The Context of the Love Chapter

By Philip Johnson
July 24, 2008

I Corinthians 13 is known by many as the love chapter of the Bible. I don’t

believe that Paul intended to write a treatise on the subject of love, but rather he
wrote this section to address the needs of the Corinthian saints and our needs as
well. There are many subjects that are taken up in this letter to the saints at
Corinth, and many of them include a corrective rebuke by the apostle as he
reveals the failings of those in this assembly. In chapter 13 he relates true, self-
sacrificing, agape love to each of their failings.

In verses 4-8 there are sixteen characteristics of love that are mentioned. Eight
of them tell what love is and eight of them tell what love is not. Each of the
negative characteristics was being displayed by the Corinthians in their actions
and attitudes and these needed to be corrected. We can learn from their failings
as well.

Love envieth not – “For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you
envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men” (I Cor.
3:3)? True love for our fellow believers causes us to “rejoice with them that do
rejoice” (Rom. 12:15) instead of resentfully longing what others have.

Love vaunteth not itself or Love does not boast – “Therefore let no man glory
(boast) in men. For all things are yours” (I Cor. 3:21). “For who maketh thee to
differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou
didst receive it, why dost thou glory (boast), as if thou hadst not received it” (I
Cor. 4:7)? It is harmful to elevate one man over others in the assembly and to
boast about our connections with powerful men. Love for the Lord and for others
will give us humble hearts, realizing that all we have comes from the Lord.

Love is not puffed up or Love is not arrogant – “Now as touching things

offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up,
but charity edifieth.” (I Cor. 8:1). “Now some are puffed up, as though I would not
come to you” (I Cor. 4:18). “And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned,
that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you” (I Cor.
5:2). The Lord hates “a proud look” (Prov. 6:16,17) and pride about sinful actions
surely is detestable to the Lord. Humility of heart must accompany our love.

Love doth not behave itself unseemly or Love is not rude – “When ye come
together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. For in
eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and
another is drunken. What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise
ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you?
shall I praise you in this? I praise you not” (I Cor. 11:20-22). Their behavior was
rude toward each other and toward the Lord as they treated the Lord’s Supper
like a party. When they came together to eat common meals at a separate time
from partaking of the Lord’s Supper, they were instructed to “tarry one for
another” (I Cor. 11:33) or share what each one had with others.

Love seeketh not her own or Love does not insist on its own way – “For it
hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house
of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of
you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ” (I Cor.
1:11,12). Love for our brethren will keep us from dividing and will motivate us to
“be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (I Cor.
1:10).

Love is not easily provoked or Love is not irritable or resentful and Love
thinketh no evil or Love does not suspect evil or keep account of wrongs
done – “Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law
one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer
yourselves to be defrauded” (I Cor. 6:7)? How quickly disputes can escalate if
we allow ourselves to be provoked easily. It is much better to always put others
in the best possible light. If kindness is at work, there will be ways to settle
disputes between brethren instead of taking each other to the world’s courts.

Love rejoiceth not in iniquity – “Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a
little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?” (I Cor. 5:6). There was sin in their midst
and they were rejoicing in it instead of judging it. A loving response to these
sinning individuals would have helped the wrongdoers see the error of their ways
and encouraged them to repent and turn from their sin.

Love suffers long and is kind. Love rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes
all things, hopes all things, endures all things, and it never fails. The Lord Jesus
Christ is our model for these positive characteristics in that “God is love” (I John
4:8). May these corrective rebukes search our hearts so that we may display
God’s love in our lives.