LOVE BEARS, BELIEVES, HOPES, AND ENDURES
It bearsG4722 all things, believesG4100 all things, hopesG1679 all things, enduresG5278 all things.
1 Corinthians 13:7
G4722 στέγω stégō – to cover. In the NT, to cover over in silence. (I) Generally meaning to conceal, with the accusative (1 Cor 13:7, love hides the faults of others or covers them up).
The Complete Word Study Dictionary, New Testament, Spiros Zodhiates, Ed.
“Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). If I love you, I am not thinking about the sins you have committed, and you are not thinking of mine. Love is the focus of both people above all. It is not that wrongs are swept under the rug but that they are covered by the blood of Jesus who died in our place. His love covered our sins and robed us in His righteousness. It is not my blood that covers their sins but the blood of Jesus. What right do I have to dredge up things Jesus already died for? Love minimizes the faults and flaws of others and praises the best in them.
G4100 πιστεύω pisteúō – to believe, have faith in, trust
The Complete Word Study Dictionary, New Testament, Spiros Zodhiates, Ed.
Love is trusting. I know, you may have been burned by someone you thought loved you. However, we must not throw doubt on everyone because of the wrong of one person. We need to believe the best of people while understanding that we all “have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Ultimately our faith is in the Lord’s ability to sustain our own and others’ relationships with Him.
G1679 ἐλπίζω elpízō – to hope, expect with desire
The Complete Word Study Dictionary, New Testament, Spiros Zodhiates, Ed.
Love confidently hopes “what is good of another, even when others have ceased to hope” Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary. Love is reluctant to think badly of someone and holds on to the hope that something that has the appearance of evil can be explained and proven to not be evil. Susan excels in this area. She had a friend whose behavior seemed to indicate to many of us that he might have dealt unscrupulously with her. However, she refused to believe ill of him even when circumstantial evidence seemed to prove his guilt. In the end, Susan was right to hope our feelings about this person were incorrect. I (Susie) need to work on my skepticism and suspicion as I was one of his biggest detractors.
G5278 ὑπομένω hupŏmĕnō – to remain under, i.e., to persevere, to endure, sustain, bear up under, suffer, as a load of miseries, adversities, persecutions or provocations with faith.
The Complete Word Study Dictionary, New Testament, Spiros Zodhiates, Ed.
Love patiently endures all things thrown at it, especially those adversities that come because of love for the Lord. Love does not give up. It perseveres. We have read many examples of this patient endurance in The Voice of the Martyrs publications and on their website www.persecution.com.
Father, help us to bear, believe, hope, and endure by the power of Your love flowing to us and through us.