Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres - 1 Corinthians 13:6-7.
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If this passage looks familiar, it probably is. At first glance this passage seems easy to understand and apply. Of course, this passage doesn't have to do just with weddings and romantic love. Perhaps it doesn't have anything to do with this at all. The context of this passage, as can be seen from chapter 12 and chapter 14, is the church (believers in particular, I suspect, but not limited to them) and the use and application of spiritual gifts - not marital love. In fact, the word here, "agape" (transliterated) doesn't necessarily mean romantic love. Many scholars contend that it isn't until after the first century the this word denotes romantic love. A fairer more exact interpretation would be "feeling of strong affection" for both God and others. It is a characteristic that defines our relationship with God and with others. Paul is making a point here. Love defines our relationship with God and others, not the others gifts we may (or may not) have.
How does this play out from a practical perspective. Two things are important here. One is the audience and one is the order (or command). The context is the church and the audience is the "body of Christ" (12:27 - previous chapter). So for our purposes we're talking about everyone in our local church; we're talking about everyone at our church on Sunday morning; we're talking about everyone that comes to our potluck lunches and dinner. This isn't solely about marriage, but about Christian community as a whole. All the men, all the women, all the kids - the annoying ones, the rich ones, the poor ones, the uppity ones . . . you get the point.
When we consider the audience the the order or command becomes pretty profound. The command has long and wide-ranging implications. Paul is calling us to something very, very difficult. No - it wasn't any easier in the first century than it is now. This is a universally and timelessly difficult thing that Paul calling the Christian community to. What exactly then is he calling us to? We are called to prioritize love for others over both our giftedness and the practice of those gifts. So in nuts and bolts terms, it requires a lot of humility and a lot of patience - both characteristics are in short supply in the church (and life in general).
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
If this passage looks familiar, it probably is. At first glance this passage seems easy to understand and apply. Of course, this passage doesn't have to do just with weddings and romantic love. Perhaps it doesn't have anything to do with this at all. The context of this passage, as can be seen from chapter 12 and chapter 14, is the church (believers in particular, I suspect, but not limited to them) and the use and application of spiritual gifts - not marital love. In fact, the word here, "agape" (transliterated) doesn't necessarily mean romantic love. Many scholars contend that it isn't until after the first century the this word denotes romantic love. A fairer more exact interpretation would be "feeling of strong affection" for both God and others. It is a characteristic that defines our relationship with God and with others. Paul is making a point here. Love defines our relationship with God and others, not the others gifts we may (or may not) have.
How does this play out from a practical perspective. Two things are important here. One is the audience and one is the order (or command). The context is the church and the audience is the "body of Christ" (12:27 - previous chapter). So for our purposes we're talking about everyone in our local church; we're talking about everyone at our church on Sunday morning; we're talking about everyone that comes to our potluck lunches and dinner. This isn't solely about marriage, but about Christian community as a whole. All the men, all the women, all the kids - the annoying ones, the rich ones, the poor ones, the uppity ones . . . you get the point.
When we consider the audience the the order or command becomes pretty profound. The command has long and wide-ranging implications. Paul is calling us to something very, very difficult. No - it wasn't any easier in the first century than it is now. This is a universally and timelessly difficult thing that Paul calling the Christian community to. What exactly then is he calling us to? We are called to prioritize love for others over both our giftedness and the practice of those gifts. So in nuts and bolts terms, it requires a lot of humility and a lot of patience - both characteristics are in short supply in the church (and life in general).
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