Thoughts on Corinthians

[morphius]

My ex sent me corinthians to read, I'm not religious really. I guess I believe in something. I just dont understand what it means. Any input would be appreciated. Thanx guys.

 

 

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

 

If I speak in the tongues of men and angels,

but have not love,

I have become sounding brass or a tinkling symbol.

 

And if I have prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge,

and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains,

but have not love, I am nothing.

 

And if I dole out all my goods, and

if I deliver my body that I may boast

but have not love, nothing I am profited.

 

Love is long suffering,

love is kind,

it is not jealous,

love does not boast,

it is not inflated.

 

It is not discourteous,

it is not selfish,

it is not irritable,

it does not enumerate the evil.

It does not rejoice over the wrong, but rejoices in the truth

 

 

It covers all things,

it has faith for all things,

it hopes in all things,

it endures in all things.

 

Love never falls in ruins;

but whether prophecies, they will be abolished; or

tongues, they will cease; or

knowledge, it will be superseded.

 

For we know in part and we prophecy in part.

 

But when the perfect comes, the imperfect will be superseded.

 

When I was an infant,

I spoke as an infant,

I reckoned as an infant;

 

when I became [an adult],

I abolished the things of the infant.

 

For now we see through a mirror in an enigma, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know as also I was fully known.

 

But now remains

faith, hope, love,

 

these three;

 

but the greatest of these is love.

[SoCalCatman72]

I'll do my best to explain my interpretation. No flames please, I'm simply putting down my interpretation and understanding of this particular bit of Scripture.

 

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

 

If I speak in the tongues of men and angels,

but have not love,

I have become sounding brass or a tinkling symbol.

 

And if I have prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge,

and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains,

but have not love, I am nothing.

 

And if I dole out all my goods, and

if I deliver my body that I may boast

but have not love, nothing I am profited.

 

Without love, we are nothing. We can speak with eloquent and graceful words about the glory of God, but without love those words are merely sounds, which even a inanimate wind chime can produce.

 

If we are gifted with special abilities, the ability to see the future, or blessed with vast knowledge, or have the ability to move mountains, but do not have love, our abilities amount to nothing.

 

If we give away all our posessions, and even sacrifice our strength, health or life, but do not have love, we have gained nothing.

 

Love is long suffering,

love is kind,

it is not jealous,

love does not boast,

it is not inflated.

 

It is not discourteous,

it is not selfish,

it is not irritable,

it does not enumerate the evil.

It does not rejoice over the wrong, but rejoices in the truth

 

It covers all things,

it has faith for all things,

it hopes in all things,

it endures in all things.

 

Love never falls in ruins;

but whether prophecies, they will be abolished; or

tongues, they will cease; or

knowledge, it will be superseded.

 

For we know in part and we prophecy in part.

 

But when the perfect comes, the imperfect will be superseded.

 

This is the definition of Godly, unconditional love. The expressions and actions we claim are of love should carry these traits. Godly love never dies and it never fails. And when we claim to have unconditional even Godly love for someone, and we hold our definition of love up to His, we realize how imperfect our expression of love is. We only know and truly understand a part of what love is. God's love is so perfect however, that when we did not love Him, He loved us so much that he sent Christ to suffer and die for us. God's love is a perfect love and as such our imperfect love is superseded by His love.

 

Have you ever loved someone who didn't love you in return. Have you ever dedicated your life and dreams to them in hope that someday they would return your love? If you knew that they would never return your love, would you continue to sacrifice yourself to express your love to them

 

When I was an infant,

I spoke as an infant,

I reckoned as an infant;

 

when I became [an adult],

I abolished the things of the infant.

 

For now we see through a mirror in an enigma, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know as also I was fully known.

 

But now remains

faith, hope, love,

 

these three;

 

but the greatest of these is love.

 

Before we learned of Godly love, we had our own definition of what exactly "love" was. But once we grow in Him, we must abolish our personal definition of love. For now we see the definition of love laid before us in God's faithfulness and in His word, and as such we know in part what Godly love is, though we may never understand completely until we are face to face with Him.

 

If we take away everything that we think we need except faith, hope and love. Of these three, love is the most precious, the most needed, the most honored.

 

If the person you loved, hated you in return, would you be patient with them, would you be kind, would you protect them, would you sacrifice your life for them?

 

These are just my thoughts as a Christian Sunday school teacher. (yes really).

[morphius]

I'll do my best to explain my interpretation. No flames please, I'm simply putting down my interpretation and understanding of this particular bit of Scripture.

 

 

 

Without love, we are nothing. We can speak with eloquent and graceful words about the glory of God, but without love those words are merely sounds, which even a inanimate wind chime can produce.

 

If we are gifted with special abilities, the ability to see the future, or blessed with vast knowledge, or have the ability to move mountains, but do not have love, our abilities amount to nothing.

 

If we give away all our posessions, and even sacrifice our strength, health or life, but do not have love, we have gained nothing.

 

 

 

This is the definition of Godly, unconditional love. The expressions and actions we claim are of love should carry these traits. Godly love never dies and it never fails. And when we claim to have unconditional even Godly love for someone, and we hold our definition of love up to His, we realize how imperfect our expression of love is. We only know and truly understand a part of what love is. God's love is so perfect however, that when we did not love Him, He loved us so much that he sent Christ to suffer and die for us. God's love is a perfect love and as such our imperfect love is superseded by His love.

 

Have you ever loved someone who didn't love you in return. Have you ever dedicated your life and dreams to them in hope that someday they would return your love? If you knew that they would never return your love, would you continue to sacrifice yourself to express your love to them

 

 

 

Before we learned of Godly love, we had our own definition of what exactly "love" was. But once we grow in Him, we must abolish our personal definition of love. For now we see the definition of love laid before us in God's faithfulness and in His word, and as such we know in part what Godly love is, though we may never understand completely until we are face to face with Him.

 

If we take away everything that we think we need except faith, hope and love. Of these three, love is the most precious, the most needed, the most honored.

 

If the person you loved, hated you in return, would you be patient with them, would you be kind, would you protect them, would you sacrifice your life for them?

 

These are just my thoughts as a Christian Sunday school teacher. (yes really).

 

 

Thank you so much, I get it now! Now I have to figure out why she wanted me to read it. lol

 

Morph.

[Nicholas]

It's a really common citation--it's basically the Bible reference most cited as an explanation of real, true love.