In the past, I have found most treatments of the love chapter in 1 Corinthians a little light hearted. I think in many people’s minds, my own included, love seems to be this affectionate feeling for someone, even romantic feelings, that directs our words to build that relationship. Sometimes it also translates into action, but regardless, the idea that love is a feeling has always killed me.
Today, at our weekly gathering, the Church discussed this very topic and I found it quite engaging.
We started by briefly recapping the significance of love as described at the beginning of 1 Corinthians 13. How the motivation and even goal of actions has to be love for the actions (not necessarily bad in and of themselves) are worthless. I think we would tend to agree in Christian circles that this is true, but what I really enjoyed was the thinking through how it works out that followed that preliminary discussion.
We flipped over to Matthew 5:43-48:
You have heard that it was said ‘you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons[and daughters] of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers[and sisters], what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
It says, obviously, to love your enemies: first step is to pray for them. Why? So that you may be children of the Father. Wait, we are children of the Father, through Christ. We are being called to be who God has made us to be, not the false selves we once were. Then at the end: be perfect as He is. How on earth will we be perfect? We won’t until He returns, but we are to strive for that. How? Be like Christ.
This is where I got particularly interested. I am reading The Deeper Journey by M. Robert Mulholland and in the first chapter, he talks about the goal of the book, which is the goal of our Christian existence is to be like Christ in order to display Him to those who don’t know him. Here’s a quote:
The world will believe when it sees Christlikeness manifested in our life. The world will know that God has sent Christ not simply because we pronounce it to be so but when they see Christlikeness lived out in their midst in our lives in the world.
A bunch just to say that we are the vehicles God uses to display himself to the world in word and deed. John 17 seems to acknowledge this, 1 John 4:17 mimics the idea, 2 Peter 1:4, 2 Cor. 3:18, 1 Peter 4:14 and more all seem to point to this idea. So I formulated this to help myself understand:
God is love—>We love because he loved us first—>He loved us first by being Christ(who is God) for us—>We love by being Christ to others—> This flushes out in prayer, laying down our lives, sacrificial loving, considering others’ needs before our own, serving people, and dying to ourselves (among countless other things.)
So yea, be encouraged. Love people. Not feeling love, but being love, being Christ to them in all ways.
