"The Way of Love"
1 Cor. 12:31b-14:1a
vacMidway 3/26/2005
{Intro: What is love, according to our culture?}
“I love [computers]. Really? The same way I love my wife? What’s up with the word “love”? It doesn’t have much meaning when we use it so loosely. Maybe we don’t really get it. Maybe we don’t understand what real love is. What it involves to really love somebody. What it means to give yourself to someone else. We mistake things like friendship, commitment, or lust for love…”[i]
A few years ago, there was a popular song asking, “What is love? Baby don’t hurt me! Don’t hurt me! No more!” There was even a movie accompanied it. But we are as clueless as ever about love.
The epitome of love often portrayed as the wedding of a couple in love. And this 1st Corinthians 13 is often cited during the marriage ceremony as the “love passage”. It was a beautiful passage. Many believed that it was the most polished and poetic prose St. Paul had ever written. The only problem is, it has nothing to do with the romantic notion of love as we often think. Most people, including many Christians, seem to think of it only in terms of nice feelings, warm affection, romance, and desire. When we say, “I love you,” we often mean, “I love me and I want you [to love me].”[ii]
{Background and context}
From the context, you will see chapter 13 was sandwiched between chapter 12 and 14. What Paul was addressing at this point is the multitude of problems in the Corinthians church. It seems like they had plenty of knowledge, plenty of talents, plenty of spiritual gifts, but also plenty of sins. Divisiveness was rampant among the church. Everyone followed their own ways and believed that their way is the right way. In chapter 12, Paul made a point that the gifts and talents they received from God were not for their own use but for building up the body of Christ, the church in unity. At the end of chapter 12, Paul introduced Love as the greatest, beyond the greatest gifts and talents they were striving for:
“...And now I will show you the most excellent way.”
{Read the rest of the text}
...And now I will show you the most excellent way. 1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If 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. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love 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. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When 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. 12Now 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. 13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1Follow the way of love...
{Prayer}
{I. WITHOUT LOVE}
{Story: Fateful childhood} I came accross this powerful parable recently. Christian Anderson was born in a small town. When he was a month old, his father died of an accident. The town’s folks, who were deeply concerned over the plight of the poor young widow, held a shower for the baby. People brought over all sort of stuff, from an old crib, to baby clothes, to even meat and potatoes for her pantry. The mother was moved by the gestures and she wept openly, “Thank you for your wonderful support,” she said, brushing back her tears. “You have made a most difficult time much easier.”
After all of the guests had left and the young widow was putting things away, she heard a knock on the door. She opened it to find an old man who lived in the corner house by himself. He was quite short in stature, wore glasses, and had white hair. Everyone called him Doc Ted, though he didn’t seem to be a doctor in any normal sense. Few people had ever talked to the reclusive old man, though he often waved at the widow as she walked past his home.
“I have come to give you my gift for your young son,” he said softly. “Mine is a different kind of gift than the others you have received. I have come to offer you one wish for young Christian. It may be anything that you want for him, but you must make the wish before coming to church this Sunday.” He paused a moment and then continued, “Please believe that I have the power to give you whatever you desire for your beautiful son.” Having concluded, the little man bowed and walked back to his house on the corner.
The young mother was baffled by the words of her strange little friend. Did he really have the power to grant a wish? What should she ask for? All week long she could not make up her mind. Finally, as they crossed the church’s threshold, she whispered in the infant’s ear, “I wish that everyone in the world will love my Christian.” It was the greatest wish she could hope for her son.
And lo and behold, the wish came true. Christian grew up to be a handsome lad with jet black hair and gleaming white teeth. As a toddler, people could not resist hugging and touching him. Even when he was naughty, no one could believe that he had done anything wrong. As he grew older, Christian became known and loved throughout the town. He was always given food and toys by other children. If his mother scolded or punished him, the adults would insist that she was being too harsh to such a wonderful child. Sometimes Christian responded to all this attention by treating people with contempt. That didn’t seem to matter, for they still seemed to adore him...
Besides how we look, there are three other ways in which we have contact with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these three contacts: what we say, what we know in order to say it, and what we do.[iii] Paul understood this and using the language of his day, He created an illustration to underscore the important of Love.
“1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.”
In Paul’s time, the Corinthians thought that it was super-cool to possess gifts such as speaking in different languages like praying-in-tongues. They believed that it could be the language of angels.
{Story: grade-school years} In Christian’s church, it was super-cool to have the voice of angels. The boy was a rising soloist when he was only 8 years-old. He sang frequently at church especially on Special Occasion, and the town’s people were mesmerized by his angel voice. In his teen, his voice changed and he developed a deep and rich voice like professional singer. He still sang for fun, but his passion was for public speaking and joined the debate team in High School.
Christian discovered that “Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel.”[iv] He believed that “You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere.”[v] And so he honed his skill and got really good at it. He even enrolled in theater class to get better at communication. On stage, he could tickle people laughing one minute, and the next minute moving them to tears.
What we say is very important. Effective communication is the key to success in today culture. But Paul was saying that even if you could be like Christian Anderson and perform all that, without love it was all babbling meaningless.
To God, we PRODUCE nothing without love.
Paul went on, “2If 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.”
In Paul’s thoughts, the ability of a prophet was even better than the ability with languages. Prophets speak what they know. The word “mysteries” may represent divine spiritual understanding and “knowledge” may represent factual human understanding.[vi] Paul added on knowledge with “faith”, but it’s a “faith that can move mountains”, faith to accomplish the impossible!
{Story: college years} After high school, Christian got a full scholarship with a prestigious college and moved to New York to be a double-major at communication and business. At Christmas, when he returned home for the first time, he drove up in a beautiful, black Cadillac. His suitcases were filled with fine clothes, and he always had plenty of spending money. He gathered his friends at a party and told them that he would certainly be a celebrity millionaire within a few years.
And he did. While still a college freshman, Christian broke into the entertainment industry by forming a band. People loved him and he quickly became a rising idol after producing hits after hits in music video. But Christian also was very business-savvy. From music, he branched into movies and television with equal success. By the time he graduated cum-laude from college, he had his own show and production company. Everyone was notice this young star, who had a rare combination of outward charisma like Tom Cruise and the inward brain like Ted Turner. The critics raved, “People love Christian not just because he was a great performer, but his intelligence and passion draw them in.”
What we say is important. But what we know and what we believe behind what we say is even more important because “communications without intelligence is noise; Intelligence without communications is irrelevant.” People strived to have their inward person matching up with their outward personality. In our culture, we value authenticity, we value people like Christian who could back their outward charm with their inward intellect and passion. We called that “integrity”. People like that are “real”; they are something to behold.
But Paul was saying that even if you could be like Christian Anderson, have integrity and authenticity to back up what you say by what you know and what you believe, without love it is still an absolute zero.
To God, we ARE nothing without love.
Paul went on, “3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”
In the original language the verb “give” in “I give all I possess” literally mean to “dole out”. It differs from Jesus’ command to the rich young ruler to give all his money to the poor in a single action (Matt. 19:21). Rather, it’s the giving away of possessions piecemeal over a lengthy period.[vii] It’s the premeditated systematic giving like what were encouraged in Church’s tithing. And “surrender my body to the flames” probably pointed to the ultimate sacrifice of the martyrs in the early churches. Paul built to a climax in verses 1–3 moving from the less to the more difficult actions.[viii]
{Story: Career years} After college, Christian enjoyed the life of success. “I collect horses, dogs, and women,” he often bragged. There was no pleasure he did not indulge in, and there was no vice he did not experience. None of his relationships were permanent. Even though his many girlfriends smothered him with attention and friends raved about him, his heart grew empty and his soul became sick. He despised the people who catered to him. He was disgusted with everything and everyone.
A friend of Christian suggested that he should be more involved in charity. And so Christian attended various fundraisers and donated his money for cancer research, to fight drugs. People loved him even more. One time he was invited on a talk show, and he gave everyone in the audience a brand new car! The publicity stunt was sensational, and he instantly became a good role model for many. His charity work helped benefited many people; but his heart was still emptied.
What we say outwardly is important. What we think, know, or believe inwardly also important because it will shape who we are. But they might be of little consequential to the world around us. The biggest consequence is what we do[ix]. You can talk about caring for the poor, you can study it with your youth group on Saturday, but you are inconsequential until you do it, like some of you visited the convalescence home yesterday. Most people, including Christians have slaved away to leave their legacy behind. Churches has always known for its ministry and programs and touched many lives.
But Paul was saying that even if you could be like Christian Anderson and do all that, even dedicate yourselves in charity and ministry work, yet without genuine love as motivation you won’t really get anything out of it. Other people may be benefit, but you won’t get anything (and you should get something from it as God designed charity to be)[ix-2].
To God, we GAIN nothing without love.
{Story: the pivotal night} To Christian, despite his fame, fortune, and even charity work, he was feeling empty and depressed even all people around idolize him. He had been coping with it with a lot of anti-depressant and therapy but they didn’t improve him much. Finally, he took a break from the limelight and came back to the home town hoping to sort things out. One night, he realized that he was at the end of the rope just like many people who “had it all” before him: Marilyn Monroe, John Belushi and Kurk Cobain. Alone in his childhood home, Christian decided to end his life. He mixed a powerful poison in a glass of wine and lifted it to his lips. Just as he was about to drink it, Doc Ted rushed through the door and took the glass out of his hands, “Good evening. Christian. It has been a long time since we‘ve seen each other,” the old man said softly.
Christian asked to be left alone, but Doc Ted ignored his pleas. “You seem to be dissatisfied with your life of frivolity,” the old man said. “I am sorry it has been such a meaningless existence for you. I suppose I am the one responsible for your misery. I fulfilled your mothers wish so that you would be loved from everyone, even though it was a foolish one. Suppose I now offer you a new wish? Make it anything you want, and I will fulfill it. But be careful, Christian,” the old man concluded. “Wishes have a way of coming true.”
“I don’t think you can give me anything that I haven’t already had.” Christian said sadly. “Think again, my son,” Doc Ted said earnestly, peering into the young man’s eyes. “Think of something that has given you true happiness in your short life. Make another wish for my sake, and for the sake of your dear mother.” Christian closed his eyes and thought for several minutes. Finally he spoke through his tears, “Take away the old wish and give me a new one. Rather than being loved, I ask for the ability to love everyone in the world.” “That is good,” Doc Ted said, embracing the sobbing young man. “Now learn to love.”
{II. WHAT IS LOVE, according to God}
The word used for love here is a special word. Agapç (love) is one of the rarest words in ancient Greek literature, but one of the most common in the New Testament. Unlike our English love, it never refers to romantic or sexual love, for which erôs was used, and which does not appear in the New Testament. Nor does it refer to mere sentiment, a pleasant feeling about something or someone. It does not mean dose friendship or brotherly love, for which philia is used. Nor does agapç mean charity, a term the King James translators carried over from the Latin and which in English has long been associated only with giving to the needy. This chapter is itself the best definition of agapç.[x]
[This is like] shining love through a prism and we see 15 of its colors and hues, the spectrum of love. Each ray gives a facet, a property, of agapç love.[xi] [This is like] Paul is painting a portrait of love, and Jesus Christ is sitting for the portrait. He lived out in perfection all of these virtues of love. This beautiful picture of love is a portrait of Him.[xii] [If we are follower of Jesus, this is the model for us to become.]
{The attributes of love}
“4Love is patient, love is kind.”
John MacArthur explained this best in his commentary…
The word [“patient” or long-suffering in some translation] is common in the New Testament and is used almost exclusively of being patient with people, rather than with circumstances or events. Love’s patience is the ability to be inconvenienced or taken advantage of by a person over and over again and yet not be upset or angry. Chrysostom, the early church Father, said, “It is a word which is used of the man who is wronged and who has it easily in his power to avenge himself but will never do it.”
One of Abraham Lincoln’s earliest political enemies was Edwin M. Stanton. He called Lincoln a “clown” and “the original gorilla.” “It was ridiculous for people to go to Africa to see a gorilla,” he would say, “when they could find one easily in Springfield, Illinois.” Lincoln never responded to the slander, but when, as president, he needed a secretary of war, he chose Stanton When his incredulous friends asked why, Lincoln replied “Because he is the best man.” Years later, as the slain president’s body lay in state, Stanton looked into the coffin and said through his tears: “There lies the greatest ruler of men the world has ever seen.” His animosity was finally broken by Lincoln’s long–suffering, nonretaliatory spirit. Patient love won out.
Just as patience will take anything from others, kindness will give anything to others, even to its enemies. Being kind is the counterpart of being patient. To be kind means to be useful, serving, and gracious. It is active goodwill. It not only [feeling], but [show those feeling through actions]... The first test of Christian kindness, and the test of every aspect of love [here after], is in the [family]. The Christian husband who acts like a Christian is kind to his wife and children. Christian brothers and sisters are kind to each other and to their parents. [The second test of Christian kindness is in the family of God. Of all people, the children of God should be the one who can demonstrate our willingness to help, to serve and to be gracious with one another]. They have more than kind feelings toward each other; they do kind, helpful things for each other.[xiii]
Paul also went on and illustrated what love is not.
“[Love] does not envy, it does not boast,”
John MacArthur once again was great in explaining what these words mean…
Envy [or jealousy in some translations] says, “I want what someone else has,” [or] “I wish they didn’t have what they have;” [and the worst form of envy is] desiring evil for someone else.
[Envy] is not a moderate or harmless sin. It was Eve’s jealousy of God, sparked by her pride, to which Satan successfully appealed. She wanted to be like God, to have what He has and to know what He knows. Jealousy was an integral part of that first great sin, from which all other sin has descended. The next sin mentioned in Genesis is murder, caused by Cain’s jealousy of Abel. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery because of jealousy. Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den because of the jealousy of his fellow officials in Babylon.
[Boasting] is the other side of [envy]. [Envy] is wanting what someone else has; [boasting] is trying to make others [envious] of what we have. [Envy] puts others down; [boasting] builds us up. [xiv]
“[Love] is not proud. 5It is not rude”
Proud is having big-head, especially by those of us who might have blessed by God with some success or blessings. Proud people consider themselves more than others. Arrogance breeds lovelessness. They will not care for anybody else but themselves.
Rude is having big-attitude, ill-manners, especially by those of us who might think that we were not endowed with success and blessing. You might think that it’s nothing when compare to being proud, but it stems from the same lovelessness. It does not care enough for those it is around to act politely. It [also] cares nothing for their feelings or sensitivities.[xv]
“[Love] is not self-seeking”
Here is probably the key to everything. The root evil of fallen human nature is in [SELF] wanting to have its own way. Lenski, the well–known Bible commentator, has said, “Cure selfishness and you have just replanted the garden of Eden.” Adam and Eve rejected God’s way so that they could have their own. Self replaced God. That is the opposite of righteousness and the opposite of love. Love is not preoccupied with its own things but with the interests of others (Phil. 2:4).[xvi]
“[Love] is not easily angered, [love] keeps no record of wrongs”
Some may say, “Wait a minute, anger can’t be that bad. Didn’t Jesus get angry and trash the temple too?” There is a righteous anger that even God was known for as His wrath. It’s directed to the evil which even “love does not delight in” as the next verse say.
Most of the time, we get angry when the SELF was touched, when OUR rights was violated. The other practice of “keeps record of wrongs” (or “keep tab on the sins of others”) is also often used to prove ourselves about how many time our SELF was hurt and when OUR rights was violated.
Both practices put our rights before our duty and before loving concern for others. [It] comes from self–centeredness and lovelessness. The loving person is more concerned about doing what he should and helping where he can than in having what he thinks are his rights and his [entitlements]. Love considers nothing its right [for the SELF] and everything its obligation.[xvii]
“6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”
To “delight in evil” is to justify it, making wrong appear to be right, or to make lies into “rational lies”. One of the most common forms of “delight in evil” is gossip. Gossips would do little harm if they did not have so many eager listeners.[xviii]
Some might argued, “I didn’t sin, or spreading rumor because it was all true! Wasn’t love supposed to ‘rejoice with the truth’?” Gossip that is true is still sin. It is because it uncaringly reveals the weaknesses and sins of others, and therefore hurts rather than helps them![xix] The “truth” Paul talked about here is not factual truth, but God’s truth according to His Word. [Besides...]
“7[Love] always protects,” (“Love bears all things,” ESV)
Love always protects others from exposure, ridicule, or harm. Even when a sin is certain, love tries to correct it with the least possible hurt and harm to the guilty person. Love never protects sin but is anxious to protect the sinner.[xx]
“always trusts,” (“Love believes all things,” ESV)
It doesn’t mean that we should be gullible, but that love motivates us to have “faith in men.”[xxi] Love is not suspicious or cynical. [It means that when we are in doubt about the motivation of someone else, love will incline to see them in the best light.] [Even when a sin is certain and we are correcting and protecting the guilty person as described previously, love will] believe in the best outcome [from the person][xxii] A second chance is always built-in!
“always hopes,” (“Love hopes all things,” ESV)
Even when people failed your trust in them to do the right thing, love still hopes. When [love] runs out of faith it holds on to hope. It is because God’s grace [for] human failure is [not final yet].[xxiii] Love made parents continue to hope for wayward children. Love made spouse continue to hope for the unbelieving partner. Love made ministry leaders continue to hope for the backsliders. “Who knows, one day God’s grace will turn things around...”
“always perseveres.” (“Love endures all things,” ESV)
Love holds fast to those it loves. It perseveres at all costs. It stands against overwhelming opposition and refuses to stop bearing or stop believing or stop hoping. Love will not stop loving. [John MacArthur once again put it this way]: Love bears what otherwise is unbearable; it believes what otherwise is unbelievable; it hopes in what otherwise is hopeless; anti it endures when anything less than love would give up. After love bears it believes. After it believes it hopes. After it hopes it endures. There is no “after” for endurance, for endurance is the unending climax of love.[xxiv]
“8Love never fails.”
{Story: the changes} For Christian Anderson, what immediately followed that night seemed to be nothing but failures. He began to notice that people did not admire him or faun over him as before. Without his great charm, he began to be abandoned by his friends. A month later he was hospitalized for Syphilis. His life was spared but his good look was gone and his voice was no longer great. As if not enough, several people retaliated for the past wrongs he had inflicted on them through litigations. He lost his fortune, was thrown into jail for three months, and no one even came to visit him. When he was released, he was sick, lonely, and penniless.
He returned to his home town to nurse his ailing mother. At least in her finally days, Christian was able to return her great love for the first time in his life. After his mother’s death, Christian took a job as a janitor in an elementary school. He not only cleaned the floors and rest rooms, but he cared for the children as well—particularly the more disadvantaged ones. Over times to all the children he became Mr. Christian, their father, friend and counselor. In the course of the following year, he loved a widow who had two small children. They married, and he gave all three of them the love that they so desperately needed. Poor in money, but Christian now felt that he was the richest man in all the world; for he had discovered that it is in loving, not being loved, that God offers our life the greatest fulfillment.
In the original language “love never fails” is not a magic formula to conquer all. It simply mean that “when [all] the temporal things on which [our] affection rests pass away; [love will] outlasts [them all].[xxv] That’s why Paul went on stressing the everlasting aspect of love:
“But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.”
Once again Paul brought back tongues, prophecy, knowledge; all the things the Corinthians was seeking after in their days. In our days, they are the things we interact with everyone, the things that determine how they would respond to us: how we look, what we say, what we do and who we are (what we currently know and believe).
All of those won’t outlast love. God’s Word today reveals to us the supreme eternal value of God’s version of True Love.
“11When 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.”
As a kid, we gradually learned the importance of how we look, what we say, what we do and who we are (what we currently know and believe). But as we grow in Christ, we begin to realize that the temporal stuff is not that crucial and start to focus more on the eternal horizon. Looks are not as important as what we say; (“beauty is skin deep”). What we say is not as important as what we do (”actions speak louder than words”). And what we do is not as important as who we are - including our knowing and believing (“from the being comes the doing”).
Even who we are - including our knowing and believing - eventually will reach its final destination when we see God face to face. Paul wrote:
“12Now 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.”
But for now living in this temporal world, and waiting for the eternal to happen, there are a few extremely valuable foundations that we could build our life conducts on:
“13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Why love the greatest? Because love stems from God. God Himself is love. He himself is not faith, and He himself is not hope. Faith and hope will help us one day see God face to face. But love will continue on forever.
“1Follow the way of love...”
That’s how Paul concluded his magnificent portrait of Agape Love. Genuine Love according to God is not an abstract concept or feeling. It can be lived out. God called us to pursuit the Christ-like Love as the expression of the Christ-like Life.
The strange thing is that we don’t see any command in chapter 13. There is no imperative of the verb forms “You must be patient, you must be kind!” All the verbs were in the indicative form “Love IS patient, love IS kind…” The imperative command is not there until chapter 14 here, “1Follow the way of love...” God is already reprogrammed our heart for love, his children can love with His love, and don’t have to try to love like God with their love!
{Story: the final years} Years later a woman told this story about Christian Anderson: “I go to the nursing home to see my husband who has Alzheimer’s disease. Unfortunately, I know firsthand how this terrible illness affects family members, but I would like the world to know what love really is. I see a man, I understand his name was Christian, who has spent the last eight years caring for his wife who has Alzheimer’s. They have been married more than 30 years. He cooks and feeds her every bite of food she eats. He has bathed her and dressed her every day all these years. / I cannot describe the tenderness and love that man shows for his wife. She is unable to recognize anyone, including him. The only things she shows any interest in are two baby dolls. They are never out of her hands. / I observed him when I parked my car beside his the other day. He sat in his old pickup truck for a few minutes, then he patted down, what little hair he had, straightened the threadbare collar of his shirt and looked in the mirror for a final check before going in to see his wife. It was as if he were courting her. They have been partners all these years and have seen each other under all kinds of circumstances, yet he carefully groomed himself before he called on his wife, who wouldn’t even know him. This is an example of the love and commitment the world needs today.[xxvi]
God’s Agape Love transformed that Christian and every Christian here today. You may feel that this Agape Love is out your reach, but don’t be afraid: The same Spirit of Agape Love who was in Jesus two thousand years ago are the same Holy Spirit who resides in your heart today if you are His children.
The five keys to loving [are]: (1) love is commanded; [it is therefore possible] (2) love is already possessed by Christians; [when we accept God into our heart] (3) love is the norm of Christian living; [Christ-like life means Christ-like love] (4) love is the work of the Spirit; [the same Spirit who gave Jesus his sacrificial love back then is at work in us today] and (5) love must be practiced to be genuine [and the starting points in 1 Cor. 13 are all daily ordinary expression of love, they are not beyond our reach].[xxvii]
This is the Word of God for you and for me today. He is asking you to follow the way of Jesus, the way of love, in your daily life. Let us respond to him as Steve leading us in a song…
END NOTES
[i] Rob Bell, from his “Flame” Nooma video introduction at http://www.nooma.com/Shopping/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=271 – I left out his last line “God created love, and wants us to feel it all in the way it’s meant to be felt.”
[ii]John MacArthur, 1 Corinthians, Includes Indexes. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1984), 329.
[iii] Dale Carnegie - http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/dale_carnegie.html (I changed “How we say it” item to “What we know”)
[iv] Ralph Waldo Emerson – collected from http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:DzEYokztYkcJ:www.motivational-inspirational-corner.com/getquote.html%3Fcategoryid%3D12+communication+quote&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3
[v] Lee Iacocca, ibid.
[vi]John MacArthur, 1 Corinthians, Includes Indexes. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1984), 333.
[vii]Simon J. Kistemaker and William Hendriksen, vol. 18, New Testament Commentary Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, Accompanying Biblical Text Is Author’s Translation., New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953-2001), 455.
[viii]Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003; 2003), 1 Co 13:1.
[ix] John Ruskin said, “What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.” – His context was in reference only to this temporal world though.
[ix-2] If you are not convinced that we should get something out of charity, read chapter 4 from John Piper’s "Desiring God", available online here: http://www.desiringgod.org/dg/id96.htm
[x]John MacArthur, 1 Corinthians, Includes Indexes. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1984), 329.
[xi]John MacArthur, 1 Corinthians, Includes Indexes. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1984), 337.
[xii]John MacArthur, 1 Corinthians, Includes Indexes. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1984), 338.
[xiii]John MacArthur, 1 Corinthians, Includes Indexes. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1984), 338-339.
[xiv]John MacArthur, 1 Corinthians, Includes Indexes. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1984), 340-341.
[xv]John MacArthur, 1 Corinthians, Includes Indexes. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1984), 343.
[xvi]John MacArthur, 1 Corinthians, Includes Indexes. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1984), 344.
[xvii]John MacArthur, 1 Corinthians, Includes Indexes. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1984), 346.
[xviii]John MacArthur, 1 Corinthians, Includes Indexes. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1984), 350.
[xix] Ibid., my paraphrasing.
[xx]John MacArthur, 1 Corinthians, Includes Indexes. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1984), 352.
[xxi]A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Vol.V c1932, Vol.VI c1933 by Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, 1997), 1 Co 13:7.
[xxii]John MacArthur, 1 Corinthians, Includes Indexes. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1984), 353.
[xxiii]John MacArthur, 1 Corinthians, Includes Indexes. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1984), 354.
[xxiv]John MacArthur, 1 Corinthians, Includes Indexes. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1984), 355.
[xxv]Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003; 2003), 1 Co 13:8.
[xxvi] Christian Anderson story was an adaptation from the Story of Victor (http://www.sombracc.com/s_p_love.htm), by William R. White from his book: Stories For Telling (Augsburg Publishing, Minneapolis, © 1986) pp. 37-41. His inspiration came from "Augustus," a story by Herman Hesse. The last part was based on an Ann Landers newspaper column as cited by pastor Jason Freeman in his sermon on marriage at http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:33oDNqh5kPsJ:www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp%3FSermonID%3D79738%26ContributorID%3D6244+%22Ann+Lander%22+site:sermoncentral.com&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1
[xxvii]John MacArthur, 1 Corinthians, Includes Indexes. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1984), 330.
