1 Corinthians 13:7a
Ps Paul Cheng
“…willing to patiently endure in order to protect those whom we love…”
~3 min read
1 Corinthians 13:7a, Charity beareth all things.
The phrase all things does not mean love just simply accepts anything, or believes anything. Most certainly we do not believe those things that the false prophets are teaching, or believe what all the other pagan religions believe in. Here it means all things acceptable in God’s righteousness and will, and in accordance to His Word.
The word beareth (stego) means deck or roof. What does a roof do? It provides a covering and protects us against the rain and elements (e.g. weather). It can also mean to endure. Thus, the context of “charity beareth all things” means we are willing to patiently endure in order to protect those whom we love.
The best way to understand this aspect of love is perhaps when we think about our physical affection. We have a natural tendency to protect those people in our family whom we love most like our parents and children. We want to protect them against criticism which will discourage them. We want to protect them against vicious physical and verbal attacks which will disparage them. We want to protect them against evil and sin which will destroy them. We are willing to endure patiently so that our loved ones will be well taken care of.
Now when we take this natural physical affection into the spiritual realm, what about our spiritual family, the church? What about our spiritual brothers and sisters in Christ? What are the things we are willing to patiently endure so that they can be spiritually protected, and spiritually well taken care of?
In the church, we serve the Lord by serving others, because we know that our spiritual services are beneficial for the body of Christ, the church. But how much are we willing to endure or bear? Sadly, many have given up along the way. Some people do not mind serving as long as it is convenient, but when the burden gets too heavy, they will call it quits.
Let us take a moment and think of our physical family. As parents, we will never say to our children, “Well, that is too much for me to bear. I will not do this for you anymore.” Most certainly not! However, we do this all the time to our spiritual family, the church. We give up when things get difficult, or they take too much of our time and effort, or they bring us trouble and unhappiness. That is not alright!
Consider the Apostle Paul and the Corinthians. What kind of a church was that? The Corinthians were deeply involved in sin and immorality. They were divided, disorderly and chaotic even in their worship. They fought with one another, sued one another, and had sexual sins with one another (there was even a case of a mother and son committing the sin of incest). They were proud of their spiritual gifts, and their hearts were filled with jealousy. They abused their marriages, and false teachers had crept into the church. They attacked the integrity of Paul, and even questioned the resurrection of Christ.
In fact, the condition in Corinth was so bad that Apollos would not stay or return to Corinth though the Apostle Paul urged him. That was how problematic the Corinthian church was! Yet, Paul did not give up, and he was willing to endure with them, and continued to provide them protection (through faithfully preaching and teaching the Word) to enhance them spiritually. Why did he do that? Because that was the church God had called him to minister to, and he truly loved the believers. Indeed, love beareth all things!
Dear friend, is Bethel your church? Do you love the church? If you love the church because it is your spiritual family, and it is the place where God has called you to worship and serve Him then in spite of whatever adverse situations or circumstances, you will do all you can, to protect, endure and persevere because love beareth all things.
Shalom,
Pastor Paul Cheng
1 CORINTHIANS 13The Qualities Of Love (Part 1) — Love Suffereth LongThe Qualities Of Love (Part 1) — Love Suffereth Long1 Corinthians 13:4a
Introduction To The Qualities Of LoveIntroduction To The Qualities Of Love1 Corinthians 13
What Has Love Got To Do With Spiritual Gifts?What Has Love Got To Do With Spiritual Gifts?1 Corinthians 13:1-3
The Qualities Of Love (Part 2) — Love Is KindThe Qualities Of Love (Part 2) — Love Is KindCorinthians 13:4b
The Qualities Of Love (Part 5) — Love Is Not Puffed UpThe Qualities Of Love (Part 5) — Love Is Not Puffed Up1 Corinthians 13:4e
The Qualities Of Love (Part 4) — Love Vaunteth Not ItselfThe Qualities Of Love (Part 4) — Love Vaunteth Not Itself1 Corinthians 13:4d
The Qualities Of Love (Part 3) — Love Envieth NotThe Qualities Of Love (Part 3) — Love Envieth NotCorinthians 13:4c
The Qualities Of Love (Part 9) — Love Thinketh No EvilThe Qualities Of Love (Part 9) — Love Thinketh No Evil1 Corinthians 13:5d
The Qualities Of Love (Part 7) — Love Is Not SelfishThe Qualities Of Love (Part 7) — Love Is Not Selfish1 Corinthians 13:5b
The Qualities Of Love (Part 8) — Love Is Not Easily ProvokedThe Qualities Of Love (Part 8) — Love Is Not Easily Provoked1 Corinthians 13:5c
The Qualities Of Love (Part 6) — Love Does Not MisbehaveThe Qualities Of Love (Part 6) — Love Does Not Misbehave1 Corinthians 13:5a
The Qualities Of Love (Part 10) — Love Rejoiceth Not In IniquityThe Qualities Of Love (Part 10) — Love Rejoiceth Not In Iniquity1 Corinthians 13:6a
The Qualities Of Love (Part 11) — Love Rejoiceth In The TruthThe Qualities Of Love (Part 11) — Love Rejoiceth In The Truth1 Corinthians 13:6b
The Qualities Of Love (Part 15) — Love Endureth All ThingsThe Qualities Of Love (Part 15) — Love Endureth All Things1 Corinthians 13:7d
The Qualities Of Love (Part 14) — Love Hopeth All ThingsThe Qualities Of Love (Part 14) — Love Hopeth All Things1 Corinthians 13:7c
The Qualities Of Love (Part 12) — Love Bears All ThingsThe Qualities Of Love (Part 12) — Love Bears All Things1 Corinthians 13:7a
The Qualities Of Love (Part 13) — Love Believeth All ThingsThe Qualities Of Love (Part 13) — Love Believeth All Things1 Corinthians 13:7b
The Permanence Of LoveThe Permanence Of Love1 Corinthians 13:8-13