1 Corinthians 13:13 “And
now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
With these definitions in mind, McGee states that the
word “love” can be translated three ways. You may know this already, but the
review is good. (1) The first “love” is from the Greek word “eros” (where we get our English word “erotic”),
which means “passion”. Passion unchecked leads to lust. The word is not used al
all in the New Testament. (2) The second translation of “love” comes from the word
“phileo”, which means affection – the brotherly love we have towards others. It’s
human love at its highest and most noble. (3) The word “agapao” is the highest
word for love in the New Testament, and it means divine love. More than
emotion, it is love that wills. This kind of love chooses its object. Agapao is
the kind of love that the “love chapter” of 1 Corinthians 13
characterizes. It begins with our speech and our attitude.
The first verse of 1 Corinthians 13 speaks of love as
it come from the heart. The second verse
is from the mind – love a s an act of the intellect. Knowledge alone is not
sufficient; love must be added to that knowledge. Understanding alone is not
enough; love must be added to that understanding. Godly love is an act of the
will. Love involves the heart, the mind, and the will.
Galatians 5:22-23 “The
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
Love is the fruit of His Holy Spirit. Although we are to
covet earnestly the best gifts, they are to be exercised in love and only the
Spirit of God can do that through us. Friend, love is the thing that makes
every gift of the Spirit worthwhile. Without it, the Christian life is empty
and meaningless. But with it … ah, there’s the joy!
McGee points out that the theme of 1 Corinthians is the
supremacy of Jesus Christ. It’s important for us to come back to Jesus Christ
as our power and authority. IT’s shocking to discover that 2000 yeas later, we
circle around the same issues. The real problem is that we’ve lost sight of the
centrality of Jesus Christ crucified for our salvation. That was the problem
then, and it is the problem now. Love is the only thing to be carried over into
eternity. The God of love and the love of God.
Blessed in Christ.
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