love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;  does not rejoice in iniquity… – 1 Corinthians 13: 4-6

Frequently, the best and the most reliable path to the truth about a matter is the via negativa. Via negativa is Latin for “by means of the negative.”

Love is one of those entities that is obvious and, yet mysterious. It is easy to express and, yet hard to explain. It is inexplicable in worth, and indescribable in words. That is why, one of the best ways to articulate what love is, is to identify what it is not.

Paul does this in such a masterful manner in 1 Corinthians 13 that his words need no further commentary. Love does not: envy, parade itself, puff itself up, behave rudely, seek its own, get easily provoked, think evil, or rejoice in iniquity.

Here is a series of litmus tests for love. If what you feel is true love, it won’t be any of these. If what you feel is colored with these, then there is no denying that you feel something. However, whatever it is, it is definitely not agape love.