The Sumpremacy Of Love Series

Beside Psalm 23 and the Lord’s Prayer, 1 Corinthians 13 represents on of the most well known and loved passages in all of the Bible. Perhaps it is the most cherished passage in all of the Apostle Paul’s writings. And while the word love is mentioned ten times in this one chapter, you’ll not find one command in the entire chapter. Paul could have written about the importance of love in just one or two sentences. Yet, he slows the entire letter to a near stop in order to expand on love. This lofty literary accomplishment is best known from weddings. Yet, 1 Corinthians 13 is not about weddings though it is fine to repeat these words in that setting. 1 Corinthians 13 is primarily about living in a Christian community, or a church. It is the Bible’s way to teach Christians how to relate to one another in a together kind of way.

Today’s Scripture

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I

have been fully known. 13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:1-13).

1 Corinthians 13 shows how to relate to one another as it does two things simultaneously. First, this passage calls us to love one another in a way that brings attention to God Himself. Second, this passage calls on us to emulate Christ love by putting others in front of ourselves.

Love and Christianity

Christ has the corner on love. The cross of Christ has been the defining act of love for nearly two millennia. Central to Christianity is the call to love. Jesus said that love for one another is the badge for Christians: “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:1-13).

Beside Psalm 23 and the Lord’s Prayer, 1 Corinthians 13 represents on of the most well known and loved passages in all of the Bible. Perhaps it is the most cherished passage in all of the Apostle Paul’s writings. And while the word love is mentioned ten times in this one chapter, you’ll not find one command in the entire chapter Paul could have written about the importance of love in just one or two sentences.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

Paul says it as well: “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more…” (Philippians 1:9).

“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love…” (Ephesians 3:17).

Loving other people before yourself is one distinctive trait of Christians. Love is so central to Christianity that you could substitute Jesus’ name for love in verses 4-7: “Jesus is patient and kind; Jesus does not envy or boast; Jesus is not arrogant or rude. HE does not insist on its own way; HE is not irritable or resentful; HE does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Jesus bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

Again, love is central to Christianity. I want you to walk away knowing today that, “Love Alone Counts.” For love is the power of the age to come that has invaded our day. Love has broken into the present day from its home in heaven.