does not envy or boast, it is not proud, it does not dishonor others, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, and does not delight in evil. Let’s break these down, shall we?
Love does not envy
I know from personal experience that envy is a really hard thing to get over. The truth of the matter is, though, that when we envy others we are not loving them. Think about it, if you envy someone for having something that you don’t, you usually start to resent them, not love them.
Instead of envying that person, ask God to show you ways that you can show love to them instead and thank Him for all that you do have.
Love does not boast
I think that when you truly love someone, you start to not care as much about your own accomplishments and status, but are instead excited about the achievements and opportunities of those that you love. Love does not boast!
Love is not proud
I think that this one is similar to not boasting. When you are proud, you think highly of yourself and your achievements. When you love someone, congratulate them on what they have achieved. Try not to think so highly of yourself, because that could get in the way of you loving others.
Love does not dishonor others
If you dishonor someone, that means that you are bringing disgrace or shame upon that person. Love doesn’t dishonor because it is supposed to be kind and patient and trusting. If you love someone, you should not bring dishonor upon them, for that is very unloving.
Love is not self-seeking
If you are self-seeking, you basically only look out for your own interests, which is definitely not loving. Philippians 2:4 tells us that we should not only look out for our own interests, “but also to the interests of others.” By putting others’ needs before our own, we are loving our neighbor as ourselves, which is what God calls us to do.
Love is not easily angered
Sometimes, I can be very easily angered, especially with my younger sister. When I am frustrated with her, I am not showing love to her! Being quick to anger is a sin that only God can help us correct. If you find yourself being easily angered, ask God to give you patience so that you can love those around you.
Love keeps no record of wrongs
This is also something I tend to do. Believe me, I am a master grudge-holder. When I hold others’ wrongs against them, it makes it much harder to love them. God calls us to forgive others as He forgave us. Today, let go of whatever you are holding against someone, and forgive them so you can love them!
Love does not delight in evil
In the day and age we live in, it is very easy to get swept away in sin. Peer pressure is sometimes something that I, personally, struggle with. We need to love what is good and hate what is evil. Today, I encourage you to ask God to show you what is evil so you can turn and run in the other direction!
Love never fails!
Paul starts off verse 8 saying that “love never fails.” We should take this as an example and apply it to our everyday lives. God’s love never fails, never wavers, and never dies. Every day, we need to make it our personal mission to love others as God loves us.
Friends, do not ever doubt God’s love for you. He proved it when He sent Jesus to die for our sins and He continues to prove it every day of our lives by never ceasing to provide for us and take care of our every need. Let God’s love shine through you each and every day as you go out into the world and serve Jesus Christ our Savior!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you so much for your unfailing, unconditional, and perfect love. It is the greatest give that I will ever receive and I am so thankful for it. Sometimes, it can be really hard to love those around me, especially when they are not loving me in return. When I am finding it hard to love others, please strengthen me and remind me of Your great love for me!
In Your Name I pray, amen.
What do you think?
And that is about all I have for you today! What do you think? Did you enjoy breaking down Paul’s definition of love with me? If you did, let me know in the comments or by contacting me! Also, do you have anything specific that you want me to write about? Please do not hesitate to let me know!
Thank you for checking out my blog! My prayer for you is that you always remember how much God loves you and will strive to show others that same love. I encourage you to share this post with at least three people whom you think need to learn about the true definition of love. Let me know if you accomplished this mission!
Don’t forget to shine bright and spread the light! Keep loving others!
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