Sixteen Ways Love Speaks

 The Shape of Christian Love

When Love Looks Like Jesus

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 

Paul’s description of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4–7 is one of the most profound and practical passages in all of Scripture. Using J.B. Phillips’ vivid paraphrase, we hear that “This love of which I speak is slow to lose patience—it looks for a way of being constructive.” Love is not merely a feeling but a set of deliberate actions—a lifestyle of grace. Paul describes love with sixteen characteristics that show its true nature. Love is patient and kind. It doesn’t envy, boast, or act with pride. It honors others, puts others first, and stays calm. Love forgives, delights in truth, and rejects evil. It always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. Above all, love never fails. These qualities, when lived out, form the very heart of Christian character.

This kind of love is not natural—it is supernatural. As William Barclay reminds us, “Christian love is not an emotional experience but a deliberate choice of the will.” We are called to love even when it is hard, even when the other person is difficult, even when we are not loved in return. Alexander Maclaren adds that love “has the power to lift the lowest and to soften the hardest.” In a world full of self-promotion and short tempers, this kind of love is radically different. It reflects the character of Jesus Christ, who loved patiently, humbly, and sacrificially. He never kept score, never gave up, and never failed to love—even from the Cross.

When we read this passage and place our own name where “love” appears, we quickly see our shortcomings. But this is not meant to condemn us—it is meant to invite us into transformation. Jesus is the perfect embodiment of this love, and through His Spirit, we are being shaped to love like Him. Let this passage not just be read at weddings but written on our hearts. Love, Paul says, is the “most excellent way”—the one thing that still stands when all else falls. May we grow in this love, day by day.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus,

Shape our hearts to love as You love—patiently, kindly, and without pride. Fill us with Your Spirit so we may live out this most excellent way. Let our lives reflect Your grace and bring healing to the world around us.

Amen.