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Commentary on "The Fruit of the Spirit is Love"
Day 4: Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Overview
“Love defined is the first step; love applied is the next. We must be careful not to glibly say we love; but rather, we need to analyze carefully how we live and how well we apply the principles of love as expressed in the Bible.”
Observations
Having defined love on Sunday, the author now turns to applying love. Because the author gave an incomplete (that is, solely Old Covenant based) definition of love initially, 1 Corinthians 13 is reduced to a list of do’s and don’ts.
There is a reason Paul wrote about love in Chapter 13, and did so right in the middle of his extended treatment of the Corinthians’ abuse of Spiritual gifts. A quick glance through the letter reveals a church in serious trouble. Paul never calls them anything but saints, but these saints were getting nearly everything wrong. The worst example of their situation was Spiritual gifts. They had turned what God had intended for strengthening the Body and evangelizing the lost world into a no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoners competition.
In one of those unfortunate accidents of Bible interpretation, the chapter break between 12 and 13 is in the wrong place, so we very rarely get the whole picture. Chapter 13, I believe, should start with the last sentence in Chapter 12, Verse 31: “And now I will show you the most excellent way.”
First, we must note the radical change that had occurred in Paul. As Saul, he was the most feared Pharisee in the world. “But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison” (Acts 8:3). He hated everything to do with the Way and did everything in his power to eradicate it. So complete was his hatred that he later described himself as the “chief of sinners.”
And then, Jesus stopped him on the road to Damascus. “Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Saul asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. ‘Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do’ ” (Acts 9:1-6).
Paul spent the next 14, or so, years having his mind renewed by the love and grace of God. His Spirit-led writing in 1 Corinthians 13 was based on his total understanding of who he had been before Jesus (a hot-headed, self-absorbed, prideful, competitive, completely unloving lost man – just like the Corinthians to whom he was writing) to who he was in Jesus (a strong, God-focused, humble, serving, completely loving saved man).
This could not have happened under Law!
Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 13:8-14. I’m going to organize this a bit differently in order to make the situation as clear as possible.
Love is patient |
God is patient |
Love is kind |
God is kind |
Love does not envy |
God does not envy |
Love does not boast |
God does not boast |
Love is not proud |
God is not proud |
Love is not rude |
God is not rude |
Love is not self-seeking |
God is not self-seeking |
Love is not easily angered |
God is not easily angered |
Love keeps no record of wrongs |
God keeps no record of wrongs |
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth |
God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth |
Love always protects |
God always protects |
Love always trusts |
God always trusts |
Love always hopes |
God always hopes |
Love always perseveres |
God always perseveres |
Love never fails |
God never fails |
It is obvious that Paul is defining love completely in terms of Who God is.
Now, let’s change the list just slightly.
I am always patient |
I am always kind |
I never envy |
I never boast |
I am never proud |
I am never rude |
I am never self-seeking |
I am never easily angered |
I never keep a record of wrongs |
I never delight in evil but always rejoice with the truth |
I always protect |
I always trust |
I always hope |
I always persevere |
I never fail |
Anyone reading this who got past the first statement, “I am always patient,” isn’t paying attention. Agape love is not hard for us, it is impossible! We are no more capable of agape love than my dog is of writing a computer program. This kind of love is completely beyond us, reserved to God alone.
This is why you cannot turn 1 Corinthians 13 into a list of things to do or to avoid. Failure, any failure, any single failure, to express agape love perfectly is exactly the same as open rebellion against God. On our own and held to this standard of love, we are doomed to Hell.
So, what’s a person to do?
Go back to Jesus’ own commands—Believe in Jesus and love as we have been loved. Jesus is God. Jesus loved perfectly. Therefore, believe (that is, stake your life on) Him. Jesus has already demonstrated His love for us (at the cross and resurrection), and He will continually minister His love to us. As we discover how much we are loved by Him we will begin to allow that love to spill over to others. We are invited to participate in His divine nature and, therefore, escape the corruption in the world (see 2 Peter 1:3-4).
Are we called to examine ourselves? Yes. However, this self-examination is never to determine how I am DOING, but to ask how I am BEING. 1 Corinthians 13 is about attitudes and attributes, not behavior. If I allow God to love others through me, then my behavior will follow His lead. If I try to behave lovingly, then I will make a complete hash of things.
If I am not a saved, born-again, child of God, then asking me to love is pointless.
If I am a saved, born-again, child of God, then I will not ask a pointless behavioral-judgmental question. Instead, I will rest in His perfect agape love while allowing the indwelling Holy Spirit to renew my mind and teach me how to express that same love to others.
Loving is God’s business. Trusting Him to love is my business.
Summary
GO TO DAY 5
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