1 Corinthians 13:5 Love does not behave unseemly

As I looked over the various translations I discovered they were all correct, even though different. How do you expect agape love to act? If you broke those expectations down to one negative reflection of expectation, then love is not what you expect. Expectation defines our view of what is most important to our understanding. Translating this verse into any adverb puts a pin hole in the box where you have placed God.

Take the first aspect of God, God is love. Reverse it, love is God. God is unchanging, love is unchanging. Agape love will always be agape love and nothing else. Unseemly is the direct opposite of glory. God’s glory is His reputation, His appearance, how He presents Himself to us, especially in the form of His Son Jesus Christ. Unseemly means that it doesn’t look like Jesus.

There is a long list of adverbs describing how Jesus Christ acts. Which adverb is appropriate is reflected in the moment as He will always be appropriate in the moment. His love will be appropriate and consistent with who He is and how he loves.

If there is any comparative between agape love and how we act, it would fall into that category, consistency. I can be agape love in any moment, but am I in every moment? Try as I might, the answer is no. Knowing that should not stop me from growing and learning.

1 Timothy 1:5 (NASB) But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

It takes all three to successfully reflect the abiding love of God.

1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is not puffed up

Perhaps I skipped over this too quickly yesterday as linked arrogance with bragging. As I prepared for today I looked over verse 4 to see if perhaps I might have missed something and this is one aspect I had overlooked.

1 Corinthians 8:2 And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.

A puffer fish will make himself look bigger than he actually is for defensive purposes. It is not an offensive position, it is defensive.

I have found myself at times being defensive with what I know. I was protecting myself, not the Word of God. The Word of God stands on its own and so does God’s perfect love. I should never feel like I need to be defensive with my brothers and sisters in Christ.

From the outside, a worldly viewpoint, non-Christians will think; “Who does he think he is?” The love of God is meant to attract the lost, not put them off. The main reason for His indwelling love is to reach the lost. Being defensive with people who do not know you does not draw them to God.

This also makes me wonder if when I see others who “puff themselves up” are they being defensive? If it is a brother or sister in Christ, I can confess my condition as perhaps an opportunity to draw them into a meaningful conversation. I’ve had to learn that not all people are introspective. I was like that when I was at my worst. Perhaps I knew in my heart I was wrong and just didn’t want to look inward, knowing what I would find.

Confessing our weaknesses will only make us (the church) stronger.