Love's Faith

Scripture Reading: Psalm 65; 1 Corinthians 13

Love...believes all things… 1 Corinthians 13:7

When Paul writes about love, he’s not talking about our favorite things—like cars, candy, or even classic Mustangs. He’s talking about people and our relationships with them.

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul gives us markers of what love looks like. Some are negative—what love doesn’t do. Others are positive—what love does. One of those is this: “Love believes all things.”

What does that mean? Paul isn’t telling us to be gullible. Love doesn’t throw discernment out the window. What he’s saying is this: when we love someone, our first instinct is to believe the best about them.

Love doesn’t jump to the worst conclusions. It doesn’t assume bad motives or accept every rumor. Love doesn’t buy a ticket to ride the gossip train. Instead, love chooses to give people the benefit of the doubt. Love leans toward the best possible interpretation.

And even if the bad thing turns out to be true, love still doesn’t walk away. Love prays. Love seeks restoration.

That kind of love is rare. But it is exactly the love Christ has shown us. He sees us at our worst and still does not abandon us. Instead, He believes, He hopes, He bears, and He endures for us.

And that same Spirit-empowered love can be ours as we “pursue love” (1 Corinthians 14:1).