As I have been going through the verses on love in I Corinthians 13, I have been challenged, blessed, and encouraged. But today, I’m blown away. The first word in this verse, “beareth” means to cover. Immediately my thoughts went to the covering we have by the blood of Jesus. His blood shed for my sins is enough to cover them all! When I stand before God one day, He will not see all the sins of Jane Franks. As long as I continue to believe and place my faith in Him, I have the righteous covering Jesus provides by His sacrificial death.
I Corinthians 13:7 “Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”
Hebrews 3:14 “For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.”
Now, let’s make an application to our daily lives with this attribute of “bearing all things.” This love conceals, covers, and hides the faults of others. We all have faults, but godly love doesn’t exploit them or talk to others about the faults of those they love. So many times, I have been embarrassed for a wife or a husband because the spouse teased them publicly about their faults. Sometimes, faults are made public for revenge so that others will understand why a person’s love is not what it ought to be. Both actions are opposite of what Paul is talking about in this verse. Godly love protects the feelings and covers other’s faults. This love does not bring up past failures but encourages and promotes the good qualities of those they love. To reveal the faults of those we love would also violate previous attributes in this chapter. We are to be longsuffering, patient, kind, not easily angered, and we are not to seek revenge. Revealing the faults of those we love in public reveals our hearts. It is an indication we are not loving the way God commands.
The next phrase is “believes all things.” This does not mean what it sounds like. It is not a universal “I believe everything I’m told no matter what the circumstances.” Sometimes, we need to ask a few questions to determine the truth. However, it does mean that we are prone to believe the best about others. For instance, if we have doubts about what a person tells us, instead of thinking them to be a liar, we need to assume they were given wrong information, or that their understanding is skewed by others. Love will believe until there is great evidence to prove them wrong.
Love is full of hope. Hope always looks to the future. There is no greater hope than the one that Jesus made possible for those who believe and place their trust in Him. Things may be hard on this earth, but we know that our hope of eternal life in Heaven with Jesus is secure. It is a hope that is sure. Love for Christ and the lessons He taught us about love while here on earth allows us to hope with and for others. It allows our love to continue to hope for the best in others. It is a hope that is based on the promises of God. He hears our prayers, He knows our needs, therefore our hope for the future and for others is secure. Our hope is not based on wishes, but on a God that holds our future secure.
Romans 15:13 “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”
Love also “endures all things.” Biblical love, the love we have because we are His child, sustains us through the toughest of times. Persecutions only make our love stronger because we are leaning on the author of love. Have you ever thought about how much God endures because of our petty selfish lives? He doesn’t toss us aside because we sin, or because we are hard-headed and take a long time to “get” some truths. He endures us through our situations and continues to love us and mold us by our circumstances.
In each of these attributes of love, we have the perfect example in Christ. He covers us and continues to work in our hearts to mold us to be like Him. We would do well and be a lot happier in this life if we would love others by bearing, believing, and enduring.
