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1 Corinthians 13 - "True Love"

Phil Campbell MPC, 11^th August 2002.

Imagine Christmas morning. Four small children. Not necessarily in the Campbell family. But could have been. If I was allowed to tell true stories about my kids, this might have been one of them.

And so the youngest, she's about four years old, and she's having a Christmas Morning Crisis. Because she's realised, in the middle of what's going on, that the gift she so lovingly bought from the shops, the gift that she so carefully wrapped, the gift that she so meticulously stuck the card on… the time has come that she's got to give it away.

Which suddenly doesn't seem like such a great idea at all.

She's learning what Christmas is all about. The hard way. That the gifts you choose and buy and wrap… they're not for you. They're for giving. The gifts you so prize and treasure on the night before Christmas… are gifts for someone else.

Which is a lesson the baby Christians in Corinth have got to learn as well. As we come to chapter 13.

Don't be fooled. You've probably heard 1 Corinthians 13 so often at weddings or read it in sentimental cards that you've missed the context. Which is very firmly in the middle of what Paul's saying to them about their quest for gifts. We saw last week, their favourite… the gift of tongues… which they think is the mark of the true Superchristian.

But verse 31 in chapter 12, there are strong words. That lead right into chapter 13. Which is the bridge to chapter 14, where we'll see next week Paul spells things out in detail.

He's just finished saying, everybody's different. Not everyone's going to speak in tongues. Or prophesy. And then he says this. Verse 31.

But eagerly desire[5] the greater gifts. And now I'll show you… the most excellent way.

Now I'll show you… how to recognise the greater gifts when you see them. Now I'll show you… the sort of gifts you should really want. The gifts you should eagerly desire.

And the answer, much to their surprise and disappointment, is that the greater gifts… are the gifts that will do the most good… for everybody else. The greater gifts… are the gifts that are driven by love. Instead of pride. And spiritual arrogance. And boasting.

And so while 1 Corinthians 13 is in one way a beautiful love poem, that's not what it's here for. While 1 Corinthians 13 looks great in a Valentines Day card, that's not what Paul's sending them. Because the words as you read them in context, they're a stinging rebuke. For the fact they think they can have the gifts of the spirit, without being interested in the fruit of the spirit. That they think they're holy because they say they've got gifts from the Holy Hpirit. When in their lives, they're not Holy at all.

So look what he says. He says here's the most excellent way. Pay attention.

He says if I speak in the tongues of men and of angels… verse 1… but have not love… I might as well just be the percussion section in a primary school band. I'm only a resounding gong… or a clanging cymbal.

You Corinthians… you say you can speak the tongues of angels. But if you're not loving one another, what does it prove? It's just empty noise.

Or if I have the gift of prophecy, verse 2, and if I can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge… the words of wisdom and knowledge he talked about in chapter 12… and if I have a faith that can move mountains… but have not love… I am nothing.

You can have all the spiritual gifts in the world. But if you're not using them for other people… you're a spiritual zero. Because you've missed the point.

If I give all I possess to the poor, verse 3… you can give to the Smith family, you can give to the Salvation Army appeal, you can give to the guy who asks you for two bucks in the street for a coffee… you can give til there's nothing left… "and if I surrender my body to the flames" like a burnt offering… but have not love… I gain nothing.

And the Corinthians are so proud. And yet they've got it so wrong.

So what does love look like?

So they need to be reminded; back to square 1… what does love look like?

Which I guess we might need to be reminded about as well. Not the sentimental top 40 love song sort of love. But the real sort.

Kylie Minogue's got a song called Love at First Sight. Which is just about the same as every other love song ever written.

The love song sort of love is all about how good you make me feel. The stars come out, the birds sing, my heart goes boom ditty boom. And everything goes from wrong to right. Just because you've walked in the room.

Now that's nice. And there's nothing wrong with a bit of romance. But it's not the sort of love Paul's talking about here at all.

The love Paul's talking about puts the other person first. At every point. It's a long suffering love. That's patient. And kind. That's not self seeking at all. That's forgiving. Keeping no record of wrongs.

It's often been said you can replace the word love in verses 4 to 7 with a name. The name Jesus. And you can. Because it's all part of doing what Paul's talking about back at the end of chapter 10. Imitating Christ. And let me tell you, this is a kind of love that isn't always about a good feeling. I don't know about you, but things like patience and forgiveness, things like putting other people first, it can hurt.

But that's what real love looks like.

Read the words. From verse 4. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast; it is not proud. It is not rude, it's not self seeking; it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects. Always trusts. Always hopes. Always perseveres. Love, he says in verse 8, never fails.

Beautiful words. But you want to know the striking thing? Turn each of them upside down, and it's an exact description of church… in Corinth. And maybe some other churches you can think of as well. Where love has somehow gone to the bottom of the priority list. Instead of the top where it belongs.

This is the letter that started out with Paul saying, I appeal to you brothers, agree with one another. So there are no more divisions among you. Chapter 1 verse 10.

Or chapter 3. Where he said brothers, you might think you're spiritual. But I can't address you as spiritual at all. Because of the jealousy among you.

Love doesn't envy like that.

Or chapter 4. Where he says, "don't take pride in one man over another." In your factions and your fighting. Verse 7, he says, "What do you have that you didn't receive?" And if you did receive it, if it was a gift, why do you boast as though you didn't? As if you earned it.

Chapter 13. Love does not boast.

Here's the church in chapter 5 with the sort of sexual immorality among its members that's even shocking to the non-Christian community. And it should have filled them with grief. And yet they're proud.

Love is not proud. But the Corinthians are. Love doesn't delight in evil. But the Corinthians do.

Here's the church where in chapter 6, one member is taking another member to court in front of unbelievers. And Paul says, why not rather be wronged than do that? Because you see, love keeps no record of wrongs. But the Corinthians do.

Get the point? One thing after another. Here's a description of love. That's a description of exactly how the Corinthians have failed. They're easily angered, they're unforgiving, they're full of pride, they're rude and self seeking. And yet they say they're spiritual giants.

Measuring up

Now I don't know your personal definition of a spiritual giant. But Paul's knocking down some tall poppies here, isn't he?

And it's a sobering thought… that what we're looking at here is the only measuring stick that counts. It's what I think they call in Latin, the sine qua non. That without which… there is not. The essence. That if you take it away… you've got nothing.

You might preach great sermons; be pastor of a great church. Without love… you're nothing.

You might pray fine sounding prayers; full of eloquence. That people admire. And without love… you're nothing.

You might give thousands of dollars of your hard earned money… support missionaries, contribute to the building fund. And yet if you're full of pride, if you're holding on to a list of wrongs, if at heart you're unkind… then you've baked the cake and forgotten to put in the flour.

And people might have admired you for years. A pillar of the church. But if love hasn't been there at the centre… it all comes to nothing.

Building to Last…

Which according to Paul, is exactly where everything ends up. If there's no love involved. That if it's not done for the sake of building up others, it's not going to last.

And it's the great Corinthian mistake.

Paul says, love never fails. But everything else will.

There's an underlying thread, it runs right through the letter. And that is, some of the Corinthians have got the idea that they've gone on ahead of everyone else. In a spiritual sense. That speaking in tongues, it's the language of angels. That speaking in tongues is a little slice of heaven. And their prophecies and their knowledge and the things they get so proud of, it's a mark of being closer to heaven than anyone else.

Which Paul wants to put right in an interesting way. In verses 8 to 13. Because the point is, when heaven comes, you won't need prophecies. Or tongues. He says speaking in tongues is like baby talk. In heaven, you'll be grown up. He says, your prophecies and your knowledge, it's all just part of the picture. In heaven, we'll see it all.

Follow from verse 8. He says love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease. Where there are tongues, they'll be stilled. Where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part… and we prophesy in part… but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.

And heaven's going to be way better than the Corinthians can even imagine. Who's going to need prophecies then? Who's going to need special spiritual knowledge when we all know everything? Who's going to need tongues… when we see reality face to face?

He says When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. But kids grow up. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see like a bad reflection; then it's going to be crystal clear. Face to face. Now I know part. Then I'll know fully. And be fully known.

So he says, don't go setting your hearts on the temporary stuff. Don't get inflated spiritual egos about speaking in tongues. Don't get all excited by things that are here today and gone tomorrow. Get excited about love. Which is the one thing… that's never going to fail. He says there are three things that are important for the now. Faith, hope, and love. And even of those… when the hoped for has come, when the object of your faith is fulfilled… love is the one that's still going to be there for all eternity.

And so, he's going to go on to say in chapter 14, specialise in the sort of spiritual gifts that are for the good of other people. Because that's what love is all about. Specialise in being the sort of person who wants to build other people up… in whatever you do. Rather than bringing them down. Because love's going to be there for eternity.

So I wonder how you're going with that? What kind of lover are you? I guess the people closest to you know the answer best. Which might be embarrassing. If you like wearing a Sunday Veneer.

And for all of us, I wonder if love like that, a love that isn't proud, that doesn't boast, that's patient and kind, that's practical… that's other person centred… I wonder if that's really something we value as a church?

Do you ever stop and read our Core Values? They come round at the top of the notice sheet every week. A list of statements… of the things we've decided as a church are the things we hold most dear. That we want to be a description of who we are. They roll around on the notice sheet one by one. But we've jumped the sequence this week. As a reminder of this one.

We value practical love modelled on the sacrificial love of Christ, who gave himself for us.

Which is exactly what Paul's talking about here. Doesn't matter what else is happening in your church. No matter how impressive. If love's not there, there's nothing.

We had friends visit on a Sunday night a couple of weeks ago. They've been travelling around Australia on long service leave. Been to 14 different churches in 14 weeks. They said our Sunday night music team a couple of weeks ago was the best music in all their 14 weeks. Which is good, isn't it? And encouraging. But the bigger question is, How's the love? Not sure you can measure that on one visit.

So whatever gifts you've got… whatever gifts you wish you had. Remember, they're not for you. And what you need to long for is any sort of gift that's good for giving. That's good for loving others with. You can speak in the tongues of men and angels. You can give everything you own to the poor. You can be on the board of countless Christian Organisations. You can have your photo on the cover of Christian magazines. People can look up to you… as the model of what a Christian should be. But if you're anything like the Christians in Corinth you'll need to have a long hard look at yourself. And realise… that if you don't have love… then really, you're a nothing.