Without Love, We Are Nothing! Series

WITHOUT LOVE, WE ARE NOTHING

I Corinthians 13:1-3

(Antioch Baptist Church: Sunday, March 15th, 2026)

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, love is defined as “a strong, passionate affection for another person arising from kinship, personal ties, or sexual desire.” Love is also defined as “warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion…”

Many people in the world today have an inadequate and often incorrect view of what love truly is. Thankfully, we have the Word of God as our guide and it tells us what love is and where it comes from. Moreover, the Bible tells us that we should love, who we should love, and how we should love.

God is the source of love. 1 John 4:8 &16 plainly says, “God is love…”. The love that God has for us is evident in the Scriptures. (John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life; Romans 5:8 But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.)

As God’s children, we are expected to possess and extend love to others. In His explanation of the Greatest Commandment; Jesus said, “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 26:37-39).

Though some may believe it an easy task to love the Lord and their neighbor, our Lord also proclaims that His people are expected to love their enemies. Jesus said, “…Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27-28). Paul said, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head” (Romans 12:20). Peter said, “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing” (I Peter 3:9).

It takes a great deal of effort and help from the Holy Spirit for us to extend love to our enemies. There are times when loving our neighbor can be quite difficult. There are even occasions when it is a struggle for us to love our own brothers and sisters in Christ. Regardless, this is something that Jesus expects from His people. He said in John 15:12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

The New Testament is filled with references to the fact that Christians should love one another. Paul encouraged the Corinthians to ensure that all they do is “done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14). Peter said, “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins” (I Peter 4:8). John said, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. (I John 4:7-8). Jesus said, “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” (John13:34-36).

It is clear that we should possess great love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. In our selected text, Paul declares that we can have the most eloquent speech, the most impressive spiritual gifts, and a willingness to offer the greatest of sacrifices, yet if we do these things without love, we are nothing. I would like to examine the first three verses of this chapter and consider the reality that, “Without Love, We Are Nothing”.

The Believers in the Church at Corinth possessed various spiritual gifts. Paul said that they were “not lacking in any gift” (I Corinthians 1:7). The Saints were also grounded in correct doctrine. In chapter 1 verse 7, Paul commended them because they “maintained the traditions even as he had delivered them to them.”

Though there was much that was commendable about the people in that Church, they were severely lacking in love. Their assembly was marked by selfishness, pride, conflict, and division.

One of the primary areas of contention was related to the use and abuse of spiritual gifts. In the previous chapter, Paul speaks to the fact that the Holy Spirit distributes spiritual gifts for the building up of the body. Furthermore, he explained the reality that Christians are all members of one Body; the Body of Christ. Therefore, spiritual gifts are intended to unify, not divide.

Chapter twelve reveals that The Holy Spirit gives many different gifts to those who are in Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:8-11 says, “For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. all these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.” These spiritual gifts are given by the Spirit to the Church for the good of everyone in the Church.