1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Paul on LOVE or Love
1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, 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,[b] 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.
The interpretation of Paul's definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13 has been a subject of various discussions...Some think it is Agape and Divine LOVE and others believe that it doesn't exclusively refer to Divine or God's type of LOVE...While the context and characteristics of the passage strongly suggest Agape—a selfless, sacrificial, and enduring love—alternative viewpoints acknowledge that Paul's use of "love" may encompass a broader range of Godly LOVE...Some argue that the emphasis is less on a specific type of love and more on love as an action, a way of behaving rather than just a feeling, highlighting its practical application of love in our daily lives...Additionally, cultural context may have influenced Paul's word choice, suggesting that a strictly Agape-only interpretation might be too narrow, especially because we are more familiar with human love...Nevertheless, the weight of evidence, including the passage's emphasis on selflessness and sacrifice, supports the traditional understanding of 1 Corinthians 13 as primarily describing Agape LOVE...Regardless of how you interpret Paul's description of love, the central message remains a call to embody the character of Christ by loving others selflessly and sacrificially...
So some do believe that the qualities Paul attributes to LOVE here are consistent with the nature of God as revealed throughout scripture, and especially in 1 John 4:8, which does state "God is love."...Paul is emphasizing that spiritual gifts, extraordinary abilities, and even acts of extreme sacrifice are meaningless without Divine LOVE...He is showing that LOVE, and that God is the foundation upon which all other spiritual endeavors must be built...The LOVE he describes transcends human emotions and becomes a reflection of God's own heart...While not directly stating "God is LOVE" in these verses, many read into Paul's letter to the Corinthians are indeed highlighting a LOVE that is intrinsically linked to God's nature and is the essential element for true spiritual significance...
Author C. S. Lewis had his ideas on love and wrote this about "Being in Love": "Being in love is a good thing, but it is not the best thing...There are many things below it, but there are also things above it...You cannot make it the basis of a whole life...It is a noble feeling, but it is still a feeling...Now no feeling can be relied on to last in its full intensity, or even to last at all...Knowledge can last, principles can last, habits can last but feelings come and go...And in fact, whatever people say, the state called ‘being in love’ usually does not last...If the old fairy-tale ending ‘They lived happily ever after’ is taken to mean ‘They felt for the next fifty years exactly as they felt the day before they were married,’ then it says what probably never was nor ever would be true, and would be highly undesirable if it were...Who could bear to live in that excitement for even five years?...What would become of your work, your appetite, your sleep, your friendships?...But, of course, ceasing to be ‘in love’ need not mean ceasing to love...Love in this second sense — love as distinct from ‘being in love’ — is not merely a feeling...It is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit; reinforced by (in Christian marriages) the grace which both partners ask, and receive, from God...They can have this love for each other even at those moments when they do not like each other; as you love yourself even when you do not like yourself...They can retain this love even when each would easily, if they allowed themselves, be ‘in love’ with someone else...‘Being in love’ first moved them to promise fidelity: this quieter love enables them to keep the promise...It is on this love that the engine of marriage is run: being in love was the explosion that started it."...
C.S. Lewis's description of enduring love, distinct from the fleeting emotion of "being in love," aligns remarkably with the Apostle Paul's concept of Agape LOVE...Lewis emphasizes that true love is not merely a feeling but a deliberate choice, a deep unity maintained by the will and strengthened by habit, mirroring Paul's portrayal of Agape LOVE as a character trait manifested through actions...This love, Lewis argues, enables couples to persevere through moments of dislike and temptation, sustaining their commitment even when the initial emotional intensity fades...He highlights the role of Divine Grace in reinforcing this love within Christian marriages, echoing Paul's emphasis on God's Grace as a source of strength...Lewis's analogy of "being in love" as the initial spark and enduring love as the engine that keeps the marriage running effectively illustrates the practical application of Paul's teachings on Agape LOVE, emphasizing the importance of commitment, perseverance, and reliance on God's Grace for a lasting and meaningful union...