1 Corinthians 13:4e
Ps Paul Cheng
“…inflated with pride that he is arrogant and rude…”
~3 min read
Love is not puffed up (1 Corinthians 13:4e)
To be puffed up means to be arrogant or proud. This pride is closely associated with boasting, but here it has the idea of someone who is so puffed up and inflated with pride that he is arrogant and rude.
The Corinthians were puffed up and proud about their spiritual knowledge and gifts. Some of them arrogantly boasted about their famous teachers, “We belong to Apollos, or Peter, or Paul.” They were so twisted in their pride that they even boasted about their worldliness, idolatry, immorality, and including incest (which was not even practiced by the pagans).
People who are proud can be so blinded by their arrogance that they would not be able to differentiate between truth and error, or godliness and worldliness.
Dear friend, who are we, and what is our life? Our life is like a vapor that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away, isn’t it true? Recently, I received an email from a former church member who was currently living in Canberra, and she was afraid that her house would be affected by the bushfire. Indeed, all it takes is just a bushfire and everything we have will be gone.
Is there anything we have, including our lives, which cannot be taken away from us in a split second? Nothing! What strength do we have, no matter how strong and healthy we are, cannot be turned to frailty and weakness? Nothing! What knowledge and wisdom do we have which cannot be taken away from us with simply the loss of memory? Truly, there is absolutely nothing for us to be proud of!
Why then are we jealous when others are more successful than us?
Let us learn from the life of John the Baptist. Initially, John the Baptist was well-received by the people. But when Jesus began to preach, He soon overshadowed the ministry of John. Yet John spoke of Him as, He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose (John 1:27). Later when John’s disciples were jealous of Jesus’ popularity, he rebuked them, He must increase, but I must decrease. Instead of being proud, John knew his place, and he was humble.
Another example was William Carey, often known as the father of modern missions. He was a brilliant linguist, and he was responsible for translating parts of the Bible into almost thirty-four languages and dialects. He had been raised in a simple home in England, and in his early days, he worked as a cobbler. When he first came to India, he was often ridiculed for his poor background and former occupation. One day, at a dinner celebration, a proud man said to him, “I understand, Mister Carey, that you once worked as a shoemaker.” Carey replied, “Oh no, your lordship. I was not a shoemaker, only a shoe repairman.” He did not even claim to make shoes, but only repair them. That was the kind of man God would use in His ministry, not someone who says, “I have several degrees, masters, bachelors, or PHDs. I am able to speak in many languages. I have written so many books and articles. I have established many churches.” No! William Carey said, “I am a nobody, and yet God chose to use me!”
The believer who has love, will display the characteristic of humility instead of pride. Maybe there was a time when we were proud and arrogant. But today, as believers, we have been transformed by the power of God, and we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We are new creatures (not perfected but new creatures), and we recognise that those sins of arrogance are inconsistent with the life of a believer. So, we pray and ask the Lord to help us, “Remove this pride and arrogance from my life so that I may manifest this agape love that is humble, like my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!”
With love in Christ,
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