The Sum of All Virtues

1 Corinthians 13

In our text, Paul uses vivid language to address the important subject of genuine love. It is as if He takes a pause in the middle of working out the problems of the church in order to define the basic behavior of Christlike character. Within the pages of Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians we find an almost-poetic description of how it should appear in our lives.

Why is this prominent place given to the subject of genuine love? It is because love is the sum of all other virtues. Scripture makes that clear by saying that the whole law is fulfilled in this one word. Jesus said that all the law and the prophets hang on two commandments about love: love God, and love your neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40).

1 Corinthinans 13:4, "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up."

Longsuffering is from a Greek word that literally means "long-tempered." So, think of what it means to be short-tempered, and then imagine the exact opposite. This may also describe someone who is wronged and who has the power to avenge himself -- but never does it.

Kindness, on the other hand, is an action of goodwill. It is an act of giving unselfishly. The recipient of a kind gesture smiles because it is refreshing and because nothing is expected in return.

Genuine love also can be identified by what it is not. The first of the not list in the verse is that love does not envy. Envy is a selfish, sinful desire and we must not make room for it. God's love is always giving, never taking.

James 3:16, "Where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there."

The rest of 1 Corinthians 13:4 speaks of boasting and arrogance. If envy is resentment over the blessings of others, boasting is the sin of trying to make others envious of us. Boasting is an attempt to elevate self.

When we look for the one perfect example of genuine love, our eyes will always rest upon Jesus Christ, for He alone embodies it. When we long for genuine love in our own lives, again, our eyes will always rest expectantly upon Jesus, for He alone is the Source...

...and He imparts it to us through the Holy Spirit.

Lord, may your love rest upon me. Amen