TRUE LOVE

It seems everyone believes in love; we are just not quite sure what it means. Love is one of those good ideas that is often treated as fragile and ephemeral in much of how it is talked about or described. But this is not the understanding of love described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13, renowned as the Bible’s great chapter on love.

Partly because such love is not so much an idea but an attitude, an action, and an intentional choice, this love is bold and enduring. “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance” (1 Corinthians 13:7, NLT).

The love that Paul described is the bridge that crosses the broken relationships that mar our humanity and begins to heal those wounds. While based firmly on the love of God, it is larger than any and all of our religiosity (see 1 Corinthians 13:1–3) and is not dependent on our contexts or circumstances. Of course, our human love will not be perfect or complete, but it will bring out the best that we are able to be. It is our “most excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:31). True love is courageous. In reclaiming the word love and seeking to give it a stronger meaning, we might try to live in a way that refuses to give up on or lose faith in those we love, that practices hope, and seeks the good of those we love no matter the circumstances. Such love has no room for fear because “love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8).

When some people feel let down or disappointed by love, their hurt proves that what they call love is only imperfect love or something less.

It could not be love because “love never fails.” When founded on the extravagant love of God, there is nothing stronger or safer than love.