Do I Have Spiritual Love? 1 Corinthians 13

Am I spiritual? How can I tell if I’m a spiritual person?

vss. 1-3

Speaking well without LOVE says NOTHING

If I have MIGHTY gifts of the Spirit (context of this section of Paul’s letter), but without LOVE, I’m NOTHING

If I give away literally EVERYTHING I own, and when all I have left is my body, give THAT to be burned, but don’t have LOVE, I have earned NO REWARD

That’s as SPIRITUAL as one gets! But the Apostle says without LOVE, all these actions are POINTLESS.

So what is LOVE? What does Paul mean when he writes that word?

Is it a feeling? An emotion?

vss. 4-6

These are the CHARACTERISTICS of Christian LOVE

Did we catch the important thing about this list?

Patient: toward OTHERS

Kind: desires OTHERS’ good

Does NOT envy: doesn’t look at OTHERS’ possessions and wish they were mine

Does NOT boast: doesn’t show off MINE before others

Is NOT arrogant: doesn’t think highly of ITSELF

Is NOT rude: doesn’t do things without thinking of how OTHERS will accept the action

DOES NOT INSIST ON ITS OWN WAY: it’s not ALL ABOUT ME

Is NOT irritable: doesn’t get easily provoked by OTHERS’ actions

Is NOT resentful: doesn’t remember OTHERS’ wrongs/sins

Does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth: Is a SPIRITUAL love from God Himself, not a fleshly feeling!

Biblical love is OTHERS-oriented; it does what is good for OTHERS, not itself.

We have a perfect example of this in Scripture: His name is Jesus!

Mark 10:42–45 ESV

And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Philippians 2:5–8 ESV

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

The perfect personification of godly LOVE!

So we see that Paul says we need this Christ-like LOVE in our use of the gifts of the Spirit. He says that love is “a still more excellent way.” Why?

vss. 7-13

The one constant between this life and eternity is LOVE

When Jesus returns for His Church and takes us BODILY into His Kingdom (“when the perfect comes”):

We won’t NEED the gifts of the Spirit.

We won’t NEED faith (we’ll see REALITY)

We won’t NEED hope (our hope will be fulfilled!)

But the LOVE will still be in our hearts!

Godly LOVE in our hearts is ETERNAL

It’s repeatedly shown as PROOF of knowing God (1 John)

So are we SPIRITUAL?

Do I have LOVE?

As defined by Scripture?

Do I put others FIRST?

Am I willing to sacrifice my good for my brother’s?

I can have all the talents, gifts, and be the most giving person, but without LOVE, I’M NOT SPIRITUAL!