1 Corinthians 13 is arguably the best known chapter in the entire Bible – the famous Love Chapter. But how does this chapter “fit” in the context of spiritual gifts in chapters 12-14? What does this chapter teach us about the importance and definition of love? More importantly, what does it teach us about the duration of spiritual gifts? Are they still available to the church today?
Teaching Notes:
The Greatest Of These Is Love
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Intro: 1Cor. 13 is the famous “Love Chapter”. Before we begin studying this chapter, it would be good to do a brief survey of what the NT teaches about love:
Jn.13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Rom.12:10 “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love”
Rom. 13:8,10 “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; love is the fulfillment of the Law.”
1Cor.14:1 “Pursue love”
1Cor.16:14 “Let all that you do be done in love”
Gal.5:6 “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.”
Gal.5:13 “through love serve one another”
Gal.5:22 “The fruit of the Spirit is love”
Eph.5:2 “walk in love, just as Christ also love you”
Col.3:14 “beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity”
1Thess.4:19 “you yourselves are taught by God to love one another”
1Tim.1:8 “the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart”
Heb.10:24 “Let us consider how to stimulate one another unto love and good deeds”
Heb.13:1 “let love of the brethren continue”
1Pet.1:22 “since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart”
1Pet.4:8 “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another.”
1Jn.3:14 “we know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.”
1Jn.3:18 “little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth”
1Jn.4:7 “Little children, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”
It is not an overstatement to say that Love is the greatest and most important virtue of the believer.
We have said that the Vision of this new Church is to “glorify God by making disciples who make disciples.” However we could also say that our Vision is to Love.: we are to love God and love people. We love God by our worship and obedience. We love believers by obeying the “one-anothers”. We love unbelievers by displaying and declaring the gospel to them.
1 Cor. 13 naturally divides itself into 3 sections: 1-3; 4-7; 8-13. 13:1-3 The Pre-Eminence Of Love. 13:4-7 The Properties of Love. 13:8-13 The Permanence of Love.
1. The Pre-Eminence Of Love: 1-3 Answers the question “how important is love?”
This section contains 3 statements beginning with “if”. If someone were to have these spiritual gifts to their greatest degree without love, what would be the result?
13:1 Tongues. It’s likely Paul begins with tongues, because that is where the problem lies. The Corinthians had over elevated this gift, and concluded that those with this gift were the “spiritual” ones. Paul’s answer is that those who love are the “spiritual” ones.
Tongues of men and angels: suggests that unknown tongues may be human or angelic languages. There have been those who have analyzed tongues-speaking and concluded that it did not fit into any known human language, and thus was false. However, there are many languages that are no longer in existence, and there may be angelic languages that have never been heard on earth.
Noisy gong or clanging cymbal: Did you ever watch the Gong Show? a noisy gong is a loud, obnoxious, irritating sound. A clanging cymbal is a harsh, unpleasant noise. If we speak in tongues without love, we are just being a loud, harsh, unpleasant noise! We don’t bring the pleasantness and sweetness of Christ to others. We only parade our own flesh before others.
13:2 Prophecy – Knowledge – Faith. 3 more gifts. “Knowledge” must be the word of knowledge (12:8). “Faith” must be the gift of faith to trust God in special situations in which you have no objective promise of the Word. Note that this is the faith “to remove mountains”. Result? I am nothing. Note: “all” mysteries; “all” knowledge; “all” faith. Possessing these abilities doesn’t matter in the least without love!
13:3 Giving – Martyrdom: If I were to give everything away to feed the poor like Jesus commanded the rich young ruler to do, or even surrendered up my body to be burned as a martyr of the faith, but doing it to attract attention or make a name for myself, it would profit me nothing without love.
Application: If I exercise supernatural gifts to the highest degree possible without love I am a big Zip, Nada, Nothing! In Ex.39:25 we are told that the High Priest of Israel wore a robe which had bells of pure gold sewn into the hem. Between these bells was sewn a pomegranate. Bells of gold – manifestations of the Spirit. Pomegranate – Fruit of the Spirit. Without the pomegranates, the bells would clash and clang together harshly and irritatingly. But the pomegranates would provide a buffer, a cushion so that the bells would ring sweetly. The Corinthians had Gifts, but little Fruit. Bells, but no pomegranates. Of course, Fruit, with no gifts is not good either. But if I had to choose Gifts or Fruit, I would choose Fruit hands down. “The fruit of the Spirit is (singular) Love. Why? Because Love is evidence of saving faith. Gifts do not prove anything. Mt.7:21-23. There preachers who work miracles, prophesy, and cast out demons are cast into hell! Judas was lost, but we have every reason to believe that he healed, worked miracles and cast out demons like the other 11 disciples. Love without Gifts is Deficient. But Gifts without Love is Devastating! Thankfully, in this new Church Plant, don’t have to choose between Fruit and Gifts.
2. The Properties Of Love: 4-7. Answers the question, “What is Love like?”
In this section, Paul begins with 2 positive properties (patient and kind). Then he lists 8 negative properties. Then he winds the whole thing up with 4 positive statements having “all things” as the object of each.
Love is patient and kind: these are the necessary passive and active responses toward others. Patient means “suffers long” and indicates long forbearance. Kind pictures active goodness toward others. This is exactly God’s attitude toward us (Rom.2:4).
Love is not jealous: last week we saw how the Corinthians’ were jealous of each other’s gifts and positions in the body, which arose from comparing and competing with one another. Love works to promote the good of others; not itself.
Love does not brag and is not arrogant: “behave as a windbag.” A loving person does not seek to call attention to himself. You can’t brag and love at the same time. A person who “brags” wants others to think highly of them; a person who loves cares only for the good of the church.
Love does not act unbecomingly: this means to behave shamefully or disgracefully. This brings to mind 11:4-5 and 11:22.
Love does not seek its own: This brings to mind Paul’s instruction in 10:24 and 10:33. The essence of Love is “a self-sacrificial commitment to do another good.”
Love is not provoked: The KJV says “easily” provoked, but that is not in the Greek. The loving person does not respond in anger to those that are irritating or unloving towards him.
Love does not take into account a wrong suffered: It keeps no record of wrongs. It acts like God does – He does not count our trespasses against us. The loving person is quick to forgive, and does not bring offenses back up. One person said, “When I’m wronged, I bury the hatchet; I just leave the handle showing above ground so I can find it when I need it.” That’s not love!
Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth: Love is not happy when someone else fails or falls. Love will not indulge in gossip of others.
Love bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things: notice that Paul introduces the elements of faith and hope here, as he will re-introduce them at the end of the chapter. Love never stops forgiving, believing, hoping or enduring.
Application: Let’s see how well we are doing when it comes to Love. Insert your name in 13:4-7. Doesn’t fit very well does it?! Now insert Jesus’ name there. Fits perfectly like a hand in a glove. Read through these properties of love. Which ones are you glaringly deficient in? Identify them. Remember that Jesus fulfilled these properties of Love perfectly. Let your failure and sin drive you afresh to Jesus, as the One who is the Fulfiller of the Law. By His life, he fulfilled love’s demands for you. By His death, He paid for your failure to fulfill love’s demands.
3. The Permanence Of Love: 8-13. Answers the question, “how long will love last?”
13:8. Love never fails, but gifts will. Prophecy, tongues, and knowledge will all be done away, but love will abide forever.
13:9. Why will gifts be done away? “For” they are imperfect or partial. The revelation of the Spirit is incomplete. The revelation of the Spirit gives us only an incomplete knowledge. When full knowledge comes to us, we won’t need these partial revelatory gifts.
13:10 Here we learn When these partial revelatory gifts will cease – when the perfect comes. But what does that refer to? There are 2 major streams of thought in the Christian Church. Some believe it refers to the completion of the Canon of Scripture. When all of Scripture is given, the imperfect and partial revelatory gifts would cease as there would be no more need for them. Others believe it refers to the Perfect State when Christ returns. As we work our way through, you be the judge of which interpretation is better.
13:11-12. Paul gives an illustration to help us. The “child” refers to the use of the revelatory gifts. A child speaks, thinks, and reasons differently than an adult. When that same child grows up, his speaking, thinking, and reasoning change dramatically. Paul’s point is that when the Perfect comes, the “child” will now be a “man” and he won’t speak, think, and reason as he used to. Notice the parallels:
We know in part and we prophesy in part When the Perfect comes…
When I was a child… When I became a man…
Now we see in a mirror dimly Then face to face
Now I know in part Then I will know fully even as I…
The Perfect coming, is a time when we see “face to face” and know fully even as I have been fully known. There is no doubt in my mind that this did not take place when the Canon of Scripture was completed. It will only take place when Jesus returns, and we see Him face to face, and our partial knowledge will give way to full knowledge.
13:13. Now 3 primary Christian graces exist: faith, hope, love.
Faith says “Jesus came.” Faith lays hold of Christ and His gospel. It says “my sins are forgiven for His name’s sake.” Faith looks backward.
Hope says “Jesus is coming.” Hope looks forward to the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ.
Love says, “Jesus is here.” Because He is here living in me, I can demonstrate His love to others.
Why is Love the greatest of these 3? Because when the Perfect comes, faith and hope will disappear as well. Faith will give way to sight. Hope will find its perfect fulfillment. But love abides now, and will abide through eternity as we love God, and His people.
Application: Have you ever wondered if the spiritual gifts mentioned in 1 Cor.12 are still available to the church today? Well, this text should settle that question forever for you! This text declares that they are present and available until Jesus Christ returns. Thus, we should expect God to give us manifestations of His Spirit in line with what we see in 1Cor.12:8-10. We should earnestly desire spiritual gifts, especially that we might prophesy. We should be open and eager to experience all that God has for us. As a new Church Plant, let us boldly declare that we are Charismatics (with a seatbelt!). We don’t want to run into all the unbiblical extremes that we see on Christian TV and hyper-charismatic churches, but neither do we want to quench the Spirit and despise prophetic utterances. Let’s be open and prayerful about the work of the Spirit in our midst!
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