1 Corinthians 13 - Learning All About the Love Chapter

1 Corinthians 13 is widely known as the love chapter among Christians, but there is a much deeper message within this passage of 1 Corinthians.  Chapters 12 and 14 are all about the spiritual gifts we have through Christ, but it is clear that Paul wants us to recognize that love is more important than any of the spiritual gifts.  With love we have nothing.

We must start by attempting to define what love is.  The English language has one word for love.   We use love to describe how much we love pizza or love our pet.  We also love our favorite football team, our kids, and our spouse.   These are all different forms of love.  Obviously we don’t love our favorite football team the same way we love our spouse!  We don’t love our spouse the same way we love our children or our families.  The original language of the Scriptures had many different words to describe love, and this can get confusing as we study the Word of God.

 

Verses 1 through 4 of 1 Corinthians 13 discusses the motivation of love.  What is the motivation behind what we do?  Are we truly motivated to love others more than we love ourselves, or do we have a selfish motivation behind our actions.  Only we can know for sure what our true motivations are. 

Certain members of society have knowledge that can help many people.  Doctors have skills that can help save lives.  Economists, researchers, and counselors all have skills that can have a great impact on society.  Many other professions can make a huge impact on society too, but according to the second verse of 1 Corinthians 13, this expert knowledge will fail you if you use this knowledge without love.  Sometimes it is better to be ignorant than to have a lot of knowledge in a specific subject. 

Verses 4 through 8 of 1 Corinthians 13 is all about the character of love.  We spend our entire lives trying to understand love, and I don’t believe anyone can fully understand it until we are in the presence of God in heaven.  Love is kind.  Think about how you treat other people.  Do you treat them with respect and care, or do people see you as a jerk?  You cannot love someone if you are not kind toward them. 

Love isn’t jealous too.  You don’t have the right to anyone’s attention.  It is true that a spouse should give their mate a lot of attention, but a spouse shouldn’t be jealous if they don’t get attention all of the time.  A loving spouse would not hold a grudge against a spouse who has to be away on business trips frequently. 

 

When we truly love the Lord, we want the best for everyone.  How do we spend our time?   Are we more interested in blessing others or in fulfilling our own desires?  When we are serving ourselves instead of serving others, we will sometimes resort to lying, slander, cheating, and other sinful acts to get what we want. 

Love never fails.  It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs.  It is not easily provoked.  Love will endure through all things. 

Verses 8 through 13 of 1 Corinthians 13 talks about the enduring quality of love.  Love endures forever, and it is not a feeling.  Love is much deeper than a feeling.  Real love is something that continues forever no matter what happens.  Ultimate love is what makes people with extraordinary gifts shine.  Love never gives up on us. 

2 Corinthians - What Can We Learn From This Book of the Bible

2 Corinthians was written by the apostle Paul.  Paul wrote this epistle to the church of Corinth, and it is the eighth book of the New Testament.  Some Bible scholars believe that there were more than two epistles written by Paul to the church of Corinth, but 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians are the surviving letters we read today.  2 Corinthians was written by Paul to tell the church of Corinth that he would be returning for a third time soon.  Paul had already visited the church twice, and based on what he was seeing within the congregation, he felt he needed to return again. 

 

If you do not understand the context and story behind 2 Corinthians, it is easy to get confused about the text.  Paul has already spent time at the church.  He gave them specific instructions when he was with them the first time.  He advised them that he is an apostle of Jesus, but many people are skeptical of his standing with Jesus.  Paul was not one of the 12 disciples, and the church knew it.  They didn’t respect the words of Paul in the day because of his past history.  If Paul had been one of the 12 disciples, Paul may not have met so much resistance, but the church simply didn’t respect his wisdom and his passion for Jesus. 

 

It is believed that the book of 2 Corinthians was the 2^nd or 3^rd letter to the church.  If this was the 3^rd letter, then the 2^nd letter is lost.  When Paul wrote 2 Corinthians, he was mainly writing it for the church in Corinth.  He saw that there were many problems that needed to be addressed, and his heart was broken for everything that was happening there.  Some of the matters were issues he saw in other churches too, so he also addressed saints through Achaia and included them in his letter to the church of Corinth. 

 

In Chapters 1 through 7, Paul defends his own actions and reassures the church that he cares for their needs.  He recognizes the need for the church to recognize that he only wants the best for them and that he loves them.  Chapters 8 and 9 go into some instructions he has for the poor people in the church.  Chapters 10 through 12 defends his place in the apostleship and reaffirms his love for the church despite the challenges he faced with the church. 

 

2 Corinthians is deeply personal, and it shows how important the church is to Paul.  In our own lives, we all know people who are struggling in their walk with the Lord.  Some have completely turned their back on God, while others are simply struggling in specific areas of their lives.  Paul reaches out to the church of Corinth in a spirit of love and not of condemnation.  He still has tough love for them, but he truly cares about their well-being.  As Christians, it is our job to share the love of Christ with everyone that we can!