Breathingbook

Here’s a little Word Study on 1 Cor 13:4-13 – the most popular set of verses on Love (agape). I’ve devoted a section here on the blog to love and it seemed good to me to redo a bit of the old post. I’ve included the agape definition, along with the original Greek emphasis and additional eligible words, to help unmask the full impact of the verses.

Most of the time, there is no one English word equivalent for one Greek word. This presents a lot of challenges for translators as they wrestle with just what word to pick. A lot of the time, full meanings get lost for the sake of readability and the patience of the general public.

That’s all gone here! (lol) So, I hope you’ll meditate and chew as you go over this, because there’s a lot here that’s usually not revealed for general public.

Btw, the gold text is there to help you follow the original text and please check out more of my postings on Love for more insights. Thank you!

1 Cor 13:4-13

⁴ This love (concern, interest, sacred meal) in God and Christ is patient (waits patiently, can be slow to help or delay to help) and is absolutely kind.

This love (concern, interest, sacred meal) in God and Christ is not jealous (it does not set it’s heart or become deeply concerned or show a great interest in what God and Christ are doing with other people).

It does not covet or make comparisons with what one does not have.

This love in God and Christ does not brag (is not conceited and nor does it influence others to be conceited). This love is not arrogant.

Love in God and Christ absolutely never behaves improperly (towards anybody/in any situation).

It absolutely never seeks, searches, looks, tries, attempts, or strives for it’s own interest or advantages over somebody else’s needs or to others hurt.

It absolutely never wants, asks, asks for, makes demands, requires, expects, considers, deliberates, examines, or investigates for one’s own interest or advantage to someone else’s disadvantage or hurt.

Love in God and Christ absolutely does not become irritable or greatly upset.

Love in God and Christ absolutely does not count, reckon, place to one’s account, account; credit; consider, think, suppose; evaluate, look upon, classify; maintain, claim, think on, or reflect upon any evil, bad, wrong; injury, harm; foul, or troublesome sore at all (the actions of another do not justify wrong actions on our own part [Say it's wrong. Pray for them and leave it at that; walk away. If it's a wrong being continually committed against yourself and you've tried to resolve it, then put a stop to it by removing yourself from it].

⁶ Love in God and Christ absolutely does not rejoice with, before, at the time of, in the evidence of, because of, on the basis of, concerning, or together with evil, wrongdoing, sin or injustice, but it absolutely does rejoice in/with and congratulate truth, truthfulness, right motives and the reality of the truth.

⁷ Love in God and Christ absolutely endures, puts up with and passes over in silence everyone, every kind of situation, and everything continually for the sake of God and Christ.

Love absolutely always believes and has faith, entrusts, has confidence in absolutely everything God and Christ do continually in every kind of situation.

Love absolutely continues to have hope in and expect from God and Christ in every kind of situation, with everyone and everything always.

Love absolutely continues to hold on, stand firm, bear with, put up with and undergo all things, in every type of possible situation, every person and every thing for the sake of God and Christ.

Love remains and will stay behind for the sake of God and Christ in every type of situation and for anyone.

⁸ This love never falls down to its own ruin or destruction in God and Christ and absolutely never can be done away with so that one’s love in God or Christ ever comes to an end.

If it’s speaking the inspired message of God intelligibly or unintelligibly, that shall cease to happen.

If it’s speaking in tongues, languages, or utterances, that will absolutely stop and be done away with.

If it’s knowledge, that knowledge will cease to happen.

⁹ For we partially and imperfectly perceive or know and we partially and imperfectly prophesy or speak God’s inspired message intelligibly,

¹⁰ but when the perfect complete comes, the perfect, full grown mature, the in part will be done away with and cease to happen.

¹¹ When I was or past existed as a child, immature and innocent, I talked, spoke and preached as though a child, immature and innocent.

I had the mind, thoughts and understanding of a child, I cared about and thought highly of the thoughts I had as a child, immature and innocent.

I supposed, evaluated, reflected, looked upon things, reckoned, calculated, and took things into account as a child, immature and innocent.

When I became or was created as a man, I caused that to cease to happen and put a stop to the childish, immaturity and innocent.

¹² For now we see at the present time through a mirror, a dim or obscure image, but then face to face.

Now I know in part, but at that time to come (in the future), then I will know fully to the degree as also I am known now at this present time.

¹³ And so now at this present time remains, waits, and endures faith, (trust and belief), hope, and love. These three. But, the greatest of these is love.

Peace out!

Loris Anne James