… charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity… I Corinthians 13:4b-6a
In continuing to look at the kind of love that God wants us to practice as it is taught in I Corinthians 13, God tells us what someone who is loving Biblically should and should not do. Because Bible love is so different from what our society thinks of as love, God, not movies or books or music, should be considered the supreme authority on love, and we should follow his example and the principles laid out in Scripture.
The love talked about in I Corinthians 13 is agape love. A short definition of agape love is a self-giving love that gives without demanding or expecting repayment. It gives because it loves; it does not love in order to receive. Guzik
The first part of I Corinthians 13:4 talks about love being long suffering and kind. The next part of this passage is a long list of the things that love is not and most of them have to do with self-centered actions. God knew human nature well when he made this list!
Those practicing charity or love do not…
- Envy. They do not act with covetousness or jealousy.
- Vaunt themselves. They do not boast of or extol themselves or act out of self-admiration.
- Get puffed up. They do not treat others in a proud way with excessive self-esteem and self-importance.
- Behave unseemly. They are not improper, unbecoming, inappropriate, or uncourteous.
- Seek their own. They are not demanding, entitled, or selfish.
- Become easily provoked. They are not easily irritated or angered.
- Think evil of others. They give the benefit of the doubt, are forgiving, and are not suspicious.
- Rejoice at evil. They are not happy when someone does wrong or when injustice takes place.
In contrast to the self-serving actions of this list, a good example of self-giving love is that of a father or mother to a child. A loving parent will be patient, kind, giving, protective, firm, and selfless. In John 15:9 Jesus says, As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. Later in that chapter Jesus says: This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. (John 15:12) God’s love for Jesus (Matthew 3:17; 17:5) is a picture of Jesus’s love for us, and Jesus’s love is an example of how we should love others.
