We have been considering loving others the way God loves us. This kind of love, in the Greek, is called “agape.”
Paul outlines agape love in his letter to the church at Corinth. In I Corinthians 13, Paul, in detail, describes agape love.
In my last column, we considered that agape love is patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, and is not arrogant. Let’s continue to evaluate his description.
Love is also not puffed up. Violet Beauregarde, a character from Roald Dahl’s “Charlie & the Chocolate Factory,” serves as a cautionary tale of what happens when we are “puffed up.” In the book, a gum is invented by Willy Wonka that has an entire three-course meal packed into it, including blueberry pie à la mode.
Despite Wonka’s warning that the gum is not ready for consumption, Beauregarde rudely ignores him and starts chewing it, boasting that she holds the world record for gum chewing. Unfortunately, the blueberry pie stage is defective, and Beauregarde becomes puffed up like a blueberry. Her arrogance pushes everyone away, rendering her useless, a consequence of not practicing agape love.
Like Violet in Dahl’s novel, we become worthless to everyone when we think we know best and refuse to listen to wisdom.
Love also is not rude. To be rude is to act offensively. The church in Corinth had a problem with rudeness. Their worship services were disorderly, and their communion meals were self-seeking. Rudeness is characterized by a lack of consideration for others and a focus solely on one’s desires and needs. Agape love is far from rude. Agape love is inclusive and seeks to serve everyone.
Love also does not insist on its own way. Agape love, when practiced, prioritizes meeting the needs of others instead of satisfying one’s desires.
This powerful shift in focus would have solved many of the problems in the Corinthian church. Moreover, it can potentially resolve many of the issues we face in our churches today. By prioritizing the needs of others and striving to meet those needs, we can experience the transformative power of agape love in our lives and communities.
Love is not irritable either. Serving others should be the goal of every Christian. By serving others, we eliminate a reason to get angry if others obstruct our path. In the perspective of agape love, these obstructions are opportunities for more excellent kingdom work.
Consider how many professing believers have become irritated at other believers and, in so doing, burn bridges beyond repair. On the other hand, think of the countless times God has brought people across our paths, not to obstruct the direction we were going in, but to enhance it and make the overall journey more enjoyable and purposeful. This is the power of agape love in action.
As we concluded last time, if the church is going to grow, thrive and be healthy, if the church is going to be about the work of Christ, and if we are going to be the hands and feet of Christ, we must choose to demonstrate agape. The more we understand the descriptions of agape love, the more we can show Jesus to others.
Next time, we’ll continue to explore Paul’s description of agape love.
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