Paul writes about the great features and effects of love.
After establishing the indispensable qualification of love in all our religious and humanitarian acts, Paul turns to set out the pattern of Christian agape, and describes its features.
There are two reasons why these verses should be read often.
First, love is a term in need of careful definition. Today it is a ragbag of a word, containing all manner of meanings. But as a Christian word, a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and an incentive to our daily living (Galatians 5:6), here is the inspired characterization. Secondly, these verses give a pen-portrait of Jesus Christ himself (1 Peter 2:21 tells us of the example of Christ), and what more vital spiritual exercise could there be than a contemplation of the Lord of love?
The paragraph has three divisions.
Positively, what love does (13:4a). Patience and kindness are natural partners, as elsewhere (Galatians 5:22; Colossians 3:12; 2 Corinthians 6:6), where the combined forces of these virtues are equally a fruit of the Spirit, a sign of election and a method of evangelism.
Negatively, what love does not do (13:4b-6). Christian agape as the basis of ethics contains a salutary abstinence-motif, warning the believer away from certain danger points. It is not afraid of pinpointing certain vices as elements in the moral life to be shunned (against the notion of “situation ethics” for which there are no absolutes of right and wrong). Paul lists eight undesirable qualities in these verses: jealousy, conceit (literally “gives itself no airs”), pride (the damning sin at Corinth, 4:6,18-19; 5:2; 8:1), rudeness (whether as lack of good manners or indecency), selfishness, irritation (Acts 15:39 gives the same word), the unforgiving spirit (a commercial term is used: “keeps no register of wrongs”) and unrighteousness.
Inclusively, what love does all the time (13:7). The Greek word (panta) is translated as the object of the verbs, but it is better taken as an adverb of time: “continually.” So there is no limit to love’s endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope: love can outlast anything.
Who can scale the heights set by this lyric? The secret is discovered in the indwelling Christ whose life shines out in the Christian’s attitudes and actions (Ephesians 3:17).
Exercise Henry Drummond counsels us to read this chapter every day for a month and to note its effect on our life.
