“Love never fails.” — 1 Corinthians 13:8 (NASB)

It does too fail! I have not only seen its failures, but I have lived them. I saw love fail right before my eyes. I know that the Bible is the Word of God, but this verse must be wrong. It must be a bad translation. But it’s not. Every translation I look at is the same. When I look at the original Greek, it is unmistakable. Paul was saying that love never fails. How can this be? In a world of broken love, how could he be bold enough to say that it does not fail? What was he thinking?

I have a few thoughts on what Paul might have been thinking. I think Paul was telling us that it is not love that fails, but lovers. Love did not fail me, but I failed it! We who attempt to love are the failures when love appears to fail. Because God is love, to believe that love fails would be the same as saying God failed. God doesn’t fail. We fail when we pervert God’s love into some version of our own idea of love. That is when love fails. Love fails to be love when it is disconnected from the God who gives it meaning and definition. Just because we use the word, doesn’t mean we live out its true meaning.

The fact that Jesus was born, lived a perfect life, lived out a ministry of grace and compassion, died on the cross to bear our sins, and rose again from the dead is proof that love does NOT fail. Because of His love for us, God fulfilled every promise and paid every price to redeem us back to Himself. This is the kind of love that never fails. Never!

May we be encouraged, empowered, and committed to love as God has loved us!

Peace!

Pastor Tom

www.firmlyrooted.church