13:4
We now get various characteristics of what love is. In reading this we need to remember the context, and the context is not a wedding ceremony! There is nothing wrong with using this chapter as part of a wedding service, and there are many general lessons to be learnt about love from this passage, but that was not the original context and it is helpful to view it in its original context. That context is a church that was obsessed with individual leaders, with competing against one another in various ways, and with exalting one's own ego. The virtues mentioned in verse 4 all run directly counter to these aspects of the church. Love is not in the least concerned with exalting oneself. When dealing with others it is patient and kind, these two virtues are directly relevant to the earlier questions addressed in the letter regarding the eating of food offered to idols. The attitude of some was to prove who was right, the right attitude is to be patient and kind.
13:5-7
We then get a further list of negatives, ie things that love is not. It never tires to pull others down so that it can be built up. The companion of being patient is that it is not easily angered. When we are concerned with exalting ourselves we can delight in others faults, for they show how much better we are! If we are self-seeking then may well delight in evil, we delight when others fall, for that makes us look better! (Or so we think.) We then get more positive aspects of love. It rejoices in the truth. This is very relevant for today, for the world delights in moral relativism, “do not judge”. This is not true love, for true love looks for the truth. But it does not look for the truth in order to do someone down, instead it seeks to protect. Someone may well be guilty of sin, and we should not hide from this, but we should always hope that the person will get on the right road. And we do this with perseverance. And let me remind us again, that these instructions, this teaching, is primarily for church life.
No comments:
Post a Comment