1 Corinthians 13

If you've ever been to a wedding, you're familiar with this chapter!  While love is a central theme of the entire Bible, no chapter in all of scripture paints such a clear picture of what love is in action.  As a result 1 Corinthians 13 has been labeled the "LOVE CHAPTER" of the Bible.  

Action Without Love is Nothing

The chapter starts off with a series of strong statements about the importance of love.

1 Corinthians 13

1. If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
2. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
3. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Stop and consider what He just said!

• If you can speak with the eloquence of angels and with the inspired gift of tongues, but you're not doing it out of love...YOU ARE JUST MAKING NOISE!
• If you are an actual prophet who has been given special discernment into the natural and supernatural world and you live by faith, but you don't have love...YOU ARE NOTHING!
• If you GIVE EVERYTHING AWAY even your own LIFE, but you do not love...YOU GAIN NOTHING!

A Christ followers it isn't just WHAT we do that matters. It's WHY we do what we do.  As believers a central motivation for all of our actions should be LOVE.  LOVE for God and LOVE for people.

• What area of your life do you need to re-evaluate your motivation?  
• Do you serve in ministry out of duty?  

Love in Action

He follows up this call to act out of love with a description of what love looks like in action.  It's one of the most quoted sections in the Bible, but at the same time it may be one of the sections we most often forget to apply.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Paul's description of LOVE challenges so many of our 21st century perceptions of LOVE.  Paul doesn't describe a series of feelings.  He doesn't describe emotions. He describes actions and choices.

• Love is more than a feeling
• Love is a call to action

Stop to consider what love actually looks like in action

Love is patient. Love is kind.

The words are much easier to say than to live out on a daily basis. It's easy to love someone when they're behaving lovable, but true love loves while someone is behaving in an unlovable manner. So often, we default to treating people the way they've treated us, rather than choosing to love them as scripture commands.

• True love is patient when they're being a jerk.
• True love is patient when they're being lazy.
• True love chooses to be kind, even when you're feeling cranky.
• True love chooses to be kind when they are unkind.
• True love chooses to be kind in good times, and in bad.
• True love doesn't withhold love due to performance or behavior.

True love isn't a matter of convenience or performance!

Love Holds No Record of Wrongs

One of the most damaging things you can do with a loved one is keep a long list of everything they have done wrong, and use that list against them as often as is possible. Just using the golden rule, you most likely hate it when people do this to you. So, don't do it to your spouse.

On a more practical level, bringing up the past compounds whatever the argument is that you're having. Instead of simply attempting to resolve the current conflict, you're rehashing a past argument. In addition, they're going to be frustrated with you for bring up the past. So, you go from having one point of tension to having three points of tension, and that's if only one of you brings up the past.

• Do you save every mistake they've made to use as ammunition later on?
• Do you constantly bring up the past?

This one I naturally drift toward. I'm deeply analytical and notice patterns. So, when something comes up, my brain naturally starts making connections. When talking through a disagreement, I want to express the patterns I've noticed. But instead of helping coming to an understanding, this sort of thing just opens old wounds.

When arguments/disagreements come up, do your best to stick to the topic at hand. Bringing up the past will only escalate the emotions. If you notice a legitimate pattern, bring it up in a setting where neither one of you is emotional, and with a plan to help resolve the issues.

Love Always Hopes. Love Always Trusts

There are going to be gaps between what you expect loved ones to do, and what actually occurs. It's going to happen a lot. When there is a gap between behavior and expectation, you choose what you put in the gap. You can trust the person or you can become suspicious of the person.

Love chooses to trust!
Love believes the best!

When you're continually suspicious of your spouse and immediately jump to accusations when there is a gap, you squeeze the joy out of your spouse. Often times, there is a reason for the gap. Your spouse knows it when you're assuming the worst of them. Even if they're in the wrong, this is de-moralizing. If they have a reason for the gap, it's frustrating.

Love chooses to believe the best instead of assuming the worst.

Their reason "Assuming the Worst" is major warning sign for marriage is that it indicates a deep problem with one or both of you.

There are a number of scenarios:

• You're suspicious of trustworthy behavior: Therefore you have trust issue.
• You're suspicious of consistent untrustworthy behavior: Therefore they are behaving in a manor, which forces you to assume the worst.
• Neither one of you communicates properly with each other: Therefore you're suspicious of trustworthy behavior, which appears to be untrustworthy.

Anytime you find yourself stuck assuming the worst, you have some personal or relational repairs to make.

Sean Chandler | Associate Pastor

Sean has been a part of the association of Hill Country Bible Churches for over twenty years. He received Christ as a youth while attending Hill Country Bible Church Austin. He attended Hill Country Bible Church NW from 1989 to 2002. At that time he began attending HCBC Pflugerville. He served as a student ministry intern there for two years. In 2008, Sean graduated from Columbia International University with a double major in Bible and Bible teaching. Sean married his wife, Jennifer, in 2006. Their first child, Liam, was born in 2012, and their second, Chloe, was born in 2014.

He blogs regularly at seanchandler.net.