“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-2, NKJV
God is love. You can see this truth in 1 John 4:8, where it literally says “God is love.” Knowing this essential fact about this attribute of God will add a massive layer of depth to this passage (1 Corinthians 13:1-13). Becasue kids take after their parents, and because God is your Father, you can be sure that, as His child, you are all about love as well.
Right from the start, you can see the importance of love in this passage. It outranks a whole list of stuff. Do you see it? It says that you can speak in tongues of angels, prophecy, have enough faith to move mountains, give away everything you own, and die as a martyr and still be nothing but “a noisy gong or a clanging symbol” if you don’t have love. That means that not only is love the key ingredient in our lives, but also that we can do all kinds of great and amazing things, but not doing them out of love for others, but for ourselves, should be shocking. It should make us see a major difference between us and God. While everything He does is out of love, much of what we do is out of selfishness.
-Excerpt from the TEXT Bible
The Love of God is…
The love of God is great.
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,” – Ephesians 2:4
The love of God is everlasting.
“The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying:
“Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” – Jeremiah 31:3
The love of God is sacrificial.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8
Christians are an object of God’s love.
“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace” 2 Thessalonians 2:16
The Love of Jesus is…
The love of Jesus is like the Father’s love.
“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.” – John 15:9
The love of Jesus is intimate and personal.
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” – Galatians 2:20
“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” – 1 John 3:16
The love of Jesus is conquering and unbreakable.
“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” – Romans 8:37
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” – Romans 8:35
The church is an object of the love of Jesus.
“And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” – Ephesians 5:2
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her” – Ephesians 5:25
How Christians Display the Love of God
God’s love is shown through our faith.
“And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” – 1 John 4:16
God’s love is shown through our obedience.
“But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.” – 1 John 2:5
God’s love leaves no room for fear.
“love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.” – 1 John 4:17-19
God’s love is shown in our regeneration.
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” – Ephesians 2:4-5
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Content in this article is taken from The Open Bible.
The Open Bible
The Bible is a collection of 66 books written by many writers over a vast time period, and yet it’s the unified Word of God. The Open Bible offers easy navigation through the interconnected themes and teachings in Scripture with a time-tested complete reference system trusted by millions. Book introductions and outlines augment your study providing an understanding of context and themes from beginning to end.
