Love Believes All Things?
More about Bible translations.
There are two kinds of Bible translations. At the literal end of the spectrum are the "word to word" translations like the ESV and the NKJV. The translators have taken the view that the reader is best served by a word to word translation - though they themselves would acknowledge that there is rarely a word in one language which completely captures the meaning of a word in another.
At the others, paraphrase end of the spectrum are those translations which take a thought, or unit of sense, in the Greek or Hebrew original and translate that thought or unit of sense into an equivalent English thought.
A wonderful example is the translation of Isaiah 1:18 into the language of the Wanani tribe of Ecuadar. This tribe had never seen snow, so how were they to understand: "Though your sins
are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as
crimson, they shall be like wool."
The translators tried this:
"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as pure as the sky when it has no clouds in it; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."
In Wanani culture a cloudless sky was their image of purity. Thought to thought rather than word to word.
Today's line, the twelfth element of divine love, when we render it word for word, reads like this: "Love believes all things."
But if we love someone must we believe all the things they say? Is a mark of our love that we take on board every single word they speak? If we doubt them we don't love them?
A common relationship error
If we understand the sentence literally then that is what Paul is saying - believe whatever that person says.
True love, however, does not always believe what the beloved says. True love pushes back, true love questions, true love challenges error.
We have all come across marriages where the one leads the other astray. Adam allowed Eve to lead him astray. He did not question the eating of the fruit. He should have. True love would have said "I do not believe what you are saying, I will not eat that fruit."
One of the biggest mistakes we can make to is believe lies from those we love. It's why Scripture forbids marrying an unbeliever. Solomon marries (another) foreign wife. She tells him how wonderful her gods are. Instead of saying, "wife number 699 you are wrong, your gods are false lies" he was led astray and allowed another idol into the palace.
Across the bond of love both good and evil can pass. And here is the point, evil can so easily pass unnoticed - unless challenged.
Paul is not saying that love always believes what the beloved says. Husbands must lovingly challenge their wives and wives should respectfully challenge their husbands!
It is pure manipulation to say "if you don't believe me you don't love me!"
What do the translations say:
Literal:
"Love believes all things"
"Love believes all things"
Paraphrase:
"If you love someone, you will always believe in him"
"Love believes all things [looking for the best in each one]"
"Love knows no end to its trust"
What Paul means, surely, is that if you love someone you will always maintain trust in them as a person. You will believe IN THEM. They may say things to you that you disagree with and you may have to tell them that, but you will never abandon believing in that person.
To do the opposite is to lose trust, to drift away from that person, to mistrust them. And mistrust breeds mistrust; before long the relationship has broken down.
Summing it All Up
"Love always trusts" means that we continue the vital component of trust that every relationship is founded upon, and we do so even when we pass through a challenging time in our relationship with that person.
"Love always trusts" means that we never mistrust them - even when we don't believe what they have said or what they are doing.
"Love always trusts" means that we signal to that person after the most difficult disagreements that we still love them.
"Love always trusts" means that we keep going with the friendship.
Is that not what Jesus did with Peter? He did not believe in what Peter had done, but he maintained the friendship and restored him in due time.
And surely that is what the Lord does with us. He continues with his steadfast love though "perverse and foolish oft we've stayed." His love is a covenantal, never ending love. And so must ours.
Is there someone of whom you are saying, "I'm finished with them?" You cannot say that, for love "always believes." Ask the Lord how you can show them continuing love and kindness.
Continuing to love in this season of church life is especially important, where communications are more fragile and misunderstandings more probable.
Just keep on trusting!
A SONG FOR THE DAY
Our song is the same as yesterday's and reminds us of the never-failing love of the Lord for us.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.
His mercies never have come to an end;
They are new every morning,
New every morning:
Great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord,
Great is Thy faithfulness!
A PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Our ever-loving Father in heaven,
We thank you that though the world is filled with people who fail to thank you, who turn their face against you, who take your name in vain and who worship false gods, you still send the rain and the sun each day.
Teach us what it means to always trust in those who have not treated us well. Help us always to trust as you do.
We thank you for your covenantal never-ending love for us, forged through the blood of your precious Son,
in whose name we bring our prayers,
Amen.
Photo by Matheus Ferrero on Unsplash
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