What is love, as spoken of by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13?

Question

Some say "love is a verb," and say loving means doing. But here Paul shows us that doing is not enough. There's something else there. What is this love Paul speaks of?

loladrewblue: the love i'm referring to is the love Paul says all our efforts are in vain without. (vv 1-3) Some say that loving the poor means giving to them, but here Paul says that even that isn't enough without this agape love.

Answer 1

love of truth results in love of God and love of others

love of God has promised of blessings to 1000 generations and promises that all things work together for good to those who love God

it starts with a work of God, that causes someone to love truth and respond to the gospel, they love God and others, particularly believers

love is both a command of God and a feeling we can't completely control. It takes a work of God to make us love truth and love God. Love is part of being regenerated... being changed by God... and part of a response to God knowing you were forgiven "we love Him because He loved us first"

Answer 2

Try this: exchange the word "love" with the words "respect for God" through the entire verse and see how it reads. I think this clarifies some things.
I read the NIV

13If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.

God Bless

Answer 3

In 1 Corinthians chapter 13, is a description of the love that Christians should have. How love should be shown toward fellow humans. There is a need for christians, everyone actually to put love in action. Since love is so important, we do well to consider how we are individually measuring up in our display of this quality.

1 Corinthians 13:4 states: “Love is long-suffering and kind.” The long-suffering person avoids hasty action. He will patiently bear up under any trying circumstances. For the same reason, we should be kind, not rough, harsh or hateful, but tender, mild, friendly and helpful. That verse also says love is not jealous If we really love our Christian brothers again anyone for that matter, how could we possibly be jealous or envious of their accomplishments, blessings or abilities?

I'm not sure if I have answered your question. I Corinthians chp.13 has 13 verses so which verse are you referring too?

Answer 4

You are right. Paul does not speak of love as just a verb here. Love is a way of life. Love is all consuming. Love is something you should be - all of the time.

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

When a person knows this type of love, then they are knowing the heart of God. This type of love knows the value of souls. It wishes good upon everyone else. It is willing to sacrifice for the good of others. It believes in the promises of God. It looks faithfully for God's Kingdom. It listens for the voice of Jesus. It sees the hand of God in nature. It sees the miracle of God changing lives.

Paul says that right now we have hope, faith and love. One day when Jesus returns we will no longer have need of hope and faith, because our expectations will be meet. Then only love will remain. That is why of hope, faith and love, love is the greatest.

This has been a very good question for us to consider tonight. Thanks.

Answer 5

AGAPE!!

To explain ..............

The philosophical discussion regarding love logically begins with questions concerning its nature. This implies that love has a 'nature', a proposition that some may oppose arguing that love is conceptually irrational, in the sense that it cannot be described in rational or meaningful propositions. For such critics, who are presenting a metaphysical and epistemological argument, love may be an ejection of emotions that defy rational examination; on the other hand, some languages, such as Papuan do not even admit the concept, which negates the possibility of a philosophical examination. In English, the word 'love', which is derived from Germanic forms of the Sanskrit lubh (desire), is broadly defined and hence imprecise, which generates first order problems of definition and meaning, which are resolved to some extent by the reference to the Greek terms, eros, philia, and agape.

Agape refers to the paternal love of God for man and for man for God but is extended to include a brotherly love for all humanity. (The Hebrew ahev has a slightly wider semantic range than agape). Agape arguably draws on elements from both eros and philia in that it seeks a perfect kind of love that is at once a fondness, a transcending of the particular, and a passion without the necessity of reciprocity.

The term eros (Greek erasthai) is used to refer to that part of love constituting a passionate, intense desire for something, it is often referred to as a sexual desire, hence the modern notion of 'erotic' (Greek erotikos).

In contrast to the desiring and passionate yearning of eros, philia entails a fondness and appreciation of the other. For the Greeks, the term philia incorporated not just friendship, but also loyalties to family and polis-one's political community, job, or discipline. Philia for another may be motivated, as Aristotle explains in the Nicomachean Ethics, Book VIII, for the agent's sake or for the other's own sake. The motivational distinctions are derived from love for another because the friendship is wholly useful as in the case of business contacts, or because their character and values are pleasing (with the implication that if those attractive habits change, so too does the friendship), or for the other in who they are in themselves, regardless of one's interests in the matter. The English concept of friendship roughly captures Aristotle's notion of philia, as he writes: "things that cause friendship are: doing kindnesses; doing them unasked; and not proclaiming the fact when they are doneÖ" (Rhetoric, II. 4, trans. Rhys Roberts).

Answer 6

The original Greek word used here for "love" or "charity" (depending on which version of the Bible you're reading) was agape.

The Greek had a couple different words for love. They had one for romantic love, one for family love, one for brotherly/friendly love, and then there was agape. Agape was the purest, most unconditional kind of love, that's why you'll often hear Christians describe it as "the pure love of Christ."

Answer 7

A long time ago I thought that love was something that you reserved for some special set of people that you had judged worthy of it.

After a while I got to thinking about what Jesus had said about turning the other cheek and loving our neighbor I put the two together and realized that he had made no exceptions in these statements. It became obvious to me that he intended that we exclude no one from the love that we are supposed to be giving. I started thinking about my idea of love and suddenly realized that I had not been loving anyone at all. I had simply been judging everyone and every thing.

Judging someone worthy of love is not love, it is only judgment. I actually started to cry when I realized this. I saw just how much of my life I had wasted being judgmental, thinking of myself as a Christian, when I was actually doing just the opposite of what Jesus had asked us to do.

I thought about the verse judge not lest ye be judged, and I understood it for the first time.

I realized that I have a lot of catching up to do. So many opportunities were wasted. I now try to apply the love that I have for the world in a universal way like Jesus asks us to do.

If I start to feel afraid and think that I see someone that I should not love because of something I have thought or heard I try to catch my mistake as soon as possible. I tell myself that I have forgot the truth and have fallen for the same old trick that had cost me so many opportunities to be loving in the past. The horror of this realization is often all that is necessary to bring me back to my senses and make me drop the judgmental nonsense I was thinking.

I still have a lot to learn about love, but at least I’m making progress.

Love and blessings

Your brother
don

Answer 8

You may be talking about Charity.

Here is what 1 Corinthians 4-13 says;

4 ¶ The love is long-suffering, it is kind, the love doth not envy, the love doth not vaunt itself, is not puffed up,
5 doth not act unseemly, doth not seek its own things, is not provoked, doth not impute evil,
6 rejoiceth not over the unrighteousness, and rejoiceth with the truth;
7 all things it beareth, all it believeth, all it hopeth, all it endureth.
8 ¶ The love doth never fail; and whether there be prophecies, they shall become useless; whether tongues, they shall cease; whether knowledge, it shall become useless;
9 for in part we know, and in part we prophecy;
10 and when that which is perfect may come, then that which is in part shall become useless.
11 When I was a babe, as a babe I was speaking, as a babe I was thinking, as a babe I was reasoning, and when I have become a man, I have made useless the things of the babe;
12 for we see now through a mirror obscurely, and then face to face; now I know in part, and then I shall fully know, as also I was known;
13 and now there doth remain faith, hope, love—these three; and the greatest of these is love.

Some versions use the word charity for love.

26 agaph agape ag-ah’-pay

from 25; TDNT-1:21,5; n f

AV-love 86, charity 27, dear 1, charitably+ 2596 1, feast of charity 1; 116

1) {Singular} brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence {#Joh 15:13 Ro 13:10 1Jo 4:18}
1a) Of the love of men to men; esp. Christians towards Christians which is enjoined and prompted by their religion, whether the love be viewed as in the soul or expressed {#Mt 14:12 1Co 13:1-4,8 14:1 2Co 2:4 Gal 5:6 Phm 5,7 1Ti 1:5 Heb 6:10 10:24 1Jo 4:7 Re 2:4,19} &c
1b) Of the love of men towards God {#Lu 11:42 Joh 5:42 1Jo 2:15 3:17 4:12 5:3}
1c) Of the love of God towards man {#Ro 5:8 8:39 2Co 13:14}
1d) Of the love of God towards Christ {#Joh 15:10 17:26}
1e) Of the love of Christ towards men {#Joh 15:8-13 2Co 5:14 Ro 8:35 Eph 3:19}
2) {plural} love feasts expressing and fostering mutual love which used to be held by Christians before the celebration of the Lord’s supper, and at which the poorer Christians mingled with the wealthier and partook in common with the rest of the food provided at the expense of the wealthy. {#Jude 12 2Pe 2:13 Ac 2:42,46 1Co 11:17-34}

Syn.: filia 5373 agaph, signifying properly (v. s. agaraw 25) love which chooses its object, is taken from the LXX, where its connotation is more general, into the NT, and there used exclusively to express that spiritual bond of love between God and man and between man and man, in Christ which is characteristic of Christianity. It is thus distinct from filia, friendship (#Jas 4:4 only), storgh, natural affection (in the NT only in its compounds, v. s. astorgov 794) and erwv sexual love, which is not used in the NT, in its place being taken by epihumia 1939.


grace2u

Answer 9

13:1,2 Paul Illustrates the uselessness of each Spiritual gift without love
13:3 Bestow all my goods likely pertains to the spiritual gift of giving to others
13:13:4-8 Paul wants Corinthinas to know that all gifts would one day no longer be needed. But love would continue forever.
13:13 Faith enables us to come to God, Love enables us to imitate Him

Answer 10

Divine love. Caritas in Latin. Agape in Greek. The love of self-sacrifice. The unconditional love that caused Jesus to go to the Cross for us.

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

Answer 11

Special thanks to Don. You reminded me of the time I was driving down the street with my spiritual mentor. We saw a horrible looking derelict man who had been burned and was covered with oozing blisters. She (my mentor) was a beautiful young woman who modeled professionally. She had the car stop, got out out, gave the man money and invited him to come to a service where her husband was teaching about Jesus' love and healing. Another person in the car asked if she wasn't afraid of the awful looking man. She replied. "No of course not. Jesus died to set him free and how could I do less than try to help him?" I have tried ever since to see the valuable focus of Jesus in every person I meet. That is, to me, the essence of love.