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Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 13

There’s a philosophy in ethics called “enlightened self-interest.”  It’s the intriguing idea that many of the “good deeds” we do are not motivated entirely for the benefit of others, but somehow serve our own self-interests as well.

Giving to charity, for instance, is a noble endeavor.  But if our giving is solely dependent on whether or not we get a tax-deduction for our gift, then our giving really falls in the category of enlightened self-interest.  We’re glad to give―as long as our giving benefits us back in some way.

Not that there’s anything wrong with enlightened self-interest in and of itself, as the idea of giving, and getting something in return, is the basis of economies all over the world.  It only becomes a problem when we mistake enlightened self-interest for selfless love, thinking that what we’re doing is truly loving, when in reality it could be simply selfishness masquerading as love.

Today we’re looking at a passage in the Bible that deals almost entirely with love.  Pure love.  A love that is selfless and unadulterated.  A love that gives without expecting anything in return.  It’s found in chapter 13 of the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the believers who were living in the city of Corinth.  Paul wrote the letter as a reminder to the Corinthians that no matter how important all of their gifts and abilities might be, they were meaningless without love.  Paul wrote:

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). 

Paul knew that God wants love to be at the core of everything we do.  In the end, as Oliver Thomas said, “Authentic religion is not a theology test.  It’s a love test.”  As important as theology is―and moving mountains and giving sacrificially and every other good thing in which we engage―love must pervade them all, or else we’ve failed the test.

Paul continues his letter by writing one of the most beautiful definitions of love found in all of literature.  Because of this, 1 Corinthians 13 is frequently read at wedding ceremonies throughout the world.  Paul says:

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a). 

Paul’s words serve as a checklist of sorts to help us determine how truly loving we are towards those around us.  While many times we might think we’re acting in love, if we compare our love to the love described in this passage, we’ll get to the heart of what truly motivates us.  Is it pure love?  Or just some form of “enlightened self-interest,” giving to others with the hope that we might get some kind of benefit in return?

There are times when we buy cards or gifts, or do favors for people, which seem selfless on the surface.  But when we don’t get the desired response in return for our efforts, our selfishness is exposed.  Perhaps we weren’t being truly as loving or generous as we thought.  When thinking about some of the relationships in your own life, you can ask yourself these questions, based on 1 Corinthians 13:

Is my love for this person patient and kind?
Is it envious or boastful?
Is it arrogant or rude?
Does it insist on its own way?
Is it irritable or resentful?
Does it rejoice at wrongdoing?  Or does it rejoice with the truth?
Does it bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things?
Does my love for them never end? 

If you’re like me, just reading through this list can be convicting.  But Paul didn’t write these words to dash us to pieces.  He wrote them to lift us up, to encourage us to do what’s right, and to begin loving others for all the right reasons again.

Let love motivate everything you do―not selfishness, and not selfishness masquerading as love.  As you put these words into practice, you’ll see why Paul closes this famous chapter on love by saying that of all the incredible gifts, that God has given you,

“ … the greatest of these is love.” 

(1 Corinthians 13:13b)

Prayer

Father, thank You for loving us with a selfless love.  We pray that You would help us show that same kind of love to those around us.  Help us to be patient and kind, not envious or boastful.  Keep us from arrogance or rudeness, or insisting on our own way, or being irritable or resentful.  Help us to never rejoice at wrongdoing, but to always rejoice with the truth.  Thank You for Your never ending love for us, and help us to love others in the exact same way.  In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Memory Verse

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never ends” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, ESV).