After hearing this title, many will head to the song by Haddaway and you may even remember the scene in A Night at the Roxbury that made the song famous. However, I’m not hear to talk about that song, although it is very catchy. I want to remind everyone the thing that sets apart Christianity from the rest of the world. And that is love.
Jesus says in John 13:35 , “by this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Seems pretty simple, right? The world should know you are a Christian by the love we share with one another. Why is there so much bickering then? Why is love seldomly found within the church? Well, we’re all human. That means we’re not perfect. It’s something we have to work on though.
So, what it is? What is love? What does it mean to love your brother or love your neighbor or maybe your enemies? (Matthew 5:43-44) It’s hard, but it can be done.
When most Christians are asked what they think love is, many of them will reference 1 Corinthians 13, which has been deemed “the LOVE chapter.” Here, Paul simply defines what love is. The whole chapter is only thirteen verses and they read,
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
Back in Paul’s day and time, this word love, or agape, is the highest form of love in the Greek culture. It’s the one that takes the most effort to express. He tells the church at Corinth that showing love is things like being kind to others and not behaving rudely. So, when we’re nice to people and treat them with respect and are patient with them, this is how we can show our love for them. We ought to treat them as how we would want to be treated (cf. Luke 6:31).
Love is also a very mature emotion to express. Paul explains that he’s no longer a child so he doesn’t do childish things anymore. This is why he loves more. The more we mature as an adult, and as a Christian, the easier it will be to express that maturity through loving more.
I also want to focus a little more on a particular phrase Paul uses in this section. He writes that love “does not seek its own.” This is extremely hard for a lot of people. Especially when they haven’t matured. To the immature, it’s all about themselves, but a mature person knows that it’s not all about them. Love seeks others interests and needs before their own. It puts others first. It’s sacrificing yourself for others.
And that’s the key word in all of this. Sacrifice. Love is sacrificial. Our Lord said too, in John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” Isn’t this the love that Jesus showed the world? Agape is the greatest form of love and the greatest expression of agape is the ultimate sacrifice of your own life for another. This is what it means to love.
So, how much are you sacrificing? If you’ve failed today, don’t worry. Tomorrow is a new day. Let’s start realizing the importance of loving our neighbors, and yes, even our enemies, just a little bit more. Most importantly, we need to be showing more love for our brethren. The family of God. Remember, that’s what’s going to prove we are disciples of Christ to the world.