What is true love? Part 1

What is true love?   Part 1             

1 Corinthians 13:1 “If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn’t love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal.” Touchpoint Bible

Extra Reading: 1 Corinthians 1-13

I have learned over the years that nine out of ten when people say “love,” they mean something else. They might be expressing the highly emotional state of “falling in love,” which sees love simply as an overwhelming feeling. They might be confusing love with the selfish physical desire of lust. But they seldom have in mind the kind of selfless, courageous, and forgiving love Paul describes in these timeless words. One evangelist once suggested that a good way to check your own understanding of love is to substitute your own name for the word ‘love’ and reread the chapter. How does reading it in this way show you how your understanding and practice of love need to grow? This is a serious challenge to all of us. By the expression, “tongues of men and of angels,” (verse 1) Paul is referring to two kinds of speech. First, he is referring to eloquent and powerful human speech, which he calls the “tongues of men.” Paul himself was an effective speaker and preacher. Second, Paul is referring to “other tongues,” or spiritual languages, which he here calls the “tongues…of angels” (see 1 Corinthians 12:10; 14:18). Without love, both human eloquence and speaking in other tongues become just noise; they are worthless. In verse 2, Paul mentions three other gifts of the Holy Spirit: namely, prophecy, knowledge, and faith (1 Cor. 12:8-10). Even if we receive these three gifts in the fullest measure-that is, even if we can “fathom all mysteries,” and even if we can “move mountains” (Mark 11:22-23)-if we do not have love we are nothing! Without love, these great gifts are nothing! Verse 3 brings a bigger shock to us. Without love, religious works are of no benefit. Followers of other religions seek to acquire religious merit by doing good works. They give money to the poor. They give their time to public works. They are even prepared to suffer pain and death. But why? For what? In the end, all these things are done to benefit the person doing them. They are done for the purpose of earning religious merit, so that the one doing them will be better off in the next life. These things are not done for others, but for oneself.

But Paul teaches here that such “good works” give no benefit to the one doing them. True, the poor may get a little help from such works, but the doer of the works will not find the benefit he or she is looking for. Even Christians who are burned to death for the sake of the Gospel will receive no reward unless they also have the fire of love in their hearts. In verses 4-7, when the word ‘love’ was used, we understand that Paul is talking about a “person filled with love.” So, in verse 4, we can read: The “person filled with love” is patient, the “person filled with love” is kind. The word “kind” doesn’t mean just being kind in one’s heart; it also means showing that kindness to others. The man who is kind is always seeking to do good things for others. You will notice that the “man filled with love” who is patient and kind has three of the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, patience, and kindness (see Galatians 5:22).

Prayer: Father God, fill and transform our hearts with your love. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!

Rev. Samuel N. Modise