Love: The Foundation of Christian Relationships
Summary
### Summary
Today, we delved into 1 Corinthians 13, a chapter often associated with marriage but originally intended for the broader church community. Paul wrote this chapter to address the divisions and conflicts within the Corinthian church, emphasizing that love should be the foundation of all relationships, not just marital ones. The chapter begins by highlighting that without love, even the most impressive spiritual gifts are meaningless. Paul then defines love through a series of actions and attitudes: love is patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not arrogant, and not rude. These attributes are not just ideals but practical, everyday behaviors that should characterize our interactions with others.
We explored the deeper meaning of love as preferring what God prefers, which involves a commitment to truth and righteousness. This kind of love is not natural to us; it is a supernatural love that comes from God and is demonstrated through the Holy Spirit working in us. Jesus is our ultimate example of this love. Despite having the power to control nature, cast out demons, and raise the dead, He always acted in accordance with the Father's will, never out of arrogance or self-interest.
We also discussed the importance of not categorizing love based on relationships or circumstances. The love described in 1 Corinthians 13 should be consistent across all areas of our lives, whether in marriage, friendships, or interactions with strangers. This love is a call to action, requiring us to examine our lives and ask if we are truly living out the love that God has called us to.
### Key Takeaways
1. Love as the Foundation: Paul emphasizes that without love, even the most impressive spiritual gifts are meaningless. This underscores the importance of love as the foundation of all our actions and relationships. Love is not just an emotion but a series of actions and attitudes that reflect God's character. [43:20]
2. Supernatural Love: The love described in 1 Corinthians 13 is not natural to us; it is a supernatural love that comes from God. This love prefers what God prefers, involving a commitment to truth and righteousness. It is demonstrated through the Holy Spirit working in us, enabling us to love in ways that we cannot on our own. [46:40]
3. Jesus as the Example: Jesus is our ultimate example of this love. Despite having the power to control nature, cast out demons, and raise the dead, He always acted in accordance with the Father's will, never out of arrogance or self-interest. His life shows us what it means to love selflessly and sacrificially. [57:11]
4. Consistency in Love: We should not categorize love based on relationships or circumstances. The love described in 1 Corinthians 13 should be consistent across all areas of our lives, whether in marriage, friendships, or interactions with strangers. This love is a call to action, requiring us to examine our lives and ask if we are truly living out the love that God has called us to. [01:16:24]
5. Call to Growth: 1 Corinthians 13 should be both an encouragement and a call to pause. It provides us with clear instructions on what love looks like, but it also challenges us to recognize our need for growth. We should be continually growing in our ability to love as God loves, becoming more like Jesus in our actions and attitudes. [01:18:41]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[15:52] - Announcements and Prayer Requests
[18:00] - Opening Prayer
[39:12] - Introduction of Elder Candidate
[40:23] - Importance of Elders in the Church
[41:58] - Context of 1 Corinthians 13
[43:20] - The Meaning of Love
[44:51] - Love as a Preference for God's Will
[46:40] - Attributes of Love
[48:11] - Spiritual Gifts and Love
[49:48] - Faith, Hope, and Love
[51:23] - The Nature of Hope
[53:27] - Love as Evidence of Knowing God
[55:24] - The Call to Love
[57:11] - Jesus as the Example of Love
[01:00:28] - Love is Not Arrogant
[01:02:35] - Jesus' Humility and Power
[01:05:16] - The Challenge of Living Out Love
[01:07:34] - Love is Not Rude
[01:10:07] - Jesus' Example of Not Being Rude
[01:12:46] - Instructions on Love
[01:14:17] - The Need for Direct Instructions
[01:16:24] - Consistency in Love
[01:18:41] - Encouragement and Challenge
[01:20:40] - Closing Prayer and Song
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
2. 1 John 4:7-12
#### Observation Questions
1. According to 1 Corinthians 13, what are the attributes of love that Paul describes? ([44:51])
2. How does Paul emphasize the importance of love in relation to spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 13? ([43:20])
3. In 1 John 4:7-12, what does John say about the relationship between knowing God and loving others?
4. What examples from Jesus' life demonstrate the attributes of love mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13? ([57:11])
#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why does Paul state that without love, even the most impressive spiritual gifts are meaningless? How does this apply to the church today? ([43:20])
2. How does the concept of "supernatural love" from God challenge our natural inclinations and behaviors? ([46:40])
3. What does it mean to prefer what God prefers in the context of love, as described in 1 Corinthians 13? ([44:51])
4. How does Jesus' example of love, as described in the sermon, provide a model for our own actions and attitudes? ([57:11])
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your daily interactions. Are there specific areas where you struggle to show the attributes of love described in 1 Corinthians 13? How can you work on these areas this week? ([44:51])
2. Think about a recent conflict or division you experienced. How could applying the principles of love from 1 Corinthians 13 have changed the outcome? ([41:58])
3. In what ways can you demonstrate a "supernatural love" that comes from God in your community or church? What practical steps can you take to show this love? ([46:40])
4. Jesus acted in accordance with the Father's will, never out of arrogance or self-interest. How can you align your actions more closely with God's will in your daily life? ([57:11])
5. Consider your relationships with friends, family, and strangers. Are you consistent in showing love across all these areas? If not, what changes can you make to ensure your love is consistent? ([01:16:24])
6. How can you use the attributes of love described in 1 Corinthians 13 to grow in your faith and become more like Jesus? What specific actions will you take this week to practice these attributes? ([01:18:41])
7. Reflect on a time when you were rude or acted improperly. How can you seek forgiveness and make amends in a way that aligns with the love described in 1 Corinthians 13? ([01:10:07])
Devotional
Day 1: Love as the Foundation
Without love, even the most impressive spiritual gifts are meaningless. Paul emphasizes that love should be the foundation of all our actions and relationships. Love is not just an emotion but a series of actions and attitudes that reflect God's character. This kind of love is patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not arrogant, and not rude. These attributes are practical, everyday behaviors that should characterize our interactions with others. When we act out of love, we align ourselves with God's will and purpose, making our actions meaningful and impactful. [43:20]
1 John 4:7-8 (ESV): "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love."
Reflection: Think of a recent interaction where you acted without love. How can you approach similar situations differently in the future to ensure that love is the foundation of your actions?
Day 2: Supernatural Love
The love described in 1 Corinthians 13 is not natural to us; it is a supernatural love that comes from God. This love prefers what God prefers, involving a commitment to truth and righteousness. It is demonstrated through the Holy Spirit working in us, enabling us to love in ways that we cannot on our own. This supernatural love calls us to go beyond our natural inclinations and to love others as God loves us, with a commitment to truth and righteousness. [46:40]
Romans 5:5 (ESV): "And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
Reflection: Identify a situation where you find it difficult to love someone. Ask God to fill you with His supernatural love and to help you love that person in a way that reflects His truth and righteousness.
Day 3: Jesus as the Example
Jesus is our ultimate example of this love. Despite having the power to control nature, cast out demons, and raise the dead, He always acted in accordance with the Father's will, never out of arrogance or self-interest. His life shows us what it means to love selflessly and sacrificially. Jesus' actions were always motivated by love, and He demonstrated this through His humility and obedience to the Father. By following Jesus' example, we can learn to love others selflessly and sacrificially. [57:11]
Philippians 2:5-8 (ESV): "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
Reflection: Reflect on a recent act of service or sacrifice you made for someone else. How can you continue to follow Jesus' example of selfless and sacrificial love in your daily life?
Day 4: Consistency in Love
We should not categorize love based on relationships or circumstances. The love described in 1 Corinthians 13 should be consistent across all areas of our lives, whether in marriage, friendships, or interactions with strangers. This love is a call to action, requiring us to examine our lives and ask if we are truly living out the love that God has called us to. Consistency in love means that our actions and attitudes should reflect God's love in every situation, regardless of the relationship or circumstance. [01:16:24]
James 2:8-9 (ESV): "If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors."
Reflection: Think of a relationship or situation where you struggle to show consistent love. What steps can you take to ensure that your love is consistent and reflects God's love in that area?
Day 5: Call to Growth
1 Corinthians 13 should be both an encouragement and a call to pause. It provides us with clear instructions on what love looks like, but it also challenges us to recognize our need for growth. We should be continually growing in our ability to love as God loves, becoming more like Jesus in our actions and attitudes. This call to growth requires us to examine our hearts and to seek God's help in becoming more loving and Christ-like in all that we do. [01:18:41]
2 Peter 1:5-7 (ESV): "For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love."
Reflection: Identify one specific area in your life where you need to grow in love. What practical steps can you take this week to grow in that area and become more like Jesus in your actions and attitudes?
Quotes
1. "Our desire as a church is to honor and glorify God. Our desire as a church is to follow the direction that the Lord has given. We believe as a church that God has called elders with a job of spiritual oversight and spiritual direction of the church. And so it is in our best interest as the congregation to pray about that and pray for God's will and God's direction." [40:23] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "When we take 1 Corinthians 13 and we relegate it to marriage alone, we fully miss the point of why 1 Corinthians 13 was written. Paul did not write this to a newly wed couple. Paul did not write this to a husband and wife that were maybe struggling or fighting or anything like that. He didn't write it to them. He wrote it to a church full of real people who in the church, were having lots and lots of problems." [41:58] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "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." [43:20] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "Love is patient and kind, preferring what God prefers. We are patient. We are 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." [46:40] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "As followers of Christ, we are all called to have faith. And he's not talking about salvific faith, the faith that we place in Christ to be saved from our sins. This is, this is faith that we know God is going to do what he said he's going to do. We believe that God is who he says. We trust that God is going to fulfill what he said he's going to fulfill. Faith. All followers of Christ are called to have faith." [49:48] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
6. "Beloved. Let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Now, we say, amen, until we read the rest of the section here. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. And we read some of these verses, and we're like, oh, that's so true. And we read some of these verses, and we're like, oh, that's so encouraging. That's so nice." [53:27] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
7. "If we don't live as followers of Christ, the call of love that Paul describes in 1 Corinthians chapter number 13, John says, you don't even know God. If God is love, and you know him, that will work out of you. Now, as we've talked about in previous weeks, we will fail in love. I mean, I could ask for a raise of hands. How many of you this week failed in Paul's description of love right here? And I guarantee every hand in this room would go up." [55:24] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
8. "Love is not arrogant. This word here means to um to inflate it's like a bounce house you blow it up it's like a balloon the idea of this inflation when it's added to a person when it's talked about as a descriptor of a person it's a is an egotistical person who spiritually spews out arrogant puffed up thoughts like an air bellow you ever seen an air bellow in a blacksmith shop you can go to those old uh they do the reenactment like the the the farms and the communities." [58:48] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
9. "Love is not rude. Love does not act in an improper manner. Love does not act in a way that dishonors God. In what situation was Jesus ever rude to someone? Now, we have to recognize that we can be truthful, we can be direct, and we can say hard or even harsh things without being rude. We do have that demonstrated in the life of Jesus, where he said, very truthful, hard, difficult, we might even consider them to be harsh things." [01:10:07] (52 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
10. "1 Corinthians 13 should be both an encouragement and a call to pause. We don't have time to go past rude today, but I think that's far enough. Love is patient and kind. Love does not envy or boast. It is not arrogant or rude. Jesus demonstrated what love looks like to us in his life, in his words and in his actions. As followers of Jesus, we're called to be like him. We're told we're being molded into the image of Christ." [01:18:41] (48 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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