Love that dominates (1 Cor 13)

GREAT EXPECTATIONS OF MAN'S LOVE:
IN THE EPISTLES—LOVE THAT DOMINATES (1 Cor 13)
pdf
Dr. Paul Manuel—2005

Because running errands can be a time-consuming experience, we often put several of them together in a single trip. Occasionally, one will interfere with another and require us to revise our plan.

After spending over three hours enduring long lines, surly clerks, and insane regulations at the Department of Motor Vehicles, a man stopped at a toy store to pick up a gift for his son. He selected a baseball bat and brought it to the register. "Cash or charge?" the clerk asked. "Cash!" the father snapped. Then, apologizing for his rudeness, explained, "I just spent the afternoon at the motor vehicle bureau." Nodding in sympathy, the clerk asked, "Shall I gift wrap the bat...or are you going back there?" (Adapted from Hodgin 2004:153)

Sometimes we may be tempted to use a gift in a way other than it was intended. That was what Paul faced with members of the church at Corinth, who were misusing the gifts of the Spirit, a problem he addresses with one of the Great Expectations of Man's Love—Love that Dominates.

Paul founded the church at Corinth (in what is now Greece) on his second missionary journey through Asia Minor. He stayed there for about eighteen months, before moving on but kept in touch with the congregation and attempted to counsel the members through a series of letters, addressed, simply, "to the church of God in Corinth" (1 Cor 1:2a; 2 Cor 1:1b). The first one in our New Testament is actually the second he wrote to believers there,¹ but only what we call First and Second Corinthians have survived.

In First Corinthians, Paul addresses several problems within the church that have come to his attention: division, discipline, lawsuits, and immorality. He then answers several questions the church has asked on a variety of topics: marriage, food, worship, communion, and spiritual gifts. Some of his answers are longer than others. The answer about spiritual gifts, for example, is three chapters.² In chapter 12, Paul stresses the fact that the Holy Spirit determines who gets what gift and that the purpose of all the gifts is to help the congregation grow. Whether a person's gift is teaching or healing, speaking in an unlearned language or offering especially wise counsel, the primary goal is to benefit others not oneself. Some people, though, are abusing what the Spirit has given them by using their gift, specifically the gift of tongues, to draw attention to themselves—to show off. In chapter 13, Paul explains that the most important ingredient in a healthy church is not the gifts of the Spirit but the fruit of the Spirit,³ especially the fruit of love. Paul begins by asserting that spiritual gifts are nothing in...

I. The Absence of Love (1 Cor 13:1-3)

1 Cor 13:1 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. 2 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. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Paul is not saying that he has all these spiritual gifts.⁴ He is speaking hypothetically (third class conditional): "Let us suppose that I could do this or that....Even if I possessed one of the gifts people find most impressive (e.g., "faith that can move mountains")⁵...

A. What I expect would promote me (i.e., my spiritual gift) will actually not. [1 Cor 13:1-2]

Some spiritual gifts are more prominent than others and, consequently, are subject to greater abuse. At Corinth, the gift of tongues has assumed a prominence out of proportion to its usefulness. Designed for evangelism, as the book of Acts demonstrates, tongues has, instead, become part of the Corinthians' worship and an attention-getter for those who practice it:

Look at me. I have a special way—a private way—of communicating with God. See how spiritual I am.

Paul says that it does not matter what gift you have or how others admire you for it, if you do not exercise it in love,⁶ you are nothing....

• No amount of recognition can offset the absence of love.⁷

Paul then shifts to another way people direct attention to themselves, by the personal sacrifices they make. Again, he speaks hypothetically:

Let us suppose that I gave up this or that....

Even if I surrendered what people find most impressive...

B. What I expect would profit me (i.e., my personal sacrifice) will actually not. [1 Cor 13:3]

Some acts of personal sacrifice are more prominent than others and, consequently, are subject to greater abuse.⁸ Paul says that it does not matter what sacrifice you make or how others admire you for it, if you do not offer it in love, you gain nothing. In fact...

• No amount of reward can offset the absence of love.⁹

What is it about love that makes this virtue so valuable? Paul answers that question by first describing...

II. The Attributes of Love (1 Cor 13:4-7)¹⁰

1 Cor 13:4 Love [waits] patient[ly], love [shows] kind[ness]. It does not [burn with] envy, it does not boast, it is not [inflated with its own importance]. 5 It [does] not [behave with ill-mannered impropriety], it is not [preoccupied with its own interests], it [does] not [become exasperated] easily, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not [take pleasure] in [wrongdoing] but [joyfully celebrates] the truth. 7 It [never tires of support], [never loses faith], [never exhausts] hope[], [never gives up].

In ways positive and negative, describing what love does as well as what love does not do, Paul indicates why love is so important. He does this not to satisfy the Corinthians' curiosity but to elicit their compliance. More than any spiritual gift or personal sacrifice, a Christian must practice love.

Application: As Jesus instructed the disciples in the gospel about how they should love one another, so Paul instructs the Corinthians in this epistle about how they should love one another. From the message last time, this description applies to Level #2, the special responsibility you have to believers inside your immediate circle. So, using the qualities Paul lists, answer the question...

How well do you practice love?

1 = Doing well 2 = Needs work 3 = Failing miserably

____ Love waits patiently:

• Do you jump to conclusions about a person's situation? Do you look for the right time to counsel or to assist? "Love does not blunder in" (Thiselton 2000:1047).

____ Love shows kindness:

• Do you go out of your way to be thoughtful and helpful?

____ Love does not burn with envy:

• Do you think you should have what someone else has, a position in the church or the support of the congregation for your agenda? Are you jealous of the status others have or happy for them?

____ Love does not boast:

• Do you brag about what you have done, in or out of the church?

____ Love is not inflated with its own importance:

• Do you do things that draw attention to yourself?

____ Love does not behave with ill-mannered impropriety:

• Are you rude (discourteous) to people? Do you speak to some but ignore even shun others? Do you disrupt conversations, services, or meetings? Does your unguarded tongue often offend people? Do you try to embarrass others?

____ Love is not preoccupied with its own interests:

• Is it your way or the highway? Do you want what is best for the ministry or what you think is best for you?

____ Love does not become exasperated easily:

• Do you have a low tolerance for what others do or say? Does your patience with people quickly wear thin? Do you respond to sharp comments sharply or gently? Do you have a long or a short fuse? Do you become resentful easily? Are you touchy? Do you wear your feelings on your sleeve?

____ Love keeps no record of wrongs:¹¹

• Are you out to settle a score? Do you overlook the things people do that offend you? Do you nurse your hurt?

____ Love does not take pleasure in wrongdoing but joyfully celebrates the truth:

• Do you gossip about others' sins? Do you gloat when someone fails? Do you pray for others to have victory over sin and compliment them when they succeed?

____ Love never tires of support:

• Do you look out for others' welfare? Do you make allowances for their shortcomings?

____ Love never loses faith:

• Do you automatically assume that some perceived offense has malicious intent? Not that you should be gullible, but do you give others the benefit of the doubt?

____ Love never exhausts hope:

• Do you look on the bright side of things, or do you get discouraged easily (Robertson 19314:178-179)? Are you confident in the future?

____ Love never gives up:

• Do you see a project through to the end or leave it for others to finish when the going gets tough?

These are characteristics of love. Do they characterize you? Which ones need the greatest improvement?

At this point, the Corinthians may have wondered how anyone could embody these many attributes of love. It would take a lifetime of work to incorporate them into a person's character. Given the other things God wants His people to do, should they devote the time and effort this project requires? Paul answers by describing...

III. The Abiding of Love (1 Cor 13:8-12)

1 Cor 13:8 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. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror;¹² then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

Life in heaven will not be like life on earth. You can expect some changes. The first change Paul mentions is that your spiritual gift(s), which is needed here, will cease in heaven, because...

A. What you undertake for God then will be different from what it is now. [1 Cor 13:8-10]

Paul does not say what you will be doing, only that...

• Despite altering your responsibility, love remains a constant.

"Love never fails." So, do not neglect love, because it will remain important.

The second change Paul mentions is that your spiritual growth, which is limited here, will continue in heaven. In fact...

B. What you understand about God then will be developed far beyond what it is now. [1 Cor 13:11-12]

Paul does not say what you will be learning, only that...

• Despite advancing your capability, love remains a constant.

"Love never fails." So, do not neglect love.

Think back to when you were a child. If that is too long ago to recall, consider those who come up to hear the children's sermon.

• How closely does they pay attention to the message? Are they easily distracted?
• How do they process what they hear? Are they processing it?
• How much of it can they relate to what they already know? Do they even understand all the words?

Contrast your listening to the children's sermon.

• However much your mind may wander during my sermon, you probably have no difficulty focusing for the few minutes the children are in front.
• You can also relate what you hear to what you or your children have experienced.
• While I may occasionally use an unfamiliar term, you probably understand all the words in the children's message.

The reason we have something for them is because we recognize that they have not yet developed the ability to understand as adults. They think as children, not as adults. We do not, however, expect them to stay that way. They will grow in stature as well as in understanding. At this stage, though, the contrast is clear, and we do not require them to think (or act) as anything but children.

So it is with you. What you are now—the limited state of your knowledge and experience on this mortal plane—compared to what you will be later with the expanded knowledge and experience that will accompany your translation into the presence of God in heaven—that difference will be as a child is to an adult.

1 Cor 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

As Paul addresses the Corinthians' question about the gifts of the Spirit, he shifts their attention to the fruit of the Spirit. However important the many gifts are to the life of the church—and they are important—they cannot compare to this single fruit. Love is also the great equalizer among believers. It evens things out now, because everyone has the same potential to excel in love, and it will even things out later, because after the gifts expire love will remain: God's love for us, our love for God, and our love for one another. It is truly Love that Dominates. Does it dominate you?

For the Bibliography and Endnotes see the pdf here.