Читать книгу Boyd's Commentary - R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation - Страница 73

Verse 1–3 are designed to teach the emptiness of gifts not controlled by love. Verses 4–7 show the characteristics of love. Paul’s ideas of love were especially relevant to the congregational and liturgical problems evident within the life of the believers in Corinth. Paul drew attention to those characteristics of love most important for harmonious relationships because of the Corinthians’ misunderstanding of spiritual matters, which lay primarily in their failure to live as a body.

First, Paul said love suffers long or is patient, a quality he had developed by default in his dealings with the people of Corinth and their slow surrender to the principles of Christ. Having to handle them with a firm tenderness made Paul realize love is also kind and gentle. The love he felt for them was so fulfilling, so satisfying, there was little room for anything else and, therefore, it did not envy. Because of his many humbling encounters throughout his journey, Paul had discovered love is not puffed up, meaning love isn’t fueled by pride but by conviction.

He continued in his commentary on love in verse 5 where he said love does not behave rudely, in reference to social decorum. Though the definitions of rude vary from culture to culture, at the heart of rudeness is a disregard for the social customs others have adopted. When one does not concern themselves with the likes and dislikes of others, they show a disrespect. A perfect example is taken from the Pauline corpus. In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul said stronger believers should not eat meat if it offended their weaker brothers or sisters. This was an issue that was constrained by culture, but it’s lesson still rings true for modern believers. Rudeness is relegated to culture, and for that matter, love takes the time to learn the culture of another so as not to offend. Proper regard indicates love for another. Nevertheless, love does not always require a person to go along with the crowd. When the customs of a culture contradict the higher ideals of the Christian faith, it is not unloving to break these social mores. In fact, it actually may show Christlike love to break with such cultural norms. For instance, every loving Christian bears the responsibility to break the customs that perpetuate racial, gender, and other forms of discrimination.

According to Paul, love does not seek its own, meaning it’s not self-serving and therefore is not easily provoked. Those who love others are slow to anger. Anger is slow to develop in love because love seeks to understand rather than to be understood. Understanding the other gives over to patience because it gives another perspective that may not have been previously considered. Love considers that each person has something to contribute. In doing so, it takes the opinions and feelings of others seriously. To not seek one’s own is to consider others before self, such as is stated in Philippians 2:3. Selfishness is the product of a belief in entitlement or privilege. Acting in love essentially means to think of the other as one thinks of the self. As I am beautiful, smart, worthy, and made in the image of God, so is the other. This produces patience.

Love thinks no evil in that those who are controlled by love don’t keep meticulous records of wrongdoing or offenses against them. Instead they offer forgiveness time and time again. Love does not rejoice in iniquity but contrasts it in truth. The term that is translated as wrongdoing is ἀδικία (adikia) or unrighteousness. Often when this word is used in the New Testament, it is used to contrast with righteousness or another term that emphasizes the waywardness or violation of God’s Word. The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament says this of its usage in verse 6: “The antithesis is conceived in such a way that we see the relation between ἀλήθεια (aletheia, truth) and δικαιοσύνη (diakaiosune, righteousness); for obedience to the truth is ἀγάπη (agape, love), which is the direct opposite of ἀδικία” (Vol. 1, 156). Truth and the embracing of that truth is equated to love. It is the obedience to God’s truth that love lives within. And in this truth love endures all without fail.