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The Essential Marker - 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon Series: Confused?

Most of you are probably familiar with the television show American Idol. It is a singing competition that first aired in 2002. Millions of viewers would tune in one night each week to hear the competitors sing and then again the following night after votes had been tallied to see who was being sent home from the competition. Since its debut the show has been very successful, both in drawing ratings and finding incredibly talented individuals who have been launched into stardom. Past winners like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood have become superstars, and even some of those who did not win the competition have been able to release records and go on tour.

I have never gotten really excited about the competition part of the show, but I must admit that I love the first few episodes each season when they show the auditions. At each of the cities where the judges audition individuals for the competition there are always a handful of individuals who show up who have no ability whatsoever to sing. They are awful! It’s as if those individuals have showed up completely misunderstanding what they need to be competitive in the American Idol competition. It’s almost as if some people show up to audition believing that because they are physically attractive they have what it takes to be the next American Idol. Others show up believing that because they have a great personality they have what it takes to be the next American Idol. Others show up believing that because they are in desperate need of a break in life that they have what it takes to be the next American Idol. And still others show up believing that because their friends and family have told them that they have talent they have what it takes to be the next American Idol. But unfortunately those individuals have completely misunderstood that good looks, a great personality, and the compliments of others aren’t what one needs to be the next American Idol – one has to be able to sing! So it’s amazing to watch individuals stand before the judges, be asked the question “Why are you the next American Idol?”, answer the question, and then open their mouths to sing – only to produce awful sounding noises that mankind has never heard before. They absolutely cannot sing and no matter how the judges try to tell them that they simply refuse to believe them.

Fortunately for those individuals, making it onto the American Idol competition has no eternal significance. It’s incredibly exciting for those who do receive an invitation to Hollywood, but if one doesn’t get a golden ticket it’s not the end of the world. There are other things that do have eternal significance though – foremost of which is one’s standing with God. Are we part of those who are far from God, living in sin, and loving and chasing after other things in life, or are we part of those who have been reconciled to God through faith in Jesus and who are living a new life of faith? The answer to that question has huge eternal significance, and unfortunately there are many who are looking at the wrong markers in their lives for their assurance. Just like those who show up to audition for American Idol who are counting on the wrong attributes for a chance to compete and win, there are some who looking to certain things as evidence of the Holy Spirit’s presence in their lives when the most important one is missing almost entirely.

In chapter 12 Paul began to address the misuse and abuse of some in the church at Corinth concerning their use of spiritual gifts (or manifestations of the Spiritsee 12:7). It was another area where the church was demonstrating their confusion in regards to the implications of the Gospel in their own lives. There were some in the church at Corinth who longed to be ‘spiritual’ people. It was a desire that was entirely self-centered. They wanted to be set apart and recognized as the ‘spiritual elite,’ as if God had taken special notice of them and their superiority, and had therefore bestowed upon them manifestations of the Spirit that recognized them for that. In the minds of many in the church at Corinth it was the gift of tongues that was the greatest manifestation of the Spirit, for to speak in tongues was to speak in the language of the angels. And if one spoke with the language of the angels they believed that meant they were close to becoming like the angels. So in the church at Corinth there were many who were longing for and desiring the gift of tongues, so that they might be put in the category of the spiritual elite in their community. But Paul sought to correct their misunderstanding in chapter 12 by reminding the church at Corinth that God’s intent was never that everyone in the church would share the same manifestation of the Spirit – God’s design was that there would be a variety of manifestations of the Spirit in the church. God had designed and composed the church that way so that it would be more effective in carrying out God’s mission. Just as a body needs many different parts (which all have specific roles and responsibilities) in order to function properly, the church needs many manifestations of the Spirit in order to function properly. So Paul sought to clarify this area of confusion among the believers in Corinth and to rebuke some who were acting as if they did not need those who were a part of the church of Corinth who did not possess the gift of tongues. Their behavior was destructive to the community and was tearing it down rather than building it up. 

In Paul’s mind it wasn’t the gift of tongues that identified one as ‘spiritual.’ In fact as he ended chapter 12, and as we will see next week in chapter 14, Paul actually considered the intelligible gifts (such as the gift of prophecy) to be a better gift – for the intelligible gifts were useful for building up the church, while the gift of tongues only served to benefit the one who possessed it. While they may in fact have possessed the ability to speak in the language of the angels, no one understood the language, which meant that that manifestation of the Spirit was of little value to the church as a whole. However, before diving into his discussion on the gift of tongues any further, Paul chose to make a brief detour in order that he might show the church at Corinth “a still more excellent way” (12:31). So what we will discover in chapter 13 is a brief interruption to his argument so that he could describe a way of living - and the only context in which manifestations of the Spirit were to be practiced.

Paul began chapter 13 by saying, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing” (13:1-3). In these first three verses of chapter 13 Paul explained the necessity of love. He did so by noting that simply possessing a manifestation of the Spirit was of no benefit to an individual if that individual did not also love – even if it was one of the perceived “greater gifts.” Paul began with the manifestation of the Spirit that had become a problem in the church at Corinth – the gift of tongues. There were a handful of individuals who had been given a manifestation of the Spirit that had allowed them to speak in more than just human languages – in some individuals the indwelling Spirit had manifested itself by giving those individuals the ability to speak in the language of angels. When you think about it, that really is a pretty amazing gift. I think it’s fascinating to hear an English speaking person speak a second language (like Spanish for instance) with a person whose first language is the one they are having the dialogue in. It’s cool to hear the English speaking individual carry on a conversation in a language that is not his or her native language. But while I’ve heard individuals speak in English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, and other languages, I’ve never heard the language of the angels. So to know that when the Holy Spirit resides in some individuals He manifests Himself by giving that individual the ability to speak the language of the angels is amazing. You would think that possessing that manifestation of the Spirit in that way would undoubtedly be a benefit to that individual. But Paul said that wasn’t the case! He said that if he possessed that gift, but did not also possess a love for the church, then that gift was of no benefit to himself or to others – it was nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

Paul wasn’t just picking on the Corinthians and their preferred manifestation of the Spirit. After singling out the gift of tongues he then added other manifestations of the Spirit – prophecy (which was Paul’s preferred spiritual gift), wisdom (which the Corinthians also highly valued), and faith. Paul said that if an individual possessed one or more of these (the greatest perceived spiritual gifts) but did not at the same time have love for others, then they were nothing. They had no grounds for believing they were among the ‘spiritual elite’ or that because they possessed a particular spiritual gift they had no need for other believers in Christ. They could not boast in their possession of the gift because possession of these (or any) spiritual gifts did not give them special spiritual standing.

While in verses 1-2 manifestations of the Spirit were of no personal value without love, Paul also taught in verse 3 that personal sacrifice was of no personal benefit without love. Paul said that he could give away all that he possessed and even give his body over to kinds of bodily suffering which would serve to show just how spiritual he was (see 2 Corinthians 11:23-29; 12:10). But one could do these things without a genuine love for others – one could do these things as nothing more than a show of their spirituality. And so in the same way that manifestations of the Spirit by themselves were not a sign that one was full of the Spirit, neither were religious activities by themselves.

Be careful not to misunderstand Paul’s point here. Paul wasn’t arguing that these manifestations of the Spirit weren’t important. (He just spent the entirety of chapter 12 explaining that all of the manifestations of the Spirit were important for the church.) However, some in the church at Corinth had believed that simply possessing a manifestation of the Spirit made him or her spiritual. That was a wrong understanding! Paul tried to correct their misunderstanding by clarifying that the manifestations of the Spirit were good things – but simply possessing those manifestations of the Spirit or using those manifestations without a genuine love for others was not. To be spiritual (i.e. filled with the Holy Spirit) meant that one was first and foremost walking in love.

In verses 4-6 Paul went on to describe the character of love. He began with a short, but powerful, expression of what love is. “Love is patient and kind . . .” (vs. 4). This short expression is full of significance. First, as one commentator noted, it “represents respectively love’s necessary passive and active responses towards others.” In other words, “How does one who is full of the Spirit respond to the words and actions of others?” The answer: with patience. And, “What should characterize the interactions initiated by one who is full of the Spirit?” The answer: kindness. But why these two particular characteristics? Why does Paul begin to characterize real love with the words ‘patient’ and ‘kind.’ The answer is found in the person and character of God. Throughout the course of history this has been the way that God has dealt with mankind. In our sin, man has continuously loved and chased after things other than God. We have directed our worship towards other things that are not worthy of worship and praise. And we have said things, thought things, and acted in ways that have been offensive to God. All that our sin has ever deserved from God is His wrath. Yet throughout the course of human history we see over and over again God’s loving patience toward us as He has held back the wrath we deserve so that we might repent and turn back to Him. Additionally, we have seen over and over again God’s undeserved kindness towards us. In fact we see this most clearly in the giving of His Son as a substitutionary sacrifice on our behalf (see Romans 5:8). Though we deserve nothing good from God, He has acted in unbelievable kindness as He worked salvation (which we could not achieve on our own) for us.

After having briefly and powerfully declared what love is, Paul (in the second half of verse 4 and in verses 5-6) turned to describe what love is not. And as he does it is clear that he has some in the church at Corinth in mind. Paul said, “love does not envy . . .” Paul had begun this letter addressing divisions in the church that were centered around different individuals. It appeared that there were some in the church who were envious of Paul’s authority and influence over the church at Corinth. Because of their enviousness they began to provoke others in the church to declare allegiance to another leader. By inciting others to declare allegiance to another leader they sought to weaken Paul’s authority and influence. At the core of envy was self-centeredness. Those individuals weren’t loving their brothers and sisters in Christ and they weren’t serving them by inciting them to division within the church. They were serving their own desires to weaken Paul’s authority and influence because they were envious of Him.

Paul said, “love does not . . . boast . . .” Some in the church at Corinth had showed a proclivity towards boasting (see 8:2). To boast is a self-centered activity, the purpose of which is to cause others to think highly of oneself. The concern of those who were a part of the church at Corinth and who were in the habit of boasting wasn’t for God or anyone else in the church – it was only for themselves.

Paul said love “is not arrogant . . .” Literally Paul was saying that love is not puffed up – another attribute he had used earlier to describe some who were part of the church at Corinth (see 8:1). It is hard to imagine that some who were part of a church that was so confused and which was abusing and misusing so many of their rights and privileges would be puffed up about their spirituality. Yet if they could be wrong about so many things and still be so arrogant, the odds are strong that some in our churches today might be guilty of spiritual arrogance as well.

After saying that love is not arrogant Paul said, “it is not . . . rude.” This meant that love did not behave in disgraceful or shameful ways. Back in chapter 11 Paul had addressed shameful behavior that was taking place in the church. Paul had to instruct the church not to dishonor one another (or Christ) in their times of public worship because the women were coming to worship without their heads being covered (which was dishonoring to the men) and when the church was partaking of the Lord’s Supper those who were well off financially were dishonoring those who had very little by not identifying themselves with them and eating the same meals. Instead they were eating more elaborate meals while the others were going hungry. To act in disgraceful and shameful ways towards others was not a loving thing to do.

Next Paul said love, “does not insist on its own way . . .” Earlier in this letter (10:23-24; 33) Paul had written, “All things are lawful” which we identified was a slogan that some in Corinth lived by. They believed that their freedom in Christ made all things lawful. If all things were lawful then one could eat and drink whatever one wanted without it being a matter of sin or conscience. And if sin wasn’t an issue, then it must be okay to insist on one’s own way. But Paul qualified their life slogan in chapter 10 by saying, “but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up [others]. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor” (10:24). The kind of love that insists on its own way is ‘self’ love and that is not the kind of love that accompanies the Spirit of God. If the Spirit of God is residing in us then we are going to have a love that looks like His – a love that seeks first the good of others. Paul wrote in his letter to the church at Rome, “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please Himself, but as it is written, ‘The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me’” (Romans 15:1-3).

Paul then moved beyond some of the issues in Corinth to further describe love. He said love, “is not irritable . . .” This meant that one characterized by love was not easily angered. As one characterized by love interacts with others he does so with patience and does not allow himself to become easily provoked. Paul said love, “is not . . . resentful . . .” This meant that one characterized by love kept no record or the wrongs done to him. Paul would write in a later letter to the church at Corinth, “. . . in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:19). Our love for others needs to act in the same way – we can’t keep a running tally of all the wrongs that individuals have done to us.

In verse 6 Paul wrote, “it [love] does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.” This statement encompasses so much. There is no form of wrongdoing or evil in which one characterized by love would delight in. Whether it is something as bold as slavery or the degrading of people who are not like us, or something less obvious like gossiping or back-biting, one characterized by love does not delight in or rejoice in those things. Instead he rejoices in and delights in that which is consistent with the truth of the Gospel.

This paragraph concluded with verse 7 which said, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” You’ll notice that the first and last phrases emphasize dealings in the present, while the middle two phrases emphasize the future. Paul said that one characterized by the love of God would be able to bear and endure all things presently because of their confidence in the future. Because love never ceases having faith and never loses hope, it can endure what ever presently comes its way.

 In verses 8-13 Paul concluded this chapter and brief interruption to his argument in chapters 12 and 14 by describing the permanence of love. It’s tempting to place the first sentence of verse 8 together with the rest of verse 7. Verse 7 is made up of four very short statements and ends with the idea of love’s endurance. Then verse 8 begins with a very short statement that sounds very similar to the last phrase in verse 7. But we have to be careful here to keep these short phrases separated. This first, short sentence of verse 8 is a separate idea that is built upon throughout the conclusion of the chapter. Love has one other very unique attribute – “Love never ends.” Love is eternal! Love wasn’t something that God gave to mankind for a season or for the span of their individual lives. Because God is love (1 John 4:16), love will continue to exist for all eternity. Paul then contrasted the eternalness of love with the temporary nature of the manifestations of the Spirit. “As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away” (verses 8-10). Paul singled out the manifestation of the Spirit that he preferred (prophecy) as well as the manifestations of the Spirit that many in the church at Corinth seemed to prefer (tongues and knowledge) and said that they would not last. When Jesus returns prophecies will no longer be necessary and will come to an end. When Jesus returns we will no longer need the assistance of tongues in our praying because we will be in the very presence of God. And when Jesus returns we won’t have any need for the utterances of knowledge (where we are helped to understand the ways of God) because we will be made fully like Him, complete in our knowledge and sanctification. Prophecies, and tongues, and knowledge are necessary now, but they will not always be – a time is coming when they will be no more. Paul added to the emphasis of this truth with an illustration in verse 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 gave up childish ways.” Be careful not to misunderstand Paul’s point with this illustration. The point isn’t one of maturity! Paul’s point is that there is a time for certain things and that that time will inevitably pass away. When we are children it is right to speak like children, think like children, and to reason like children. It isn’t wrong to like Sesame Street when you are a child. It isn’t wrong to use wrong verb tenses when you are a child. It isn’t wrong when you’re a child if you hear your father say, “knock it off,” to look for a physical object sitting on something and then to go knock it off. That is how children speak and think and reason. But it is also right to understand that they can’t always function like that. They have to learn to use verb tenses appropriately; they can’t go on a date in their twenties and pop in a Sesame Street DVD; and they have to learn that if someone says, “knock it off,” that means they need to stop doing whatever it is they are doing. When we grow up we leave behind the time when childish ways are appropriate. The same is true for manifestations of the Spirit. Right now we are living apart from God’s physical presence and by His design He has called us to life together as a church and given us manifestations of the Spirit to build up and to encourage one another and to more effectively be on mission with Him. But when Christ returns there will be no more mission. And when Christ returns we will be fully sanctified. No longer will we need the body of Christ to function for the work of the mission, and no longer will we need the body of Christ to function so that we might be built up (we will be fully sanctified). When Christ returns the manifestations of the Spirit will no longer be needed – we will enter into a time and a place where they are no longer necessary. As a result, they will cease and pass away.

Verse 12 is an incredibly challenging one. Paul wrote, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” The context is dealing with the temporary nature of the spiritual gifts. So in trying to interpret Paul’s words in their context I think that Paul was also talking about the inability of the gifts to clearly put Christ on display. Paul’s analogy is dealing with the difference between looking at a somewhat hazy reflection of something (“a mirror dimly”) and looking at something face to face. Presently the church – with it’s manifestations of the Spirit (as well as its sin) – is like looking at a hazy reflection of Christ. Presently we need those manifestations of the Spirit in order to be the best reflection of Jesus that we can be. But when Jesus returns we will no longer have a need to see a hazy reflection of Him because we will see Him face to face. The manifestations of the Spirit of God won’t be necessary because we will see God face to face, and then we will fully know Him.

And so Paul concluded chapter 13 with these words in verse 13, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Faith is presently abiding, for it is what helps us to believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord. Hope is presently abiding , for it is what causes us to believe that He is coming again for us as He said (John 14:3). And love is presently abiding, for it is what enables us to live with and interact with others in the same way that God interacts with us. But when Jesus returns we won’t need faith any longer – we will know that He is real. When Jesus returns we won’t need hope any longer – we will know that He has come to fulfill His promise. Faith and hope – just like the manifestations of the Spirit – will one day come to an end. But love is different! When Jesus returns we will continue to love Him! When Jesus returns we will continue to love one another! Love is eternal – it isn’t going anywhere. So Paul declared that of all that is presently abiding, love is the greatest!

Some in the church at Corinth had been using the manifestations of the Spirit in their lives as the evidence of their spirituality and future existence with Christ. And yet the markers they were using for their spirituality were ones that would come to an end – they weren’t eternal. Therefore, we have to conclude that the marker of the genuineness of our faith and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives cannot be first and foremost the manifestations of the Spirit. Paul said without love they are of no benefit. Love on the other hand is eternal. It is, therefore, the essential marker of our spirituality because it shows that we possess a characteristic of God and one that is itself eternal. If our lives have truly been transformed by the Gospel we must strive to possess a love that is like God’s. It will be a love that loves the things which He loves – including the church and those who make up the church. It will be a love that is patient and kind. It will be a love that desires to build up the church and to seek the good of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

When that is our way of living – loving the church and loving others – then we will see the manifestations of the Spirit which we have been given as tools for building up and edifying the church which we are a part of, and which God loves deeply and passionately. Love will be the context in which the manifestations of the Spirit begin to function. We can’t be fooled – it we’re living enviously, boastfully, arrogantly, shamefully, being easily angered and counting the wrongs done to us against others – we aren’t really manifesting the Spirit of God.

Let’s conclude by making it personal and asking a few questions: What marker are you using right now to assess the genuineness and maturity of your faith? It has to begin with love! Are you sacrificially and unconditionally loving other believers in Christ? Are you sacrificially and unconditionally loving those who are not followers of Christ? Second, what evidence is there that you are loving others more than yourself? This is what the love of God and the love of Jesus looks like (see Philippians 2)! And if we belong to Christ and the Holy Spirit is residing in us then this has to be a defining trait in our own lives!  

Where is the evidence of love in your life?

Connection Point Questions for Discussion:

1. What are some of the popular markers/evidences that individuals in the church today like to point to in order to demonstrate their spiritual maturity?  Which of these does Jesus say will set us apart as His disciples in John 13:34-35?

2. What are some ways that we can show love to other believers in Christ?  How well is the Church doing this and why do you think this is the case?  How well is Escalate Church doing this and why do you think this is the case?  Where are there areas that we need to continue to grow?

3. What are some ways that we can show love to those who are not believers in Christ?  How well is the Church doing this and why do you think this is the case?  How well is Escalate Church doing this and why do you think this is the case?  Where are there areas that we need to continue to grow?

4. Where is the evidence of love in your life?  Whate evidence is there that you are loving others more than yourself?

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