Greatest of all....LOVE!!

We all know that famous Tina Turner Song, “What's Love Got To Do With It?” Yesterday, I had the honor of leading a bible study that involved my peers. The topic…LOVE! The passage that we looked into was 1st Corinthians 13, probably the most famous passage on love.

Here it is:
1st Corinthians 13 (NIV) If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If 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. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 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. 8Love 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. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love

I love verses 1-3 because it sets up the whole chapter. It says that you can be the craziest hommie G with awesome skills but if you got no love, you got nothing. If you are caught in an argument and you are right...if you got no love, then you got nothing. It don’t matter if you are smarter than Einstein or more generous than mother Theresa…if you got no love…then all of that is useless. I’ll even take it out to the limb and say you can share the gospel, but if you have no love, then it’s nothing. Dang…that’s good stuff. So often when we talk about love, we talk about it in the sense of a feeling or a level of infatuation for someone or something. I love vs. I like. Too often we misuse the word Love to where we lose its true meaning and value. Love is not a feeling. It’s a choice. It’s sacrifice. Love is God (1st John 4:8). One thing I learned and still remember from my jr. high math is the transitive property: if A=B and B=C then A=C. So let’s go ahead and apply the transitive property into our little discussion here. If God is Love and Love is patient, kind, does not envy, etc, then I think we can come to this conclusion. God is patient, God is kind, God does not envy God does not boast.

It also says in Genesis 1 that we were made in God’s image. This means that our lives should reflect Jesus Christ in our lives. So taking the transitive property to the next level can we say… [Insert your name here] is patient, [insert your name here] is kind…, At times, we have a tough time of living that life. It’s easy to love those around us that love us or that are loveable. But it is those who we struggle with or even hate that we need to love. See, what’s so amazing about love is that it is not by our love that we can do things but by the holy unconditional love of Jesus that we can do all things. One thing that was pointed out to me last night was that the way we show love to one another is by praying for one another. With that said, how many of us are praying for those who we hate or have bitterness against. Christ has called us to intercede for those who we love but also our enemies.

The final 3 verses is just straight amazing. I feel like Paul is talking about his relationship with Christ and is telling us the more he knows Christ, the more he loves him. See, as a child, we can be so foolish in thinking what the cool things in life are. If we were to apply the things Paul says in the scripture, I think we can see it this way…”man, when I was kid, I thought prophecy, and knowledge, and tongues were everything. But now that I have grown up spiritually, and look upon the cross, I see that is Christ’s perfect love that conquers all.” When Paul said that he knows in part, only to know in full, as he is known full...we may misinterpret the word know. The scripture uses the word know a lot to explain relationship. When God knew us before we were born, he not only knew of our coming existence but he is also saying he already had a relationship with us. When Paul says I know partially, it’s as if he’s talking about Christ’s love. I partially know Christ’s love, and eventually fully know Christ’s love, as Christ fully knows his love for me. But I think we can also apply that second definition into this structure. I still only partially in relationship with Christ, and eventually will be in full relationship with Christ, as Christ is fully in relationship with me.

Verse 13 ends the chapter by saying of the three: faith, hope, and love…love is the greatest. How can you put a value on the these three things…but this is what I think is going on…, Faith and hope is by us…We humans have faith and hope in Jesus Christ…but love…it comes from him…, That is why love is the greatest of all. So to conclude this entry…Tina Turner...to answer your question…, Love has EVERYTHING to do with it.


By: David Kim