"The Greatest of These is..."

prism · Jul 13, 2019

Often, it is assumed that love is the greatest of all but the text says (1Cor 13:13) 'the greatest of these'. What are the 'these' in context of 1Cor 13? They are faith and hope.

In this PC/ecumenically charged environment, what gets trampled on and sacrificed on Rodney King's Altar of 'Can't we all just get along?' is "Truth", for without truth those 'truths' in 1Cor 13 would be served on a platter of lies totally unrecognizable from their current form.

IOW the 'truth' about love would be non existent without truthful words expressing love.

prism · Jul 16, 2019

How about..."Love is truth in action and truth is love verbally expressed"?
If no responses, I'll take it ya'll agree.

marks · Jul 16, 2019

prism said:
Often, it is assumed that love is the greatest of all but the text says (1Cor 13:13) 'the greatest of these'. What are the 'these' in context of 1Cor 13? They are faith and hope.

In this PC/ecumenically charged environment, what gets trampled on and sacrificed on Rodney King's Altar of 'Can't we all just get along?' is "Truth", for without truth those 'truths' in 1Cor 13 would be served on a platter of lies totally unrecognizable from their current form.

IOW the 'truth' about love would be non existent without truthful words expressing love.

Hi Prism,

Prism, before I go any further, I want to say to you that I have gained from reading your posts, and the style in which you write, and so, thank you!

Now . . .

1 Corinthians 12
27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

Apostles, prophets, teachers, interpreters of tongues, all carriers of truth, by the gifting of the Holy Spirit.

And God has a more excellent way, to love.

We know knowledge puffs up - the possession of truth, but love builds up.

In chapter 13 Paul defines love for us, showing it's supremecy over everything else, and then says, And now remain faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love.

Is love the greatest of all?

Now remain faith, hope and love. Out of these, the greatest is indeed love.

Ephesians 4
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

We need to love each other, and then we need to speak truth to each other as an expression of that love.

prism said:
IOW the 'truth' about love would be non existent without truthful words expressing love.

Can we in truth express our love for each other? Do we in truth love each other?

Much love!

Ezra · Jul 16, 2019

1 peter 4: 7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear-minded and sober, so that you can pray. 8 Above all,love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without complaining.…

some time back i was listening to as testimony of a former pro wrestler. he had lost his career due to failure of a drug test . he talked about his oldest son sitting in jail with out God. a well known minister Josh Mcdowell asked him how many more times are you going to preach to him. the remark was made he probably knows of his sin. his advice was just Love him !!!! how often do we fail to love to unlovable ? do we recall when we was unloveable.. i do but still fail to love,,, my last comment on love . i listened to a news cast of a amish family lost there son in a buggy accident. a 16 year old boy hit the buggy killed the son... the father met the 16 year old and told him .he was forgiven and he wished him no harm. love covers a multitude of sins.. a lesson we all need..

aspen · Jul 16, 2019

Faith without love is nothing

prism · Jul 16, 2019

marks said:
We need to love each other, and then we need to speak truth to each other as an expression of that love.

So you are saying 'love' needs to come first?
How about what I said previous to your post above?...

prism said:
"Love is truth in action and truth is love verbally expressed".

...in which case they wouldn't be separated by time.

marks · Jul 17, 2019

prism said:
So you are saying 'love' needs to come first?
How about what I said previous to your post above?...

...in which case they wouldn't be separated by time.

I would say that love is nothing if it's not love in action, and that love comes first, otherwise you have truth without love.

Much love!

prism · Jul 17, 2019

marks said:
I would say that love is nothing if it's not love in action, and that love comes first, otherwise you have truth without love.

Much love!

Is truth without love actual 'truth'?
Equally you can have love without truth, but would that be 'true' love?

marks · Jul 17, 2019

prism said:
Is truth without love actual 'truth'?
Equally you can have love without truth, but would that be 'true' love?

Someone tells me, I serve myself - not some "God". And I can reply, "If that's what you think, and you die right now, you'll find yourself in hell".

That can be true, but if I say it just to put them in their place, then that's not in love, and most likely not going to accomplish anything. Unless of course God is planning to use my bad behavior for good. But that doesn't make my actions love.

Just the same, I can see a man who I think is not saved, by his words and ways, but I love him, and want him to know God. I may not know the truth about him, and may not be able to respond with knowledge, but I can share what I'm able, and in love, serve others.

that's more how I think of things . . .

Ezra · Jul 17, 2019

Romans 5:5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. the key to our Love is through the Holy Spirit .with out the spirit we have a hard time with Love

prism · Jul 17, 2019

Ezra said:
Romans 5:5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. the key to our Love is through the Holy Spirit .with out the spirit we have a hard time with Love

I like this one as it combines both truth and love for others...

1 Peter 1:22 (KJV) Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

Interestingly though in this case, 'obedience to truth' appears to be the foundation.

Ezra · Jul 18, 2019

prism said:
in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

interesting 4 facts i like that plain and simple

Ernest T. Bass · Jul 20, 2019

marks said:
In chapter 13 Paul defines love for us, showing it's supremecy over everything else, and then says, And now remain faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love.

Is love the greatest of all?

Yes, for a day is coming when faith will give way to sight, hope will give way to reality....but love continues on and on and on......

Taken · Jul 21, 2019

prism said:
How about..."Love is truth in action and truth is love verbally expressed"?
If no responses, I'll take it ya'll agree.

Love is Doing what is Right,
Regardless of the Consequences.

Glory to God,
Taken

Taken · Jul 21, 2019

prism said:
How about..."Love is truth in action and truth is love verbally expressed"?
If no responses, I'll take it ya'll agree.

Hi prism ~

Love is Doing what is Right regardless of the Consequences.

Right is the absolute of Doing what is good.

Good is the absolute of what is acceptable to God.

Hope is the absolute of Trust-ING.

Trust is the absolute belief in Reliability.

Faith is a Gift from God, given a man in increments/measure according to the journey/path/effort of a man, to learn, know, be diligent to discover thee Lord God and His Way to establish a forever relationship WITH Him.

Charity is an Increase of Blessing from God, for the man to, inturn give to others, "IN THE NAME of the Lord God."

All of these things, are established IN thee Lord God, exampled forward for mankind to hear, learn, observe, and receive the power of God for the man to BECOME "MADE" in the likeness Of thee Spirit Lord God....and thus ACCEPTABLE to thee Lord God.

Glory to God,
Taken

prism · Jul 21, 2019

Taken said:
Love is Doing what is Right,
Regardless of the Consequences.

Glory to God,
Taken

Taken said:
Hi prism ~

Love is Doing what is Right regardless of the Consequences.

Right is the absolute of Doing what is good.

Good is the absolute of what is acceptable to God.

Hope is the absolute of Trust-ING.

Trust is the absolute belief in Reliability.

Faith is a Gift from God, given a man in increments/measure according to the journey/path/effort of a man, to learn, know, be diligent to discover thee Lord God and His Way to establish a forever relationship WITH Him.

Charity is an Increase of Blessing from God, for the man to, inturn give to others, "IN THE NAME of the Lord God."

All of these things, are established IN thee Lord God, exampled forward for mankind to hear, learn, observe, and receive the power of God for the man to BECOME "MADE" in the likeness Of thee Spirit Lord God....and thus ACCEPTABLE to thee Lord God.

Glory to God,
Taken

Yes, but I was hoping for explanations of love in relationship to truth.

Taken · Jul 21, 2019

prism said:
Yes, but I was hoping for explanations of love in relationship to truth.

Oh ok. Will try to address that later....have some outside things to do n black clouds rolling in.

Glory to God,
Taken

Taken · Jul 22, 2019

Prism said..."I was hoping for an explanation of love in relationship to truth".

Hi Prism ~

Briefly;
First sort out what is LOVE and what is TRUTH, regarding a natural man.

From what is LOVE and what is TRUTH, regarding thee Lord God.

IMO ~
LOVE regarding a man...is an EMOTION.

TRUTH regarding a man...is absolute KNOWLEDGE "that is IN his "natural spirit", in his "heart".

TRUTH regarding a man...."CAN /MAY" also be KKNOWLEDGE "that is IN his "natural Mind".

A mans thoughts....in his mind, in his heart, ARE the mans "natural truths".

A mans Dilemma to OVERCOME...IS;

1) like a "CONFLICt" "within himself" meaning...his heart will KNOW his truth, BUT...his MIND can/will/does offten CONCOCT
Lies and Deceit....and speak those lies, Act on those lies....EVEN WHEN, his heart KNOWS the truth.

2) Learnin and Knowing Gods TRUTH, trusting it, relying on it, Acting on it....IN his Heart "AND" his Mind.

These things CAN NOT BE ACCOMPLISHED "IN a MAN"... solely BY THE MANS own power.
(Ie strength, fortitude, desires, will, etc.).

Thee Lord God, on the other hand, IS ALWAYS in harmony, with His Mind and Heart's Thoughts. His TRUTH is absolute, never wavering, and ALWAYS constant between His Heart and Mind.

God "Creates" Us....Christ "MAKES" us.
For Christ to "MAKE" us...
He Offers something to us...
When We ACCEPT His Offer...
His "MAKING" us can commence.

He has OFFERED, to "MAKE" us Forgiven, Free from Sin, Our Bodies dead with Him, Washed with His Blood, Sanctified, Justified, our Sins Covered with His Light, Our Souls Restored,Kept with Him, ....
AND...
Given us His POWER, to CUT off OUR OLD heart, (circumcised), Give us A NEW Heart...
Give us His SEED in our NEW HEART...
And FROM THAT SEED...GROWS bit by bit...HIS TRUTH, which BECOMES "our" NEW SPIRIT...our Born Again Spirit...

OF a Perfect Seed (which by the way that Seed "IS" Christ)...
In a Perfect Vessel (new heart)
Growing the Perfect TRUTH "according to God".

And OUR JOB?
Listen to that perfect TRUTH....and Supersede
Our natural minds thoughts, with the Perfect Truth in our new spirit in our new hearts.

IOW, OUR JOB is to SUBDUE /OVERCOME our Natural mind, and "MAKE" it subjected to our new spirits thoughts.

And IFY...^^ that is ongoing during a mans natural life time....And called, "Having a Mind Like Christ".

We KNOW how humans have relationships with other humans....
Gushy love, emotions, sometimes from the heart, sometimes only from the mind based on superficial worldly things....
It can easily be wishy washy...crazy love today, vindictative hate tomorrow...
It is a relationship....that two "HUMANS" are trying to "MAKE", based on their own individual efforts, trying to be "JOINED" in one "Harmonious" agreement.

A mans Relationship...with the Lord, first requires the individual mans Agreement...
TO Believe IN and Trust IN the Lord....
THAT "He" is in harmony with His OWN thoughts, words, will, etc.

AND that the individual man, Trusts to Believe thee Lord can "MAKE" the man Forever in harmony with the mans thoughts, (spirit and mind) WILL ALSO be IN Harmony with the Lords absolute TRUTH.

God IS Love, and HAS Love for all of His creations...It is His Desire that all of His creations Love Him, and Desire to Forever BE WITH HIM...and He Provides a WAY for every man to have the opportunity to BE "MADE", in the Lords LIKENESS...
Glorified body, Restored soul, Quickened spirit.....

God Does NOT FORCE a man to CHOOSE HIM...God Provide the Way and Means.

Thee Lord God IS Gods Absolute TRUTH, and THROUGH "Gods TRUTH", is HOW a man Becomes ACCEPTABLE to BECOME, "MADE" ACCPTABLE to Forever BE WITH God Forever.

The Relationship of Love in regard to TRUTH...depends on if you are Speaking ...
"Naturally" according to a natural man, as explained above.
OR
The Relationship of Gods Absolute LOVE in regard to Gods absolute TRUTH that HE "IS", LOVE, and "IS" TRUTH,
and Offers forward to mankind, and individual men WILLING, by their own freewill, to Accept Gods Offering, To be "MADE" in Gods Likeness.
Constant (without wavering) Love, Truth, Trust, Belief, Faith-FULLNESS, becomes "MADE" (ie accomplished) IN a (willing man),
EXPRESSLY, by the man (inviting, allowing, soliciting, requesting)...thee Lord God, BY, His Absolute "POWER" (Spirit), TO "MAKE" the man Acceptable TO God.

Glory to God,
Taken

Philip James · Jul 22, 2019

prism said:
Interestingly though in this case, 'obedience to truth' appears

We love, because HE first loved us...

Peace!

prism · Jul 22, 2019

Philip James said:
We love, because HE first loved us...

Peace!

"I'm sure glad for that 'truth'".

"The Greatest of These is..."

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