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1 Corinthians 13:4-8
4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails…….
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We would normally think that the opposite of narcissism / insolent pride is humility – which is true. But, insolent pride is also the opposite of genuine love. According to the verses above, love
- Is kind
- Is not jealous
- Does not brag
- Is not arrogant
- Does not seek its own
- Is not provoked
- Does not take into account a wrong suffered
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These are the polar opposites of the traits shown by narcissists. As we will discuss going forward, the contrast between narcissism and genuine love is fundamental to helping us understand:
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- the real (eternal) consequences which narcissists have chosen for themselves
- why God allows them to wreak havoc
- how God wants us to respond and deal with them
- why it is important that we look at our own hearts even while we are struggling with the N in our lives
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- Narcissism is the modern colloquial term for what the Bible calls insolent pride – see here
