This lesson continues a study on knowing the God of the Bible as He reveals Himself in Scripture, rather than shaping one’s understanding of God according to personal preference or cultural assumptions. The discussion briefly reviews God’s essence, affirming that God is spirit and that He exists as one Being in three Persons. From this foundation, the lesson returns to the study of God’s attributes, which are defined as inherent, unchanging qualities that remain true regardless of circumstances, environment, or time.
The primary focus of this session is the attribute of love. Scripture defines love not as emotion or sentimentality, but as a self-sacrificial commitment that seeks the true benefit of the one loved, with its most detailed description found in 1 Corinthians 13:4–8. This quality of love is intrinsic to God’s nature and must be understood on God’s terms, not human experience.
The lesson emphasizes that fallen human nature cannot produce this quality of divine love. Believers are able to express it only because they are in Christ and because the Holy Spirit indwells them, producing spiritual fruit. Attention is given to the “fruit of the Spirit,” which is presented as a single, unified fruit, not a collection of separable virtues. Love is highlighted as especially foundational, shaping and influencing the expression of joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, objectivity of mind, and self-control.
A significant portion of the teaching carefully defines key terms. Peace is described as an unruffled frame of mind grounded in understanding God’s purposes, not merely the absence of conflict. A clear distinction is drawn between patience, which concerns endurance under difficult circumstances, and longsuffering, which involves restraining anger toward unreasonable people. Because Scripture sometimes uses both terms together, they cannot be treated as synonyms, and translation choices must be evaluated with care.
Longsuffering is then applied to life within the church. Believers are called to bear with one another as fellow saints mature, recognizing that spiritual maturity does not necessarily correspond to physical age. At the same time, the lesson warns against misusing love as an excuse for being harsh, abrasive, or difficult. True love seeks what is genuinely beneficial for others and may require personal self-examination and change.
The direction and priority of love are also addressed. The lesson cautions against misdirecting sacrificial love toward “the world” as one’s controlling orientation and emphasizes that Scripture prioritizes doing good within the household of faith. While care for genuine need is affirmed, love is not to be distorted into a worldly, self-seeking pursuit.
The teaching further argues that love, as an attribute of God, existed before creation, since attributes must be true independent of environment. This point is used to underscore the eternal relationship within the Godhead and to reinforce the deity of Christ. The designation “Son of God” is explained as describing a relationship of privilege and distinction, not origin or creation.
Attention is then given to pastoral responsibility and doctrinal stability. The lesson critiques popular step-based spiritual systems as products of human philosophy rather than Scripture. A pastor’s role is defined as the consistent teaching of truth with longsuffering, trusting the Holy Spirit to use sound doctrine to correct error and promote growth rather than turning the church into a forum for constant debate.
Longsuffering is also connected to salvation and divine judgment. God’s longsuffering demonstrates His willingness to allow opportunity for repentance, while warnings are given against imposing theological systems onto passages taken out of context. Several examples are used to show how removing a verse from its immediate and broader context can distort its meaning. The guiding principle emphasized is that Scripture must govern theology, not theology govern Scripture.
The Apostle Paul is presented as a prominent example of God’s longsuffering. Once a persecutor of the church, Paul became a primary instrument in God’s plan for the church, illustrating both divine patience and purposeful transformation. God’s longsuffering is also shown toward those who will ultimately face judgment, demonstrating that delayed judgment does not negate future accountability.
The lesson concludes by outlining future study. Each descriptive element of love in 1 Corinthians 13—such as kindness, humility, truth-orientation, endurance, and permanence—will be examined in detail so that believers may understand the love of God accurately and reflect that love rightly within the life of the church.
