THE BOOKS OF I & II CORINTHIANS
Corinthians |kəˈrinTHēənz| (in full St Paul's Epistle to the Corinthians) either of two books of the New Testament, epistles of St. Paul to the Church at Corinth.
The books of 1 & 2 Corinthians were letters written to the church of Corinth by the Apostle Paul with the purpose to unify the church in love, spiritual gifts, holiness, and generosity. These books are packed with wisdom and encouragement for life—but one main theme is laced throughout the text: God is love.
These books are best known for the “love chapter” found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT saying, “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
When Paul writes this description of love, he is not only describing the characteristics of God—he is describing how we are to love one another.
In the verses leading up to those written above Paul says, “If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.” (1 Corinthians 8:6, NLT)
Love is the motivation for our lives as believers. But love goes far beyond heavenly tongues, supernatural knowledge, and giving everything to the poor. The love chapter states just how we are to love God and love the people He created by being patient and kind, hopeful, and forgiving offenses quickly.
When God sent Paul to establish the church in Corinth it was a community that desperately needed to understand what genuine love and truth were. Paul spent over a year and a half in Corinth and saw the church grow, with more believers being added every single day. He wrote 1 & 2 Corinthians to encourage them in their faith and to remain steadfast in the truth of the gospel.
As believers, we can learn a lot about how love meets truth from the books of 1 & 2 Corinthians. Paul was a man who saw incredible miracles and was also imprisoned for his faith. He knew how to overcome any situation he experienced and I believe it’s because he knew what love was.
I encourage you today, to live in truth and love. Look at 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 and see how many verses you can replace the word “love” for your own name. Paul was willing to “gladly spend all that I have and all that I am for you,” (2 Corinthians 2:15). When we are completely sold on the truth of the gospel, the only outcome will be to love the way God loves us.
Live in love today!
XO-
Sabrina