1 Corinthians 13.1
“Love is patient and kind …”
This powerful description of love in this chapter is not about romance. While the characteristics of love most certainly can and should be applied to marriage, that is not the primary focus. What Paul presents here is much more profound, and significantly more radical.
In addition to being patient, agape love motivates us to extend kindness to people. Even (especially) to people who don’t deserve it. Kindness in scripture is part of what Jesus said: “love your neighbor as yourself.”
True kindness is loving others as yourself and forgiving their trespasses against you as God forgives you. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
Kindness is chrestotes, which carries the idea of helpfulness. It is the willingness to serve the needs of others. Whereas patience suggests self-restraint under the pressure of provocation, especially undeserved provocation, kindness implies a more active expression of love towards others.
“A man who is kind does himself good, but the man who is cruel does himself harm.” (Proverbs 11.17)
This verse contrasts the person motivated by love versus the person motivated by cruelty. The word translated “kind” is the Hebrew hesed, and it is very close in meaning to the NT Greek word agape. As we have mentioned many times, agape and hesed both mean selfless, sacrificial love. When you operate in agape and hesed, your will be kind.
It is with great sadness that we observe so many today operating with arrogance and a mean-spirit toward others. The discourse around political and social issues is especially unkind. Indeed, “unkind” doesn’t even begin to describe how toxic the dialogue is.
The person who lives and works directed by hesed is someone who serves and brings value to others. He is a giver, not a taker. It’s interesting, though, that when you give to others, they in turn are motivated to give back to you. It is the law of reciprocity. People are motivated to help and do good things for good people. When your kindness benefits others, in the long run your kindness will also benefit you.
The cruel person ends up hurting himself because no one wants to help him. He is a taker, and people don’t like to help takers.
Trust God, love others, and be kind.
