The Greatest of these is Charity

1 Corintios 13:1–13 KJV 1900

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 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. 8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Introduction

Every year at our church in Colombia we select an annual theme and preach a series of messages regarding that theme.

This year our theme is Follow after Charity and I have preached a lot about charity and what the Bible has to say about it.

And it really has been an eye opening experience to see just how important Charity is in the Bible and the New Testament especially, and the high value that it is given.

I think part of that is because charity (or love) is a fruit of the Spirit and it is not something that can be faked over the long term.

We can deceive people into thinking we are healthy spiritually by working a lot of hours at the church for example.

Being very busy in the work.

But if we are not walking in the Spirit and filled with the Spirit, we will not have charity with one another and therefore will show the true condition of our hearts.

Example: Being asked by another missionary how I judge a persons spiritual health.

A person’s charity is a great spiritual thermometer than almost anything…much better than how much work they do.

You can fake a lot in the christian life, but your charity reveals the heart.

1 Corinthians 13 explains how charity is seen in our lives…what it looks like in the believer that has charity.

Its a great study to go verse by verse and phrase by phrase in this chapter to focus on what charity is and how it changes us and comes out.

However that is not where I want to put our focus today

I want to focus on why charity is so important in the Christian life.

First lets define what we mean when we say charity:

The term charity in the Bible is not talking about charity as in giving to the poor, but rather a godly and selfless love for others and for the Lord.

Modern christians and modern Bible versions use the word love instead of charity.

Love is not a wrong translation here, its just not as good.

They do the same in the Spanish translations, we could say simply love (amor) or we can stick with what the older versions used (caridad) and get more description of what is being said.

The word charity is much more descriptive than the word love, its much more specific.

Example: I love pizza. In no way is that the same kind of love I have and show toward my brothers and sisters in the church for example.

Love can simply show a selfish desire for in how we use the word but charity is selfless and godly.

That is the type of love we are to have with one another and for God and the word charity specifies that type of love.

CHARITY, n. In a general sense, love, benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. In a theological sense, it includes supreme love to God, and universal good will to men.

In preaching messages about this in our church I saw distinct principals that the Bible gives us as to why charity is so important.

And so I want to try to give you some of these principals this morning as to why charity in the life of a Christian is such an important thing.

Note: Lack of charity destroys a church and hurts the name of Christ, I know, I had to deal with a lot of lack of charity in our church about 6 months ago.

Its very important we have charity, here is why.

1. Without charity, everything else is worthless

1 Corintios 13:1–3 KJV 1900

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

The Bible states that without charity I am nothing and all my good works I do as a Christian profit me nothing.

That is an incredible thing.

That it doesn’t matter how much of your life you give to God in terms of time spent, money spent, etc.

If you don’t do it motivated by love for God and others, its worthless.

Example: This December it will be 10 years since we left the United States to go to the mission field. We have spent the last 10 years fighting spiritually on the mission field. Trying to adapt to culture, learning language, enduring a lot of hardness.

The Bible says that if I do not have charity, if I am not motivated by love, and show that love to others…the last 10 years are all in vain. I am nothing.

Pretty intense stuff if you ask me.

God told the church at Ephesus in Rev 2 that even though they had many good works, they had lost their first love and therefore called them to repent.

God is not impressed with our outward works when our heart is not right.

God is not impressed with your service to Him when it is not motivated by love for God and love for others.

Charity is not the only thing you need in your Christian life, but it is the first thing.

If you are missing charity, all the rest is worthless.

Charity is not optional in the Christian life.

We must do all things because we are motivated by a love for God and a love for others.

Example: Working hard in church so that we have an awesome dynamic church that others will be impressed by and therefore think we are awesome.

Note: I send out a prayer letter every two months and want to report on great things happening...

My works are right, but my motive is selfishness and prideful. I lack charity, I am nothing and what I am doing is vain.

Note: Those who are not motivated by charity will get bitter in ministry.

The church and our ministry are not personal trophies, why we do what we do matters to God.

God sees our motives and judges us based on those motives.

And if we lack charity, if love for Christ and for others is not our driving force, we are nothing.

Here is another Bible principal about charity...

2. The lost world knows that we are true believers by our charity

Juan 13:35 KJV 1900

35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

He didn’t say that all men would know that we are his disciples by how cool our church or how many outreach ministries or community service ministries we have.

Note: How a lot of churches today have turned into entertainment companies practically trying to show the lost world that they are disciples. Thats all in vain.

It is by our love one for another, in the church and outside the church that we are known as being true believers.

Explain: How any cult can fake a church and ministries, but only true churches can be filled with charity. Fake christians, and fake churches cannot successfully imitate charity. Charity is the thermometer. And even the lost, see that charity and know whether we are legit or not.

Thats what Jesus said.

Example: A church that is filled with contention, infighting, gossip, etc. lacks charity. The lost people see that and don’t want anything to do with what we say. We seem the same to them as the lost world.

The opposite is also true.

When we are different because we act in love and are motivated by love, we show the world that we are different.

Because true charity in the life of a believer is not something that can be faked by the cults and false churches.

3. Charity is evidence that we are true believers

1 Juan 3:14 KJV 1900

14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

Explain: Something I have sadly become very aware of being in the ministry is that there are a decent number of people that claim to be saved, that are not. And we try to help them as Christians and fail completely, and a lot of the problem is they need to be saved first.

Its important that we look for fruit of salvation in a persons life before we just assume they are saved (by their fruits ye shall know them.)

One of the main fruits of salvation you can see in someone is their charity.

Charity is something that should be present in every believer.

The Bible is not saying that if we are lacking charity in a situation it always means that someone is not saved.

Its very possible for saved people to lack charity…trust me…I personally can easily lack charity.

But the person who says he is saved but yet has no charity ever and never shows charity…might want to examine if he really is saved or not.

I think today we see a lot of people in churches that claim to be saved but in reality are not.

One of the ways to have discernment as to what is real and what is false is to look at the fruit.

Charity is fruit of true salvation.

4. Charity is the end of the commandment

1 Timoteo 1:5 KJV 1900

5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

Paul tells Timothy that the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart.

Marcos 12:30–31 KJV 1900

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Jesus said that there is no commandment greater than having charity.

Santiago 2:8 KJV 1900

8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:

James calles having charity the royal law

Gálatas 5:14 KJV 1900

14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Paul says in Galatians that all the law is fulfilled when we have charity.

Do you see the great importance of charity in the Scripture.

All the other things we need in our Christian life grow out of charity.

You see this clearly when you study 1 Cor 13.

Need humility? Starts with charity.

Need patience? Starts with charity.

Etc.

Its the royal law, its the end of the commandment, its how all the law is fulfilled, its the first commandment.

Needless to say its pretty important.

The Christian life must be motivated by love for God and love for others.

And then that love is acted out in all the things we do to serve God and serve others.

That is what being a Christian is all about.

When we lose that, when our motives change, when our love grows cold, we lose one of the great keys to the Christian life.

5. We cannot love God without loving others.

1 Juan 4:21 KJV 1900

21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

Juan 14:15 KJV 1900

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Loving God requieres charity toward others.

We serve God by serving others.

If you say you love God, but yet you refuse to forgive this brother over here and refuse to love him and show charity to him, I’m sorry, but your statement that you love God doesn’t make sense.

He that loveth God love his brother also.

This is why lack of forgiveness, bitterness, and fighting within a church is so destructive.

6. All that we do must be motivated by charity

1 Corintios 16:14 KJV 1900

14 Let all your things be done with charity.

Charity should seep out in every single area of our lives.

It should govern all that we do.

You cannot truly serve God without charity

When we lack charity it is so important that we get on our knees and we confess our sin and ask God to help us do all things because we love Him and we love others.

When we are proud, we are motivated by our pride not by love.

Pride and charity don’t exist together in the heart.

Humility is needed, to forgive others, to love others, to walk in charity.

All things must be done with charity. With love and motivated by love.

7. Charity produces unity

1 Pedro 4:8 KJV 1900

8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

Explain: How charity is like oil in an engine.

When we lack charity we will fight with others, we will get easily offended, we will have division in our church.

We will lack forgiveness and we will be suspicious of the motives of others.

But when we are filled with charity, we will have patience with others, we will forgive them when they annoy us. We will go to them when we are wronged and try to make it right, etc.

Charity covers a multitude of sins.

Charity protects the church from contention.

Charity is absolutely necessary for a church.

Example: The little girl who was holding her brother

8. Your Charity will edify others

1 Corintios 8:1 KJV 1900

1 Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.

When we have charity and show charity to others. When all that we do is motivated by a strong love for God and a love for others…other people around us will be encouraged.

Others around us will want to follow that example, and others around us will be edified.

Bad attitudes are contagious…but good attitudes can be contagious too.

Proverbios 13:20 KJV 1900

20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: But a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

Example: How godly people with charity have affected my life and how I want to affect others with that same charity in my own life.

Conclusion

How are you doing with charity this morning?

Why did you come to church today?

To be seen?

To fulfill and obligation?

So you don’t get a call from the pastor?

Or did you do it out of love for God and others?

How is your service doing lately?

Are you serving others like you should?

Are you serving like you should in the church?

Are you doing it with charity and because of charity?

Lets ask the Lord to help us with any changes we need to make in our hearts this morning surrounding this topic of charity.