1 Corinthians 13, taken from the TNIV translation.
1Co 13:1-13 If I speak in human or angelic tongues, 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. 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. 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Amen and may God open unto us these readings from his holy word.
Vincent tells me that the gift of tongues is mentioned first in this passage because of the importance the church in Corinth was placing on said gift. Verse 3’s the one that I think’s really very relevant in many ways in today’s church. However, today I do not want to look at either of those verses, but instead concentrate on verses 4 to 8. Now I’m sure most folk are familiar with those verses, in fact wiki tells me it’s one of the most well known passages in the bible. It’s common on Christian websites, I’ve heard it more than a few times at various conferences and youth events, it’s a traditional wedding cliché. But what does it actually say?
A quick lessons in ancient Greek: there are three words for love. Eros, Philos and Agape. Roughly speaking, erotic love, brotherly love and unconditional love. Agape is a love without limits or constraints, a non-erotic love, it can be said to encompass everything from love to mankind to the love between spouses, and naturally it’s the word used in the new testament to refer to God’s love for his creation. I like the word agape, but I do not like the use of “love” to translate it. Somehow it just seems not to accurately bring forward the message. The KJV translates it as “charity”. I’m reliably informed that the Hebrew cognate is “Cheseda”, generally translated as “lovingkindness”. I still don’t think we quite grasp the full extent of what we’re looking at here. How do you define unconditional?
Try putting your on name in place of love. If you’re being honest, you’ll admit that it’s very difficult to do and say it with any conviction. I’ve often said that it only really works if you put “Jesus” in its place, but then I realise, what Paul was saying here is that we should have that same complete, unconditional, often unrequited love. Christ’s words where clear enough, “A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples”. We’re supposed to carry that exact same unconditional love for each other that God extends to us! And it’s not just reserved for believers. We should be extending it to all mankind. We need to be giving this full agape to everyone! Patience. Long-sufferingness. And kindness. Be good to others. Give everything you own to the poor and suffer for your deeds but heaven forbid you do it without lovingkindness! There’s no envy, no hard feelings towards others, we don’t take pride in our achievements or make a big thing about them. Is that really such a hard concept to grasp? No self-seeking, always putting others first and treating them with respect! We shouldn’t be quickly angered when people do us wrong, and we don’t hold grudges. Forgive us our trespasses JUST AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US.
Agape always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Always. How could it be otherwise? With the blessed assurance that Christ will never let us down, that we will be saved from the fate far worse than death which we so assuredly deserve, how can we possibly fail to persevere in extending that assurance to all? How can we lose hope that our loved ones who as of yet are misguided by the god of this world may one day have their blindfolds lifted? How can we be so presumptuous as to fail to trust that it will be as was promised? Love delights in what is good. Love wants to spread that goodness throughout the world.
And finally, Love never ends. All “gifts” will come to an end when completeness arrives –that is when Christ returns-. All things of this life will one day cease. But love is eternal and without ceasing. Agape is unlimited. Cheseda is the central point of our walk with Christ. And that’s something that is all too easy to forget.
