First Corinthians Thirteen Part Two

Read: First Corinthian Thirteen Part One

To explore the question "What happens if you do all first three verses but have love?" that I stated in the previous post, I want to look at each attribute extensively, if not thoroughly. The attributes of love written in the passage are in NIV 1984 in verses 4-8:

1. Patient
2. Kind
3. Does not Envy
4. Does not Boast
5. Not Proud
6. Not Rude
7. Not Self-seeking
8. Not easily Angered
9. Keeps NO record of Wrongs 
10. Does not delight in Evil
11. Rejoices with the Truth
12. Always Protects
13. Always Trusts
14. Always Hopes
15. Always Perseveres
16. Never Fails

Paul listed 16 attributes of love. It may not be the complete list but it is sufficient to see the true picture of love. So why did Paul list all these attributes above as if love does something or take actions? Paul could have said "love is beautiful" or "love is a like fragile glass" as if he were to describe love as an object. But rather, he implied that love is a verb, not a noun. With this implication, I should say "actions of love" instead of "attributes of love".

So what do they mean for us? Why did Paul write to Corinthians (and us) about love is about taking actions, why are they so important that in first three verses that contain the phrase "but have not love" and say that love is greatest, not faith and hope in verse 13?

As an Applied Mathematics major in my college days, I learned that substitution is a powerful method in solving complex integral equations. To apply this method to the Scriptures to get better understanding for myself, I want to use this verse [1 John 4:8] "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." And I want to use another verse for the purpose of showing examples [John 10:30] "I and the Father are one." To apply another method but same principle from Discrete Math (a=b and b=c, then a=c), if Love is God and God is Jesus then Love is Jesus. (Note: please forgive my math geekyness).

To rewrite this passage, "Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind. He does not envy, he does not boast, he is not proud. He is not rude, he is not self‑seeking, he is not easily angered, he keeps no record of wrongs. Jesus does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Jesus never fails."

It is not a new concept. We know that Jesus are these things. In the four Gospel books, he had shown and done them countless times even to certain groups that Jewish people condemned the "worst sinners". I want to show what love looks like when Jesus actively and lovingly displayed all of those actions. Then we can get a clear idea that Paul definitely knew what he was talking about and to disprove a common commentary that supposedly Paul couldn't know how to describe love.

For words themselves in the list, we know what they mean and we know that they're good. In practice, what do they look like?