THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE (1 CORINTHIANS 13)
“Darling,” he murmured into the phone, “I love you. I adore you. I’d climb Mount Everest in my bare feet for you. I’d slay dragons for you. I’d walk on hot coals for you. I would endure any hardship for you.”
“Oh, Ralph, I love you, too. When will I see you again?”
“Well,” replied the valiant lover, “I’ll pick you up on Saturday if it doesn’t rain.”
Love is central and unique to Judaism and Christianity. The Shema, which is the centerpiece of all morning and evening Jewish prayer services and is considered the most important prayer in Judaism, reads: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deut 6:4-5) Jesus calls it the first and greatest commandment. (Matt 22:37-39)
The most famous verse in the New Testament is “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17) Not only do Christians observe a new commandment, which is to love one another as Jesus has loved us (Jn 13:34), we are to do everything in love. (1 Cor 16:14)
What is love? Is it nothing more than feelings of love? Do you have to be in the mood to love? Why is loving others easier said than done? Why is love the greatest virtue and motivation in life?
Love is Superior
13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Cor 13:1-3)
Howard Hendricks, the Bible Study Methods professor at Dallas Seminary, is probably the most renowned and influential teacher in the field of Bible study. He has taught thousands of students, including me. Hendricks’ parents separated before he was born, and he was raised by a loving grandmother and an alcoholic grandfather. He tells of how a man named Walt led him to Christ:
One day Walt told the Sunday school superintendent he wanted to start a Sunday school class. “That’s great, Walt,” he was told, “but we don’t have an opening for you.” Walt insisted, however, so the superintendent said, “Good. Go out and get a class. Anybody you find is yours.”
Then Walt came into my community. The first time we met, I was playing marbles out on the concrete. “Son,” he said, “how would you like to go to Sunday school?” I wasn’t interested. Anything with school in it had to be bad news. So he said, “How about a game of marbles?” That was different. So we shot marbles and had a great time, though he whipped me in every single game. (Now you know: I lost my marbles early in life.) By then I would have followed him anywhere.
Walt picked up a total of thirteen boys in that community for his Sunday school class, of whom nine were from broken homes. Eleven of the thirteen are now in full-time vocational Christian work. Actually, I can’t tell you much of what Walt said to us, but I can tell you everything about him...because he loved me for Christ’s sake. He loved me more than my parents did. He used to take us hiking, and I’ll never forget those times. I’m sure we made his bad heart worse, but he’d run all over those woods with us because he cared. (Howard Hendricks, Teaching to Change Lives, pp. 21-22, Portland, OR: Multnomah Press, 1987)
The word “love” in this chapter is “agape,” not “philos,” which is translated in the Bible as “friend” (John 15:14), or “eros,” which is physical or sexual. Agape love is selfless, sacrificial and steadfast. Paul’s definition is not only succinct and thorough, it is probably the most beloved and renown definition of love. It is not only the most popular for wedding couples, but also to many Bible readers.
The structural markers underlining Paul’s testimony to the superiority of love is organized around three phrases “but have not love.” Love trumps the three kinds of gifts – the sensational or the spectacular, the sophisticated or skilled, and the sacrificial and selfless gifts. He begins with the least important and the most abused spiritual gift.
Note that Paul did not use the word “gift” for love to downplay the Corinthians’ emphasis on the gifts of the Spirit (Rom 12:6, 1 Cor 12:4) and promote love, which is the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22), because love is available to all and compulsory of all, not optional or giftedness.
The subject of speaking in tongues was a controversial and sore subject in the church of Corinth. Tongues are not ecstatic utterances or unknown languages given a believer for a thrill, a kick or a high. Twice, Paul uses the phrase “different kinds” of tongues (1 Cor 12:10, 12:28) to suggest tongues are “various languages” – “kinds” is translated as “offspring” (Acts 17:28), “native” (Acts 18:24) and “countrymen (2 Cor 11:26) in the New Testament. Tongues come with restrictions and with interpretation (1 Cor 12:30, 14:5, 14:13, 14:27). The abuse of tongues occurs because of pride. The speaker prides himself in being more spiritual than the next believer (1 Cor 14:4) and boasts of speaking to God and not men (1 Cor 14:2). Speaking in tongues is useless – merely speaking into the air - without interpretation is unintelligible to outsiders (1 Cor 14:9) and unfruitful to believers (1 Cor 14:14).
However, we must not lose sight of what Paul is really saying. Paul is using a figure of speech called merism (Greek meros “part”) to emphasize “totality or ‘all’ as expressed by contrasting parts” (e.g. high and low, young and old). “Tongues of men and angels” means the ability to communicate with men and angels or heaven and earth, knowing all languages in the world. There is no special emphasis on tongues of angels because angels were never known to speak in unknown tongues to men or God. For the support of Paul’s use of merism, the word “all” is used eight times in the chapter (vv 2, 2, 2, 3, 7, 7, 7, 7).
It’s been said, “Empty vessels make the most noise.” “Gong” (v 1) is translated elsewhere as “copper” (Matt 10:9) and “bronze” (Rev 18:12). “Resounding” occurs one other time in the Bible and is translated as the “roaring of the sea” (Luke 21:25). The “clanging” sound is likened to that of someone “wailing” (Mark 5:38).
From the sensational, Paul addresses the skilled gifts. Paul moves to prophecy. Prophecy is not necessarily “foretelling” but, more importantly, “telling forth” God’s word; not prediction or revelation of future events, but instruction and teaching of God’s word. While tongues are not for believers but for unbelievers, prophecy, nevertheless, is for believers and not for unbelievers. (1 Cor 14:22) Paul puts a premium on prophecy. With prophecy there would be no lack of knowledge or insight. In the Bible, mysteries (v 2) are not the same as secrets. Mysteries are waiting to be uncovered and discovered, but secrets refused to be found or revealed.
In Mark 11: 23, Jesus says a man with faith can order a mountain into the sea, but Paul here heightens it to “moving mountains.” Paul’s “mountains” is plural, more dramatic but utterly useless. He is not saying the man is not doing much as a feat but that he is not much better as a person. It adds to his reputation but not his character.
Next, the apostle contrast and climaxes the argument with two sacrificial and selfless gifts – giving and martyrdom. Giving to friends and family is no big deal, giving 10% or even millions is no big deal if you are a billionaire, but giving all is selfless, sacrificial and shocking. The gift of martyrdom is the most sacrificial and the most selfish gift of all but at the same time – it can only be used once. Paul is not saying the person has done nothing, but that the person is none the better “without love.”
Love is Perfect
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Cor 13:4-7)
Kids, aged 5 to 10, were asked questions about what they thought of love and marriage. Here’s a sample of what they said.
On what falling in love is like:
“Love is like an avalanche where you have to run for your life.” (Roger, 9)
“If falling in love is anything like learning how to spell, I don’t want to do it. It takes too long.” (Leo, 7)
“No one is sure why it happens, but I heard it has something to do with how you smell. That’s why perfume and deodorant are so popular.” (Jan, 9)
“I think you’re supposed to get shot with an arrow or something, but the rest of it isn’t supposed to be so painful.” (Harlen, 8)
“All of a sudden, the people get movies fever so they can sit together in the dark.” (Sherm, 8)
“You should never kiss a girl unless you have enough bucks to buy her a big ring and her own VCR, ’cause she’ll want to have videos of the wedding.” (Jim, 10)
“It’s better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need somebody to clean up after them!” (Lynette, 9)
Concerning why lovers often hold hands:
“They want to make sure their rings don’t fall off because they paid good money for them.” (Dave, 8)
“Love will find you, even if you are trying to hide from it. I have been trying to hide from it since I was five, but the girls keep finding me.” (Bobby, 8)
“I’m not rushing into being in love. I’m finding fourth grade hard enough.” (Regina, 10)
“One of you should know how to write a check. Because, even if you have tons of love, there is still going to be a lot of bills.” (Ava, 8)
Some surefire ways to make a person fall in love with you:
“Tell them that you own a whole bunch of candy stores.” (Del, 6)
“One way is to take the girl out to eat. Make sure it’s something she likes to eat. French fries usually works for me.” (Bart, 9)
“Just see if the man picks up the check. That’s how you can tell if he’s in love.” (John, 9)
“Lovers will just be staring at each other and their food will get cold. Other people care more about the food.” (Brad, 8)
“The person is thinking: Yeah, I really do love him. But I hope he showers at least once a day. (Michelle, 9)
“Don’t forget your wife’s name ... That will mess up the love.” (Erin, 8)
“Don’t say you love somebody and then change your mind ... Love isn’t like picking what movie you want to watch.” (Natalie, 9)
http://www.gagirl.com/kids/kids.html
After comparing love, Paul defines and idealizes love. Paul uses eight positives and eight negatives: two positive definitions in verse 4, then seven negative terms from verses 4-5, next a positive-negative contrast (v 6) and ends with five more positive characterizations (vv 7-8).
Patience (makrothumeo) (v 4) or forbearance is derived from Greek word “long” (macros). Literally it means long-suffering. Kind is a contrast to “patient.” Kindness does with a smile what patience forces itself to do. Patience manages to “grin and bear” it but kindness “delivers coals in the snow” (Chinese proverb) to those in need.
A list of seven “not’s” – three in verse 4 and four in verse 5 – is included in two short verses. English language speakers differentiate between jealousy and envy. Jealousy is the red eye, but envy is the covetous heart. One is resentful of what others have, the latter is desirous of what others have. “Envy” is in the heart, but “boasting” is on the lips; it means inflating one’s worth. “Pride” is in one’s mind. “Rudeness” is in one’s conduct; it occurs one other time in the Bible, translated as “acting improperly.” (1 Cor 7:36) “Self-seeking” is for one’s interests or welfare; it means “looking out for oneself.” “Anger” (paroxuno) is tackling one’s temperament. The word is from the root “acid.” “Keeps no record of wrong” in Greek is “not thinking (logizomia) evil,” which deals with one’s motive or past.
Verse six is “rejoice in/upon” versus “rejoice with.” The former has room for one only – self, but the latter has rooms to spare for others. The first sneers and gloats alone when others do wrong; loveless engages in chest-thumping but love doubles the joy and shares the high-fives.
In contrast to the eight “not,” including one in verse 6, is “all” – four in verse 7 and eight in the whole chapter. The root word for “protect” comes from the word “roof.” “Protect” is about sheltering others. “Trust” is the word for “believe” or “have faith” in God. “Hope” is confidence, grounded in the future. “Perseveres” literally means “stay behind” – grounded in the present “Protect” is believing in people, believe is in God, and hope is future reality and perseverance is present resolve.
Love is Eternal
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor 13:8-13)
In the “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” feisty Lucy says to Charlie Brown, “Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown. Tis the season of peace on earth and good will toward men, therefore I suggest we forget all our differences and love one another.” The delighted Charlie Brown says, “That’s wonderful Lucy. I’m so glad you said that. But tell me, do we have to love each other only at this season of the year? Why can’t we love each other all year long?” Lucy retorts, “What are you a fanatic or something?”
“Cease” and “pass away” in verse 8 are the same Greek words, occurring four times (vv 8, 8, 10, 11) in the passage. “Still” (v 8) has to do with volume and “cease/pass away” with time and history. Prophecy and knowledge (v 8), at best, is in part. Love, on the other hand, has no limits, is not bound by time. The former, gifts, are information but love is inspiration; gifts are limited to the church but love is for all.
“Nepios” or child (v 11) is the most unflattering and unusual of all words used for children in the New Testament; it is the word for the youngest infants - “child” or “babe,” whereas “man” is not merely “man,” but it could be translated as “husband” (Matt 1:19) or married man. “Thought” or “phroneo” is the mind, but “reason” is the mind at work. “Phroneo” is the brain, its activity, the mental faculty, but “reason” is the logic, its function, the thinking process, the reasoning power. The interesting thing is that Paul uses talking before thinking and thinking before reasoning – from weak to strong, exactly how a child does things. His talking is noisiest, his thinking is blank and his understanding why is not formed.
“Poor reflection” in verse 12 is “ainigma” (“enigma”), meaning “obscure.” The word “mirror” and “full” are contrasted in Greek. Mirrors were invented about 2,000 years ago, so we understand why Paul says mirrors then have a poor reflection. “Mirror” (es-optron) and “fully” (pros-opon) both has the word “eye” (optanomai) embedded in them, the latter meaning “to eye,” meaning “eye to eye.” The first and normal “know” (ginosko) is contrasted with the more intense and thorough “know” (epi-ginosko) with the preposition “upon” added.
The words “cease” (1 Cor 13:8), “pass away” (1 Cor 13:8), “disappears” (1 Cor 13:10), and “behind me” (1 Cor 13:11) are the same in Greek – katargeo.
Conclusion: Are you growing in love? Do you love the Lord and your neighbors the deserving and the undeserving, the believing as well as the unbelieving,? Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? (Matt 5:44-46) Do you love in word and in deed?
Victor Yap
Other sermons in the series and other sermon series:
www.epreaching.blogspot.com
