ESSENTIAL to IMPLEMENTATION-I—1Corinthians 12:31-14:1
Attention/Need:
Valentine’s Day is upon us. Our society is confused about the meaning of love. “Love” can actually carry a variety of meanings in our society. Most often love is portrayed in a romantic, sexual or setimental sense.
Paul highlighted/elucidated the necessity of agape love to the application of Christianity.
Agape love is essential to the implementation of Christian belief.
How is agape love essential to the Christian faith?
*Implementation of Christianity becomes mere/empty social reform&/or interaction without agape love.
Php. 2:12-13—“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear & trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will & to do for His good pleasure.”
1Pet. 4:8—“And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”
1Tim. 1:5—“Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, & from sincere faith,”
*This chapter is actually the definition for agape love.
The umbrella of agape love presented here is neither romantic or sexual love(erov), nor is it sentimental(pleasant feeling about someone or thing), nor is it friendship or brotherly love(filia), nor charity(KJV) for the poor.—MacArthur
The supreme example of agape love is God’s love toward humanity.
Agape love is always giving &/or sacrificial love.
1—Agape love is essential to Christianity thru its...
MASTERY/Control(:1-7)
Explanation/Argumentation:(:1-7)
:1—“Though I speak with the tongues of men & of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
“Tongues”(See :8)—glwssa—1) The tongue, a member of the body, an organ of speech; 2) A tongue—1a) The language or dialect used by a particular people distinct from that of other nations.
—The context suggests—Chapt. 12 & Chapt. 14— that the problem with “tongues” involved something beyond human ability.
“Love”—agaph— ‘...one of the rarest words in Greek literature, but one of the most common in the New Testament.’—John MacArthur, Jr. Used or implied thruout this chapter.
“Sounding/Noisy/Resounding”—hcew—1) To sound—1a) Used in Lk. 21:25 of the roaring of the sea. Used 2X.
“Brass/Gong”—calkov—1) Brass; 2) What is made of brass, money, coins of brass (also of silver & gold). If instrumental it is unknown.
“Clanging/Tinkling”—alalazw—1) To repeat frequently the cry "alala" as soldiers used to do on entering into battle; 2) To utter a joyful sound; 3) To wail, lament; 4) To ring loudly, to clang. To wail in oriental style; to howl in a consecrated, semi-liturgical fashion. Used in Mk. 5:38 to describe a wail of grief. Used 2X
*This verse highlights the indistinction in the absence of agape love,....
....& what is potentially distinct in the control of agape love.
:2—“And though I have the gift of prophecy, & understand all mysteries & all knowledge, & though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
Declaring the future, nature’s mysteries, & having vast intelligence is pointless apart from agape love.
Prophecy(foretelling) without love becomes arrogance.
Prophecy(forthtelling) without love becomes intimidation.
“Understand”—eidw—1)To see(with the eyes); 2) To know. Signifies a clear & purely mental perception.
“Knowledge”(See :8)—gnwsiv—Knowledge signified in general intelligence, understanding.
“Remove/Move”—meyisthmi—1) To transpose, transfer, remove from one place to another.
Mat. 7:21-23—“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, & done many wonders in Your name?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”
Mat. 17:20—To the disciples when they couldn’t cast out a demon—“So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ & it will move; & nothing will be impossible for you.”
*If it were possible to “embrace the whole range of [spiritual gifts] & the full measure of any one of them, but at the same time would fail to...” exercise them in agape love, then “...such a person would be nothing in the sight of God.”—Gordon Fee
:3—“And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, & though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
“Bestow...to feed/Give”—qwmizw—1) To feed by putting a bit or crumb (of food) into the mouth; 1a) Of infants, young animals etc.; 2) To feed, nourish; 3) To give a thing to feed someone, feed out to. Strong—To supply with bits, i.e. (generally) to nourish:-- (bestow to) feed.
“Goods”—uparconta—Possessions, goods, wealth, property. Strong—Things extant or in hand, i.e. property or possessions:-- goods, that which one has, things which (one) possesses, substance, that has.
*If I were able & willing to give up all my possessions to feed others, it would be a useless effort/sacrifice apart from agape love.
“Give/Deliver/Surrender”—paradidwmi—1) To give into the hands (of another); 2) To give over into (one’s) power or use—2a) To deliver to one something to keep, use, take care of, manage, 2b) To deliver up one to custody, to be judged, condemned, punished, scourged, tormented, put to death, 2c) To deliver up treacherously—2c1) By betrayal to cause one to be taken, 2c2) To deliver one to be taught, moulded; 3) To commit, to commend; 4) To deliver verbally—4a) commands, rites, 4b) To deliver by narrating, to report; 5) To permit allow.
“Profits”—wfelew—To assist, to be useful or advantageous, to profit.
*If I willingly gave myself to be burned for my faith, it would be a useless effort/sacrifice apart from agape love. :4—“Love suffers long & is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;”
h agaph(See :8) X3— ‘This love’
“Love suffers long”
*In the free exercise of Agape love, I must couch everything in patient perseverance when faced with difficulty as well as in the face of insult, offense or injury inflicted by others.
“Suffers Long/Patient”—makroyumew—1) To be of a long spirit, not to lose heart—1a) To persevere patiently & bravely in enduring misfortunes & troubles, 1b) To be patient in bearing the offenses & injuries of others—1b1) To be mild & slow in avenging, 1b2) To be longsuffering, slow to anger, slow to punish.
“& is kind”
*In the free exercise of Agape love, I must present myself useful to others in their need.
“Kind”—crhsteuomai—To show one’s self mild(gentle & not easily provoked), to be kind, use kindness. Strong—To show oneself useful, i.e. act benevolently:-- be kind. Used 1X.
‘Kind’—Eng.—‘Having or showing a friendly, generous, & considerate nature.’
“Love does not envy”
*In the free exercise of Agape love, I offer myself to others without resentment or covetousness toward them &/or their possessions.
“Envy/Jealous”(See 12:31—“earnestly desire”)—zhlow—1) To burn with zeal—1a) To be heated or to boil with envy, hatred, anger—1a1) In a good sense, to be zealous in the pursuit of good, 1b) To desire earnestly, pursue—1b1) To desire one earnestly, to strive after, busy one’s self about him, 1b2) To exert one’s self for one (that he may not be torn from me), 1b3) To be the object of the zeal of others, to be zealously sought after, 1c) To envy.
“Love does not parade itself”
*In the free exercise of Agape love, I never purposely call attention to my expression of love or to the fact that I am loving.
“Parade/Vaunteth/Brag”—perpereuomai—1) To boast one’s self; 2) A self display, employing rhetorical embellishments in extolling one’s self excessively. Used 1X.
“Love...is not puffed up”
*In the free exercise of Agape love, I am not prideful & see myself as bigger/better than others.
“Puffed up/Proud/Arrogant”—fusiow—1) To make natural, to cause a thing to pass into nature; 2) To inflate, blow up, to cause to swell up—2a) To puff up, make proud, 2b) To be puffed up, to bear one’s self loftily, be proud. Strong—Growth (by germination or expansion & thus puffed up) From a noun translated as “Nature.”
Pride is the enemy of Agape love.
1Cor. 8:1—“....Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.”
:5—“does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
*Paul describes its attributes by describing what it is not.
*These negating aspects of love are much easier for us to envision because these are aspects with which we are very familiar, as they are entirely natural approaches.
“Does not behave rudely”
*In the free exercise of Agape love I will not act in a manner which is inappropriate/improper as this would dishonor Christ as the designer of propriety.
“Behave rudely/Behave unseemly/Act unbecomingly/Rude”—aschmonew— To act unbecomingly. Used 2X here & 1Cor. 7:36(Behaving improperly).
“Does not seek its own”
*In the free exercise of Agape love, I will not be self-seeking, placing myself above others. I will not demand my rights or what I am entitled to.
“Seek its own/Self-seeking”—zhtew—1) To seek in order to find—1a) To seek a thing, 1b) To seek [in order to find out] by thinking, meditating, reasoning, to enquire into, 1c) To seek after, seek for, aim at, strive after; 2) To seek i.e. require, demand—2a) To crave, demand something from someone.
“Is not provoked”
*In the free exercise of Agape love, I do not allow myself to react sharply toward others even when incited to do the opposite.
“Provoked”—paroxunw—To make sharp, sharpen—1a) To stimulate, spur on, urge, 1b) To irritate, provoke, arouse to anger—1b1) To scorn, despise, 1b2) Provoke, make angry, 1b3) To exasperate, to burn with anger. From —oxuv—To be sharp; swift or quick. The noun means Incitement or Irritation. Used 2X.
“Thinks no evil”
*In the free exercise of Agape love, I do not keep a chalkboard of nor take evil into account concerning my response. I will not seek someone’s demise or give them less than what is best for them.
“Thinks no/not Take into account/Keeps no record”(See:11)—logizomai—‘Does not consider evil logical’—1) To reckon, count, compute, calculate, count over; 2) To reckon inward, count up or weigh the reasons, to deliberate; 3) By reckoning up all the reasons, to gather or infer. Strong—To take an inventory, i.e. estimate (literally or figuratively):-- conclude, (ac-)count.
“Evil/Wrongs”—kakov—1) Of a bad nature; 2) Of a mode of thinking, feeling, acting; 3) Troublesome, injurious, pernicious, destructive, baneful.
:6—“does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
“Does not rejoice in iniquity”
*In the free exercise of Agape love I do not find joy/pleasure in doing that which is not right in God’s eyes or toward man when in the right.
“Rejoice/Delight”—cairw—1) To rejoice, be glad; 2) To rejoice exceedingly; 3) To be well, thrive; 4) In salutations, hail!; 5) At the beginning of letters: to give one greeting, salute.
“Iniquity/Unrighteousness /Evil”—adikia—1) Injustice, of a judge; 2) Unrighteousness of heart & life; 3) A deed violating law & justice, act of unrighteousness.
“but rejoices in the truth”
*In the free exercise of Agape love I rather find pleasure in the joy of others as they & I live out God’s truth.
“Rejoice”—sugcairw—1) To rejoice with, take part in another’s joy; 2) To rejoice together, to congratulate.
Jn. 15:10-11—“If you keep My[Jesus’] commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments & abide in His love. “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, & that your joy may be full.”
1Jn. 1:3-4—“that which we have seen & heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; & truly our fellowship is with the Father & with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.”
2Jn. 12— “Having many things to write to you, I[John] did not wish to do so with paper & ink; but I hope to come to you & speak face to face, that our joy may be full.”
2Cor. 1:23-24—“But I[John] call God as witness to my soul, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith, but are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are standing firm.”
:7—“bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
“Bears all things”
*In the free exercise of Agape love I do not allow personal threat(s) to move me beyond silence & will thus hold out against it without reltaliation. Others are thereby protected against a skewed view of God. If I openly expose the faults & failures of others I have perverted agape love. “If it bears it does not bare”—MacArthur.
“Bears/Protects”—stegw v.—1) Deck, thatch, to cover—1a) To protect or keep by covering, to preserve; 2) To cover over with silence—2a) To keep secret, 2b) To hide, conceal—2b1) Of the errors & faults of others; 3) By covering to keep off something which threatens, to bear up against, hold out against, & so endure, bear, forbear. From —stegh n.— “Roof”: of a house. Strong—To roof over, i.e. (figuratively) to cover with silence (endure patiently):-- (for-)bear, suffer.
“Believes all things”
*In the free exercise of Agape love I am not suspicious. I will easily forgive a fault & give others a 2nd chance as it were. I will look for & expect the best motive(s) & most favorable outcome(s). I will not be predisposed to see & expect the worst in others.
“Believes/Trusts”—pisteuw—1) To think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in; 2) To entrust a thing to one, i.e. his fidelity. Strong—To have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), i.e. credit; by implication, To entrust (especially one’s spiritual well-being to Christ):-- Believe(-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with.
“Hopes all things,”
*In the free exercise of Agape love I do not accept ‘failure as final.‘ I will expect the best in people.
—Like a dog committed to its missing master. 5 yrs. waiting for master to return.—MacArthur
“Hopes”—elpizw—1) To hope—1a) In a religious sense, to wait for salvation with joy & full confidence; 2) Hopefully to trust in. Strong—To expect or confide:-- (have, thing) hope(-d) (for), trust.
“Endures all things.”
*In the free exercise of Agape love I am willing to be regarded as secondary in other’s eyes. & I will patiently endure that position. See Lk. 14:7-11
“Endures/Perseveres”—upomenw—1) To remain—1a) To tarry behind; 2) To remain i.e. abide, not recede or flee. Strong—To stay under (behind), i.e. remain; figuratively—To undergo, i.e. bear (trials), have fortitude, persevere:-- abide, endure, (take) patient(-ly), suffer, tarry behind. A military term used to describe holding vital piece of ground.
Illustration:
Astronauts to outer space/Special suits/18,000+ parts/$13-16 million/Need for air holds MASTERY....
....Christians to a dying world/Agape love holds MASTERY
Application:
?Agape Love hold MASTERY when implementing your belief?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
*We see explained in these verses that Agape love is utterly impossible for the natural man. It is often imitated, but is only attained thru supernatural means.
‘It is easier to be orthodox than to be loving, & easier to be active in church work than to be loving...’....‘Love is more excellent than feeling resentful & inferior because you do not have...or feeling superior & independent because you do have...’—John MacArthur, Jr.
Action:
Agape love is essential to Christianity thru its...
1. MASTERY/Control(:1-7)
Presented 02/14/2010am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf NC 27054
