I am on vacation for the rest of the month and therefore away from blogging. In effort to continue to provide some content I have asked the other elders at Emmaus Bible Church if I could post the notes from our weekly confession of sin on Sunday morning. It is always a rich time together as we prepare our hearts for worship by considering what God requires and what Christ has done. In these posts I will post the material from 1 Cor 13 reminds us of what the Bible says about love. It is teaching us about where we need to repent even as it teaches us how we must treasure Christ. Each day will unpack a section of the passage. May these serve you just as they served us at Emmaus!
“…love believes all things…” 1 Cor 13:7b
Today we consider the second of four clauses in 1 Corinthians 13 verse 7: “…love believes all things…” These clauses describe Christian love, and as such they instruct us. He we see that the nature of Christian love is that it “believes all things”.
This word belief comes from the Greek word “pistis” which is usually translated simply as “faith”. There is some question whether this phrase refers to the Christian’s maintenance of their beliefs about God and Christ and the gospel. If that was the case, a more literal translation of “has all faith” would be more appropriate. However, in context we notice that Paul is explaining to the Corinthians what their regard for one another should look like. Paul is describing an attitude toward others that is manifested in action. As such, the expression “believes all things” is best understood as that attitude which assumes the best in others.
To “believe all things” means that we give others the benefit of the doubt. It means that we expect the best. It means that we are able to overlook the offences and failure of others. It means we believe that over time we can commit ourselves to one another. “Believing all things” means that we are willing to trust one another.
Perhaps you are struggling to “believe all things” about others in our church. Perhaps you are quick to expect others to fail. Perhaps you don’t believe that others will respond to things like they should. You doubt that they are capable of doing what they promise. You believe they will fail. You believe they will fail you. Failure to “believe all things” is marked by suspicion; we suspect that others are being deceitful, hiding their true intentions and motives. You believe that despite someone’s own words, that they are up to no good. It is marked by stewing inwardly, dissecting the actions and remarks of others, interpreting their every act. We anticipate being offended and prepare our rebuttals. We anticipate being let down and prepare our scathing critique. We accuse the motives of others, assuming that their ultimate purposes are selfish.
Failure to love in this way is also a most hyper-critical thing. So many times I have been so quick to note someone else’s sin, usually privately, to myself, and considered them a lost cause. I have considered entire persons on the basis of only their most recent actions. I have used words “always” to my expectations for others sin, and “never” meeting my expectations. In this way I have reduced others to a mere caricature of their true selves.
This sin has many consequences, but most notably it costs us friendship. When we sin in this way we ultimately close ourselves to relationships with others. To protect ourselves from being hurt, we doubt others, and this prevents us from opening our hearts to them and forming the Christian bond of fellowship.
Failing to “Believe all things” is ultimately an offense against God. To doubt is people is to doubt the sanctifying power of God. God has promised to complete what he started at salvation. When we doubt His people we are doubting Him; we doubt the power and plan of God to conform each of us into the image of Christ. We question His work. We think of Him as one who begins and then forgets.
Brothers and sisters: let us repent of this terrible sin. Let have faith others to come through for us when we need them. Let us trust one another’s motives. Let us trust that others have our best purposes in mind. Let us trust that other are looking out for us. Let us believe that God is at work is the lives of other. Let us open ourselves to others, not fearing being hurt or let down, but being willing to endure momentary offences and failures in light of what God is doing in each of our lives.
Let us pray and ask God’s forgiveness for failing to “believe all things”.
