Understanding The Meaning Of Love By Analysing Corinthians 13
To understand what love means you must understand a real genuine feeling of care towards the world that surrounds everyone. Love in today’s world is known as a passionate word that translates into several different meanings depending on how each individual interprets it.
The passage 1 Corinthians 13 expresses love in great detail and translates it thoroughly based on the interpretation of the way the Bible teaches this specific passage. After the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, a new era was established because Jesus sacrificed his life for the sins of the many people before and after his appearance on earth. As for those who interpret the Bible based on what the scripture is trying to explain, those individuals will have to fully understand the teachings of the Bible because of misinterpretation.
The passage of 1 Corinthians 13 represents the point that without love the gifts are worthless. Also, the nature of love, in language designed to point out how little the Corinthians are measuring up. Lastly, the temporary nature of all the gifts, contrasting with love’s permanence. Paul the apostle, who is also known as Saul of Tarsus, is the author of this letter and taught the gospel of Christ to the first-century world. Paul’s explanation of the first epistle to the Corinthians is amazing as it shows historical authenticity (Zondervan, New International Version). Saul of Tarsus was originally a descendent of the Jews, but later converted to Christianity and then changed his name to Paul. He experienced a conversion when Jesus restored his vision and Paul saw a new world around him and after that moment Paul became a witness of Jesus Christ and expressed his feelings and gratitude to Jesus by being one of the apostles to proselytize messages around the world.
The first epistle to the Corinthians was written after Jesus’ death and resurrection (Zondervan, New International Version). Throughout Paul’s travel, he spent his second missionary journey in Corinth where he proselytized and established a church. Paul wrote the first epistle to the Corinthians from Ephesus to talk about the issues that have been brought to his attention. The reason for the letter to the Corinthians was to teach the gospel of Christ to as many individuals as possible, and to address the issues that rise in the Corinthian church. In the first epistle to the Corinthians a scripture of teachings, a passage of knowledge and power. Paul expresses the importance of God’s love. Paul wanted to present to the Corinthians that he does not neglect to establish common ground and connect with his audience before fully understanding the beliefs through the use of imagery. When comparing the sound of speaking without love to “resounding gong”, Paul wanted the people of Corinth to understand that speaking without love is like resounding gongs, which is a musical instrument that makes noise and if you speak with no love then you are basically nothing but a loud gong. He defines the meaning of love by stating, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud”.
Paul delivers and expresses that there is no end to love, as love will continue to grow when loving God. The text describes faith, hope, and love as immortal as these will remain and continue to establish throughout time. For Paul, love is the most important of them all. Paul establishes a connection with the Corinthians by comparing the meaning of speaking without understanding any sort of love to “a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal”. A resounding gong is also known as resounding bronze. Speaking without love, will leave that person with just noise, but Morris states that, “If I were to speak with the combined eloquence of men and angels… trumpets… but unless I had love, I should do nothing more”. Paul states that the best speech of heaven or earth without love, is only a noise. He explains that people can speak in tongues all they want, but if they do not have love they are literally just making a lot of noise. The reference and source of imagery that Paul uses is the most comprehensible for the Corinthians to relate to and understand as a noise because of the fact that Corinth is known for its bronze. The first hearers would have received this message by Paul speaking directly to them and explaining the use of imagery by comparing the bronze and resounding gong.
Also, by the meaning of God’s love, and how infinite love may be established throughout time. Love is defined as an emotion or a feeling, but in the biblical definition of agape, love is not an emotion, it acts, so therefore it is an action. Paul explains love to the Corinthians as spiritual. Agape is the most infinite love an individual may sustain and may be viewed as a feeling of powerlessness. For believers, God’s love can overcome the universal struggle of seeking victory over the feeling of powerlessness to a situation. In many of Paul’s teachings that he expresses, he delivers a message that makes the audience fully understand the reason that love does not live in evil, but rather love illustrates the meaning of the truth. “It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres”.
Faith is having a belief in something you cannot visualize, hope is having belief in something that will eventually occur over time, and God is love. Love is the most important of them all. Throughout his life, Paul wrote letters to the Corinthians in order to help them overcome their moral faults and lack of sustainability. Paul notifies the Corinthians that he is challenging them to understand how God’s love is and how to act upon it. The Corinthian people were allowing immortality to corrupt their lives. The Corinthian people act upon the feeling of powerlessness because they pretend to have a lack of power, strength, and effectiveness to God’s love. In turn, Paul wants to ensure that they will never be forced to speak without love again.
