Skip to main content

One and Four

             Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (I Corinthians 13:6-7)

 

            Here, Paul breaks the pattern he began in yesterday’s passage. We should have a sentence with five characteristics, followed by a sentence with six. Instead, we have a sentence with two, and another sentence with four. The other pattern that might be worth noticing is that Paul began yesterday’s passage with the word Love, but uses the pronoun it for the rest of what he wrote. But today’s passage again begins with Love. That suggests that each time he uses the word Love, he is beginning a new thought. So, love is not about having power over, but about sharing power and using power for the good of others.

            And now, love is about truth. In Ephesians, Paul describes truth as the belt that holds up one’s clothes, serves as a place to keep one’s tools and weapons, and protects one’s bowels (the seat of emotion.) What good would a belt be if it didn’t protect the bowels? If the buckle released? If one’s clothes keep falling down and getting in the way? If it didn’t always do all the things a belt is supposed to do? The belt isn’t love, but the same could be said of it. What sort of love is it that deals in deception, doesn’t protect, doesn’t trust, doesn’t hope, or doesn’t persevere? In a sense, the break in Paul’s pattern isn’t that he does two, three, four, one, four. It’s that two, three, and four are each stated in one sentence, while five is broken into two sentences. Where two, three, and four are about power, five (or one and four) is about reality or truth.

        The other noteworthy item in today's passage is the repetition of always. Power may wax and wane. Truth does not. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Right Road

          Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. (Psalm 139:7-12)                  For years before GPSes existed, I told people I wanted something in my car that would tell me, “Turn left in half a mile…turn left in a quarter mile…turn left in 500 feet… turn left in 100 feet…turn left now …You missed the turn, Dummy!” The problem isn’t necessarily that I get lost so much as I’m afraid I’ll get lost. I don’t want to have to spend my whole trip stressing over the next turn. I have the same problem with my spiritual journey.   
Post a Comment
Read more

Died as a Ransom

                 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. (Hebrews 9:15)                  This is something I’d really rather not think about but here it is and it’s important. I was reading in Bold Love about seeking revenge.  The author wrote of seeking justice when a supposed Christian does something sinful, harmful, and/or horrific, like sexually abusing a daughter.  And the thought that came to mind was of God asking if Jesus’ death was sufficient payment to me for the sin committed against me.                I have no specific longing for revenge, vengeance, or justice. I’m sure there are some lurking somewhere in my heart, but this wasn’t a response to one. It was more a question of principle. Jesus’ death was sufficient payment for to God for our sins.  That’s the standard Sunday Schoo
1 comment
Read more

Out of the Depths

  Out of the depths I have cried to You, Lord. Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the sound of my pleadings.   If You, Lord, were to keep account of guilty deeds, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, so that You may be revered. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and I wait for His word. My soul waits in hope for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning; Yes, more than the watchmen for the morning. Israel, wait for the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his guilty deeds . (Psalm 130)             I like Mr. Peterson’s interpretation of the first line. “The bottom has fallen out of my life!” Of course, the problem for some of us is the fact that we’re drama queens, and/or we’re weak. Any time anything happens that disturbs our sense of mastery and control, the bottom has fallen out of our lives. If the past couple of days have taught me anything, they’ve t
1 comment
Read more