Living out Love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 | Francis Chan in Crazy Love
I’ve been reading Francis Chan’s “Crazy Love” which is pretty brilliant. Chapter 5 is called “Serving Leftovers to a Holy God.” One particular passage focuses on love as expressed in Corinthians.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
Here is the ESV:
4(A) Love is patient and(B) kind; love(C) does not envy or boast; it(D) is not arrogant 5or rude. It(E) does not insist on its own way; it(F) is not irritable or resentful;[a] 6it(G) does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but(H) rejoices with the truth. 7(I) Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,(J) endures all things.
8Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.
Chan has a great suggestion for putting this cherished verse into practice or at least using it as a measure of our faith:
“Take the phrase Love is patient and substitute your name for the word love (For me, “Francis is patient…”) Do it for every phrase in the passage.
By the end, don’t you feel like a liar? If I meant to represent what love is, then I often fail to love people well.”
I think I heard a better suggestion — to substitute “God” for the “love” in the same passage. Please try it.
Why do I think this is better? First, because it’s more accurate (scripture says that God is love, not me). Second, because it’s encouraging and inspiring rather than guilt inducing. People don’t change by making themselves feel extra bad. People change when they catch a vision for something better and follow it.
I don’t mean to come on heavy. I guess that question (“don’t you feel like a liar?”) really struck me as the wrong one in a big way. We do lie, and pretend, a lot in religion.
But isn’t guilt what drives us into pretending, and isn’t love what sets us free to be ourselves without fear?