The characteristics of love, expressed by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13, are outward, not inward. Less emotional, the love Paul describes is a demonstration of a charitable nature, concerned with others.
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
If you are a loving person you are longsuffering. Rather than quick to anger and judgment, you strive for patience and kindness in your interactions with others.
A loving person is not ostentatious, constantly seeking attention. Such is characteristic of selfishness and pride. Rather than asking everyone to “look at me”, you are more than happy to have others in the limelight.
The opposite of kindness is rudeness. Again, if you are a loving person, you will be concerned with how your own demeanor and behavior might impact someone else. Rudeness is upsetting to others. A loving Christian would never be rude to another.
Another characteristic of a loving person is his interest in the welfare of other people. He gets much more joy from the accomplishments and accolades that others receive than any that might come to him. It is seen in his actions as well. Since he is more interested in the welfare of others he spends very little time seeking advantages or privileges for himself.
It goes on. A loving person is hard to provoke. Anger is destructive and antithetical to his character. He sees the best in people, not because he is naïve, but because the best is what he is looking for. He gets no joy out of the evil that men do. He is not one of those who stands by laughing when others get hurt. Rather his joy is found in truth and righteousness. Good brings joy, not evil.
This brings us to verse 7. An easy way to explain these four clauses is to consider the escalation of any random event. A loving person does not react in kind when mistreated. He sees people as good, that they will react and behave as God expects. If someone does disappoint, he is saddened, and never gives up on them (he “hopes all things”). And finally, no matter the mistreatment or disappointment, the loving person endures. Stoicism in the face of mistreatment is a part of such a definition of love. Think of the endurance of Jesus as He suffered for us!
