Love, the Greatest Spiritual FruitSample

A Vision of Love

First Corinthians 13 has often been dubbed “the love chapter.” A few lines from this chapter almost always find their way into wedding services and for good reason. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul declares the supremacy and superlative of love. Paul describes four virtues or actions Christians might partake in and shows how they are empty without love. He writes:

• If you have speech even as beautiful and elegant as angels, you’re simply a clanging cymbal without love.
• Without love, it will amount to nothing if you have all the wisdom and insight of the Scriptures and theology.
• Even something as grand as faith—if you have the kind of faith that could demand mountains be moved—without love is worthless.
• If you have the kind of charitable heart that is willing to give away everything you own but do it without love, you gain nothing.

Paul then turns to describe love. Here we see just how remarkable a Christian understanding of love really is. Paul tells us that love is patient, kind, does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, does not keep a record of wrong, finds no joy in unrighteousness, rejoices in truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, and finally, never ends.

A vision of love that can do and be all these things is a grand vision of love!

At this point in the conversation, a theology professor, I’m often asked, “But where does theology come in here?” You will be sadly disappointed if you try to muster up this kind of love on effort or emotion alone. Often, not even friendly or familial relationships are enough to make us display this kind of love. However, theology (the study of God) can come to our aid, as it grounds our ability to love in something sturdier than our emotions or any kind of earthly relations. When your emotions are fickle, and your relationships seem frail, knowing who God is, and anchoring your actions in the knowledge of his character rather than the whims of other people, can give you the footing needed to spend yourself in love.