1 Corinthians 13:2 “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, (love) I am nothing.”
A good question might be, how could a person have the gift of prophecy, understand all mysteries, have all knowledge and have sufficient faith to move mountains, all of which appear to be characteristics found in someone who is close to God, and still not possess love?
Exodus 7:11 reveals that sorcerers can perform astounding acts.
Acts 16:16 illustrates that even an evil-spirited seer has the ability to announce the truth (an aspect of prophecy) to benefit his own credibility.
The Book of Revelation states that there are false prophets in the world.
This raises a serious question! If we possess these most wonderful attributes, how do we detect whether we actually are of God? That’s the point of this verse from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.
There is one characteristic that evil cannot duplicate or imitate: Love.
Why? Because God is Love. And God became a man, Jesus Christ, to give us a living example of His genuine love.
However, Scripture repeatedly expresses that we are not able to naturally think as God does. Therefore, it is not wise to trust our own evaluations of whether we convey Christ-Like love.
God has provided a way for a man to legitimately validate his capacity to be loving. That way is through the effects we have on others. However, the primary source for a husband is through his wife. She is the “help” that God speaks of in Genesis.
As a wife validates her husband’s capacity to illustrate love to her, and since God is Love, there will not be a question about whether her husband’s ways are actually of God.
And, if the kind of love that God intends a man to convey to the world is validated by his wife, then he also is able to teach that Christ-Like love by example to his children.
God wants a man to value his wife’s reflections on his capacity to be loving, and to understand His design for husbands and wives. Then, a man can detect if his ways are actually of God!