SS12-17-06.

STUDY THEME: LIFE CHANGING GIFTS. 12-17-06.

“LOVE THAT LASTS.” 1 CORINTHIANS 12:31-13:13.

1 CORINTHIANS 13: 1-3, 4-7, 8-13.

PLEASE OPEN YOU BIBLE TO 1 CORINTHIANS 13.

Jim Harvey who wrote our lesson commentary for December, 2006 said, “recently, a headline in my city newspaper reported, “Local Church vandalized.” Mindless culprits broke in the church sanctuary, spray-painted racial slurs on the walls, upended and destroyed furniture, knocked out windows, and set fires in several parts of the building in an unsuccessful attempt to cover their tracks.

In an interview with the reporter, the church’s pastor declared, “WE have no idea who did this, and we are heartbroken to see such damage to our house of worship. However, we feel sorry for anyone who is so full of hate. We forgive them and want to help them know God’s love.”

Wow! This pastor’s response was a statement authentic Christian love. He expressed God’s love in spite of being mistreated by others. In this lesson we’re going to explore a beloved Scripture passage ht teaches us God’s love overcomes hate.

The three Christian qualities of faith, hope and love are closely related. They appear together in several passages from Paul’s writings in Romans, Galatians, Colossians and 1 Thessalonians, but the most famous of these is 1 Corinthians 13: 13. “And now abideth faith, hope, and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Although closely related, faith, hope, and love have distinctive meanings. Faith is the basic response to God through which we are saved and our fellowship with God is maintained. It includes belief, commitment, and trust. Hope is the confident expectation of God fulfilling His promises. Love is self-giving action that God showed for us and that we are to show to Him and others.

Paul visited Corinth on his second missionary journey, spending 18 months in the city and establishing a Christian congregation there in Acts 18: 1-18. On a subsequent journey, Paul spent considerable time in Ephesus, a city located across the Aegean Sea from Corinth.

While in Ephesus, Paul learned in 1 Cor. 1:11 that the Church at Corinth was splintering over doctrine, lifestyle, and relationship issues. He wrote 1 Cor. to help guide the church through those stormy waters.

Chapter 12 contains Paul’s teachings about spiritual gifts---their nature, use and misuse. Paul concluded that chapter by saying in 1 Cor. 12: 31, “But desire the greater gifts. And I will show you an even better way. The “better way,” according to Paul, was the way of love.

Paul presents love as absolutely indispensable. All other gifts are meaningless unless motivated and under girded by basic love. What is this love that is so indispensable? It cannot be defined. There is noting with which to compare it. It is wholly unique.

Love is indispensable. No spiritual gift has any value if it is not done in self-giving love. Even great miracles, acts of charity, and martyrdom are nothing without love. Love refrains from acts motivated by selfish pride and practices acts of self-giving love. It is tough and lasting. When all the spiritual gifts are left in the past, faith, hope, and love will last, but the greatest of these is love.

1. PLEASE READ 1 CORINTHIANS 13: 1-3.

Some of your Bibles introduce vs. 1 with the word “If” while others will read “Though.” “If is a sharper translation than though. Notice Paul’s use of the word I instead of you. He probably did this in order to show that this applied as much to him as to the Corinthians.

He also had spiritual gifts that needed to be practiced in love. The key word in this passage is charity. This is a misleading translation in light of what the word means today. The Kings James translators were influenced by the use of charita in the Latin version.

We know Paul was not writing about what we mean by charity because of his example of giving all one’s possessions to feed the poor in vs. 3. That is what we would call an example of charity. The word love is used in most translations; but as we already have noted, our word love is ambiguous.

First Thessalonians likely was the first letter Paul wrote, and in it he included the triad of faith, hope, and love in two places. In 1:3 he commended his readers for their work of faith, labor of love, and endurance of hope. In 5:8 he urged believers to put on “the armor of faith and love” and “a helmet of the hope of salvation.” In Colossians 1: 4-5, the triad’s order also is faith, love, and hope.

Faith is necessary to salvation; love characterizes a life of faith; and hope is confidence concerning the future. Paul wove the triad into his Epistles in different orders to make specific points. In Romans, Galatians, Ephesians and 1 Cor. 13: 13 Paul listed love last and emphasizes its supremacy probably because of those believers’ lack of love.

We need to remember that Paul used the Greek word agape, which refers to self-giving love. The Greeks had other words for erotic love and for warm affection, but the N.T. used agape of God’s kind of love for us and for the love we show others.

Love must be spontaneous. Love cannot be got-up. It is the result of God entering and passing a man’s soul. “He that loveth is born of God.” Therefore, where love is absent, all is absent.

The close relationship between Chapter 13 and the entire section of the letter on spiritual gifts is clear in vs. 1-2.

Vs. 1 focuses on tongues, the most highly prized gift of some of the Corinthians. The way some thought of that gift it became an example of selfish pride instead of self-giving love.

Paul mentioned the tongues of men and angels. He was probably referring to the gift of tongues. He used the word charity to refer to love, but it is probably a love that includes charity.

If we could speak any language or tongues, this must be done in self-giving love. If not, we are become as a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. Paul must have been thinking of pagan worship, or he may just have been referring to a lout noise.

He is pointing out that power of expression is not determined y diction, phraseology, and style; it is determined by depth of heart.

Vs. 2 mentions some other spiritual gifts, including the one Paul values most---the gift of prophecy. He also wrote of the gifts that enable people to understand all mysteries, and all knowledge. He even included the gift of “the working of miracles.”

Even if a person could say, I have all faith, so that I could move mountains, but lacked self-giving love, he would be nothing. Nothing is not a nobody, but an absolute zero.

Jesus spoke in Matt. 21: 21 of faith that could move mountains, but without love such a person would be nothing.

Miracle workers are not always moved by self-giving love. Deut. 13:1-5 warns against prophets who accurately foretold future events, but who encouraged worship of other gods.

Matt. 7: 21-23. But what heavenly treasure is there if I give to others for selfish reasons and not out of love? The needy have food to eat, which is a good thing. Yet, according to Paul, I gain nothing.

Think about an even more extreme example of self-sacrifice. What if I were to give my body to be burned. Some religious persons have actually done this to gain supposed personal rewards or to make political statements.

There may be an allusion here to the man in India who burned himself in public on a funeral pyre and had the inscription put on his monument in Athens, “An Indian from Bargosa, according to the traditional customs of the Indians, made himself immortal and lies here.

Such exhibitionism, or “showboating,” as moderns would say, was just egotism. The spirit of self can be introduced into the greatest of human acts. This profiteth nothing.

We know all too well about extremists who strap explosives to themselves and commit acts of terrorism because they’ve been brainwashed to believe such acts are a ticket to paradise. Their terrible deeds are not expressions of love but of hatred. They do nothing but harm innocent people, and their gain is nothing.

2. PLEASE READ 1 CORINTHIANS 13: 4-7.

In vs. 4-7 Paul described the do’s and don’ts of authentic love. Love is active not passive. We have here a description of the nature of love, with its noble properties. One might almost say that love is personified here, since the description is practically a description of the life and character of Jesus Christ. However the picture is directly related to the Corinthians.

The observance of the truths of this chapter would have solved their problems. “Charity sufferth long and is kind,” may be a summary statement of the section with the eight qualities related to longsuffering and the nest four to kindness.

We can conclude that while vs. 1-3 depict a pretender, vs. 4-7 reveal a possessor of God’s love. Notice that each statement in this passage is a description of Jesus. He is the perfect embodiment of love. He is agape love.

Paul did not attempt to define agape: instead, he described it by listing many of its characteristics. These characteristics are not self-contained: there is much overlapping.

Paul was looking at love from many perspectives. There is not a smooth transition, but there is symmetry. “We have fourteen descriptive statements in pairs. The first pair of characteristics has both members positive. Four pairs of negative characteristics follow, the last member being stated both negatively and positively in vs. 6: and then we have two more pairs of positive characteristics in vs.7.

Love suffereth long or is patient. Love is patient in the sense of being forbearing with people. It shows self-restraint with people who test a person’s patience. It is slow to show anger or take offense at the kind of people who try their patience. As James said in James 1: 19, they are “swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.”

The opposite kind of person is sensitive to even the slightest offense. Paul had many opportunities to have his patience tested in dealing with the Corinthians, and they had many opportunities in dealing with one another. Unfortunately, nearly every thing made them lose their cool.

Patience is an inward matter of self-control, while kindness is an outward expression of care. These qualities are like the two sides of a coin. Patience is reactive and kindness is proactive. Both are expressions of love.

Christian love is kind. Preschoolers are taught to be kind to others, but our culture has much unkindness and rudeness in it. On a large scale of life, kindness leads to civility and courtesy as well as active good will toward others. Patience and kindness are basic Christian virtues that complement each other.

The German philosopher Nietzsche hated Christianity for encouraging kindness. He accused Christian love of draining strong people by making them kind…Far from being weakness, kindness is enormous strength—more than most of us have, except now and then.

Kindness is the power that moves us to support and heal someone who offers nothing in return. Kindness is the power to move a self-centered ego toward the week, the ugly, the hurt, and to move that ego to invest itself in personal care with no expectation of reward.

Love does not envy: is not boastful. These attributes also belong together. Envy is desiring what someone else possesses, and boastfulness is taking unwarranted pride in what one does possess.

In the Corinthian Church, some Christians envied others’ spiritual gifts. Still other believers bragged about their gifts.

Both situations were contrary to Christian love. When we love others, we show appreciation for whatever abilities and possessions God has given them. When we love others, we avoid displaying arrogance about what God had given us.

The opposite to envy is contentment with what you have and gladness for the good fortunes of others.

“Envieth not” is related to the attitude of the brethren who felt in 1 Cor. 12: 14-17 that their gifts were inferior. Love would have solved that problem.

Love vaunted not itself or is not boastful or does not brag. This word is found only here in the N.T. Some suggest that it means what we would call a “windbag.” This is closely related to the next characteristic—love is not puffed up, conceited or arrogant. “Puffed up,” clearly points to the open sections of the book in 1: 10 to 4: 21.

Conceited and arrogance both are expressions of pride and the opposite of being humble. The proud person in this sense is puffed up with his own self-importance, and he expresses this with boasting.

Pride also separates from God. The Pharisee in Jesus parable was so puffed up that he even bragged on himself to God, while at the same time putting down the tax collector in Luke 18: 9-14. James said in Jas. 4; 6, “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

No wonder the first beatitude in Matt. 5: 3 is “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”

Love does not behave itself unseemly or does not act improperly or is not rude. The word is “anything disgraceful, dishonorable, or indecent. It is a general term with a wide range of meaning. Love avoids the whole range of unseemliness. The opposite of this is doing what is right and good.

One problem in the Corinthian Church was disorderly conduct at worship service. If we love one another, we act courteously and are well mannered, not rude and disrespectful.

Love is not easily provoked or easily angered. Not quick tempered nor easily angered. These are the people who wear their feelings on their sleeves.

In the church they are sensitive to anything that displease them. They are quick to take offense at what others say and do. The opposite of this is forbearance, which is willing to put up with what others say and do.

Think of how often the enemies of Jesus were harshly critical of Him. Jesus could have become irritated by those who stubbornly opposed the truth. However, He recognized His opponents’ spiritual blindness and sought to help them. This kind of response to those who provoke us is an example of love in action. This property of love would have solved the problem of the lawsuits in 6: 11.

Love thinketh no evil or does not keep a record of wrongs. Some people never forget any wrong done against them. When an argument comes up, this person brings up all these past wrongs. This is the opposite of forgiveness, which sets aside sins and wrongs done to people God is our model for forgiveness. He cleanses us of sins and puts them far away from us.

Love means being willing to forgive when forgiveness is sought. Afterward, love clears the books and refuses to keep holding an offender’s wrongdoings over his head like an I.O.U.

Love rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth. It is all too characteristic of human nature to take pleasure in the misfortunes of others.

Much of the news columns of our daily papers is take up with the recounting of iniquity, either in the sense of disaster, or in that of evil deeds…There is a stern moral element throughout the N.T., and nothing is ever said to obscure this. Love is not to be though of as indifferent to moral considerations. It must see truth victorious if it is to rejoice. Love and truth go together. We are to speak the truth in love.

Love beareth all things. This word has the idea of carrying something. It may apply to bearing our own burdens or to bearing one another’s burdens. Love is strong because it holds up under whatever load is placed on it. This is possible because God bears our burdens in Ps. 55: 22.

We can bear burdens only with God’s help. Put this with love endureth all things.

The word here means, “to bear up under” life’s troubles and trials. Love is the motivating power of both carrying burdens and bearing troubles. The opposite of these is to fail to bear burdens, to falter in hard times.

In vs. 7 love is described in terms of the triad involving faith and hope. Love believeth all things and hopeth all things does not include gullibility. It means, rather, that the believer is not to be suspicious. If, however, sin is evident, the believers must judge it and support its discipline. Paul was probing into the open sore of sin in the Corinthian church with the beautiful description of the one thing; love, that would have met all believers’ problems.

Love does whatever it takes in every situation to do what pleases God. Love overcomes every obstacle, endures every trial, and seeks to defuse ever conflict.

The Corinthians preferred the impressive, sensational, spectacular forms of service. Do you suppose God sometimes sees little difference in them and us?

3. PLEASE READ 1 CORINTHIANS 13: 8-13.

Having described the nature of love in the preceding verses, Paul went on to affirm the permanence of love. He began with a profound statement of three simple words: Love never ends. The basic truth here is that love will always endure. There will be no end to our need to love or to be loved. One proof of the permanence of love is the fact that God is love. Since God is eternal, so too is His love eternal.

It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen. To put it another way, love lasts. This is not true of all human love. Ideally, when Christians marry, they should have a commitment with a love that lasts. This chapter is often part of a Christians wedding. It is a commitment to unconditional love.

Paul contrasted he permanence of live with the impermanence of spiritual gifts. In vs. 1-3 he showed that spiritual gifts without love amount to nothing . In vs. 8-10 he showed that spiritual gifts belong to this age and come to an end, but love last forever. He mentioned three gifts, which are representative of all gifts. Prophecies, which Paul considered the highest gift, shall fail or come to an end. Tongues, which Paul saw as a personal gift with little value to the church but which some considered the chief gift, shall cease. Knowledge…shall vanish away.

Some Bible students see this as the end of spiritual gifts. This view emphasizes words such as fail…cease….vanish away. Others believe the gifts will remain but will be totally transformed. Whichever group is right, this does not mean that heaven is a place of inactivity. There will be ways of serving God and one another.

When will these gifts cease? Vs. 9-10 address this question. Paul wrote, we know in part, and we prophesy in part. The specific gifts of knowledge and prophecy are described as being incomplete. The gift of knowledge does not refer to general knowledge or education but rather to special insight into God’s will for specific matters.