b. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. A favorite text for many wedding homilies, this chapter of 1 It described, as we might guess from the word itself, erotic love. Consider, I. While it seems that the Corinthians themselves were over-emphasizing the importance of this single gift, Paul is encouraging the congregation to recognize the necessity of all spiritual gifts (chapter 12) and cautioning the congregation to temper the practice of speaking in tongues with the interpretation of these tongues and with prophecy (chapter 14). In Pauls day, mirrors would not have been nearly as reflective as what they are today. i. This is surely one of the easiest ways in which Christians fail properly to handle the times when they are sinned against. c. But the greatest of these is love: Love is greatest because it will continue, even grow, in the eternal state. Nederlandstalige Bijbelstudies door Stan Marinussen, Copyright - Enduring Word | . A further explanation of why love comes to function as the marker par excellence of the true believer lies in the imitation of Christ. There is virtually no distinction between the two Greek verbs that describe the termination of both prophecies and tongues. 14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; WebMatthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Corinthians 5:9-13. It tempers and restrains the passions. Storge was the second word for love. ii. Clearly, the time of fulfillment Paul refers to with then face to face and then I shall know just as I also am known speaks of being in the glory of heaven with Jesus. Certainly, love is not soft. Moving mountains is a great achievement in the account of men; but one dram of charity is, in God's account, of much greater worth than all the faith of this sort in the world. ii. If we knew more of our own sinfulness, we might be driven to despair; if we knew more of Gods glory, we might die of terror; if we had more understanding, unless we had equivalent capacity to employ it, we might be filled with conceit and tormented with ambition. They were all amazed. That is, the love that Paul is describing takes action; it is not a passive feeling toward another. Does it sound totally ridiculous or just a little far-fetched? Web(1 Corinthians 13 Commentary ) Barclay- There is a self-effacing quality in love. From what we can gather about the Corinthian community from chapters 12 and 14, these early Christians were becoming starkly divided in a debate related to spiritual gifts. It gives because it loves; it does not love in order to receive. In other words, just as an Oreo would be insufficiently satisfying without its creamy middle, so too would Pauls discussion of spiritual gifts be lacking without a clear grounding in love. 2. 2If I have the gift ofprophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I The apostle Paul wrote of the dangers of letting the worlds understanding of matters like this influence the church in 2 Timothy 4:34: For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths (ESV). III. A state of perfection is in view (v. 10): When that which is perfect shall come, then that which is in part shall be done away. His bliss and sanctification will be an addition to ours, instead of impairing or lessening it. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. The present state is a state of childhood, the future that of manhood: When I was a child, I spoke as a child (that is, as some think, spoke with tongues), I understood as a child; ephronounsapiebam (that is, "I prophesied, I was taught the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, in such an extraordinary way as manifested I was not out of my childish state"), I thought, or reasoned, elogizomen, as a child; but, when I became a man, I put away childish things. Indeed, what a fantastic vision to imagine life lived as a journey in which the experience of Christian community should be a perfect reflection of the love which God has first shown us in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:8), iii. While these surfaces can provide a general sense of the item being reflected, the image is not crystal clear. Affirmatively: It rejoiceth in the truth, is glad of the success of the gospel, commonly called the truth, by way of emphasis, in the New Testament; and rejoices to see men moulded into an evangelical temper by it, and made good. ii. Given this setting, the placement of chapter 13 here may at first seem odd as it only mentions speaking in tongues tangentially (verses 1 and 8). He knows everything there is to know about us, even what we do not see or understand about ourselves. Some think this was an epistle written to them before, which is lost. 4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Alan Redpath said one could get a spiritual suntan from the warmth of this chapter. In verses 9-13, Paul takes up the topic of the limitations of seemingly everything except love. WebThe ultimacy of love as a characteristic of God's family (1 Cor. i. And when, in spite of inclination, it cannot believe well of others, it will yet hope well, and continue to hope as long as there is any ground for it. There will be but one language in heaven. Paul comes to his primary point in verses 19-20: We are not our own! It is long sufferingmakrothymei. Many persons cover a spirit of envy and uncharitableness with the name of godly zeal and tender concern for the salvation of others; they find fault with all; their spirit is a spirit of universal censoriousness; none can please them; and every one suffers by them. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. As this breaks into the present in Christ, his people, filled with the Spirit of Christ, are to take on this way of existence and develop a life where love guides their approach to all things. In some churches this has even led to a watered-down Christian faith being preached with little emphasis on holiness lest some should feel condemned or unloved. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. f. Now I know in part: The gifts of the Holy Spirit are necessary and appropriate for this present age, when we are not yet fully mature, and we only know in part. Web(1 Corinthians 13:3) The most dramatic renunciations of self are, in the same way, profitless without love. This is the divine nature, the soul's felicity, or its complacential rest in God, and holy delight in all his saints. i. Paul comes to his primary point in verses 19-20: We are not our own! The apostle gives us in these verses some of the properties and effects of charity, both to describe and commend it, that we may know whether we have this grace and that if we have not we may fall in love with what is so exceedingly amiable, and not rest till we have obtained it. What narrow views, what confused and indistinct notions of things, have children, in comparison of grown men! Here the apostle goes on to commend charity, and show how much it is preferable to the gifts on which the Corinthians were so apt to pride themselves, to the utter neglect, and almost extinction, of charity. i. Much of the whole of biblical theology is based on God and his love for his people and the response of love from his people. Web1 Corinthians 13. 13). Love never fails. WebChapter 13 outlines what this love really is. WebThe thirteenth chapter of I Corinthians actually begins with chapter 12. Stand fast in love; endure not some things, but all things, for Christs sake; so you shall prove yourself to be a Christian indeed. (Spurgeon). In Scripture love is beautiful and well defined for us in that God is love, and Jesus demonstrated this perfectly to us all. And it is everlasting work, when faith and hope shall be no more. Real love never supposes that a good action may have a bad motive The original implies that he does not invent or devise any evil. (Clarke). He curses those who do not love the Lordhere apparently meaning false teachersand prays the grace of the Lord on everyone else. It wishes ill to none, much less will it hurt or wrong any, and least of all make this matter of its delight, rejoice in doing harm and mischief. Therefore, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are appropriate for the present time, but they are not permanent. They do things many would perceive as loving, yet they do them in a manner that would parade itself. i. b. Philia is the third word for love. For love is always self-giving. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. It will put up with many slights and neglects from the person it loves, and wait long to see the kindly effects of such patience on him. She is ready to show favours and to do good. Here, Paul is suggesting that there will be a future time that makes things clearer than what they may be at present. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels: The Corinthians were enamored with spiritual gifts, particularly the gift of tongues. You must have fervent charity towards the saints, but you will find very much about the best of them which will try your patience; for, like yourself, they are imperfect, and they will not always turn their best side towards you, but sometimes sadly exhibit their infirmities. WebWeek 5 Written Reflection: In 1 Corinthians, Paul encourages us to not let the exercise of our freedom to become an issue for others. I know some persons who habitually believe everything that is bad, but they are not the children of love I wish the chatterers would take a turn at exaggerating other peoples virtues, and go from house to house trumping up pretty stories of their acquaintances. (Spurgeon). If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them: You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. Paul reminds them even the gift of tongues is meaningless without love. If you tear it apart too much, you lose the beauty. Once when Carey was at a dinner party, a snobbish lord tried to insult him by saying very loudly, Mr. XI. Or how shall we know if we have it? If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. 13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. But the face to face Paul speaks of here is the real face to face. The ancient Greek word for perfect is telos. How much surpassing the best below! The Greatest Thing in the World ( 1 Corinthians 13:1-3) 32. II. But these gifts were fitted to the present imperfect state of the church, valuable in themselves, but not to be compared with charity, because they were to vanish with the imperfections of the church, nay, and long before, whereas charity was to last for ever. Love stands in the presence of a fault, with a finger on her lip. (Spurgeon), ii. It does nothing out of place or time; but behaves towards all men as becomes their rank and ours, with reverence and respect to superiors, with kindness and condescension to inferiors, with courtesy and good-will towards all men. i. Without love, it profits me nothing. Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. To sum up the excellences of charity, he prefers it not only to gifts, but to other graces, to faith and hope (v. 13): And now abide faith, hope, and charity; but the greatest of these is charity. Even so, when all that is mentioned here is done, the meaning of love for the believer is by no means exhausted! i. Paul, quoting the idea of Jesus, refers to faith which could remove mountains (Matthew 17:20). Nor will it rejoice at the faults and failings of others, and triumph over them, either out of pride or ill-will, because it will set off its own excellences or gratify its spite. But up there we shall have our minds and our systems strengthened to receive more, without the damage that would come to us here from overleaping the boundaries of order, supremely appointed and divinely regulated. (Spurgeon). It makes the mind firm, gives it power over the angry passions, and furnishes it with a persevering patience, that shall rather wait and wish for the reformation of a brother than fly out in resentment of his conduct. d. Whether there are tongues, they will cease: Many who believe the miraculous gifts ended with the apostles (such as John MacArthur) claim since the verb will cease is not in the passive, but in the middle voice, it could be translated, tongues will stop by themselves. This way of knowing is to vanish away, though the knowledge itself, once acquired, will not be lost. Associate Professor and Program Director of Biblical and Theological Studies, A resource for the whole church from Luther Seminary. Such is the difference between earth and heaven. We could replace the word love with the name Jesus and the description would make perfect sense. We can easily say, Jesus suffers long and is kind; Jesus does not envy and make it through the whole chapter. Web1 Corinthians 13 Agape Love G. Campbell Morgan wrote that examining this chapter is like dissecting a flower to understand it. Paul wants the Corinthian Christians to remember that giftedness is not the measure of maturity, the display of love is. Tongues are good, prophecy and knowledge and faith are good, sacrifice is good. Indeed charity does by no means destroy prudence, and, out of mere simplicity and silliness, believe every word, Prov 14 15. d. Love is also the greatest because it is an attribute of God (1 John 4:8), and faith and hope are not part of Gods character and personality. The New Testament writers, like Paul in this chapter, put further, down-to-earth flesh on the subject. Negatively: It rejoiceth not in iniquity. But it is plain that the apostle is here setting the grace of charity in opposition to supernatural gifts. Prophecy, and the understanding of mysteries, and all knowledge. What is your Christian life focused on? To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. This close relationship between love and the work of the Spirit no doubt provides a partial explanation for why in Paul, and in the early church more generally, love is seen as the authenticator or marker of a Christian. How much short do others come of them! Paul, the author of this letter to the Corinthians, has shown us what this looks like in his own life in chapter 9. Anger cannot rest in the bosom where love reigns. Instead, patience and love and a rejoicing in truth are to mark out Gods people. This idea also lies behind much of the discussion for the next several chapters. If you have any questions, please review our. Instead, we pursue faith, hope, and love. Web1 Corinthians 13:12New International Version. Following the one who gave his life as a sacrifice for us will be humbling and undoubtedly costly in terms of human recognition and progress in life as secular society defines it. i. Blessed Jesus! Then, the next time they encounter that person who has wronged them, they remember and keep score. From its longer continuance and duration: Charity never faileth. (Mark 2:12-13) Notice the end result of this supernatural work of God through His Son. Explore a Book Web1Now I would not have you ignorant, brothers, that our fathers (Greek: pateres) were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2and were all baptized ( baptizo) into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3and all ate the same spiritual food; 4and all drank the same spiritual drink. But love is so valuable, so important, that apart from it, every other good thing is useless. Can we do whatever we want, if we think it is morally correct? Enhance your schools traditional and online education programs by easily integrating online courses developed from the scholars and textbooks you trust. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. Preaching is essentially a merging of the gifts of teaching and exhortation, prophecy has the primary elements of prediction and revelation. (Farnell, cited in Kistemaker). These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience. However, 1 Corinthians 13 is possibly the most central part of Pauls argument in chapters 12-14. Because faith, hope, and love are so important, we should expect to see them emphasized throughout the New Testament. Love is not soft. Our doing good to others will do none to us, if it be not well done, namely, from a principle of devotion and charity, love to God, and good-will to men. We see Jesus now only in a dim, unclear way, but one day we will see Him with perfect clarity. The city of Corinth was famous for producing some of the best bronze mirrors in antiquity, but at their best, they couldnt give a really clear vision. Disciples of Christ will go on and on forgiving because it is part of who they are. The number of these is by some said F9 to be "seventy five"; but the general opinion of the Jews is, that at the confusion of languages at Babel, they were seventy; for they say F11, that then Agape love G. Campbell Morgan wrote that examining this chapter you lose the beauty even so, faith..., in the eternal state lessening it Agape love G. Campbell Morgan wrote that examining this chapter party, resource... Jesus demonstrated this perfectly to us all are not our own but they are against. Is possibly the most dramatic renunciations of self are, in the presence of a fault, with a on. Even grow, in the presence of a fault, with a finger on her lip rest... The subject bosom where love reigns not permanent loving, yet they do them in a,. 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