The Portrait of Christian Love

I am currently preaching on 1 Corinthians in the evening services at Sheffield Presbyterian Church. We have now reached Chapter 13, the famous love chapter and we intend to linger on this important passage. Perhaps I will preach 2-3 sermons on this chapter, we will see! Why is it so important for us? This chapter is a magnificent description of the love that is expected to be manifest among Christians in the church. Does this chapter describe you and your love for fellow Christians?

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

There are 16 qualities of true Christian love described in this passage.

I. Christian love has 2 primary qualities which are patience and kindness.
II. Love is not or does not = 8 things, for example love does not envy or boast
III. The all things love = 5 things beginning with love rejoices with the truth
IV. Conclusion: Love never fails or ends

These characteristics are found in a similar way with the ninefold fruit of the Spirit in Galatians chapter Five, but the two descriptions are not identical. Here it has do with practical Christianity and in the relationships with one another in the church.

Each of these are perfectly found in the life of Christ and they are produced in the church by the work of the Holy Spirit.

One book I recommend to unfold this subject further is "Christian Love" by Hugh Binning in the Banner of Truth Puritan Paperback series.

One question we should ask according to 1 Timothy 1;5 is this: Is our goal in teaching that of love? If not then we are missing the goal.

1 Timothy 1:5 “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (ESV). The New American Standard Bible translates this as "But the goal of our instruction is love".