Digging Deeper Days
Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
Today is 2-for-1 Friday!
Check out Blinding Jealousy!
The Questions
1) If the definition of love is patience and kindness, how do these two definitions complement each other?
2) How do the definitions of what love isn’t (envious, boastful, arrogant) contrast with what love is (patient and kind).
3) What do the adjectives in this verse reveal about God and His character?
1 Corinthians 13:4
Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant.
Original Intent
1) If the definition of love is patience and kindness, how do these two definitions complement each other?
Love is seen through patience, the opposite of short tempered. It denotes patience with people rather than with circumstances and shows a willingness to take someone’s unpleasant character traits in stride while exhibiting enduring long-suffering. (Barclay)
Love is exhibited through kindness, which could also be translated as “good” or “compassionate”.
God’s heart of love is continually poured out on His people. His kind, patient love never changes when our circumstances shift. He is slow to anger, giving us opportunity to trust Him for salvation before giving us over to the just sentence of death and separation from Him we deserve. God’s loving patience is demonstrated by holding back His just wrath toward human rebellion because of our sin, while at the same time, His kindness is found in His grace and mercy, poured out on us through the sacrifice at the cross. This patient, kind love is modeled through Christ for us as to how we are to treat others.
Paul reminds, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.” Ephesians 4:32
This kind of “Jesus love” reacts with goodness even towards those who “ill-treat” it. (Morris) Love gives itself over in kindness in the service of others, just as Christ did for us as He sacrificed Himself for us, His enemies because we, in our pride and arrogance, chose our sin over the Savior.
Together, patience and kindness represent passive and active responses toward others. They represent two divine attitudes that God has toward man with patience as He passively waits for us to choose Him and kindness as He actively reveals Himself to us. (G. Fee)
2) How do the definitions of what love isn’t (envious, boastful, arrogant) contrast with what love is (patient and kind).
Love is not envious or jealous. To exhibit these traits is to be displaying the exact opposite of love. Jealousy has a disastrous effect on personal relationships. Every biblical example of jealous envy results in a breaking of the relationship without the restorative love of Jesus bringing healing. In the Old Testament, Cain envied Abel and physically killed him. (Genesis 4:3-8) Later, Jacob’s sons were jealous of Joseph and, as a result of how they allowed this jealousy to grow and blind them to the relationship with Joseph, they sold him into slavery. (Genesis 37:11, 28) To love in the face of jealous envy looks like celebrating the successes of others.
Love does not boast or brag. In 1 Corinthians 8:1, Paul uses the verb “puffs up” to depict a person as a braggart or “windbag”. (Bauer) “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” The person who boasts is motivated by seeking to gain personal recognition. Usually, their behavior is marked by egotism and a condescending attitude toward others. A person that is boastful is full of oneself while being empty of love, both towards God and others. Boasting and arrogance go hand in hand, but true love is neither. Love has no room for haughtiness, conceit, or self-importance.
Arrogance is simply inflated selfishness while love is genuine humility.
Arrogance is devoid of love while love is devoid of arrogance.
3) What do the adjectives in this verse reveal about God and His character?
God is patient, He is in it for the long-haul with us. Our performance never dictates the measure of His patience because He IS love, which means He IS patient. His example is intended to comfort and encourage us, drawing us deeper into loving one another with the same patient, compassionate love. (Matthew 18:26-27)
God is intentionally kind with the purpose of wooing us and allowing us the possibility to have access to an eternal relationship with Him through our genuine repentance and turning away from our sin. He demonstrates His kindness to us, over and over, displaying His trustworthy heart of love, continually inviting us to choose Him as our Savior and our sufficiency. (Romans 2:4)
God’s love is not envious, boastful, or arrogant. He sought our good benefit, not even sparing His own Son, but willingly, generously, surrendering Him that we might be offered the salvation we could never earn. If any being has actual reason to be arrogant or boastful, it would be the Lord of all, the King of kings. But not once does He ever demonstrate these traits, for the moment He did, even just once, He would immediately cease to be loving. How great our God is to love so perfectly!
Everyday Application
1) If the definition of love is patience and kindness, how do these two definitions complement each other?
Living day to day, moment to moment, presents us with multiple opportunities to practice demonstrating the patience Jesus modeled! As women in our homes, our workplaces, our families, churches, and cities, we have regular, everyday chances to love others with patience. We have the opportunity to either be a conduit for Christ’s peace and calm through loving patience, or to add fiery anguish and calamity. The choice is always ours.
I recall a time when I was particularly rushed coming home from work, knowing the tasks waiting for me: housework, children’s needs both mental and spiritual, a meal to prepare, and an appointment to keep. All were important, and my mind kept rushing faster, asking, “HOW WILL I GET THIS ALL DONE?!”
I knew if I came home like a whirlwind in a rush, brimming with frustration, the atmosphere would take a nose dive; I would create frustration, stress, and tension. Before I got out of the car, I knew I needed an attitude change in my head and heart, so I paused talk with God. Of course, in His patience, He listened. He knew my anxiety, He saw my “must do list”, He knew my heart of wanting to do all things well in caring for all of my loves, and He faithfully brought refreshment as I reconnected with His kind and patient love. He gave me patience, understanding, kindness, and love. Our day went beautifully, thanks to the One who cares about all our anxieties! (1 Peter 5:7)
We all need this constant refreshment from the Lord, this on-going reminder of His own patient, kind love towards us. The closer we walk with Him moment by moment, the less we will experience anxiety. A Paul reminds in Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
2) How do the definitions of what love isn’t (envious, boastful, arrogant) contrast with what love is (patient and kind).
The apostle Paul wrote one of the most famous descriptions of love here in 1 Corinthians 13, our text for this whole Journey Theme. The love he described values giving over getting, commitment over feelings, and the long-haul view over the short-term scenario. When we pause to see how God evidences each of these character traits of love in His regular, consistent, everyday interaction with us, it changes our own heart attitude, softening us to be shaped more like Himself. Consider what specific scenarios, or maybe people or words, tend to press you to grab for jealous envy, boasting, and arrogance. How would your everyday relationships and scenarios be colored differently if you loved like Jesus loves you?
The Scripture is clear, true “Jesus love” is displayed through generosity and celebration instead of jealous envy, and kind humility rather than boastful arrogance. This kind of love survives and stands the test of time and struggle. This extravagant, unfailing LOVE is the love of the Lord! Where do you see His love? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you this love in your life!
3) What do the adjectives in this verse reveal about God and His character?
While FULLY comprehending the Being of the triune God is impossible for us as human beings, God does make Himself known through His Word and in His Creation. God, who defines Himself with one word, love, is unique and without comparison.
God possesses, and infinitely displays, attributes that we can know and experience in part through our human experience. As we explore His core definition of love, and what it looks like in real, everyday life, we will see the beautiful picture of Who God is more and more clearly. When love comes into focus, we see the very heart of God.
The theologian, Tozer, notes, “God’s infinite good love makes Him tenderhearted, of quick sympathy, and having an unfailing friendly attitude toward all mortal beings.” When was the last time you considered God to be friendly or anticipating your interaction with Him? Yet, this is exactly the kind of God who loves us!
Take time to choose a few attributes of God’s character and explore examples of them in Scripture. Draw out those conclusions into your everyday life and see with what beautiful colors the Savior loves you!
Good, merciful, generous, kind, graceful, forgiving, compassionate, gentle, good-natured, just, faithful, and so much more. See what love the Father has lavished upon us!
What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study today?
Catch up with Blinding Jealousy!
Digging Deeper is for Everyone!
1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!
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Why Dig Deeper?
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Study Tools
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
Memorize It!
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