Lesson for December 31, 2023
The Excellence of Love
I Corinthians 13:1-7
“If I speak with the tongues of mankind and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions to charity, and if I surrender my body so that I may glory, but do not have love, it does me no good. Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant.It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered,it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
Verse 1
“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”
Paul began with an assumption – suppose I could speak in foreign languages and the language of angels but lack Christian love. What would be the outcome for me? I would sound like a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. Christian love is personal love for God and impersonal love for all mankind. We often call this virtue-love because it is based on the virtue and integrity that a believer has developed in their soul.
The noisy gong is a reference to a marketing technique used by ‘supermarkets’ of the ancient world, which brought attention to them. Believers who attempt to exercise a spiritual gift they do not have is like a supermarket gimmick to call attention to themselves. This is totally incompatible with John 16:14 where we are told that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Christ, not oneself.
A clanging cymbal had nothing to do with musical instruments at all. It was the noise made by professional (paid) mourners. Professional mourners were often paid to “mourn” for people they didn’t even know, at wakes and funerals. All Paul was saying was, “Look, if I can speak in all the languages of mankind and angels, and I am not exhibiting Christian love, I’m doing it for the wrong reason.”
Verse 2
“If I have the gift of prophecy [temporary gift], and know all mysteries [mystery doctrine of the church] and all knowledge[temporary gift, understanding the doctrine before the Canon of Scripture was complete], and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains[not faith-rest, this is the gift of faith, the gift that can remove mountains], but do not have love, I am nothing.”
The Corinthians were magnifying their spiritual gift above their love for one another, attempting to look spirituality superior. They were out of fellowship with God and were causing divisions within the church. Regardless of a believer’s spiritual gift, they are nothing without Christian love for one another. When believers are being controlled by their sin nature, regardless of what they do, they are nothing, spiritually speaking.
Verse 3
“And if I give all my possessions to charity, and if I surrender my body so that I may glory, but do not have love, it does me no good.”
If you give all your possessions in a state of carnality, it counts for nothing spiritually. When a believer gives with the wrong motivation, they are imitating an unbeliever. The whole point is that if you operate out of fellowship with God, no matter what you do is still wood, hay, and straw. The same principle applies to martyrdom. (Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22)
Verses 4-7
“Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered,it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
Love is patient is characteristic number one of love. The Greek word for patient means to have a mental attitude of grace toward others. It is a relaxed mental attitude toward everyone and everything. It means that we allow others the right to be wrong and still exhibit love toward them. Live and let live!
Love is kind is characteristic number two of love. This refers to showing mercy. It means to treat everyone graciously and not on the basis of what they deserve or what they can do or cannot do for us.
Love is not jealous is characteristic number three of love. It refers to a mental attitude of resentment toward someone else who has something you want. When a believer is operating under the filling of the Spirit, the love which is produced is totally free from jealousy and resentment.
Love does not brag is characteristic number four of love. Brag means to speak with excessive pride of self. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit your “bragging” will not be about self, but about Jesus Christ. Love produces a genuine understanding of who you are as a believer.
Love is not arrogant is characteristic number five of love. Arrogance is not compatible with Christian love because it focuses on self. Application of Christian love eliminates arrogance in a believer. Love gives a believer the true perspective of who they are as Royal Family of God.
Love does not act unbecomingly is characteristic number six of love. Unbecomingly means to act in a shameful manner. Believers in Christ should behave like the Royal Family of God. This means believers should live their testimony before others as Royal Ambassadors of Christ.
Love does not seek its own is characteristic number seven of love. A believer with love always seeks the best for those they love. This eliminates selfishness and greed.
Love is not provoked is characteristic number eight of love. Provoked means easily angered or easily irritated. The Greek word for provoked is used for tantrums. It is impossible to be filled with the Holy Spirit, exhibit Christian love, and be angry with another person by throwing a tantrum, in a fit of emotion.
Love does not take into account a wrong suffered is characteristic number nine of love. This phrase means that when you suffer a wrong at the hands of another, you do not harbor bad thoughts about them, or dwell on the event in your mind. This also eliminates revenge motivation. (Romans 12:17; I Peter 3:8-12)
Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness is characteristic number ten of love. When a believer is filled with the Holy Spirit and advancing in the Christian life, they will exhibit Christian love by celebrating the actions of others that are compatible with the teaching of the Word of God, regardless of their relationship with them. Christian love rejoices in what is right and good, and not in what is wrong and bad. Christian love does not try to find ways to get away with bad behavior. Christian love is not happy when someone is caught in sin.
Love rejoices with the truth is characteristic number eleven of love. Truth refers to Bible doctrine. The filling of the Spirit produces a hunger for the Word of God. Rejoicing is inner mental happiness from application of the Word of God. Personal love for God includes a love for His Word.
Love bears all things is characteristic number twelve of love. The word bear means to be able to handle unjust persecutions, suffering, or testing with Christian love. Christian love, when applied to people or circumstances, “covers” the sins of others in the sense that this kind of love does not gossip, intentionally listen to gossip, or spread gossip. Whether the accusation of sin is true or not is not the issue. Christian love treats others with kindness and understanding. (I Peter 2:19; Galatians 6:2)
Love believes all things is characteristic number thirteen of love. A believer who is filled with the Holy Spirit believes the best about someone until there is evidence to prove otherwise. And even then, a believer with Christian love will continue to believe in the principle that there is hope for everyone to correct their mistakes and move forward.
Love hopes all things is characteristic number fourteen of love. Hope means you have a personal sense of destiny. With a personal sense of destiny from Bible doctrine, a believer can live their life in light of eternity, knowing what God has prepared for them in the future. This gives a believer total confidence in God and courage toward others and circumstances.
Love endures all things is characteristic number fifteen of love. This means that you have inner peace no matter how great the pressure or the suffering. It means to be relaxed under pressure, to have happiness and peace in the midst of pressure knowing that God is working everything together for your benefit. (Romans 8:28)
Proverbs 10:12, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers and overwhelms all transgressions [forgiving and overlooking another’s faults].”