The Greatest of These: 1 Corinthians 13

 

The Greatest of These: 1 Corinthians 13

Introduction: Two Stories About Love

Love Story Number 1

A man is eating in a fancy restaurant and there is a beautiful woman at the next table.  He would like to talk to her, but lacks the nerve.  Suddenly the beautiful woman sneezes violently and her glass eye pops out and comes flying towards the man.  He reflexively reaches out and snatches it out of the air.

“O my goodness, I am so embarrassed, but thank you” the woman says, as she pops her eye back in place. Let me buy you dinner to show my appreciation.”

They enjoy a wonderful dinner together and afterwards the woman invites him to a movie, followed by late night coffee.  After paying for everything, she asks him if he would like to join her at a little breakfast place the next morning. Again they have a wonderful meal, great conversation and the guy fells like he’s falling in love with the woman.

“Finally, he says, You are such an ideal woman. Icouldn’t even talk to you last night. What in the world led you to invite me out?”

She replies, “Oh, I don’t know, you just happened to catch my eye.”

Love Story Number 2 Jean ValJean and the Candlesticks.

In the novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.  The main character is a convict just released from prison.  On the first night of his release he is taken in by a priest who puts him up for the night.  During the night after being fed and cared for by the priest, he rises and steals the silver plates from the kindly old man and runs into the night. The next morning the theft is discovered by the priest's sister who lives with him as his housekeeper. They eat breakfast on wooden plates the next morning. 

From the novel Les Miserable” - "Just as the brother and sister were rising from the table there is a knock at the door. "Come In," said the bishop. The door opened. A strange, fierce group appeared on the threshold. Three men were holding a fourth by the collar.  The three men were gendarmes; the fourth Jean Valjean. A brigadier of gendarmes, who appeared to head the group, was near the door.  He advanced toward the bishop, giving a military salute.

The priest approached as quickly as his great age permitted. "Ah, there you are!" said he, looking toward Jean Valjean. "I am glad to see you.  But I gave you the candlesticks also, which are silver like the rest, and would bring two hundred francs.  Why did you not take them along with your plates." Jean Valjean opened his eyes and looked at the bishop with an expression which no human tongue could describe.

"Monsignor," said the brigadier, "then what this man said was true? We met him.  He was going like a man who was running away, and we arrested him in order to see.  He had this silver."

"And he told you,” interrupted the bishop, with a smile, "that it had been given him by a good old priest with whom he had passed the night.  I see it all. And you brought him back here?  It is all a mistake."

"If that is so," said the brigadier, "we can let him go."

"Certainly," replied the bishop. The gendarmes released Jean Valjean, who shrank back.

"My friend," said the bishop, "before you go away, here are your candlesticks; take them." He went to the mantelpiece, took the two candlesticks, and brought them to Jean Valjean. "Now," said the priest, "go in peace."

So, then what is Christian love? What is God’s love? Is it like the first story, an attraction based on physical criteria and what someone does for us? Or is it like the second story, a giving and a sacrifice of one’s self for the good of others?

Paul says that the greatest thing was love. Yet what the world calls love is not really great, nor is it really love. What kind of love was Paul speaking of? Is it a love that I can enjoy, that can change my life, my marriage, my relationships, my church? Most importantly how do I appropriate this kind of love? How do I gain it and how do I keep it?

Background Word Study

The New Testament was written in Greek. At the time of Christ there were two types of Greek, classic Greek, used in the past but now only by scholars and Koine Greek which was used by the common man, it was the language of commerce. It was in Koine that the New Testament was written.  In Koine Greek before the time of Jesus there were two words used for love, Eros and Phileo. 

Eros is the word from which we get our English word "erotic."  It was actually the name of the son of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, the goddess of Love.  In Rome the pair were called, Venus and Cupid.  Though we associate the word with sexuality, it really means a sensual love. A love based upon the senses.  It may mean love of a beautiful girl or a beautiful car, a beautiful painting or a beautiful piece of music or a pizza with everything on it. 

Josh McDowell wrote a book titled "Givers, Takers and Other Kinds of Lovers."  In it he describes Eros love as "Love, If."  It is the most conditional kind of love lasting only as long as something pleases my senses.

The second word used for love is the word "phileo” it has passed into our language in the words philanthropist: one who loves his fellow man and Philadelphia: the city of brotherly love named by William Penn.  This was the most common word in Koine Greek for love be it brotherly love, man and woman or parent and child. 

McDowell labels phileo as "Love, because." It is not as conditional as eros, but still love because of something received.  Whether it is friendship, kindness, a home or instruction.  When Jesus first asked, "Peter, lovest thou me?" Peter replied with the word phileo. 

Yet it was a different kind of love that Jesus asked about. When Jesus asked the question of Peter, he used the word agape. This was not at that time a common word used for love. In classic Greek it is used of a sacrifice. When Jesus died on the cross for the sin of the world, he gave the world another kind of love. The writers of scripture from this point on used the word agape whenever they spoke of Christ love for us, our love for him or our love for each other. 

Josh McDowell calls this "Love, period." Agape is unconditional love, it asks for nothing and gives everything.  It is the only word worthy of Jesus life and death on our behalf.  It is the word Paul uses throughout 1 Corinthians 13 translated as charity by the King James translators who were trying to show the difference between agape and normal human love. So they used a word that meant to give.

 Essential Love - 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling 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, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Without Love There Is Nothing

Paul, writing to one of the most troubled churches in the New Testament, writes one of the most beautiful chapters of the Bible about the way of Christian love. After telling the church how to use their spiritual gifts he says in 1 Corinthians 12:31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

Paul uses the word (hodos) way, in the sense of “a road or path.” Paul is pointing out a path of life superior to a life spent in the seeking and displaying of spiritual gifts. – Wycliffe Commentary

These opening verses sets the standard for the essential nature of love. The Christian is nothing and can do nothing with agape love.

He says that the highest forms of language, the most beautiful speech that could be uttered without love is nothing but noise. It is chaotic, noisy and worthless. Like a pagan worship festival of Dionysus, where the ecstatic worshippers run around banging gongs and striking cymbals. Its just noise.

Even the supernatural, sign gifts he just taught about in chapter 12 are nothing without agape love. He specifically names prophecy, telling the future, knowledge, which is direct revelation from God and faith that could as Jesus said remove mountains, without the way of love they are worthless.

He even says that sacrifice without love means nothing. 1 Cor 13:3 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.

How essential is agape love, so much so that without it all you say, all you could do and all you could give, even your own life amounts to nothing unless love, Christian love, God’s love is the reason, the way of life through which you speak, act and give.

Love is the essential element, without it no church is a success, without it no marriage is sound, without it no career is lasting, without it no lifestyle is livable, without it no relationship is complete, without it no sin is covered, without it no worship is accepted, without it no forgiveness is granted. Love is the one essential element that makes the Christian way of life possible.

A Christian without love is like a castle ruin. It doesn’t matter how beautiful it is on the outside, you can’t live there because there is nothing inside.

Paul is not finished describing the superior, more excellent way of love. He gives us the necessity of love and then in vs. 4 he tells us that love excludes certain behaviors.

Excluding Love - 1 Corinthians 13:4-6

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

What Love Is and Isn’t

Love, Paul says is patient it suffers long as the KJV puts it. This means it shows a passive response even when other's hurting it. Not only does love not retaliate in kind to hurt it

Love is kind. This is the flip side of the agape coin. It means that love doesn’t just remain passive when hurt it reaches out and actively bestows kindness.

Love will not envy. Is not jealous of the good things or blessings that others receive.

Love is not puffed up. Literally, this word means that love is not a “wind bag.” In other words, love is the opposite of a float in the Macy’s thanksgiving day parade. It doesn’t need to be lifted up and have everyone look at it.

Love doesn’t behave itself unseemly. It isn’t rude. Again, this literally means that love does not act against its own form or rules. Love has a set of marks and characteristics and it will not ignore or overthrow those.

Love will not seek its own. It places itself second to the needs of others. Agape love always gives more than it takes.

Love, Paul says will not be provoked. The italicized words not in the Greek.  It simple says love is not provoked. It will not retaliate, will not allow itself to be forced to anger.

Love will not think evil. This word is from Gr. word logizamai, meaning to mark it down or record it. Love does not dwell on the wrong in the world or the wrong done to it. This does not mean that love is blind as a Rabbi Julius Gordon once said, "Love is not blind, it sees more not less, but because it sees more it is willing to see less." Or as John McArthur said, "Love looks past a person's sin to his potential."

Love will not rejoice in iniquity. Takes no joy in evil, sin or hurt at anybody's account for any reason. As you can easily tell, much in this world is outside the boundary of agape love. As a child of God who has experienced the Lord’s sacrificial love through grace and salvation, this kind of love should not be outside the description of my life.

Restrained by Love.

Love, real agape love as Paul describes here, will not allow us to do things that are outside of its character. But, I must caution you not to read these and think that these are the New Testament version of the 10 Commandments. These are not many separate commandments in fact they are many reflections of the same characteristic, many facets of the same jewel, God's supernatural love.

We, in our natural, lost state in our very best moments of unselfishness or commitment will never approach the love that Paul is describing here. Yet this love is attainable in my life. It is just not attainable through my own abilities, willpower or determination. I will know this love in my life only when I allow Jesus to have my soul and the Holy Spirit to control my life.  

 In Yuma, AZ. we used to live next to an orange orchard.  (Free breakfast.) One day I was talking to a man who owned the trees and he told me that only the top of the tree was an orange tree the trunk was a grapefruit tree. When the tree was young the growers would come and carefully cut a split in the top of the sapling and place a branch from the orange tree right into the heartwood of the grapefruit.  As it grew the two would become one. The result is a tree which once brought forth sour grapefruit would now produce big, sweet succulent oranges.

That sweet fruit was not natural. It had to be done by the one who owned the trees. We must understand that this kind of love can only be engrafted into us by God our Father. It is not ours naturally, only supernaturally by the work of a Heavenly Husbandman.

Enduring Love - 1 Corinthians 13:7-8a

7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Charity never faileth:

The Power of Love

Notice how Paul make agape love now unlimited it what it can do.

Agape love, he say, bears all things. The Greek word means to cover with silence. It really deals more with our mouth than our body.

Agape love believes all things. This means is looks for the best in others. It isn’t gullibility, but the possibility, the positive belief in others in spite of sin and faults. It is spiritual optimism. It says, "Love can do great things in the Lord’s power and therefore I will try."

Love, hopes all things. Hope is the long term power of love while belief is the short term and you need both. Love hoping all things, means that it refuses to take failure, loss or setbacks as final. This Christian quality mean it never quits. When belief stumbles, hope gets us back on our feet by looking past the immediate mistakes and obstacles to the surety and power of what love can accomplish in the long term, even to eternity itself.

Love endures all things. Interestingly, this is a military term meaning you fight, in the power of love, while you wait for the victory to come. It is not about quiet suffering but instead it is active involved fortitude.

Then look at what Paul says in vs. 8 Love never fails. Love will not collapse; it will not suffer ruin. Do you realize that this verse alone is enough to tell me that I can never lose my salvation. You know why?  Because it was purchased by the love of Jesus dying on the cross.  That love cannot fail, and I was redeemed, justified and sanctified by that never failing love.

Nor will this love fail in my life from now till heaven. Husbands and wives who know this love don't get divorced. No exception. Parents who know this love don't harm their children. Children that know this love don't rebel. Churches that know this love don't split. Friends that know this love never become enemies. Christians that have this love will not fail! And according to 1 Corinthians 13, we all have this love.

This love is the key ingredient to success in every endeavor we undertake.  If anything is important to you, as a husband, a wife, a parent, a teenager, a church member, a boss, an employee a Christian, as a child of God you better understand and believe in this kind of love.

The Big Picture of Love

Step back from the individual verses and look at agape love as one unified element in who we are as Christians.

Agape love in us means we are patient, we do not hurt others, we are not envious, we don’t need a parade.

God’s love working in us means we can’t be rude to other, we won’t seek our own advantage, we can’t be provoked. We don’t look for bad in others and we don’t rejoice in the sin and iniquity that surrounds us.

And finally, if we are walking in the way or agape love then we will bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things and we know that when it all is over and done that by the power of God’s love we did not fail!

If that all sounds impossible for you, well it is. But remember what Jesus said, Mark 10:27 With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. It isn’t your love changed and elevated to agape love, it is God’s love engrafted into you, replacing your love with His.

Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest pg. 87

The springs of love are in God, not in us. It is absurd to look for the love of God in our hearts naturally, it is only there when it has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Romans 5:5 the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Conclusion:

Paul ends the chapter in 1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Faith will one day turn to sight when we see God, the Lord and heaven. Hope will no longer be needed because we will have seen our greatest hope, the return of Jesus Christ our Lord. He will reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We won’t need to have faith or hope anymore, but love won’t end it will just grow stronger throughout the ages of eternity. The greatest is love.

We need to understand that now. We need to live that today. For without God's love empowering us, there is nothing worthwhile or lasting in your life. The only way to make your time in this world count is to have God's love driving you.  It truly and without debate is the essential element of the Christian life.

So, do you have agape love? If you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you do not.  And if you do not, then it is not only this love you lose, but it is life and eternity that ultimately is lost.

Do you have agape love driving you as a child of God? It doesn’t take determination, it takes surrender. It means giving up your own nature love and letting God engraft His supernatural love through the Holy Spirit into your life everyday.

The Conclusion of Jean Valjean and the silver candlesticks.

The priest drew near to him, and said in a low voice. "Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I buy from you; I withdraw it from black thoughts and the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God."

Do you think that Victor Hugo, the author of Les Miserable was thinking of Christ when you wrote that scene? That Christ paid the price for our soul with his own life and then give us the means to make our life meaningful by giving us his own love.

We all have the same choice, to accept the gift be changed or to go ignore the gift and live the way we always have. What kind of love will you choose?