1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
These descriptions of love are well known, even by unbelievers. They help flesh out what love means. Paul personifies love in 13:4-7 by making it the subject of all the verbs. Love is described with the verbs in an A–B–A pattern. The first A includes two positive statements describing what love is (v. 4a). The B section states what love is not by eight negative assessments each beginning with “not.” The last A climaxes the definition with four positive assessments of love each beginning with “all.” This section ends in 8a with a negative statement with a positive effect: love never ends.
“Patience” and “kindness” are two fruit of the Holy Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23. They reflect what love does in relationships. Love is patient and willing to put up with the wrongs of others. Patience is a key requirement in any group of people, such as the church. People will always rub us the wrong way and cause us personal challenges. Conflict is inevitable whenever you have two people. Love is also kind. Kindness involves giving gentle responses and actions to others so that they are built up and experience peace in their lives. The opposite is being harsh and difficult to work with. A kind person is good to be around.
The four negative verbs describe the behavioral problems at Corinth. “Envy” recalls the jealousy and party strife mentioned in 3:3. Envy is when we wish we had something that someone else has. It is a form of jealousy and can lead to coveting. It is usually driven by selfishness and is a reflection of inner sin.
“Not boast”speaks to the spiritual pride of the Corinthians seen behind Paul’s rhetoric in many places in the letter (4:6, 19, 19; 5:2; 8:1). They boasted in their spiritual gifts and abilities, but these only showed their worldliness because they acted in selfish ways. The word has the image of rhetorical boasting which Paul attacks indirectly in 2:1. Love builds others up and not the self.
“Does not seek things for itself” recalls how some of the Corinthians sought their own good and overlooked the weaker members of the body (10:24, 33). It has has the connotation of acting indecently in a sexual way, part of the problem in chapters 5-7. This is related to the previous two words and is a reflection of selfishness. Love is self-giving not selfishness. Love lifts others up and considers their needs first. The Corinthians were acting like the world because most people do whatever they can to build up their own lives, comforts, and agendas. It is difficult to take a back seat in order for someone else to prosper.
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