“All You Need is Love” could be a summary of what Paul (St. Paul not McCartney) centers the Corinthian church around in chapter 13. Unfortunately it is so much more than sex, attraction, feelings or commitment. The love of the Bible is broader than each of these categories. In a church like Corinth that was ripped apart by people seeking spiritual gifts for self-aggrandizement, Paul brings the church back to the purpose of all that we receive from God. We are to use the abilities and the gifts that we have to reach out selflessly to others. Difficult people are an opportunity to become more selfless as we learn to serve. This path of self-sacrifice is the ‘most excellent way.’
1 Corinthians 12: 31 – 13:3
And now I will show you the most excellent way.
1If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If 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. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.
Questions
- Which is the first spiritual gift that Paul contrasts with love?
- Which other gifts are contrasted with love?
- Why is Paul saying that spiritual gifts without love are worthless?
- What is the source of true love?
- How can you love those people who naturally you struggle with?
Going Deeper
Love the Way You Lie is #1 in the Billboard charts. It has Eminem talking of a strong emotion that he calls love which would compel him to tie his girl to the bed and burn down the house if she tried to leave. The lyrics include profanity, but there is a link below if you can read the entire song. You can also hear the song by clicking ‘play’ at the top of the page:
http://www.metrolyrics.com/love-the-way-you-lie-lyrics-eminem.html
How would you describe the love that Rihanna and Eminem are singing about? How does this popular view of love fall short of the ideal. Why do you think there are songs where people love the lies that people ‘in love’ tell each other?
#2 in the charts is Katy Perry who sings:
Let’s go all the way tonight
No regrets, just love
We can dance, until we die
You and I, we’ll be young forever
What is the love that she and her man (in real life she has not made a great choice) are looking to share? Some people say that the kind of love in ‘Teenage Dream’ is not love but infatuation. By this they mean that the rush of good feelings that the person has is not rooted in the other person. The rush of emotion is a positive feeling one gets from being the object of attention of a respected person. This often sustains a relationship for a while. After the rush from positive attention subsides the relationship needs to transition to something more sustainable. What do you think of the idea that many people mistake infatuation for love? What do you think of the idea that many people have a self-serving rush of emotion that they wrongly label love?
http://www.metrolyrics.com/teenage-dream-lyrics-katy-perry.html
Plymothian 