Spiritual Love (13) - Love Bears, Believes, and Hopes All Things
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December 02, 2012 |
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 "Love is patient…bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
In this world, no one hates the word 'love'. One can be happy if love abounds in him no matter how tough his life may be. On the contrary, people can't gain true happiness if they have no spiritual love even if they live a secure life in financial prosperity. Love is inevitable for humans and it should be spiritual love that never changes forever.
The attributes of spiritual love are explained in 1 Corinthians Chapter 13. It says love bears all things, believes all things, and hopes all things. Let's delve into its spiritual meaning and how to achieve spiritual love.
1. Love bears all things
After we accept Jesus Christ we come to try to live by the Word of God. While doing so, you may be faced with many things to bear. If you get angry or become irritated by others, you have to bear with them now. You should also bear with not satisfying your personal desires to do what is needed for the sake of others.
That's why 'love is patient' is recorded as the first characteristic of spiritual love among the 15 attributes. We are to be patient with every kind of afflictions to cast off untruthful things in our hearts and remain patient in the struggle against our 'selves'. These things are referred to as 'patience'.
Then, what does it mean to 'bear all things'? It is to bear with all sufferings caused by others after we've cultivated our hearts into the truth. Namely, to bear all things in this verse has broader meaning than the verse, 'Love is patient'. It is to bear with all things that are not in accordance with spiritual love
In other words, it is to bear all forms of evil including untruths, flesh, and sins. For example, not to be patient; not to be kind, but getting angry; to be arrogant; and to be rude are all against spiritual love. Also, seeking its own benefit, getting provoked, taking into account a wrong suffered, and rejoicing in unrighteousness are all included in things that are not of spiritual love.
Here, to bear with something is not just to suppress it. It is to cast off the opposite characters of love, namely, all untruths from our heart and make them disappear. It is to circumcise our heart. If we circumcise our heart and cast off flesh completely, then, we will be men of spirit who are filled with only spiritual love.
In fact, if we accomplish spirit in our hearts, the expression 'bear' is not necessary. Because being in spirit means that we love God to the utmost degree, we cannot think of anything that is against love, and obviously we will not do such a thing. Also, because we won't have any evil in our heart, we will not really see shortcomings or wrongdoings of others. Even if we see them, we will only try to understand and cover them, so that we won't have to bear with anything.
How did men treat Jesus who came to the earth to save them who were sinners? Everything that Jesus did was only of goodness, but men mocked and despised Him. In the end they crucified Him. Jesus, who is the truth itself, quietly bore with such men. He even interceded for them saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34).
Jesus' bearing with all things and His love results in the work of salvation; anyone who accepts Him as the Savoir can become God's children. They are moved from death to eternal life. God loves us, so He continues to 'bear' with us and He awaits us to become His true children.
2. Love believes all things
If you love somebody with your heart, you will believe in everything of that person. Even if he has some shortcomings, you will still try to believe in him. You can see him with love because you believe he will change. Believing in this way is a proof of love for others.
It can be said that believing is a standard to measure the size of love. Therefore, to believe God completely is to love Him completely. With his perfect belief in God, Abraham could be called the 'father of faith' and a friend of God. His faith in God was sincere such that without any hesitation Abraham obeyed the command of God telling him to make an offering of his only son Isaac. He could do so because he put complete belief in God who can revive even the dead.
As said above, love believes all things. Those who completely love God will also believe all the words of God 100%. Additionally, because they believe all things, they bear all things. To bear with all things that are against spiritual love, we must have faith. Namely, only when we believe all the words of God can we circumcise our heart, cast off everything that is against love, and then hope all things.
How did God love us? He unsparingly gave His only begotten Son for us who were sinners. He opened the way of salvation. It's not that we loved Him first and believed Him. God first loved us, and by believing the fact, we come to love God as written in 1 John 4:9-10. At first, we come to love God by believing this fact, but if we accomplish more spiritual love, we will reach a level where we believe completely because we love.
It is possible to accomplish spiritual love when we have cast off all untruthfulness of the heart. Those who achieve spiritual love completely believe all men. Even if the people have many iniquities and shortcomings and seem not to be trustworthy, those with spiritual love see them with faith. Also, they see themselves with the eyes of faith. They don't feel disappointed or frustrated by their own shortcomings but they just believe the power of God who never gives up on them and that He will change them. The Holy Spirit is always telling us in our hearts, "You can do it" and accomplishes things just as we believe.
3. Love hopes all things
People sometimes want to change others to become the way they want them to be because they don't like the way others act. But if they argue without embracing even the smallest matter, it seems nonsense for them to be able to change others. So, you should try to change yourself rather than wanting others to change. You also have to see them with love and wait for them.
To hope all things is to yearn and wait for everything that you believe to come true. Namely, if you love God, you will believe all His words and hope that everything will be done according to His Word. You are hoping for the days when you will share love with God the Father forever in the beautiful heavenly kingdom. That is why you bear with all things and run your race of faith.
However, the worldly people who don't have hope in all things with faith have no hope for the heavenly kingdom. Since they have no hope they live as though the end of the earthly life is the end of their lives. They just follow and enjoy fleshly things. Because they still don't have true satisfaction, they live each day with difficulties in their lives without real hope. Until death, they may even live from day to day with fear of the future.
On the other hand, those who believe in God hope all things, so they can take the narrow way as recorded in Matthew 7:13-14. In 1 Corinthians 15:19 the Apostle Paul says, "If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied."
From a fleshly point of view, Christians' self-control and the reverent life style seem burdensome. To unbelievers, our way seems to be narrow. But to us who are believers, this way is happier way than any other way because it is the way to eternity in the beauty of Heaven. As explained above, love unchangingly waits and hopes in all things until everything that is believed comes true.
Dear brothers and sisters, God is waiting for you to achieve spiritual love and become His true children, feeling a thousand days are like a day. So we can look at everybody with faith and bear all things. I pray in the name of the Lord by doing so you will lead many souls to the way of salvation.
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