What does it mean that love always protects (1 Corinthians 13:7)?
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What does it mean that love always protects (1 Corinthians 13:7)? What does 'love always protects' mean in terms of how I show love to others?
Source Article: https://www.gotquestions.org/love-always-protects.html
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- What does it mean that love always protects? We're going to answer that question.
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- You can also discover more on GotQuestions .org. The love chapter, 1
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- Corinthians 13, mentions four specific attributes of love that are always put into action.
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- The first of these is that love always protects, or love bears all things.
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- The Greek word translated protects literally means to cover and includes the idea of preserving.
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- Also of note, the four always statements in verse 7 use the Greek word panta, which corresponds to another four uses of the same word, translated all, in verses 2 -3.
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- First, Paul mentions four spiritual gifts used to their utmost. But then he says, if I employ these gifts without love,
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- I am nothing and no one benefits. Then Paul provides the missing ingredient, love.
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- Verse 7 is the counterpoint to verses 2 -3, connected by the repetition of panta.
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- God's type of love protects, that is, it watches out for others, it withstands difficulty, and if there is a shortcoming or fault in the loved one, love has the ability to cover it.
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- Love is not based on selfish desire or even mutual benefit, rather it seeks the benefit of the other person, aiming to give rather than to receive.
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- In the Old Testament, God's protection of Israel was a sign of his love. Though we are slaves, our
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- God has not deserted us in our bondage. He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our
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- God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection.
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- The Psalms also declare God to be a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, and also promise
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- God's protection of those who love and trust him. We find a wonderful example of love's protective nature in the story of Christ's birth.
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- When Joseph learned of Mary's pregnancy, he was faced with a choice, expose her to public disgrace or divorce her quietly.
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- Joseph, being a righteous man, was planning to keep the matter quiet. In other words, he was covering over what he saw as a fault in Mary, and he protected her from public shame.
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- This is love. One of the marks of love is that it always seeks to protect the loved one.
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- This doesn't mean that we excuse wrongdoing or seek to evade the natural consequences of sin.
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- It means that we strengthen what is weak, shield what is vulnerable, and forgive what is provoking.
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- That answers the question, what does it mean that love always protects? On our website, GotQuestions .org,
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