My Reflection on 1 Corinthians

“If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn’t love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal.” (1 Corinthians 13:1)

Upon reading 1 Corinthians, I could not escape my thought on one of the most famous and the greatest passage Paul ever penned – Chapter 13 also called as ‘The Love Chapter’. Just like the church in ancient Corinth which facing many difficult issues; our church today especially and even many Christians generally facing the same core problem; the failure to love.

In our culture love is usually defined in romantic or sentimental terms. Love songs in our modern day topped the top 10 of billboard charts. Most music, poets, arts or any other means of media suggest that love is a mere feeling. But according to the Bible, love is indeed a feeling, but it is more than that. It is a commitment to someone. It is not dependent on warm ‘fuzzy’ feeling but on a consistent and sacrificial decision to extend oneself for the well-being of another.

I remember the life of Jesus throughout the Gospels; He perfectly demonstrated God’s unconditional love for us when He made the loving commitment to lay down His life to save us from our sins. Paul writes,

 “How we thank God,
who gives us victory over sin and death
through Jesus Christ our Lord! (15:57)

With this in mind, I’m free to love one another in the Body of Christ because God had demonstrated His unconditional love through His one and only Son on the cross. Thus, I’m able to express my gratitude toward Him through my work in the Church or everywhere else and to resolve any conflicts and problems with love. Paul continued, 

 “So, my dear brothers and sisters,
be strong and steady,
always enthusiastic about the Lord’s work,
for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” (15:58)

In summary, the many problems in our lives (not just in the Church settings) will be resolved as we submit properly to the lordship of Christ and learn to love one another genuinely. And that’s why Paul under the guidance of the Holy Spirit concluded The Love Chapter with this sentence,

 “… and the greatest of these is love.” (13:13)