The Corinthian believers thought they needed more and better gifts, but what they needed was something better than the gifts to be effective as a church (12:31). They needed responsible loving behavior.
Truthfully, it is always easier for them to get caught up in a theological discussion – like how God did what He did in apportioning gifts and operating them) than to come to terms with the very practical changes that were needful in loving one another. Believers would rather discuss the mind bending issues of God running the universe than practicing love among the difficult.
Key Principle: Mature believers spend less time trying to figure God’s work, and more time focused on responsibly loving each other.
Let’s take two passes over the passage – one to understand the problems Paul addressed, and one to grasp the practice of love.
Six Problems Paul Addressed:
Problem #1: Immature believers thought gifts that clarify truth would make the bigger difference – so they focused on the “up front” prophetic gives. Paul redirected them to behavior (13:1-3).
1 Corinthians 13:1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
You can’t choose your gifts, but you can choose your behaviors (13:1-3). We are not responsible for the gifts we are given. The spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit as it pleases God (12:11,18). Yet we are responsible for something more important than what gifts we have. We are responsible for using our loving behavior! The gifts are only as valuable as the love wrapping they come in! (13:1-3).
Problem #2: Some did not understand that love is not a mystical force, it is a clear and calculated choice. When a believer practices love – it can be measured (13:4-7).
1 Corinthians 13:4 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.
Problem #3: Some believed gifts equal in value to loving behavior. The choice to serve with love brings about more lasting results than any other outworking of the Spirit (8).
1 Corinthians 13:8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.
Problem #4: Some put all their trust in their understanding of God’s revealed truth – even though the contents are incomplete and their understanding was limited (13:9).
1 Corinthians 13:9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part;
Problem #5: Some would not grow past the obvious signs to maturity. As a believer grows up in his faith, they must learn to leave the early things they trusted to discern God’s will and direction – and move on to trusting God’s Word without the other works (13:10-12).
1 Corinthians 13:10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.
Problem #6: Pursuing gifts was the wrong focus. Loving behavior is the real key to serving God in a way that pleases Him – not giftedness (13). Pursue love in the use of the gifts, or they will not be what they should be (14:1).
1 Corinthians 13:13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. 14:1 Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.
We often attempt to use the Word to unravel the mysteries of how God works, yet the point of the Word is to change US, not to fully explain the operations of God. We must focus on the call of the Word for us to change and conform to the principles of God’s Word, and cease worrying about whether everyone else is on the right path.
“The Practice of Love”
1. Establish the priority of love based on God’s truth. Paul offered four arguments (13:1-3)
1 Corinthians 13:1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
• Love is more important than great communication skills! (1)
• Love is more important than deep spiritual insight (2a).
• Love is more important than great vision in God’s work. (2b).
• Love is more important than self-sacrifice (3).
2. Explain the practice of love in the Body of Messiah: Paul offered fifteen descriptive practices of love! (13:4-7).
1 Corinthians 13:4 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.
1. patient: makro thumeo “long before burning temperature”
2. kind: Chrest-euo-mai: “to show one’s self mild or tender”
3. not jealous: dzayloo “to burn with uncontrolled impassioned fervor”
4. does not brag: Perpereuomai “to verbally celebrate or concentrate on self issues and accomplishments.”
5. is not arrogant: Phusio-o: “to become inflated and cause to grow in self importance”
6. does not act unbecomingly: as-kay-mon-eh’-o “act in a way that tears down the other”
7. does not seek its own: “not forcing their own way upon”
8. is not provoked: par-ox-oo’-no “not easily sharpened; from root word for making a point on an axe by grinding”
9. does not take into account a wrong suffered: logidzomai kakos “to keep an account record of wrongs”
10. does not rejoice in unrighteousness: “does not celebrate getting away with breaking a rule”
11. rejoices with the truth: “celebrates truthfulness”
12. bears all things: stego “to cover over or thatch”
13. believes all things: to entrust and give credit to”
14. hopes all things: epidzo “have high expectations of”
15. endures all things: hupomeno “remain under”
3. Expose the permanence of Love: Paul offered three examples of its endurance (13:8-13).
1 Corinthians 13:8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.
a. Content is subject to change in the ages, love should not be! (8-10).
b. Dazzling displays are not the primary object, love is what should catch our eye! (11).
c. We must not simply KNOW clearly the word, but SHOW clearly the word in love! (12).
• Faith: the vision of what God can do with one who is completely sold out to Him!
• Hope: the enduring trust that you can have if you learn that God is Sovereign!
• Love: the choice to act on another’s behalf, even when they don’t respond in kind!
Mature believers spend less time trying to figure God’s work, and more time focused on responsibly loving each other.