Bible Study - Neighbor (2) - What Does Love Look Like? - 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 - July 31, 2022

 Bible Study – Neighbor (2) – What Does Love Look Like? – Sunday, July 31, 2022

This is lesson two (2) in our series, “How to Love Your Neighbor?”

Our focus scripture is 1 Corinthians 13:1-13.

We are to love others as GOD loves us.

How much does GOD love people? He loves us so such that HE sent HIS One and Only SON, JESUS, to earth to live a complete human life, tested in all ways as humans are tested, yet without sin, to become the perfect acceptable sacrifice for all sin. GOD proved that JESUS had fulfilled HIS purpose when GOD raised JESUS from the dead to live eternally with HIM in Heaven. When JESUS ascended into Heaven and sat at the right hand of GOD, HIS FATHER. GOD then sent the Holy Spirit to earth to indwell all who accept JESUS as their Savior to confirm and seal them eternally as GOD’S Son or Daughter.

The Apostle Paul had given the Christians in Corinth the attributes of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Now, the Apostle was adding another dimension that is the hallmark of all the Spiritual Gifts and that is love.

The Greeks had at least four (4) definitions for love:

Eros – erotic love

Phileo – friendship/family love

Agape – sacrificial/unconditional love

Storge – Love we have for our parents, siblings, our children and other members of our family.

GOD is love and as HIS Children, we are to exhibit that love to others.

Let’s explore!

Let’s read 1 Corinthians 13:1-3:

Love: The Superior Way

13 If I speak human or angelic tongues^[a] but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ And if I give away all my possessions, and if I give over my body in order to boast^[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

As Spirit-born people we can speak eloquently and use various Spiritual Gifts and do not have agape love, we do not magnify our LORD JESUS.

The Apostle Paul continues to define the character of those who have been Spirit-born, as we read on ----

Let’s read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7:

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, ⁵ is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. 

Paul lists nine characteristics of those who are Spirit-born. These characteristics reflect the new nature of the Spirit-born person because GOD’S nature, the Divine-Sperm has united with the human spirit and that person has been “born-again,” from a Spiritual point-of-view.  The Spirit-born person has new Spiritual DNA.

Why don’t we, who are Spirit-born, immediately display this new nature? We touched on this in last week’s study. Our human side or carnal nature desires to continue to rule over our Spiritual nature. Paul tells us that we have to “renew our minds.”

As we recognize our carnal nature, we deal with it with the help of the Holy Spirit. We need to confess our carnal nature to JESUS and ask HIM to help us embrace the Spiritual Gift that will grow and develop within us to reduce and eliminate or bring under the authority of the Holy Spirit our carnal nature.

How do we measure progress? Let’s read on ----

What is our love level as we interact with others?

⁶ Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. ⁷ It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love is the base upon which we measure our Spiritual development. Agape love comes from GOD. Agape love never gives up on others and as we read on, “never ends.” GOD never ever gives up on us. It is the Holy Spirit Who works within those who need salvation and those who have received salvation but need to walk in the Spirit. Satan desires for us to be led by our carnal nature but GOD desires for us to be led by the Holy Spirit.

GOD is love!

We read in Romans 5:8-11:

⁸ But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ How much more then, since we have now been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from wrath. ¹⁰ For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. ¹¹ And not only that, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.

In our scripture for this study, we read the Apostle Paul’s list of attributes of love:

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, ⁵ is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. ⁶ Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. ⁷ It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Much of the following copied from pages 115-118 printed in Bible Studies for Life, Summer, 2022, LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37734:

Love reflects the character of the Trinity and Spirit-born people. Love is the foundation upon which we build. Paul is writing what love “is” and what love is “not.”

Love is patient – This is not endurance as tolerating but long-spirited, to be slow to avenge or punish.

Love is kind – compassion, generosity and gentleness to others.

Love does not envy – wanting what those of earthly means have.

Love is not boastful – boastful “windbags,” elevated personal status.

Love is not arrogant – puffed up with pride.

Love is not rude – treating others dishonorably, attempting to disgrace or shame them.

Love is not self-seeking – focus on oneself, self-interest, placing oneself on a pedestal.

Love is not irritable – not easily angered, the opposite of patience.

Love does not keep a record of wrongs – this comes from bookkeeping or accounting or keeping a detailed inventory.

Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth – does not gloat when others are treated unjustly but rejoice in those loyal to truth.

Love bears all things – willing to bear hardships for the sake of the Gospel.

Love believes all things – always to believe the best.

Love hopes all things – willing to take a risk on loving others because our hope is in JESUS.

Love endures all things – perseverance under a heavy load or abiding under a heavy load. Or as my wife says, “when you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.”

This is quite a list and there is “so much more” as we interact with GOD while working in HIS vineyard/earth.  

Let’s read 1 Corinthians 13:8-13:

⁸ Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. ⁹ For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end. ¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things. ¹² For now we see only a reflection^[c] as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known. ¹³ Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.

Love is eternal whereas when we exit our earth suit and meet JESUS face to face, the things with which GOD has equipped those who are Spirit-born e.g., prophecies will end, tongues will cease, knowledge will come to an end. These were Spiritual gifts the Corinthians took pride in having. These Spiritual Gifts would no longer be needed because they would be perfect when they meet JESUS face to face.

The Corinthians took pride in the bronze mirrors which were produced in Corinth. They had the reputation of manufacturing some of the finest bronze hand-held mirrors of their time. But mirrors only reflect and can distort. But when we meet JESUS, either when HE returns to earth or we meet HIM in physical death, we will see all Heavenly things clearly. No more smoke and mirrors but face to face. I think immediately translates to I know.

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:9:

⁹ But as it is written,

What no eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no human heart has conceived—
God has prepared these things for those who love him.^[c]

Folks the best is yet to come when we meet JESUS face to face.

How is this possible? We read in 2 Corinthians 5:21:

²¹ He (GOD) made the one who did not know sin (JESUS) to be sin^[e] for us, so that in him we (those who place their faith in JESUS) might become the righteousness of God.

We all think we see and know truth but the best is yet to come as the Holy Spirit makes us and molds us into the image of CHRIST through the renewing of our minds. We take off our old carnal clothes and put on our new Spiritual clothes as we allow the Holy Spirit to take over more and more of our lives. We are being transformed as GOD equips us with Spiritual Gifts to be used for HIS Glory and to meet needs upon earth. 

Say yes to walking as led by the Holy Spirit and no to walking in our carnal nature. More of JESUS and less of self, equals walking as led by the Holy Spirit. Thy will be done on earth as it is done in Heaven.

Paul ends in verse 13 - ¹³ Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.

It seems that Paul was summarizing, “now.”

Faith, hope and love are virtues of those who are Spirit-born but the greatest of these three is love. Faith and hope benefit the Spirit-born person. Faith in JESUS gives all who place their hope in JESUS the assurance of eternal life through the miracle of Spiritual birth.

We read in John 3:16 – “¹⁶ For God loved the world in this way:^[e] He gave^[f] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

JESUS willingly left HIS home in Heaven and came to earth to live in a human body, be tempted in all ways humans are tempted, yet without sin. He willingly shed HIS sinless blood to atone for our sins which removed the barriers between all humans and GOD. Even though the sin barrier was removed by JESUS, every human must accept JESUS as his or her Savior. JESUS removed the sin barrier however every person must ask JESUS to forgive him or her for his or her sin. The person does so believing that JESUS gave HIS sinless life to atone for his or her sin. Quicker than the twinkle of the eye that person is Spiritually born-again and immediately receives the Holy Spirit as a down payment or security deposit that he or she is GOD’S Son or Daughter and has eternal life. Now, that is Good News!  

Blessings!!!