1st Corinthians 13:1-13
I want to start this morning with some deep philosophical truth. I want to read for you different definitions of the concept of love from the mouths of children between the ages of 4 and 8.
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."
“Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.”
The concept of love has become so confused. Definitions range from a feeling to a score of zero in tennis. Love can be understood as a noun or as a verb. But even in verb form, in the English language, it carries the idea of a feeling. Love as a verb is to “feel deep affection for,” or to “like or enjoy very much.” The problem with defining love as a feeling is that it can become conditional, and can lead to the idea of “falling out of love.” Our culture has gotten the concept of love so wrong. Fortunately for us, we have a multi-faceted, biblical definition of love laid out before us in 1st Corinthians 13. This chapter has become the favorite amongst pastors when performing weddings, and rightly so. The cool thing for us this morning is that we get to explore the biblical definition of love while understanding the motivation behind Paul’s pen. We get to see this popular text in the midst of the greater context of this letter to the Corinthian church.
Big Idea: Christ-like, sacrificial love must be the primary marker of our lives.
Read 1st Corinthians 13:1-7
1. The Absence of Love (1-3)
In the previous section of this letter, Paul put forth a lot of effort to correct the confusion surrounding spiritual gifts. And at the end of that section, at the end of chapter 12, Paul says, “even with all of this in mind; the way the Spirit has gifted you, the way the church body works effectively together in these distinct giftings, the beauty of unity that comes only through the Holy Spirit, with all of that in mind, let me show you a more excellent way.” And that more excellent way is what we find in our text this morning: The way of unconditional, sacrificial, Christ-exalting love.
Paul begins by drawing specific distinctions. It would seem that the spiritual gifts that he mentions at the beginning are the ones that the Corinthians church had most often gotten wrong.
“I could speak in the language of tongues, or even of angels!” Now, this does not imply that there is the possibility of a finite human being speaking a heavenly language. In fact, most commentators would agree that Paul is simply stretching his illustration using sarcasm. “Even if I could speak directly to angels, that gift would not matter if I didn’t do it from a place of love.” And as a drummer, I love the analogy. If you’ve ever been around a child who sits behind a drum kit, and you let them loose, they’ll usually start banging around on the cymbals. Imagine standing there and trying to have a conversation! You can’t hear anything. Voices become muddied. It’s annoying. This is what it’s like to claim a higher ability of speech but in the absence of love.
What about prophetic powers? We talked about this last week, that it does not mean future telling, but instead means the ability to proclaim the revelations of God through the Scriptures. What if I could do that? What if I had the ability to understand ALL the mysteries of God, and could attain ALL the knowledge in the world? What if I had the most intense version of faith, faith that could literally make a mountain break from the Earth and move? It would be so impressive! But if all of that is done in the absence of love, it means nothing. And this word nothing is absolute. There are no exceptions. Nothing means nothing.
Ok, but what about if I was so concerned about the welfare of others, that I gave away everything I had, even the shirt on my back? No? Not then? Ok, well what if I died a martyr's death, being burned alive because of my unwavering faith in Jesus? Surely that matters! “No,” Paul says, “not in the absence of love.”
We see then what Paul is doing. The church in Corinth had misunderstood the giftings of the Spirit. They were abusing them, using them to manipulate others, to look down on others, to suppress the gifting of their brothers and sisters. So Paul is trying to point them to the one thing that matters most, and that is agape love. If you don’t get that right, then nothing else matters. So what is the biblical definition of love? Let’s briefly look at each characteristic that Paul mentions.
2. Biblical Definition of Love (4-7)
Before we get into the specifics, however, we need to make sure that we all understand the word for love that Paul uses. There are 4 Greek words that mean love, and here in chapter 13 he uses “agape.” This is the most well-known love that elevates others above ourselves. It is self-sacrificial love. It is the love that drove Jesus out of glory and into the body of a man, and up onto that cross. And here’s what Paul says characterizes that love:
Patient - literally means “long-tempered.” It describes the state of “emotional calm or quietness in the face of provocation.” It suffers indefinitely.
Kind - stems from the Greek word that means “to furnish what is needed.” It means to provide something beneficial to someone else.
Does not Envy - From the Greek word meaning “to boil over from heat,” and so literally to “boil” with envy. It’s an intense burning desire to have what others have.
Does not Boast - This, according to John MacArthur, is the other side of the “envy coin.” He says that “jealousy is wanting what others have, while boasting is trying to make others jealous because of what we have.”
Not Arrogant - This literally means “to puff up.” It implies an exaggerated view of self.
Not Rude - I love the composition of this Greek word. “Aschemoneo” literally means “indecent external form.” It is contrary to that which is proper, and speaks of “a defiance of social and moral standards, resulting in disgrace, embarrassment and shame.”
Not Selfish - The root of most of our shortcomings is selfishness. I love this quote by one commentator. He said, “Cure selfishness and you have just replanted the garden of Eden.” It is the root from which most of our sins grow.
Not Irritable - It does not become exasperated or irritated.
Not Resentful - It keeps short accounts, and does not calculate wrongdoings and hold them over someone else’s head.
Rejoices Not at Wrongdoing - Proverbs 24:17 says, “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles.”
Rejoices With the Truth - Takes joy in the one who stands firm, celebrates them, elevates them.
Bears All Things - This word comes from the Greek word “stego” which carries at it’s root a word that means “thatched roof.” It protects by providing a covering. It bears up against external elements, and keeps those within safe. So this isn’t only carrying another's burdens, but offering a protective covering over them while they are struggling. I mean what a beautiful picture.
Believes All Things - This means that our first reaction to others is believing the best about them. No judgment. No skepticism.
Hopes All Things - Love continually looks for good in every situation. It is the eternal optimist. There is a deep desire that Romans 8:28 would be true, that “God works all things together for the good of those who love Him.”
Endures All Things - Endurance. Carrying the weight, whatever it may be. Endurance steps into the muck, takes the load of the shoulders who is bearing it, and by the power of the Holy Spirit carries the burden as far as he is able.
Love is not a feeling. Love drives everything that we do. Love drove Jesus out of glory, to extreme servitude, to die alone on a cross after his closest friends abandoned him. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
Now, after defining love, Paul goes back to drawing a distinction between love and spiritual gifts.
Read 1st Corinthians 13:8-13
3. The Fullness of Love (8-12)
Love is eternal. Prophesying, tongues, knowledge, and all the other spiritual gifts will end. There will be a day when they are no longer necessary. But for now, even with the gifts of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we don’t have a complete picture. This is why Paul says we “know in part and prophesy in part.” We have only seen but a glimpse of the glory of God.
But…verse 10…but, when the perfect comes, that which is only partial, only temporary, will pass away. Now this verse right here, is at the center of the debate that I brought up a few weeks ago. The conversation between continuationism, and cessationism. Do the miraculous Spirit gifts continue, or did they cease at some point in the past? The reason why things hinge on this verse is the interpretation over what Paul means when he says “that which is perfect.” Cessationists would say that the “perfect” is the completed work of Scripture. Therefore, the partial, those spiritual gifts that are temporary, were not necessary once we had the completed canon. Continuationists, however, would define that which is “perfect” as that future state of perfection in which we are in the presence of He who is perfect. So at that point, those temporary gifts will no longer be needed.
If we read a little further on, what we’ll find is that the “perfect” does in fact refer to a future time. Look again at verse 12. So now, presently, we see partially, but then, at some point in the future, face to face. So Paul answers it for us. The time in history when perfection comes is the moment that creation sees Jesus face to face. One day, this Earth will be done away with, and God will create a new heaven and a new Earth upon which we will dwell with Christ.
During that time, mirrors would have been made of solid bronze, so in reality when one looked into a mirror, the image that looked back at them was dim. And so the analogy of the mirror goes like this: The spiritual gifts allow us to catch a glimpse of the divine. It’s not a perfect or complete picture, but it’s something. However, when we dwell with Jesus, face to face, there will no longer be need of gospel proclamation, of speaking in or interpreting tongues, in miracle healings, in knowledge and wisdom, discerning the spirits…These will not be necessary because everyone will see the fullness of the glory of God. We will experience it in full. And I love how Paul ends this. (Re-read 13)
4. The Primacy of Love (13)
Now, currently and presently, we have faith, hope and love. Faith in that which we cannot see. Faith in the truths found in the Scriptures. Faith in the person and work of Jesus. Faith in the blood of the spotless lamb being sufficient for me. Faith that I deserve death but yet Jesus took my place. And we have hope. Hope in the promises of God. Hope in a future resurrection. Hope in eternity in the presence of Jesus. And those are necessary, so why does Paul elevate love above them?
Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” But one day we will see! And hope is expectation of something in the future, but one day we will attain that which we have spent our lives hoping for. Faith and hope will come to completion, but love will never end.
And so love reigns supreme. Christ-like, sacrificial love must be the primary marker of our lives. And this takes us back to the Big Idea.
Application
Big Idea: Christ-like, sacrificial love must be the primary marker of our lives.
Church, we have to get this right. The world will know that we are His disciples because of our love for one another. The world will know the beauty of the Savior because of our selfless pursuit of one another. A watching world that is looking for every excuse to write us off will come up empty if we love one another.
But it’s not just in a church context. It’s how we love our spouses, our parents, our children. It’s how we love our unbelieving co-worker, neighbors and friends. The world desperately needs Jesus and so we show them Jesus in how we love. We are patient and kind. We’re not jealous. We don’t boast. We aren’t arrogant. We’re not rude or selfish. We’re not irritable or resentful. We don’t rejoice in others’ mishaps, but instead rejoice in truth. We bear up, believe, hope in and endure all things. Why? So that others might see Jesus. Nothing else matters if we have not love. Let’s be a church that is known for our love for one another. And let’s let that love bleed out into the streets and homes, storefronts and schools, workplaces and soccer fields.
