This morning 1 Corinthians 13 was in my reading project. You know the chapter, love. Chances are if you have been to a wedding you have heard the passage read.
One of the things about the Word of God that continues to astound me, is how it continues to reveal more in passages that are “familiar”. Today was no exception. When I have read or studied this chapter in the past, and if I were pressed the number of passes may be in excess of a hundred, I have always viewed it as an exhortation and a balance to the surrounding chapters on gifts.
While I am still processing what I saw this morning, it was different.
As I was reading through the passage, again, 1 John 4:8 came to mind; specifically, “…God is Love”. Hard on the heels of that thought, Galatians 5:22 forced its way into my consciousness, “…the fruit of the Spirit is love…” Now, I may be courting heresy here, but it seems like the love in 1 Corinthians 13 is not something that we can do on our own.
John 15:5 joined the other verses clamoring for attention. If I do not abide in Christ, I cannot do anything, which would seem to include love.
John 8:31 – 32, and John 15:7, seem to suggest that the Word of God plays some part in our abiding in Christ.
If this line of thinking is correct, one would expect that a person who is not regularly abiding in the Word, abiding in Christ, is incapable of love. That would also seem to suggest that the things that are presented as love by those who are not so abiding, are not actually love.
Believing Men, who are charged with loving their wives, with raising their children in the Lord, and loving others as themselves, who are not consistently in the Word of God, have no hope of doing any of those assignments.
Even when we are consistently in the Word, if we are not allowing the Word to impact us, to change the way we think (Romans 12:1 – 2), if we are not trusting Him to love through us. We are pretty much guaranteed to fail.
While I am still processing what I saw this morning, it was different.
As I was reading through the passage, again, 1 John 4:8 came to mind; specifically, “…God is Love”. Hard on the heels of that thought, Galatians 5:22 forced its way into my consciousness, “…the fruit of the Spirit is love…” Now, I may be courting heresy here, but it seems like the love in 1 Corinthians 13 is not something that we can do on our own.
John 15:5 joined the other verses clamoring for attention. If I do not abide in Christ, I cannot do anything, which would seem to include love.
John 8:31 – 32, and John 15:7, seem to suggest that the Word of God plays some part in our abiding in Christ.
If this line of thinking is correct, one would expect that a person who is not regularly abiding in the Word, abiding in Christ, is incapable of love. That would also seem to suggest that the things that are presented as love by those who are not so abiding, are not actually love.
Believing Men, who are charged with loving their wives, with raising their children in the Lord, and loving others as themselves, who are not consistently in the Word of God, have no hope of doing any of those assignments.
Even when we are consistently in the Word, if we are not allowing the Word to impact us, to change the way we think (Romans 12:1 – 2), if we are not trusting Him to love through us. We are pretty much guaranteed to fail.
Makes an immense ring of common sense - how can I imagine I can come close to reflecting the components of love Paul outlines in 1 Cor. 15?? Abiding in Christ is perhaps like a mirror that enables me to reflect the love of God shed on me. The Word and obedience to it is constantly "polishing my mirror" to allow a better experience of Christ's love in me, and the reflection I display to others.
ReplyDeleteI've got a lot of polishing I yet needing done on me....
Have been wondering about the polishing part. I wonder how my polishing and abiding align. I do not have an answer yet... But I noticed just now in Ephesians 6:10 that I am to be strong in the Lord in the strength of His might... I am not strong in my might... I have invested a lot of time trying to be.
DeleteI know I have to obey, but it seems like more and more I am seeing in the Word that my obedience is a function of His grace at work in my life rather than my commitment or effort to do so... Thoughts?