^“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all thing,” I Cor. 13:4-8

None can love as Christ loved, and the standard is put forth here for us to ever know how far short we fall, and what are the dire consequences of our sin, even as a congregation, except HIS love keep us, and He enable us in some measure to manifest His Love around us, as the moon reflects the Sun. The translators use the word ‘charity’ to describe the nature of God’s love toward sinners in Christ. John 3:16, ‘For God so loved the world that HE GAVE.’ All in the world upon whom He set His eternal love, He GAVE His Son to redeem and justify them. It is THIS LOVE that is here described in I Corinthians 13, of which in some small measure, as the moon reflects the Sun’s brightness, sometimes more or less, we as the LORD’S redeemed ones would reflect such love.

Yet, who can say that they love as Christ loved? There are 11 qualities of Christ’s unconditional love for His elect, redeemed ones that are incomparable to any other. Wherever we read the word ‘charity,’ we can substitute the title ‘Christ’ and thereby know the true manifestation of love.

1. Christ is long suffering in love and mercy for sinners He came to save.

2. Christ is kind, gracious and merciful to the worst of sinners.

3. Christ envies nothing in the sinner. All the grace and goodness is in Him!

4. Christ vaunts not Himself, is not puffed up. All His glory He has received of the Father and earned through the sufferings that He bore in faithfulness to His Father.

5. Christ never acted in any way contrary to the glory and honor of His Father. He never acted or thought in anyway uncharacteristic of His goodness and grace toward even the worst of His enemies.

6. Christ never sought His own glory, but that of His Father alone.

7. Christ was not easily provoked. His anger toward reprobates is righteous and just, and removed toward His redeemed ones because of His effectual life and death on their behalf, to satisfy God’s law and justice for them.

8. Christ never thought and evil of any

9. Christ never rejoiced in iniquity, but rather saw it for what it was in His people, and bore it away to the cross.

10. Christ bore all things in His suffering and believed all things, never doubting His Father’s faithfulness to forgive each one for whom He paid the debt.

11. Christ hopes all things and endures all things. He is sure to see the reward of His work in the salvation of each one for whom He died.