Love of the Body

1 Corinthians 13 - Love


Today, we come to one of the most well known passage in the whole entire bible. Even people who only attend church for weddings and funerals have probably had it read to them. However 1 Corinthians 13 has got nothing to do with wedding or funerals.

When you think about, the only mention of weddings in the whole letter of 1 Corinthians is some six chapters earlier, where Paul says very ‘romantic things’ such as “those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this”. And the only mention of funeral occurs several chapters later and it’s the funeral that never really happened, because Jesus rose to life again.

So If 1 Corinthians 13 is not about weddings and funerals, then what is it about?

Well, as we have been reading through 1 Corinthians, we have come to see that the Corinth church was a much divided church with a whole bunch of issues.

The Corinthian’s were a proud church, they thought they had arrived spiritually, back in chapter 4, and they were very big in spiritual gifts. Now in Chapters 12-14, Paul is teaching them what it means to be spiritual.

As we heard last week, anyone who is in Christ is already spiritual and they are to be exercising there gifts that is from the same spirit for the common good.

And at the end of chapter 12 we were left with Paul telling the Corinthians that he will show them a more excellent way, something that is even better then gifts, that is, the way of love.

Now to help us to understand what Paul means by this more excellent way, the way of love, we are firstly going to look at the fruitlessness of gifts without love.
Then we are going to look at the characteristics of love, what love is.
And then finally, we are going to look at the lasting nature of love.

But before we do that, let’s bow our heads in prayer asking God to help us to understand his word.

Heavenly father, we thank you that we can know you through your word and we ask you now to clear our minds of any distraction and to teach us through your word so that we may be equipped to serve you, to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.


The Fruitlessness of Gifts without Love


13:1-3 “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If 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. If I give all I posses to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

Now, there are four amazing actions here, of which the Corinthians thought highly of.
Would you be impressed of any of these things?
Would you say that these are truly spiritual moments, where God is at work?


Now, if you ever go or have been to the Orchestra, one thing you notice is how well all the different type of instruments go together.

Even if one of the instruments, like a triangle, only has one note in the entire piece, it still sounds really good, because it is accompanied by other instruments. However if you can imagine everyone just playing cymbals, could you image how noisy and unintelligent it would be!


In the same way, I may use impressive words, they may be very loud or intelligent or very passionate, but unless they are accompanied by love, It doesn’t do any good to neither the speaker nor the listener.

God may have enabled me to speak in different languages, to preach with great power, even to pray in angelic tongues, but if I have I’ve not loved you enough to bring you the truth, and to do it in a manner which you can comprehend, then I’ve really said nothing.

Again, in verse 2, If I can fathom the deep things of God, if I’m a prophet or if I’m a bible college graduate, or if I have a faith that enable me to do the miraculous, then surely I’d be something!, but again if it is done without love, then I am nothing!

Likewise, if I give my all, if I even give my body to the flames but do so in a selfish, reckless, suicidal way, then I have gain nothing.

Now, Is Paul saying that spiritual gifts aren’t important? Well In none of these instances does Paul depreciate spiritual gifts.

We have just spent a whole chapter last week looking at the importance of spiritual gifts, but what Paul is saying is that spiritual gifts need to be accompanied by love.

So, while we have seen that a loving attitude is the key to unlocking “the most excellent way”, what is the love that is mentioned here? Is it more then a feeling?


Well friends, while real love may begin with an attitude, it’s never really complete without the accompanying actions.


Characteristics of Love


So verse 4, love in patient, love is kind. What does it mean to be patient and kind? It means its willing to endure sufferings, injuries, without retaliation.
It is a kind love which is concerned to help those who are in need.

Perhaps you yourself have stuck by someone who has been in a bad place or they have been unable to give back, that’s an example of patient, kind love.

Love does not envy, it’s not jealous, it’s happy to see others do well.
Love does not boast, it’s humble,
Love is not proud; it is not self-asserting but is self giving.

Love is not rude; it’s not indecent or unseemly,
Love is not self-seeking, it always seeks the good of other,
Love is not easily angered, it’s not looking to take offence or to point the finger.

Love keeps no record of wrongs, I’ve always appreciated the fact that my parents haven’t use past sins against me
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth, when honesty is treasured and the truth of the gospel is declared, then love celebrates.

Love always protects, it seeks to safe guard others, not harm them,
Love always trusts, Love is eager to see the best in others. An example would be when someone might say something hurtful, I should ask for clarification rather then assuming the worst, love gives others the benefit of the doubt.

Love always hopes, It refuses to accept failure as final,
Love preservers, it’s active and not given to resignation.

No wonder in verse 8 it tells us that Love never fails!

Now, when you relate these descriptions of Love to our lives, to your life, to my life, does it have a humbling effect?


Well, if you were to imagine your name in this passage, for example Tom is patient, Tom is kind, Tom does not boast, Tom is not proud, Tom is not rude, Tom rejoices in the truth … Now if your name is Tom or whatever it is, at the point you would say no, that can’t possible be me. There is a humbling effect.

However if you were to put the name of Jesus Christ in there, it fits perfectly, and it helps us to see that in Christ we have a great hope and a great saviour.


In our second reading that we read tonight, we see this great Love which comes from God, In verse 10 of 1 John 4, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”


God’s love is not an airy-fairy love, friends, but its real love, it’s a love that while we were his enemies, even though we didn’t love God, he loved us so much that he sent his Son to die, to take our punishment, so that we could be reconciled back to him by his resurrection.

And it is for this reason, this love, that we as Christians are commanded in verse 11 of 1 John 4 to “love one another”


So we have seen that real love is accompanied by action, and it is an action which is motivated by the love God has demonstrated to us and is motivated by who you are, part of the body, in Christ. This love which has been demonstrated is a complete other person centeredness.

In fact, the more and more you look at God’s character, you notice that God’s other-person-centeredness is complete within himself. The Holy Spirit does not seek his own glory but the son glory, just as the son does not seek his glory but the fathers glory.


It is this other-person-centeredness, which enables us to know him as we saw in 1 John 4 and is the basis of our love too.


The Permanence of Love

Well, Pick it up with me from Verse 8, Love 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. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.

Now the Corinthians thought they had already arrived and the proof was their spiritual gifts.

But Paul says no, you have not arrived yet, the gifts don’t prove that you have arrived but rather that you haven’t arrived, because notice the gifts are for this world.

For example our little knowledge will be replaced by something far, far greater. And the words we use, which are so limited, will be replaced by a language that perfectly expresses praise to God.


There will be some things on earth, like gifts, which will be put away and have no need for once we get to heaven.

It’s like a child, says Paul in verse 11, who puts away childish thoughts and childish ways and takes up the more mature ways of adulthood.

Even faith, hope will have used up their value for God’s promises as they will be completely fulfilled and all our hopes will have been met.

On the other hand, Love will last forever; love will be right at home in heaven. This is why in verse 13; love is the greatest, as it is the perfect expression of faith and hope.


Application

So, what things can we conclude from this passage?

Firstly I want you to see that the love that is being taught in God’s word is the love that God has already demonstrated for us.

The father has given his son up and of course has given us all good gifts.

The Lord Jesus has given his life up to the cross which the greatest sacrifice every made, the creator dieing for the creatures, telling us to be like him to love people.

The Holy Spirit too, has given us all its fruits and gifts and graces, genuinely spreading out what we need for the Christian life and telling us through the inspired scripture how to be like Jesus.

We can be confident in this love of God.

Secondly, Paul too, also practiced this love. Even though the Corinthians had so many problems, he loved them.

He gave up his rights for them, his freedom for them and his time for them to proclaim the word of God to them because he loved them.

It is because love is central to Paul’s arguments in 1 Corinthians; it is the centre to his relationship with them.

Therefore we need to ask ourselves, is love central to our relationship?


Is love central to our serving at church? Do we serve to build the other person up?


Is it complete other-person-centeredness?


Or is it something that only appears now and then?



Well let me encourage you, that the central motivating fuel for the way we live our lives, the way we treat each other, the way we serve each other is Love.

In some ways it’s a great taste of heaven as love transforms us here and now but also will be made perfect in all its glory in heaven.

So friends, let us remember who we are in Christ, and let us love one another and follow the example of love God has demonstrated to us while we were his enemies to save us from our lovelessness, from our sins, Amen.