Agape love never falls... (1 Corinthians 13:8-13)
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This verse in Greek is a little difficult to translate as we do not quite have a word in English that it directly translates to. It is usually translated as "love never fails" or "love never ends." The word for fall is ĪίĪĪĪ (piptÅ) which is mostly used to mean fall.* Fall can mean "to come to an end suddenly; to vanish; to perish" or "to drop from a higher place" or "to depart from the faith, or from rectitude; to apostatize" or "to decrease."* Agape love never falls, comes to an end, and as we will see love energizes our faith to keep us from falling away, departing from the faith.
for in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision strengthens any rather faith energized through love (Galatians 5:6)
Paul is writing to the Galatians and speaks of what he calls false brothers who came into that church teaching them to go back to Judaism. They begin with requiring circumcision but as Paul says if you do this you will have to adhere and keep all of the Mosaic Law. Basically, Paul tells us this is a form of walking in the flesh, living according to commandments and regulations or principles of "do not touch, taste, or handle." You can do these things in the flesh and not walk in step with the Spirit which was how the Galatians had begun in Christ. We can even create a form of works justification in the church by living to good principles, like serving and giving, and not be walking according to the Spirit.
this is an illustration pointing to the time at hand that accordingly the gifts and sacrifices offered can not mature the worshiper in regards to his conscious but deal with food and drink, various water cleansings, and regulations imposed until the time of correction (Hebrews 9:9-10)
The old was a copy or shadow until the time of correction when the better covenant with better promises, the new covenant, would come. In the new covenant, we walk in the new living way of the Spirit, not the written code. We are made alive together with Christ becoming children of God but we need to grow in Christ so we walk in step with the Spirit, this is called maturity. If the things of the old had made men righteous and atoned for sin and cleansed the conscience from sin then Jesus would not needed to have come and died for sin. This is an illustration to us, that serving and living to commandments do not mature us (Hebrews 7:18-19; Hebrews 9). What gives us the strength to mature is faith energized through love.
... as the elect of God holy and loved put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, gentleness, long-suffering. Bear with one another and forgive one another... as the Lord has graciously forgiven you and to the extent of all these, [the greater way] agape love which exists the bond of maturity (Colossians 3:12-14)
Love is defined as heartfelt compassion, kindness, gentleness, and long-suffering (1 Corinthians 13:6-7). It bears, believes, and endures all. Because we know experientially of God's love and how forgiveness came through his grace, we can love and forgive others. Love energizes our faith as it creates a bond that can not be broken. Or said another way because we are deeply rooted in love we endure or do not fall away during discipline or trials and afflictions. The definition of love we saw earlier "agape love never falls" speaks to this bond. It is why Paul wrote, "Nothing can separate us from the love of God." This is why love is greater, when we know we are loved we are founded.
above all have a fervent love for one another because love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8)
When we were dead in our trespasses and sins God had mercy through his great love, and he did so to show the overabundant riches of his grace in loving kindness to us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-5; 7). God loved us and to demonstrate that love he sent Jesus who took on sin thus in Christ God's grace abounded covering overlooking a multitude of sins through the blood of Jesus. The motivation for such an act was love. God is love so such a demonstration of his loving kindness was through his mercy and grace. Love is why God sent his Son but Grace was needed because without grace Jesus could not have taken on sin and not be condemned by the just Law of God.
seek the greater gifts and yet I will show you a way that is accordingly beyond comparison (1 Corinthians 12:31)
We are to seek the greater gifts as they work to build up the church. The gifts are given in the church to build it up into mature adulthood, into the full measure of the stature of Christ. The church builds itself up the truth in love. Jesus is the truth and the word of God and the author and perfecter of our faith thus through truth our faith increases. If we abide in truth we will overcome and endure as we become strong because the word of God abides in us. If we abide in truth, Jesus, we also abide in his love. they are inseparable (John 15:7-9).
The gifts of preaching, pastoring, and prophecy work to build up the church (Ephesians 4:10-15). Built up into a unity of faith and maturity as faith increases through truth, and that faith is energized through agape love. The purpose of building up the church is so the church exists mature, no longer children and love is the bond that gets the children there. If we believe Paul when he writes what strengthens us is "faith working through love" then the truth must have a foundation of love. Faith, knowledge, wisdom, prophecy, serving, and giving are nothing without love.
So often do we minimize love in the name of serving Jesus, and we justify this by thinking we have a mission, a calling of greater purpose... But this is not what the scriptures tell us. Paul writes we are to seek the greater gifts but love is the way above all. Without love, serving and giving are nothing. If we do not love one another serving is just another form of walking in the flesh "...do not use your freedom as an opportunity to serve the flesh but through love serve one another" (Galatians 5:13-14). The bond of love leads to maturity, "When we bear fruit, after being deeply rooted, and growing up truth in love, the love of God is fulfilled."
the greatest among you shall be servants of all (Matthew 23:10-11)
We love giving ourselves titles of importance like founder, president, senior, leader... This is how the world operates as it lords over and exercises authority over others. Even the title "servant leader" doesn't quite fit with the words of Jesus who said the greatest are "servants of all." The word minister means servant. And Paul writes we are to serve one another in love. So the greatest should exemplify the greatest way of love through serving others through love. This begins in our own house because we can not truly show the world love if it doesn't exist in the house of God. This is why Jesus said we would be known as his disciples by how we love one another.
take care that none forfeits the grace of God, so no root of bitterness sprouts up to crowd out, and through it, many are defiled (Hebrews 12:15)
I have written much about how we are to be rooted and founded in love and faith. A works justification mindset is a falling from grace, and it will cause a root of bitterness to grow within a church so truth and love are choked out. Many will be defiled and fall. Love is not just words but works of faith as James would say faith without works of love is dead. Love is energizing faith, and disciples should be rooted and founded in faith and love through serving examples. A work justification or legalism creates a judgemental mindset just like the Corinthian church had (1 Corinthians 6:1-7). A judgemental mindset doesn't overlook sin, it keeps account of wrong, thus it doesn't forgive in love. What sprouts up is a root of bitterness that defiles many so they will fall. Love never falls or causes one to stumble. Jesus gives us the example of love and what it means to serve one another in love. He showed us that agape love seeks not its own, it is not arrogant, it doesn't boast or brag, it is like having a friend who would lay down their life for you.
now, of this time, abides faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Faith, hope, and love are what will strengthen the church. We can do many other things but if we miss these three, the greatest being love, we are not really building up a church into maturity, it doesn't have a proper foundation so that it will endure and never fall. Agape love is foundational. Love is the bond that knits it all together. Love is the ligaments of the body that bond each member together so it is building itself up in love. Love never falls, as Paul proclaims boldly when he writes "Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus."
We pray, Father according to the riches of your glory grant us dominion power through your Spirit in our inner man, Christ dwelling in our hearts through faith, rooted and founded in love so that we have the strength to grasp more of the love of Christ that surpasses understanding and be filled to the fullness of maturity, which glorifies you (Ephesians 3:14-21).
the Father of glory would grant us to be strengtned in our inner being through the Sprit give us a spirit of wisdom a nd revealtion in knowing Jesus great love so that we can love one another as you love us and so the world may see that we exist disciples of Jesus bearing much fruit in this world, which glorifies you.