1 Corinthians 12:31b-13:13

Love Is…

1 Corinthians 12:31b-13:13 Lesson 12
Key verse 13:13 NIU UBF 1/31/10

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

There are so many things to talk about; the Haitian earth quake; the faltering economy; the spiritual condition of our campus’. But all of these topics make our hearts heavy and hard. But when we talk about love our hearts suddenly begin to lighten and melt. Our group Bible study could have lasted for over two hours because we were so into talking about love. And so I introduce to you today’s topic…love. In 12:31b Paul says, "And now I will show you the most excellent way." This is the way of love. In Greek, there are three words for love: eros, phileo and agape. Eros is physical or romantic love. Phileo is brotherly love. Agape is God's love which is selfless, sacrificial and unconditional. In this passage, when Paul used the word "love," he used the word "agape." Paul is describing the love of God in Christ. In this love poem, Paul explains why we need this kind of love (1-3), what love is (4-7), and the characteristics of love (8-13). Love is the one indispensable ingredient of Christian character. Jesus commanded us to love one another. He commanded us to even love our enemies. Love is the glue which holds the Body of Christ together. No matter what other virtues one may have, if he or she does not have love, their strengths become liabilities. If they have love, then even their weaknesses are strengths. When we have this love, our souls are fully satisfied and we can be a blessing. Let's see what this love is and learn how to practice this love.

Part I. Without Love I Am Nothing (1-3)

In verses 1-3, Paul explains why we need love by using the phrase "If I" four times. Look at verse 1 for example. "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." Here, Paul first mentions speaking in tongues of men and of angels. We all want to speak eloquently, like high school forensics champions; like President Obama during the State Of The Union Address, but without love, our speech is like a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. These sounds are startling or even irritating to our ears. Words without love can come from a bitter stepmother. She may say the right thing to her newly acquired kids, but without love she may hurting the children. On the other hand, one's speech may be choppy, and one's vocabulary poor, yet when he or she speaks in love people accept it-even rebuking words. When we have love we can be good coworkers in the church and good Bible teachers. We want to teach well with correct words. But people really want love rather than correct words and information. Here we learn that love is everything and fluent speech is a bonus.

Love makes everything of highest value in God’s sight. Look at verse 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." One may have tremendous spiritual insight that comes from the gift of prophecy and be able to explain difficult passages of Scripture and how they might apply them to our own times. But without love, this can be exercised with a critical spirit to the harm of others. In this uncertain world, if we can foretell what will happen in the future, it is very helpful and assuring. In our “information” generation, if we can fathom all knowledge like Solomon, how wonderful this would be in doing God's work. However, if we have not love, we are still as nothing. In verse 2, the gift of faith is special faith that can do miracles. We need this kind of faith when we want to invite students to 1:1 Bible study or when we want to invite people to the upcoming “God’s Enduring Love” Bible school. But without love it too is nothing.

Love is not just endless sacrifices. Look at verse 3. "If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." To help poor people is beautiful. It requires sacrifice. Some people sacrifice with all of their hearts to help the poor. Jennifer and her friends sacrificed their fingers to weave bracelets for Haiti relief. It is a great thing to do. But without love, it is nothing. They may be recognized by people. But to God, without love, it is nothing, for God always sees our inner motive in giving something to the poor. The motive must be love. Thankfully Jennifer was motivated by love for God and for Haiti. We absolutely need love when using spiritual gifts. We cannot see love with our eyes. We can see the effects of tongues, prophecy and faith, but we cannot see love. So we easily ignore love, or place less priority on it. However, love is like life. Life is invisible, but it is essential for our body. If we do not have life in our body, it is nothing but a dead corpse. In the same way, when we do not have love, our spiritual service is as nothing before God. So we must earnestly pray that God may give us true love in whatever we do, such as delivering Gospel messages, teaching the Bible, giving to the poor, or doing acts of sacrifice for God's work. Whatever we do, we need true love.

Part II: What love is (4-7)

Then, what is true love? In verses 4-7, Paul tells us what true love is. First, "Love is patient...." (4a) It seems very odd to us that true love is patience. Here, to be patient does not mean merely tolerating another's existence as time passes by. It means to bear one's weaknesses and sins continually without judging, without giving up, and having hope for them to grow. It is not easy to be patient. When we raise children or disciples, at first we have hope for them to grow. But in time we find their weaknesses. We become impatient, saying, "This person is useless. I cannot bear him or her anymore." We become critical and condemning and give up. Impatience produces negative emotions. Impatience is the enemy of raising disciples or rearing children. Therefore, love is patient. Love is willing to bear pain in hope. In order to help someone else, we need love that is patient. It is the fruit of the Holy Spirit and something we must learn (Gal 5:22). I confess that there are times when I feel I cannot bear with others’ weaknesses. Then, I remember God's patience with me. As a young man I was full of eros, (one sided romantic love) and did wicked things to my own detriment and that of others. I eventually looked useless in my own eyes. But God's servants prayed for me and taught the word of God patiently, in great hope that I would grow spiritually. When I remember God's patience through his servants and his Spirit, I can be patient with others.

God is so patient. Romans 2:4 says, "Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience...." God forebears all of our wrongdoing in the hope that we will come to our senses and repent. His patience endures for over 100 years for some people! Jesus told the parable of the prodigal son. (Lk 15:11-32) His father knew he would squander his property and cause trouble. But his father let him go, shedding many tears. In his pain, the father did not forget his son. He waited for him to return. We can imagine how painful the father's heart was as he waited for his son. But he never stopped loving his son, and he never lost hope. Because he waited patiently, when his son came back, he could accept him as he was and restore him. (Lk 15:22-23) Jesus patiently bore with all kinds of people while on earth. Jesus was patient all the way to the cross, where he bore the sins of the world in his body. Despite the unbearable pain, Jesus prayed for those who crucified him, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Lk 23:34a). Jesus patiently bore our sins and purchased forgiveness for us on the cross. We need this patience to raise children and disciples and to co-work with others.

Second, love is kind. Look at verse 4a. "...love is kind." Many people think that kindness is an attribute of character. They reason that some are born kind, and others are born mean. However, kindness is not part of one's character. Kindness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. (Gal 5:22) Paul was once a mean person, persecuting Christian even to their deaths. (Acts 8:1) But when the Holy Spirit worked in him, he became a kind person. So he said in Galatians 2:7, "...but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children." Jesus was kind to his disciples; Jesus was never critical or legalistic. So he said in Matthew 11:29 "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Let's learn of Jesus and grow to be kind and gentle.

Third, love is not... (4b-5). Let's read verses 4b-5. "…It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs." Here, "envy" is the same as "jealousy." It is interesting that both jealousy and love have zeal. But the emphasis is different. Love has zeal for others. Jealousy has zeal for oneself. Love comes from considering others better than oneself, praying for them, and serving them, thinking, "He is better than me in so may ways and so I respect him." But one who is jealous thinks, "I must always be better than you in every way." If someone else seems to be doing well, the jealous cannot bear it. If someone else is praised, the jealous begins to hyperventilate. That is not love. When we have love, we can recognize others' strong points, and accept them, and be happy together with them.

“Love is …not proud.” (4b) Pride is an attitude of heart that exalts oneself over others even if there is no reason for it. Boasting is the expression of this pride. The boastful begin their conversations with "I," and end with "me." 1 John 2:16 reads, “For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.” It’s o.k. to talk about what you have or do in order to have conversation with someone and build friendship. The problem comes when we start to boast about it to make people think, “Wow! He is really cool and well traveled and so spiritual.” The Corinthians were like this. They boasted about their spiritual gifts. They reminded others of what they had done again and again until others were sick to their stomachs. Love is not proud.

Love is not rude. To be rude is to be ill-mannered; disagreeable or discourteous in word or action. Rude people despise others and speak harshly, even to those who are kind to them. Love is not rude. Love is not self-seeking. Love thinks about others' interests more than oneself. Love is not easily angered. Some people have a habit of blowing up at others and later say, "Oh, that’s just me. Don’t take me so seriously." But love is not easily angered. The problem is not one of temper, but of love. That is why Augustine and myself chose Philippians 4:5-6 as our 2009 key verses, 4:5a reads, “Let your gentleness be evident to all the Lord is near…” God helped both of us to be less angry and more kind last year.

Love keeps no record of wrongs. People tend to want to remember every harm done to them in detail, nursing their wounds, with a desire for revenge. Some people seem to exist for the sake of taking vengeance. It is a temptation, in order to win an argument, to recall the mistakes and sins of others, especially between husbands and wives. Keeping a record of wrongs poisons relationships and one's own soul even more. Usually people are quick to forget grace, and slow to forget the wrongs done by others. But we learn here that love keeps no record of wrongs. What if God kept our record of wrongs and reminded us of each one again and again, every day. We would be so stressed out that no one could survive. Amazingly, God forgives us, erasing all of our wrongs, and remembers them no more (Jer 31:34). Let's accept this love of God in our hearts and love others, keeping no record of wrongs.

Fourth, "love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth" (6). Some may misunderstand that love condones evil. Gang members may claim that they love their fellow Gang members by risking their own lives to kill competing gang members. Young people may indulge in pagan revelry and in their drunken stupor say, “I love you man! You’re my best bud!” They may engage in one night stands and say, “I love you” to each other. But all of this is not love because it is focused on evildoing. But Romans 12:9 says, "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good." True love is holy love. True love is grounded in the truth.

Fifth, love always... (7). Look at verse 7. "It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." When Jesus called his disciples they were vulnerable and weak in many ways. But under Jesus' protection they could grow as men of God (Mk 2:23-26; Jn 17:15). Love always protects.

Love always trusts. Trust is fundamental to a healthy relationship with others. Everyone wants to be trusted. But we must learn how to trust others first. We can see a good example in Barnabas in the first century chruch. When Saul was suddenly converted, no one trusted him, wondering whether he had really changed. But Barnabas trusted Paul. When Barnabas needed a Bible teacher, he went to Tarsus and brought Paul back to Antioch to help him. Through Barnabas' trust, Paul became a pillar of God's work and history. (Acts 9:26-28) Love always trusts. When a husband and wife love each other, they always trust each other. When a church members trust each other, beautiful fellowship can be formed. When we trust Bible students we can raise disciples. When two churches trust each other, they can co-work together.

Love always hopes. At first when we begin to serve a disciple, we can have hope. However, when we find their weakness, we easily lose hope. But love always hopes in spite of the loved one's shortcomings. Love never changes and never gives up hope for them. When Jesus called Peter, Jesus had hope for him to become a “rock like” leader (Jn 1:42). Peter made many mistakes, even critical mistakes-denying Jesus three times during his passion. But Jesus never gave up hope for him. Jesus prayed that Peter would repent and strengthen his brothers (Lk 22:32). Yet, after Jesus' resurrection, Peter tried to go back to his old fishing job, forgetting his mission. (Jn 21:1-3) Jesus visited Peter and served him with a delicious breakfast and restored his love relationship with him. (Jn 21:9 15-18) Jesus embraced his disciples as they were, and had hope for them to become shepherds. I thank God for the Canadian missionaries who hoped in me. Before meeting Jesus I was very intimidating. I was very sinful in my heart. When I confessed my sins in a testimony Msn Ruth Hwang was scared. I was told that for a time a male missionary was posted at the door of the room that Msn Ruth and I were having 1:1 Bible study. But the Msn’s never gave up on me. They hoped in me continually and eventually I accepted Jesus and grew as a shepherd of God’s flock. Love always hopes. When we have hope we can persevere through all kinds of disappointments, failures and sufferings.

Part III: Love Never Fails (8-13)

Verse 8a says, "Love never fails." This means that love is everlasting, in comparison to the spiritual gifts which are temporal. Prophecies, tongues and knowledge will cease, be stilled and pass away. They are only parts of the whole that is to come. They are faint glimpses, and imperfect, partial images. Verse 10 says that perfection is coming. This means that Christ is coming to restore God's perfect reign. Christ is coming in power and glory and will transform all of his people to bear the image of God perfectly.

We must mature in love. Look at verse 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." This is Andrew’s 2010 key verse. "When I was a child" means that when Paul did not know the love of God, he was immature and self-centered. Those who do not have love are like children no matter how old their bodies may be. Such people are emotional and boast about themselves. Whatever they say, think or reason is childish. "A man" refers to one who knows true love and practices it. Such a person is spiritually mature. An unselfish life is always concerned for others and is willing to sacrifice for others with simplicity and purity. So we can say a mature person is childlike. However an immature person is childish. One does not become spiritually mature merely through the passing of time. One becomes spiritually mature by learning the love of Jesus and practicing it. When the love of Jesus touched Paul, he realized what true love is. He became ashamed of his childish way of life and he put it behind him. When he tried to imitate Jesus' love he could grow as shepherd whose heart was full of love for God and for the flock of God.

The best love is yet to come. Verse 12a says, "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face." Now we have a very limited and impartial understanding of God and his kingdom. Now we are like people looking into one of the polished, ancient bronze mirrors which yield a very poor reflection. But when Christ comes we shall see him face to face. This means that we will know him as he truly is. We will also know ourselves as he truly knows us. We will have a perfect love relationship with Christ and our Heavenly Father which lasts forever. There is no more need for prophecies, tongues or partial knowledge. Yet love always remains. Love is eternal. Love that begins to blossom in our hearts, as we live in this world, will still be growing and bearing fruit into eternity. Love has everlasting value. Look at verse 13. "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." We know that faith and hope are very precious. Yet love is even more precious. One day faith will become sight and hope will be fulfilled. Love will only remain. Love is also the foundation of faith and hope.

The fundamental problem of human beings is sin that breaks our love relationships with God and with others. We long most for the true love that relates us perfectly to God and to others. Many people are miserable, not because the unemployment rate in Illinois is 11%, but because they do not know true love. Love is everything to us. When we know God's love and practice it, we are fully satisfied and happy. This love lasts forever. So we must desire this love more than anything. Let's pray to learn the love of God and practice it. Then we can be truly happy and build up the body of Christ.

Part l: Without love (1–3)

1. While teaching the Corinthians about spiritual gifts, what did Paul pause to show them? (12:31b) In verses 1–3, how many times does Paul use the expression, “If I”? What gifts does he mention? Why do Christians crave such gifts? What happens when these are practiced without love?

Part ll: What love is (4–7)

2. Read verses 4–7. In Greek, the word for love here is “agape.” It is derived from God’s love and means selfless, sacrificial and unconditional. In verses 4–6, what does Paul say love is? And what is it not? Of all the characteristics of love, why does Paul mention patience and kindness first? (Ro2:4)

3. Without love, what are we human beings inclined to do? (4b–6a; Ge6:5; 8:21) How can we overcome these sinful tendencies within us? (Ro8:5–9; Gal5:16ff.) How does love relate to the truth? (6b; Ro12:9)

4. Read verse 7. How are the verbs “protects,” “trusts,” “hopes” and perseveres” related to building up others? What is the progression here? See the following illustrations: “protects”: Mk2:23–26; Jn17:15; “trusts”: Ac9:26–28; “hopes”: Jn1:42; Lk22:32; “perseveres”: Lk15:20.

5. In light of verse 7, what one thing can you try to improve in the relationships in your personal life and fellowship?

Part lll: Love Never Fails (8–13)

6. How is love different from all other spiritual gifts? (8–10) What is most valuable, and how does this help us in using our gifts? How did God’s love affect Paul’s way of thinking and lead to his maturity? (11)

7. What is our hope, and what was Paul’s hope? (12) What are the three essentials in Christian life, and which is the greatest? (13) What should be most important to us in our struggle to grow as Christians?