Where’s The Love? Series

Intro

Our text today is found in 1 Corinthians 13. After addressing the nine gifts of the Spirit in the first part of 1 Cor. 12, Paul introduced an analogy of the human body to teach these believers the importance of valuing and caring for one another. On the one hand, these Corinthians are doing a good thing. They are operating in the gifts of the Spirit and edifying one another. On the other hand, there are some serious problems with HOW they are doing that. The most fundamental problem has to do with their attitudes toward one another and the way they’re treating each other.

Look with me at the first chapter of this letter. After the greeting, the first thing Paul does is commend them for their zeal in spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 “I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, 5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”i There is nothing negative in those verses. Paul is clearly praising them for operating in the gifts of the Spirit.

He then follows that up by confronting a problem that must be addressed: their conflicts with one another. Verses 10-11: “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you.”

So, on the positive side, these Corinthians were desiring and operating in the charismata, the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. Paul commends them for that. On the other hand, their relationships with one another were messed up, and it was affecting the quality of their worship. Their attitudes and motives were not right.

So, as Paul addresses the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Cor. 12, he shares truths designed to correct their thinking about these manifestations. In 1 Cor 12:7 he tells them, “The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.” If God uses you in a gift, it’s not to exalt you; it is for the benefit of the congregation as a whole. Then, Paul uses the analogy of a human body to teach them to value and care for one another. Paul concludes chapter 12 by encouraging them to keep desiring spiritual gifts and by introducing the subject of love, the only acceptable motive for ministry. I like the way the NIV translates 1 Cor. 12:31: “But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.” That is Paul’s introduction to our text in 1 Cor. 13: “And now I will show you the most excellent way.”

I. First, he shows them the absolute NECESSITY OF LOVE.

First Corinthians 13:1-3: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.”

Paul chooses some activities that are highly esteemed by the Corinthians and by Paul himself to make his point. In each case, he uses the pinnacle of the activity. It’s not just understanding mysteries; it’s understanding “all mysteries and all knowledge.” It’s not just faith to remove a mountain; it’s faith to “remove mountains.” It’s bestowing “all” my goods to feed the poor. The ultimate sacrifice would be to give one’s “body to be burned.” It’s not just tongues of men but of angelsii as well.

Then, he makes a shocking point: All of these are worthless without love. Some people pull out the first activity, tongues, and set it against love, then conclude that tongues are just “sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.” But Paul’s purpose is not to show how useless these activities are. His intent is to show how useless they are WITHOUT LOVE.iii These are parallel statements. So, if I’m going to use these statements to say tongues is useless, then to be consistent, I have to conclude that prophecy and knowledge are useless, faith is useless, and benevolence is useless. Nobody would come to such an absurd conclusion. Paul is saying these highly esteemed activities have no value in the kingdom of God if they are not motivated by love. He wants these Corinthians to understand their spiritual attainments are invalidated when they are operating out of selfish, prideful motives.