“Love does not dishonor others.” (1 Corinthians 13:5 NIV).
“…does not behave rudely.” (1 Corinthians 13:5 NKJV).
I moved to Georgia about 12 years ago. I noticed down here that parents have certain manners that they teach their kids. Most kids are taught to answer their parents with a “yes ma’am” and a “yes sir” instead of a simple “yes” or “no.” Adults are usually called by Miss or Mr., followed by their first name. Whichever part of the world we live in, hopefully all of us have learned the basics of good manners…what to say and what not to say. I think we all can remember our parents saying, “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Much easier said than done!
As we continue our series in 1 Corinthians, looking at what love is, this month we see what love is not. First Corinthians tells us that love does not dishonor others. I decided to go back to the Greek root word for “dishonor.” It comes from being unseemly, deformed; we might say in today’s English, “ugly.” Love is not ugly toward others. Other Bible versions say that love is not rude. Rude behavior is offensive behavior. It represents a kind of attack; just like a sports team, when they are on the o ...
