The Greatest of These Is Love
(1 Corinthians 13:1-7, 13)

God is love. This love is perfectly shown on the cross. We are moved to life from sins and death by the love of God on the cross. Therefore, the heart of Christianity is the love of the cross. And the cross is the completion of love for God and neighbors. Solution to problems in our family, society, and churches is love. As disciples of Jesus Christ who practiced the love of God, we should show the love of cross in the world.

1. Gifts without love
Members of Corinthian church received numerous spiritual gifts but they didn’t know the purpose of the gift was to set up virtue of the church. So they regarded the gift that they could see the best and was boastful while ignoring the people without spiritual gifts. As a result, the church was in turmoil. Knowing the problem of the church, Apostle Paul wrote a letter. 1 Corinthian Chapter 13 verse 1 to 3 says, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” Our value is nothing before God and we are not recognized by God when we don’t have love although we have one of greatest gifts. Therefore, we should practice the love of God in our daily life to prove that we are the disciples of Jesus Christ.

2. Features of true love
We should practice love with the heart of Jesus Christ in every circumstance. The apostle Paul said, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Co. 13:4-7) The Features of love shown in these verses are related to the characters of Jesus Christ. The start point of love is ‘being patient’. God is patient for long. Patience makes us control or subdue complains and blames in our hearts. Also, love makes us forgive people who mistreat even we can revenge them with power. We are debtors of the greatest love of God who has been patient enough to save us. Therefore, we should patient and forgive others with the love of Jesus Christ. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.