The thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians is a well-known chapter about love. It is a scripture that is often read from at weddings. It is a chapter that is frequently lifted of its context and treated as if this is a stand alone topic from the apostle Paul. But 1 Corinthians 13 stands in a context about the need for unity. In chapter 12 we see these Christians highlighting their differences as a way to elevate themselves over each other. They did not see themselves as one body with different abilities doing different things for the good of the one body. Instead, they saw themselves as individuals, disconnected from the body and trying to bring glory to themselves because of the gifts they possessed. As the apostle Paul ends that part of his teaching, he says these words, “And I will show you a still more excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:31). It is a great transition statement because it leaves the reader to want to know what is the more excellent way. What is the even better way?
Love Is The Better Way (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
What Paul does not do is immediately come about and say what the better way is. Instead, what Paul does is he illustrates the better way through a handful of conditional statements. Notice that Paul describes a number of spiritual gifts that a person may have. You might be able to speak in different languages (1 Corinthians 13:1). You might be able to have the gift of prophecy (1 Corinthians 13:2). You might have the ability to understand all mysteries (1 Corinthians 13:2). You might possess all knowledge (1 Corinthians 13:2). You might be able to give all that own to the poor (1 Corinthians 13:3). You might even sacrifice your own body (1 Corinthians 13:3). These are amazing things that a Christian may do. But notice what Paul says at the end of each conditional statement. If you do not have love, then it is just a senseless noise (1 Corinthians 13:1). If you do not have love, then you are nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2). If you do not have love, you have gained nothing (1 Corinthians 13:3).
What Paul is teaching us is that whatever we do loses its value without love. We must appreciate the gravity of what Paul just said. If does not matter how much of God’s word we know, if we do not have a love for God and love for others, then our knowledge is useless. It does not matter how many Bible studies you join and how many worship services you attend, if we do not do this from a love for God and a love for others, then all our studies and worship gains us nothing. This is why I don’t preach a bunch of lessons on attendance. Your attendance to these things is not the point. Showing up against your heart’s desire gains you nothing. But I will tell you that your attendance says something about you and your love for God and your love for the other people in this room. It does not matter if you are the most generous person, if you do not give from the heart of love for God and love for others it is pointless. Do we see what Paul is pressing upon us? We can do all the right things. We can use our abilities in godly ways. But if what we are doing is not coming from loving each other, then we gain nothing and what we did loses its value. We can have great teaching, be accurate with the scriptures, hold fast to the doctrine of Christ, and work to reach the lost. But if we lack love for God and others while we do it, we have failed. We must know the truth and practice the truth, but we must not leave out the better way, love, as we do these things. Love is the foundation for our unity. Love is the way to unity. What Paul is reminding us is that there is a big difference between doing things because they have to and doing things because they want to. The motivation matters. Who we love is everything behind what we do.
What Love Looks Like (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
Paul knows the problem with what he just said. We are going to read what he said and we will all proclaim that we love God and we love each other. Christians will immediately say in their hearts that they love each other. Of course we love each other! So Paul must show us what love looks to see if our confession matches our actions. Consider the first point that Paul makes about love. Love is patient. Please think about those words. Love is patient. If we love each other, then we will be patient with each other. Now let me say this the way Paul presented this paragraph. If we are not patient, then we do not love each other and if we do not love each other, we are nothing and what we are doing has lost its value. Patience is extremely important. Patience is not optional. Put an end to frustration and anger with each other. Love is patient. Not only is love patient, but love is also kind. The way to unity as the people of God is to be kind to each other. It is fairly shocking that Christians can lose the ability to be patient and kind. Again, if we cannot be kind to each other, then it shows our lack of love which means we are nothing and all that we are doing is pointless.
But here is the key point to what Paul is teaching. Patience and kindness are what keep relationships bound together. Think about how true this is in marriage. A lack of patience with each other and lack of kindness toward each other destroys marriages. The same is true in our families. A lack of patience and a lack of kindness will splinter families and generate hatred. When it comes to the family of Christ, the bonds that hold us together are patience and kindness.
Then Paul shifts to what love does not do. Love does not envy. Love does not boast. Love is not arrogant. Love is not rude or dishonoring. Love is not self-seeking. Love is not irritable or easily angered. Love is not resentful or keeping a record of wrongs. Love does not rejoice in doing wrong. Unity is destroyed when these characteristics are practiced. Love does not hold on to the offenses committed against them. This is an important factor for unity. We are going to accidentally hurt each other. Most offenses we will commit against each other are accidental. We are not going to know that we are harming the other. We are not aware of the need or the situation. Also notice how many different ways Paul describes that love is not self-centered. Paul says that love is not arrogant or boastful. Love does not insist on its own way or self-seeking. Love does not dishonor others or act rudely. All of these descriptions are attitudes and actions that are done from selfishness. Thinking about self destroys unity. Talking about self destroys unity. Acting for self destroys unity. Love does not act from selfishness but from selflessness.
I want you to notice another aspect about love in verse 6. Love does not delight in wrong. Right now we live in a world that tells us that if you love someone, then you will rejoice in their wrongdoing. Our world tells us that we need to be happy for the sinful decisions they are making. Love is not glad when a family member is sinning. Love is not happy when our brothers and sisters in Christ are doing wrong. We do not rejoice in error and call it love. Love rejoices in the truth. Love has joy in what is right. We cannot allow the world to define love to us so that actually fail to love each other because we are rejoicing in their wrongs.
Love practices the attitudes that preserve unity. Love bears all things. Please consider that does not mean rejoicing in wrong. Paul just said that. But we are going to bear with each other. Please listen to what he says next. Love believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Do you see the positive nature that true love possesses? Love believes what the other person says. We do not assume the worst. We assume the best. We are not pessimistic toward each other but optimistic toward each other. We hope for the best in each other. We give our spiritual family a chance. We persevere with each other and do not give up on each other. Love endures through every difficulty and hardship. Real unity requires living out true love toward one another.
Love Is A Permanent Foundation (1 Corinthians 13:8-13)
I do not have the time nor is it the point of this lesson to go through details of these verses. I have done this in previous lessons. If you want to listen to those lessons, they are on the website. But I want to focus particularly on Paul’s big conclusion which is stated in verse 8. Love never ends. Love will not fail. There is no point in which love will come to end. By contrast, Paul talks about how these miraculous spiritual gifts that these Christians were divided over would come to an end. Prophecies would end. Speaking in tongues would end. The gifts of knowledge would end. The point is that all of those gifts would only be temporary. There was going to be a time when they would come to an end. It is clear from Acts 8 that miraculous spiritual gifts were only transferred by the laying on of the apostles’ hands. Therefore, those gifts must end when the apostles died and could no longer pass on those miraculous gifts. But our foundation must be built upon faith, hope, and love (1 Corinthians 13:13). Listen to how the apostle Paul declares this truth to the Colossians:
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. (Colossians 3:12-15 ESV)
This is the picture of the we in love. We have compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. We bear with each other. We forgive each other just as the Lord has forgiven us. Above all these, put on love because that binds everything together in perfect harmony. Let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts because we are called to be one body. Be thankful. Of all the things Jesus could have said that should define us and identify us to the world, he said love will be that marker. All people will know that we are disciples by the love we show toward each other. You will look like a Christian to the world the way you love your spouse, the way you love your family, and the way you love each other in Christ.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35 ESV)
Love is the enduring foundation. Friends, if we do not have love, then we are nothing and everything we doing is just a senseless noise and pointless effort. Will you show love to each other today or will you worry about yourself? What will you do in the next few minutes to show that your love others like Jesus has loved you? What will you do today to show that you love your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ? What will you do this week to show that you love the people of God? What will you do in your walk to show that it is we, not me, that we will love and live for the glory of God.