One of the most well-known and heavily quoted bible verses is 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 otherwise known as the marriage verse. It goes as follows: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

This quote is beautiful when read at weddings, or in times of love and happiness but in light of recent events, I think it is very important to revisit this with a new perspective. So let’s dissect a few of the key parts of this verse.

“It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” When people do things like kill another human being, it violates this entire line. There is no possible way to take another’s life and still honor them. It doesn’t matter if the person is black, white, Hispanic, Asian, or any other race or ethnicity. There is no killing based in love. Killing another is fully self-seeking, and made in anger. There is no thought process that a person can go through when it comes to taking a human life that amounts in love, or happiness. Killing another or attempting to kill a person is a completely selfish, angry, dishonorable act.

Another extremely valuable part of this passage is “Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.” For those in the world who claim that their killing is an act of God, or through their faith, they are wrong. There is no God that is not loving, and killing is a loveless act. The passage is right; love does not delight in evil. There is not act of evil that can be full of love. No killing, no rape, no hateful words. All things God does are full of love.

For those reading this who disagree: if you search through the bible and read each and every passage, there are far more about love than there are about hate, revenge, and killing.

Gods is love, and he spreads that to us through his word. So do not use his words to justify hateful acts. Use his word to promote love in the world. Use his words to inspire yourself to act in a Christ-like way. Use his words to show others that there is still good in the world. Use his words to let everyone know that you will not stand for the hateful way people act in the world.

The passage 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is a great thing to read at a wedding or at another happy event, but let this passage be a reminder of all the potential for love in this world, the love that you should be spreading.