Christian, do you love?

The past few Sundays the pastor at my church has been covering the topic of love through 1 Corinthians 13. It has sparked quite a discussion in my own mind on the importance of love.

First, I think it is important to understand the type of love that Paul is writing about in Corinthians. The Greek word he uses is agape, the same word for love as used to describe the love God has for us, such as in John 3:16.

While this word may not be rooted in Christianity, it has certainly become important in Christianity. The term agape is quite commonplace in Christianity and is understood to be a freely given godly love.

Now it is important that the love we share is the same love that is given to us. As we know from Jesus, the two most important commandment are love. Love your Lord with all your heart soul and mind and another is like it, love your neighbor as yourself. We see the most important commandments from God are to love. To love him and to love our neighbor.

We know we are to love, for it is a commandment. We also see that John tell us in 1 John 4:19 that we love because God first loved us. Because of our sin, we cannot understand or even begin to love others as God loves. But when we turn to God and understand and freely receive his love, we can then share his love with others.

So we know that we are to love with the same love that God gives us, but what does this love look like? Paul tell us.

According to Paul in 1 Corinthians 13, love is:

• patient
• kind
• does not envy
• does not boast
• is not proud
• does not dishonor others
• not self-seeking
• not easily angered
• keeps no record of wrongs
• does not delight in evil
• rejoices with truth
• always protects
• always trusts
• always hopes
• always perseveres

These are not easy things, but Paul tells us they are most important. As he writes in the same chapter, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Now we know as Christians the importance of faith. Our understanding of salvation is based on it. Yet more important is love. More important than our promised future, our hope in Christ, is love. This love that we received from God and are called to share with others.

Without love, we are nothing. For how can one receive God's love and not love others if he is in Christ?