I know what you’re going to say. And yes, I know that phrase was not Elizabeth Reynolds, but of course John Lennon and Paul McCartney. It sounds like a very simple implication. That in order to be able to ‘do’ life, overcome challenges, get along with one another, achieve our dreams and goals and accomplish the great plan God has for our lives, all we need is love.
And when I think about it… I believe it’s true. But that word – LOVE – (if you weren’t already aware), let me warn you, is loaded! In other words, it goes deep. It entails much! Have a read of the famous Love Chapter from the famous writing of Paul… First Corinthians 13:
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
This thing called love is simple, and yet it holds so much complexity. It’s been estimated that more than a hundred million love songs have been recorded. And you can imagine how many more throughout history haven’t been recorded.
The Kids Club team are focusing on part of this passage this term, exploring the nature and different facets of love listed in verses 4-8. Because each facet is a universe of its own wisdom and truth of old to think deeply about.
There are many different types of love and, as we know, the Greek language has four different words to try and reflect this explanatorily. Love is deep and deserves deep examination.
Regarding verses 1-3, it is not to say that we should have love instead of the other things mentioned. But the point here is, that if you have love, because of the very nature of love that verses 4-8 describe, then all these other things can be naturally displayed. They burst out of love like water from a spring. But of themselves, as they are acts that are bound to the matters of this life on earth, they will pass, as verses 8-10 explain.
Verses 11 and 12 are interesting. The former is quite well known I believe, and often quoted. Here, Paul is talking about our knowledge of God now, as opposed to our knowledge of God when Jesus returns. We now see the world like a child, but this will change to a more fuller knowledge and understanding. Less naïve and irrational. More complete and mature. We will see clearly. When this time comes, Paul says that we will know fully, instead of in part. In the way that God knows us now!
It almost reminds me of that other famous love passage:
There's nothin' you can do that can't be done; Nothin' you can sing that can't be sung; Nothin' you can say, but you can learn how to play the game; it’s easy... There's nothin' you can know that isn't known; Nothin' you can see that isn't shown; There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be
It's easy…
Wait, sorry, should have explained. Not a Bible passage. This is from the Beatles’ song All Your Need Is Love.
These lines always make me stop and think, with a hard, furrowed brow… what does that actually mean? There are too many double negatives! It befuddles me. But from what I think I’ve worked out, there's nothin' you can know that isn't known, just means if something isn’t knowable, you can’t know it. Or… you can know all there is to know… or, no… you can’t know anything, that wasn’t already known before… maybe. I don’t know. There’s also nothing you can see that isn’t shown. This is a little easier. I think everything we see, has been shown to us. I also think I shouldn’t try to analyse Beatles lyrics. But despite that, this line reminds me that by grace, and by His infinite love, God shows us things. He reveals His secrets and mysteries. Some in this life, and all in the next. There’s nothing to be known that He doesn’t want you to know! (I can put my name to that one.)
John and Paul (Beatles) perhaps wanted us to know not to be too ambitious or strive for knowledge and achievement, not to work too hard doing, making, saying or knowing, but that we should focus on loving others. (Also, they wanted lines to rhyme and sound good together.)
Paul (apostle) wanted us to know that we shouldn’t concentrate on who’s religious acts or prophetic powers are better, whether we have great faith, whether we give up things and make sacrifices, speak in tongues or have all knowledge, because these things will pass away. What will remain at the end, is love. And so we must have love.
And it is all we need, because with love we are enabled, empowered, inspired… to speak prophetic words, understand mysteries and knowledge, to have faith enough to move mountains, to give and make sacrifices. We can manage all these good things because we have love. And, as 1 John 4:16 says:
God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. So, in effect, our lives have so much more meaning in everything we do, because we have God. So, if I may suggest, let our song line be: All you need is God.
