1 Corinthians 13

Teacher: Rusty Kennedy
​Series: 1 Corinthians (Acts)

Rusty's Notes

• The main evidence of maturity in the Christian life is a growing love for God and for God’s people, as well as a love for lost souls.
• Few chapters in the Bible have suffered more misinterpretation and misapplication than 1 Corinthians 13.
• Divorced from its context, it becomes “a hymn to love” or a sentimental sermon on Christian brotherhood.
• Many people fail to see that Paul was still dealing with the Corinthians’ problems when he wrote these words: the abuse of the gift of tongues, division in the church, envy of others’ gifts, selfishness (remember the lawsuits?), impatience with one another in the public meetings, and behavior that was disgracing the Lord.[1]

Review:

• 1 Corinthians 12:31 - But desire the greater gifts. And I will show you an even better way.[2]
  
  

LOVE: THE SUPERIOR WAY
1 CORINTHIANS 13
1 If I speak human or angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

• In reference to the spiritual gift of tongues mentioned in Chapter 12.
• Tongues apart from love is just a lot of noise!
• It is love that enriches the gift and that gives it value.
• Ministry without love cheapens both the minister and those who are touched by it; but ministry with love enriches the whole church.[3]

2 If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.

• The gifts of prophecy, knowledge and faith

3 And if I give away all my possessions, and if I give over my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.

• The gift of giving.
• Without love… these 5 gifts are worthless.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:9 - About brotherly love: You don’t need me to write you because you yourselves are taught by God to love one another.[4]
• 1 John 4:19 - We love because he first loved us.[5]
• John 13:34-35 - “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”[6]
• Romans 5:5 - This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.[7]
• Ephesians 4:15 - But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ.[8]
• Truth does not equal our opinion.
• Opinions can be based on a combination of things… Truth, misinformation, experience, feelings, the processing of thoughts in our head.
• I don’t always have to express my opinions… especially if it is not loving.
• Then you have to ask yourself the question, “I might think this is loving, but will it be received as a loving expression?”
• I don’t always have to share my opinion.
• But at the same time, I might be led by the Spirit to speak Truth (in love) which still hurts when it clashes with others “opinions.”
• The intent of Paul is to remind the Church that the Spiritual Gifts should be wrapped in love for the “enriching” of the Church body.
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• In the next 4 verses Paul emphasizes the purpose of love in the Church body is to “edify”.
• 1 Corinthians 8:1 - We know that “we all have knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.[9]

4 Love is patient, love is kind.

• Corinthians were impatient and rude with each other.
• 1 Corinthians 14:29-33 - Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should evaluate. 30 But if something has been revealed to another person sitting there, the first prophet should be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that everyone may learn and everyone may be encouraged. 32 And the prophets’ spirits are subject to the prophets, 33 since God is not a God of disorder but of peace.[10]

Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, 5 is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs.

• Knowledge is not puffed up.
• Let the “love feast” be based upon love… not eating.
• 1 Corinthians 4:6 - Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying: “Nothing beyond what is written.” The purpose is that none of you will be arrogant, favoring one person over another.[11]
• Romans 12:10-18 - Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Take the lead in honoring one another. 11 Do not lack diligence in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit;, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer. 13 Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. 18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.[12]
• Compare verses 4-7 with Galatians 5:22-23
• Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.[13]

6 Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

• This means we must not think of ourselves, but of others; and this demands love.[14]

8 Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end.

• The gifts of the Church are necessary for the enrichment and edifying of the Church.
• But some day they will become less important until they are no longer needed.
• But “love” will always “endure”.

11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things.

• Christmas gifts… As a child, you make your Christmas list. As an adult, you end up saying, “I don’t really need anything.”

12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known.

• In those days, it was a polished piece of silver or bronze that they looked at their reflection.
• Face to face… so much clearer.

13 Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.[15]

• The extent to which faith refers to “the conviction of things unseen,” as Heb 11:1 puts it so powerfully.
• Hope refers to that which one believes is going to happen but does not have the conclusive evidence to demonstrate that it will, in the eternal state the evidence will be conclusive.
• But love, in all of its interpersonal, self-giving nature, will continue throughout all eternity.[16]

 
12:31 - But now I want to lay out a far better way for you.
The Way of Love
1 CORINTHIANS 13 (The Message)
1       If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.
2       If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.
3–7     If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.
        Love never gives up.
        Love cares more for others than for self.
        Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
        Love doesn’t strut,
        Doesn’t have a swelled head,
        Doesn’t force itself on others,
        Isn’t always “me first,”
        Doesn’t fly off the handle,
        Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
        Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
        Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
        Puts up with anything,
        Trusts God always,
        Always looks for the best,
        Never looks back,
        But keeps going to the end.
8–10    Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.
11      When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.
12      We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
13      But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.[17]

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 610). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[2] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (1 Co 12:31). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 610). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[4] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (1 Th 4:9). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (1 Jn 4:19). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Jn 13:34–35). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ro 5:5). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[8] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Eph 4:15). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[9] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (1 Co 8:1). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[10] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (1 Co 14:29–33). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[11] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (1 Co 4:6). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[12] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ro 12:10–18). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[13] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Ga 5:22–23). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[14] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 611). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[15] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (1 Co 13:1–13). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[16] Blomberg, C. L. (2017). NT334 Book Study: Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[17] Peterson, E. H. (2005). The Message: the Bible in contemporary language (1 Co 12:31–13:13). Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress.