I want to discuss this description of charity -- that it is the bond of perfectness. The first and plainest connection is to see bond meaning a relationship -- a tie between two things. Referring to the idea that the state of"perfectness" is the state of someone who has charity; if we are trying to be charitable we are invariably trying for perfection. That makes sense, since there are so many facets to charity and to acquire all of them would be a BIG step to perfection (also the scriptures say that "the greatest of these is charity" 1 corin. 13:13 so again, it's a big one).
A bond is a promise as well. An agreement. "Perfectness" is the promise of "charity."
There's more to it than even that though. To bond also means to hold something (to restrict even). If you think about it, perfection isn't something you just get to -- it's something you have to maintain, forever if it's to be true perfection. Having charity is part of what will bond us to perfection, not so much that we are "restricted" to perfection but that we are tied to it; effectively bonded or stuck to it (therefor able to maintain it). Does that make sense? Think of a chemical bond, it's a strong attraction holding atoms together because of shared electrons -- charity and perfection share attributes creating a powerful connection.
I'm not sure where I'm headed with all of this, I don't have a destination/neat tidy ending to this post... But I think it's fascinating to consider the relationship of charity and perfection. The word "bond" may have just been the English word that the translator thought best fit the Hebrew character... but it gave me new path to think about "the greatest" of topics.
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