Lesson 27 – 1 Corinthians Chapter 13:1-5
We’ve been learning about the spiritual gifts that God gives us through His Holy Spirit. To keep your mind fresh on the subject, I want to give you just a handful of gifts that we’ve covered…
Leadership: encouraging and helping others to build the kingdom of God.
Administration: helping with long term goals and remaining on task.
Teaching: instructing in truths and doctrines of God’s Word.
Knowledge: teaching and discipleship. The ability to learn, know, and explain God’s Word.
Wisdom: the ability to discern works of the Holy Spirit and apply teaching and actions.
Prophecy: proclaiming the Word of God with boldness.
Discernment: being able to recognize the truth about a situation.
Exhortation: people with this gift are enthusiastic about the Lord and they can motivate others.
Shepherding: looking out for the spiritual welfare of others.
Faith: trusting God to fulfill His plan. People with this gift are encouragers.
Evangelism: the building up of the church so others will be led to Christ.
Apostleship: hand-picked by Jesus, motivators, church planters, and missionaries.
Service/Helps: helping those in need of practical assistance.
Mercy: The person with this gift shows acts of compassion.
Giving: People with this gift will give freely and sacrificially with joy to further God’s kingdom.
Hospitality: Making people feel welcome, appreciated, and wanted.
The Corinthian church had received many of these gifts, but their problem was they were using their gifts in all the wrong ways. For the most part, they wanted what they might have considered to be the “flashy” gifts, the ones that draw a crowd.
Paul has been teaching us that gifts are vital to the church, and that God uses us through these gifts to strengthen and build up His church. Gifts are to be taken seriously and not misused, and with that, they’re also not to be ignored or unused.
We will depart from the subject of gifts until chapter 14. Paul injects in chapter 13 something that should take priority over any and all gifts… and that is “love.”
In July 1967 “The Beatles” came out with the song “All you need is love,” but I’m sure when they wrote this song, they knew nothing about God’s gifts.
What is love?
Love can be a challenge to define at the level of how a person experiences it. Love can involve personal affection, sexual attraction, platonic admiration, brotherly loyalty, benevolent concern, or worshipful adoration. In general, it is a strong or constant affection for and dedication to another.
To accurately answer the question “what is love?” we need to go to the origin of love. The Bible tells us that love originates in God.
1 John 4:16:
“We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
In 1 Corinthians 13, love is best understood as a way of life lived in imitation of Jesus Christ, that it is focused not on oneself but on “others.” Paul’s main focus is on agape love, which is characterized by devotion and selflessness to others. Love is about action… how a person lives for the Lord and obeys Him, and then how a person loves others, having a willingness to help and serve. On the surface, a person can quickly submit to loving God, but in reality, if they’re not willing to serve others, that love for God becomes pretty shallow.
Eph. 3:14-19 (NLT):
“When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”
If Jesus is at home in your heart, chances are you have a close intimate relationship with God, and with that relationship, you have the inclination to reach out and express God’s love to those He brings to your attention.
Having a Christlike servant attitude is what we need when it comes to using the gifts the Holy Spirit has given us, and Paul will show us that the major ingredient we need to add to this equation is “love.”
1 Cor. 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.”
It’s been said by theologians that throughout history, it seems that the church has found it difficult to be loving. It is easier to be orthodox than to be loving, and easier to be active in church work than to be loving. Paul says…
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels…
Ironically, Paul may have struggled with a speech impediment. If I speak… means he wants us to imagine that he is a great orator.
The way the word tongues is used here is best translated as “language.” It’s just like when a person refers to their “mother tongue.” If someone says they have the gift of speaking in the tongues of angels, they’re displaying their biblical ignorance.
Every time throughout the Scriptures when people had an encounter with angels, the angels always spoke to them in a language they could understand. We won’t know how the angels talk to each other until we’re up in heaven with them. I’m sure we’ll understand everything they’re saying to us.
Paul is saying, if he did have a golden tongue, if he was the greatest orator in the world and didn’t have love, it would be useless… in fact, it would be ineffective.
But do not have love…
The word love being used is one you’re familiar with, it’s agapē. It’s the kind of love that gives simply for the sake of giving, and expecting nothing in return.
Gal. 5:22-23:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Notice the first fruit is “love.” The sad news is, the Corinthians were not walking in the Spirit, therefore they didn’t have the fruits of the Spirt, which meant love was missing from their character. When they tried to exercise their gift of language it became nothing more than babbling.
I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal…
Have you ever seen the cymbal section of a school band? Most of them, if they’re smart, have ear-plugs. Can you imagine sitting next to someone clanging the cymbals non-stop? You would do anything just to get away. The greatest truths can be spoken in the greatest way, but it all falls short if they are not spoken in love. Without love, whatever I say to you is just noise.
Have you noticed how “noisy” liberals have gotten lately?
1 Cor. 13:2:
“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.”
Paul sites the gift of prophecy, which is a great gift to be sure, but even the most gifted man cannot minister in this way without love. Paul isn’t teaching anything he didn’t believe himself. In Acts 20 we see evidence of Paul’s love…
Acts 20:19:
“Serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews;”
We really see Paul’s true heart in Romans 9…
Romans 9:1-3:
“I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh,”
Paul had so much love in his heart that he was willing to give up his own salvation if it would save his fellow Jewish friends. Moses had the same kind of love in his heart…
Exodus 32:31-32:
“Then Moses returned to the Lord, and said, “Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves. But now, if You will, forgive their sin… and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!”
Paul ministered with great power, and his ministry flourished because he ministered in love.
And know all mysteries and all knowledge…
When the Bible talks about mysteries, many times it’s referring to divine spiritual understanding, and with knowledge, this could mean human factual understanding.
Eph. 3:3-5 (NLT):
“As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed His mysterious plan to me. As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by His Spirit He has revealed it to His holy apostles and prophets.”
Even if Paul could perfectly understand every mystery within the pages of Scripture, without love it would still be nothing.
And if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing…
What does it mean to have all faith? Paul was the great preacher of faith, “For by grace you have been saved through faith” (Eph. 2:8a). Paul isn’t talking about saving faith, but faith that shows a confidence in God, that He will do what He says He will do. Some might say that this is the gift of faith.
By this time you know where Paul is headed with this, even if you have this wonderful gift of faith… if love is absent, it means nothing!
1 Cor. 13:3:
“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.”
What Paul is describing is self-sacrifice. We might think that self-sacrifice must be a sign of love, but that’s not always the case. Even self-sacrifice can be self-centered.
Matthew 6:2:
“So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”
Over the centuries certain church groups have believed that self-denial, self-humiliation, and even self-affliction would score big points with God, but the only thing God is interested in is are we loving one another?
Paul is saying even if he makes the ultimate self-sacrifices for the greatest of causes, if he’s not doing it with an attitude of love, he would be wasting his time and efforts.
And if I surrender my body to be burned…
Some take this to mean becoming a slave, because some slaves were branded with a red-hot branding-iron, but this probably means being burned alive, even though the Romans wouldn’t start that till years later.
The point here is, even if someone were to sacrifice their life for someone else by being burned alive, if love wasn’t the motivating factor, it’s all for naught.
The loveless person produces nothing, is nothing, and gains nothing!
Paul now tells us about love…
1 Cor. 13:4-7:
“Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
How many weddings have you been to where these verses have been read? The funny part is, this is only speaking of agapé love, where in the marriage you’ll find eros, philia, and agapé love.
The list that we have before us isn’t really what love “is,” but what love “does.” Some have also said that Paul is painting a portrait of love, and that Jesus is sitting for the portrait.
Love is patient… or we could say that love is “long-suffering” or “long-tempered.”
Love has the patience of a saint. This phrase has its roots in Christian theology, where saints were revered for their ability to endure suffering without complaint. How many of us can say we’re patient? In this context, this is about being patient with people and not really with circumstances or events. Still, it’s not always easy to be patient with people.
A person who has been wronged and treated unfairly, and has it within their power to inflict great revenge, then does nothing, is a person with patience.
Romans 12:17:
“Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.”
The Greek culture at this time felt that patience was a sign of weakness, and that vengeance was a virtue to be admired.
Matthew 5:39:
“But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.”
Was Jesus patient?
Luke 23:34a:
“But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”
Is God patient? Most definitely.
2 Peter 3:9:
“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
For those who have not yet given their lives to Christ should be thankful for God’s patience. Today is the day of salvation, for we don’t know when God’s patience will run dry.
Robert Ingersoll, a well-known atheist of the last century, often would stop in the middle of his lectures against God, and say, “I’ll give God five minutes to strike me dead for things I’ve said.” He then used the fact that he was not struck dead as proof that God didn’t exist. Theodore Parker said of Ingersoll’s claim, “And did the gentleman think he could exhaust the patience of the eternal God in five minutes?”
God’s patience hasn’t been exhausted yet, but patience can be a little fragile when it comes to human encounters in the realm of having agapē love for one another. Considering how patient God has been with us, shouldn’t we do our best to be patient with others?
Love is kind…
Being kind goes hand in hand with patience, they are cousins. Agapē love is long-suffering, yet while it is patient, it doesn’t become negative or bitter… it remains kind.
The Greek defines kind as: to be useful, serving, and gracious.
Eph. 4:32:
“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
2 Tim. 2:24:
“The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,”
John MacArthur says kind “Is active goodwill. It not only feels generous, it is generous. It not only desires others’ welfare, but works for it.”
Is God kind? For most believers, the answer would be a resounding “yes.” And then for others, those who struggle with pain, sorrow, and disease, they might question God’s kindness, wondering why God hasn’t answered their prayers.
When it comes to agapē kindness, it is not reserved only for those we love or care about, but it needs to apply to our enemies as well.
Matthew 5:40:
“If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.”
Jesus was like a heart surgeon when He spoke, He could cut down into the depths of anyone’s heart and soul, and convict them where they stood. He is God, He knows just how to do that.
As I live out each year of my life, I never imagined seeing the world in such a lost state that it is. With evil and corruption abounding everywhere, we have unlimited opportunities to be kind to others.
Titus 3:4-5:
“But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,”
God wouldn’t ask us to be kind if He wasn’t kind. God’s kindness is manifested in what we call “grace.”
Back in the day, the word “kind” was so humble that it was rarely used when speaking of a god or a king. Gods and kings don’t bend down from their exalted positions to lend a hand, or give a gentle touch, or whisper some encouraging words to show kindness. No, they usually don’t do that.
But our God and King is different!
Phil. 2:6-7:
“Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.”
Jesus coming down to this earth dripping in sin, and becoming one of us just to save us, is God’s kindness at its highest degree.
As with many things, being kind needs to begin in the home. A husband and wife should always be kind to each other, parents should discipline their children with kindness and not be harsh or cruel. Brothers and sisters are to be kind, but sometimes that doesn’t occur till later in life. 😊
Romans 12:10:
“Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”
For kindness to manifest in the lives of the Corinthians, it meant not giving into their flesh, and surrendering attitudes of selfishness and pride.
What love is not… love is not jealous…
Jealousy is often found in the protection of a person’s own possessions or relationships, and is especially seen within romantic relationships.
Proverbs 6:34:
“For jealousy enrages a man, and he will not spare in the day of vengeance.”
You can envy someone else for his girlfriend, but someone flirting with your own girlfriend makes you jealous, not envious. In fact, the word jealous can carry the meaning of “zealous vigilance” according to Webster.
According to the Greek, jealous (zēloō) means to be heated or to boil with envy, hatred, and anger.
Jealousy is not some harmless sin as some might think. Eve was jealous over who God was and what He knew. The first murder was because Cain was jealous over his brother Able. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery because they were jealous.
Proverbs 27:4:
“Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood, but who can stand before jealousy?”
The phrase “green-eyed jealousy” was used by Shakespeare to denote jealousy in The Merchant of Venice. The full quote is “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on”.
James 3:13-14:
“Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.”
When love sees someone who is popular, successful, beautiful, or talented, it is glad for them, and never jealous or envious.
Love does not brag…
Love doesn’t need to brag, it doesn’t need to prove itself. It doesn’t say, “Check me out, see how loving I can be.” Agapē love is humble, working quietly behind the scenes.
To brag: is defined as to boast of one’s self, a self-display, employing rhetorical embellishments in praising one’s self excessively.
Who likes a braggart? No one likes a braggart. Excessive boasting may cause relationships to become one-sided if the braggart focuses too much on himself. It can also trigger unpleasant feelings of envy and insecurity in some people.
Have you ever talked to someone who tried to one-up you in a conversation, take all of the credit, or only talked about themselves? If you have, and I think most of you have, then you’ve experienced the braggart. They’re never enjoyable to be around.
A lot of people who seem too confident in themselves are actually deeply insecure. For them, bragging might be a way of masking their insecurities or getting help from others to build up self-esteem.
Bragging is the other side of jealousy; it is trying to make others jealous of what they have… or pretend to have.
We must be careful, because we can all have the inclination to brag about ourselves. How many of us have said, “I don’t want to blow my own horn… but.”
Bible commentary says, “The Corinthian believers were spiritual show-offs, constantly vying for public attention. They clamored for the most prestigious offices and the most glamorous gifts. They all wanted to talk at once, especially when speaking ecstatically. Most of their tongue-speaking was counterfeit, but their bragging about it was genuine. They cared nothing for harmony, order, fellowship, edification, or anything else worthwhile. They cared only about flaunting themselves.”
C. S. Lewis called bragging “the utmost evil.” It is the epitome of pride, which is the root of all sins. Bragging puts ourselves first. Everyone else, including God, must therefore be of less importance to us. It is impossible to build ourselves up without putting others down. When we brag, we can be “up” only if others are “down.”
Jesus had everything to brag about, yet He never did.
Jer 9:24:
“But let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.”
Love is not arrogant…
Arrogant (foo-see-ah’-o) means to puff up, and make proud. We could say it takes a certain amount of arrogance to be a braggart.
The term “arrogant” refers to someone who is unpleasantly proud and behaves as if they are more important than others. It often involves exaggerating one’s own worth or importance and looking down on others. Synonyms for “arrogant” include condescending, haughty, and smug.
Proverbs 8:13:
“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth, I hate.”
In Hollywood you don’t have to look very far to find arrogant celebrities, such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Will Smith, Kanye “Ye” West just to name a few. Even those who are deeply seated in the ways of the world find arrogant people detestable.
Proverbs 16:18:
“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.”
Pride and arrogance breed conflict, with which the Corinthian believers were filled.
1 Cor. 13:5:
“Does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,”
Love does not act unbecomingly…
Unbecomingly isn’t a word we use much, if at all. What it comes down to is manners, and with it, acting rudely. It’s someone without love who doesn’t care much about how they act around others. These kinds of people can be seen as careless, overbearing, and often times crude. Unbecoming suggests a behavior or language that does not suit one’s character or status. It implies that their action is not fitting or appropriate for a person.
To use it in a sentence, Liberals have been acting rather unbecomingly lately. 😊 I guess I’m picking on the liberals tonight.
Our take-away here needs to be, how do people see us? When we’re engaged with other people, do people see the gentleness of Jesus in us? It’s important that our behavior is taken as being gracious and considerate.
2 Cor. 10:1a:
“Now I, Paul, appeal to you with the gentleness and kindness of Christ.”
Know that when people are around you, it might be the only time they can see Jesus… who is in you.
When it comes to love, it does not seek its own…
This humble little phrase has major implications. Bible commentator R. C. H. Lenski writes, “Cure selfishness and you have just re-planted the garden of Eden.”
Phil. 2:4:
“Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”
Looking out for the interests of others is easy to say, but not so easy to do. Our own personal interests are usually front and center and everything else gets pushed to the back of the line.
Jesus was never that way.
Matthew 20:28:
“Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
God incarnate was Himself love incarnate.
Love is not provoked…
Provoke: means to stimulate, spur on, urge to irritate, arouse to anger, to exasperate. “Don’t poke the bear.”
Love will guard against being provoked. When it comes to relationships, we should do our best not to be the “provocateur” in any situation. Very often in marriages that have gone by the wayside, spouses know all too well how to push each other’s buttons. Pushing those buttons can be seen as provoking… it’s spurring someone on to anger. Love shouldn’t do that.
Love does not take into account a wrong suffered…
This is about forgiveness. Take into account is a bookkeeping term. The intent is to make a permanent record. Love doesn’t keep a record of the times it has been wronged.
Romans 4:8:
“Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.”
2 Cor. 5:19:
“Namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”
How much peace would you have in your heart if you knew God was keeping an accounting list of your sins?
Psalm 103:12-13:
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.”
When the books of life are opened up in heaven, and God looks up your name, He won’t find an accounting list of everything you’ve done wrong. Right next to your name He will find the word “redeemed.”
God is love, and for those who put their hope and trust in Jesus, there has been no accounting, just forgiveness.