C.S. LEWIS wrote a book called “The Four Loves” that addressed four different types of love: Storge, Philia, Eros, and Agape

Storge is the parental affection for their children
Philia is the love between close friends
Eros is romantic love
Agape is selfless love of one another as described in 1 Corinthians 13

Do you think that agape love is something that can be developed naturally, selectively, or societally? Is agape something unique to Christians? What makes agape different than the other loves?

What are some ways that Storge, Philia, and Eros can be perverted? Can agape be perverted?

Verse 1-2: Why do you think Paul called out the spiritual gifts of speaking in tongues and prophecy in verse 1 and 2?

What signs do people look for in determining if someone is a Christian?
How would an atheist identify a Christian?
How would a Catholic identify a Christian?
How would a Republican/Democrat identify a Christian?
How would a witch doctor identify a Christian?
How would your church identify a mature Christian?
How do you identify a Christian?

Verse 3: Have you ever been a part of a conversation where someone spent a lot of time talking about the sacrifices they made, but you ended up rolling your eyes instead of being inspired? What made their story uninspiring?

Do you have a story of when you thought you were sacrificing something for someone but you were really more interested in how they perceived you instead of how you were helping others?

Verse 4-6: Patience: Why is love patient? What does a loving person wait for? What would happen if God wasn’t patient with us?

Kindness: What drives a person to be unkind? What is the mindset of a kind person?

Envy: What does a loving person think they deserve from the person being loved? What are some things you think you deserve from others or God?

Boast: Who is elevated in a loving relationship? Why would there be any joy for a Christian to elevate others above ourselves? Read Matthew 25:40.

Arrogance: What happens in a society where our value is determined by our productiveness? How do you define a contributing member of society?

Rude: What can be gained by putting other people down? Why are bullies usually popular people? Read Titus 3:1-7.

Insist on its own way: What am I supposed to do if I’m right but the other person can’t recognize that? If logic doesn’t help me win arguments, does that mean I’m bad at making my point or is it that the other person is stupid?
What does Ephesians 5:20-21 say we’re supposed to do?

Irritable: What are some things about your spouse/children/friends that might have been endearing at one point but now are intolerable? Why does that change?

Resentful: What is something you were owed but never paid back on or recognized for? Why did you feel that way? How does a Christian deal with the issue of fairness? Read Matthew 20:1-16.

Truth: Have you ever celebrated the misfortunes of others? Why did you do it? Read Proverbs 24:17-18. (Aside… why are Home Alone and other slapstick comedy so funny to us?)

Verse 7: Is agape love naive? Read Matthew 10:16-23. Does this sound like a loving thing for Jesus to do to his disciples? How do we interpret verse 7?

Verse 8-10: How can love never end? Isn’t everything that happens on earth temporal?

Verse 11-12: What is it that we will discover “when the perfect comes”? What hope do you have for the future? What will we know fully that we can’t see now?

Verse 13: Why would love be greater than faith or hope? Aren’t we saved by our faith? Won’t everything we live through today be overtaken by the glory that is to come? Why should the actions in this temporal space matter so much to God? Why can’t we just take solace in our salvation and wait patiently for death or His second coming? Read Isaiah 43:7 and Romans 11:36-12:1.