Love Does Not Dishonor Others

Post date: May 31, 2017 9:36:31 PM

“Be careful with your words. Once they are said, they can only be forgiven, not forgotten."

Unknown

For those of us who have the privilege of having multiple translations of the Bible in our heart language, we tend to develop a favorite. We may find that one translation in particular seems to be easier to understand, or we may experience deeper feeling when we read one translation over another. Personally, I tend to float between the New International Version (NIV) and the New Living Translation (NLT) for most of my English translation needs. However, sometimes I find that moving between more than one translation can make certain passages confusing. Let’s take 1 Corinthians 13:5a for example.

“Love does not dishonor others…” (NIV)

"Love is not jealous or boastful or proud “or rude” (NLT, starting with 1 Corinthians 13:4b)

I have recently had the opportunity to read more about concepts of honor and shame in the Bible, so the NIV caught my attention here. From the NIV perspective, this verse implores me to take care not to cause dishonor by my actions to others. On the other hand, the NLT focuses more on the concept of rudeness, which may or may not be about tearing the other person down.

On occasions where I feel stuck between translations, I use a tool like www.blueletterbible.org to help me explore the original meanings. Here, I discover that a more literal translation of this phrase would be “does not act unbecomingly.” In other words, this part of 1 Corinthians 13 is not about my actions that tear others down...at least, not exactly. Instead, it illustrates that if my behavior does not come from a place of love, and I use improper or indecent or ugly words and actions, it says a lot more about my character than it says about those who have to receive those words and actions.

It reminds me of a saying that many of us have heard in some variation - “beauty is as beauty does” or “beauty is only skin deep.” We can have an outward appearance of love through superficial platitudes and shallow deeds. However, all of those words and activities mean nothing if they do not come from a place of love. And love in its truest form cannot be demonstrated with dishonorable expression.

“Be sure to taste your words before you spit them out.”

Unknown

Lord, help us each to “taste” our own words and “see” our own actions before we carry them out, so that we can examine our hearts and test whether we truly love one another before acting in an unloving way.