“The
Apostles In Plain English Vol. 1: the Apostle Paul”
by Rev. Paul J. Bern
(c) 2017 by Rev. Paul J. Bern and CreateSpace.com
Five
years in the making, this first of a series is a lot more than just a
compilation of Bible studies. This collection of Paul's writings
presents them from a broader perspective that are much more
applicable to modern life than one might expect.
This
study of Paul's writings is done from a whole new 21st
century perspective that is sure to educate while making the process
enjoyable. Over 500 pages of enlightenment! A must-read for
believers, whether they attend church or not! An
inspirational guide for secular folks too!
Watch the video at https://youtu.be/N4RXD3iOnxI
The Love Chapter
[1st
Corinthians chapter 13]
Today
in our continuing study of 1st
Corinthians we will cover chapter 13, which is sometimes called “the
love chapter” by ministers, Bible scholars, and independent pastors
like myself. This 13th
chapter is not only a deeply meaningful and eloquent piece of
scripture, it has literary beauty as well. The words flow like a
gently running stream through a magnificent landscape of cascading
spirituality, defining what true love is and how it is shared between
ourselves and others in compassionate and tender fashion. Let me
begin this lesson at verse one right away. This chapter of 1st
Corinthians is so good it won't wait!
“If
I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am
only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If 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. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to
the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” (1st
Cor. 13, verses 1-3)
When
the apostle Paul wrote these words he was not writing about love in a
physical sense and he was not commenting on being married vs.
remaining single. He was writing about the kind of love that Jesus
said we should all have in abundance as He taught us about the two
greatest commandments. When asked about this during His ministry,
Jesus replied, “These
two commandments are that you must love the Lord your God with all
your heart, mind, soul and strength, and that you must love your
neighbor as yourself. On these two commands rest all the law and the
prophets.”
And so it doesn't matter what we do for God if we have no love for
serving others and do not practice putting them before ourselves as I
try to do with this ministry. All the effort in the world will come
to nothing if we have no love in our hearts. Paul then goes on to
point out the meaning of that statement.
“Love
is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is
not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily
angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil
but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres.” (1st Cor. 13, verses 4-6)
I could say that this
passage is pretty much self-explanatory and move on, but before I do
let me comment on what the inverse of this scripture looks like. When
Paul wrote that love is patient and kind, he was warning us against
being impatient, demanding, unkind and mean. Paul was also telling us
that there will be no bullies in heaven. Bullying is completely
un-Christian, and this kind of behavior must be opposed in the name
of Jesus at every turn. Moreover, when Paul wrote that love is not
envious, boastful or proud he was warning us – and the entire
Church – against being jealous, arrogant, obnoxious and conceited.
When Paul wrote that love is not rude or self-seeking, he was
reminding us to be considerate of others while warning us not to be
belligerent, controlling or manipulative because such behavior never
comes from God.
When Paul wrote that
love is not easily angered and keeps no record of wrongs, he was
reminding us to control our tempers, to never hold grudges
(especially for very long), and to never be abusive towards others
for any reason. When Paul wrote that love rejoices with the truth and
never delights in evil, he was reminding us that standing against
social and economic injustice and the abuse of power is the
responsibility of Christians everywhere, as Rev. Dr. King Jr. (who
was himself a minister of the Gospel) so memorably reminded us of a
generation ago. If love always protects, then it is never negligent
nor does it lack diligence. If love always trusts then it is never
dishonest. If love always perseveres, then love is relentless, never
giving up. Let me now continue our study of this truly beautiful
passage of Scripture.
“Love
never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where
there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it
will pass away;For we know in part and we prophecy in part, but when
perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.” (1st
Cor. 13, verses 8-10)
“Love never fails”.
Even though the world around us is coming apart at the seams, love
will still be standing when it implodes because God, who is eternal,
is the personification of love. Even though marriages fail, love will
drive men or women to seek another relationship to replace it. Even
though our country's unsustainable debt-based economic policies
threaten to crash the capitalist financial system straight into the
ground (and make no mistake, that is exactly what will ultimately
occur), love will still be standing even when your money is no good
anymore (and that day is also coming, so take heed). Even though
nations go to war, love always rebuilds the population when the war
finally ends. And it is love from which we derive compassion and
empathy, two more human virtues that similarly never fail.
Before
I move on, let me comment briefly on verse 10, “For
we know in part and we prophecy in part, but when perfection comes,
the imperfect disappears.”
Knowing and prophesying in part is an acknowledgment of our
one-on-one relationship with Christ Jesus. We know Him through our
daily walk with Him, through being in an ongoing state of prayer, and
we proclaim his Word because we have read it, understood it and are
actively obeying it. We only know Jesus in part because we have never
actually seen Him, but our faith in Him makes up the difference.
Still, until He returns, we only know Him “in part”. “But when
perfection comes, the imperfect disappears”. The word perfection in
this verse symbolizes and is used as a synonym for Christ. So when He
returns, our imperfect relationship with Him will be made perfect
because we will have seen Him and in so doing we will be achieving
Spiritual fulfillment. Now that I have analyzed this I will move on
and finish this up.
“When
I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I
reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways
behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we
shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully,
even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope,
and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1st
Cor. 13, verses 11-13)
Paul
is comparing maturing from a child to an adult to our growth in faith
in Christ as we are first transformed from lost nonbelievers to
born-again Christians and then subsequently becoming ever stronger in
our walk with our Savior. As of now, we can only hope to emulate
Jesus as best as we can, and we freely choose to believe in Him and
to uphold the sacredness of His name even though we have never seen
Him. But one fine day we shall all see Him face to face, and we will
all instantly recognize Him. Now
I know in part; then I shall know fully...;
our journey as Christians does not end until we are with Jesus in
heaven in New Jerusalem, to dwell with Him forever.
Love is the greatest
virtue, it has no equal and thus reigns supreme because its source is
from God, a supreme being. True Christian love is unconditional, with
nothing held back. It is not selfish or egocentric, it is not used
cynically to manipulate or control people, nor is it given in
exchange for anything, but instead it is distributed freely and
always without expecting anything in return. The three greatest
virtues as Paul names them are faith, hope and love – but “the
greatest of these is love”. Jesus said in the gospel of John, “A
new command I give you, that you are to love one another”. If we
just focused all our energy on this one thing, the world would
quickly become a far more enjoyable and much safer place to live. And
that's a worthwhile goal anytime.
Get the digital edition on
Kindle ($7.99) at
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=node%3D154606011&field-keywords=the+apostles+in+plain+english+1%3A+the+apostle+Paul
Get it in audio format on Amazon at
https://www.amazon.com/Apostles-Plain-English-Vol-Appearance/dp/B0746TTGBN/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1503076680&sr=1-1&keywords=the+apostles+in+plain+english+vol.+1%3A+the+apostle+Paul
Watch the video at https://youtu.be/N4RXD3iOnxI
Happy holidays from Rev. Paul J. Bern
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