Study in 1 Corinthians - Session 16
Notes
Transcript
What we have been learning
What we have been learning
We must study the scripture in context or we will misunderstand the meaning.
Paul is challenging these people and us to uncouple ourselves from a false religion.
Let’s Rejoin the Community of Believers in Corinth
Let’s Rejoin the Community of Believers in Corinth
Remember last week Paul was addressing the issue of the gifts of the Spirit. Recall Paul was telling us there were all kinds of gifts and we should not think that our gifting is not valid and useful.
Although it appears he does not finish this topic, Paul decides to talk with us about what love should look like in our body of believers. Then he takes us back to his topic of spiritual gifts in chapter 14. Do you think he got it wrong in the order, or would consider perhaps Paul knew what was at the heart of why people abuse these gifts.
Keep in mind Paul is educating us on the different gifts.
You have to disconnect yourself from your religious traditions for a few moments and allow yourself to read the text anew.
Faithlife Study Bible (Chapter 13)
What was Roman idol temple worship like
People used cymbals to worship Dionysus, the god of wine. Paul mentions the crashing cymbal to suggest that spiritual gifts without love make the Corinthians’ worship no different from the pagans’.
1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
What kind of tongues was Paul saying people speak with? Men and Angels. Angels speak in such a way that is different than even the Hebrew language. Do you see that here? There is something different about the language that is used in the heavenlies. How arrogant of us to think that heaven speaks English as their dominant language.
2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
Notice the gift again. This time prophecy. What is prophecy according this verse? The knowing of mysteries and knowledge.
Do you see the repeat clause “but do not have love.”
So Paul has introduced us to the duality of thought. These varieties of gifts cannot truly exist as they were intended to by Yahweh if the are done without one key ingredient, love.
3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
What is the follower of Christ doing here? Acting like Christ. What was a way people who were found guilty of following Christ were being killed? They were being burned alive. Here Paul is pointing out a person could completely empty themselves both their earthly belongings and their life itself, but doing so without love it is of no value.
Think about about this with me for a moment. Can I be a generous person, can I give away much of my worldly possessions, and do that in an attitude that does not have love? Yes, I can so convince myself that from a religious standpoint that this is necessary to follow Jesus, but do so without loving truly as God intended. Why would you do so, for an earthly reward. You see we are trading our heavenly reward for earthly recognition. We could also though find ourselves like the rich young ruler.
17 As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.
19 “You know the commandments, ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’ ”
20 And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.”
21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
22 But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.
23 And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!”
24 The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
25 “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 They were even more astonished and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?”
27 Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”
What did you notice about this man when you looked past his wealth and what he was struggling with? The man wanted to know what he, individually, had to do to be with Yahweh forever, eternally. Jesus saw that the man was focused on personal “goodness.” How good the man was asking must I be compared to those around me? You see he was asking Jesus this in front of others. Jesus was not alone with this man, the man met Jesus as he and others were beginning a journey.
In v18, was Jesus saying that he personally was not good? No, he was using the context of good in the mind of the man to provide a new way of looking at things. Jesus was drawing out into the open mentally for the man that which he had an unholy view of. You see with Yahweh good meant spiritually right, but good with Judaism was the measure based on the keeping of the laws.
This man had obviously been a good Jew and had kept the Torah. The man was laying up his blessings on earth. Jesus saw that as the reason he was doing this. Jesus did not want to condemn the man, but wanted to convince the man that there was something far greater of importance than law keeping.
Yes Jesus knows there is something about mankind and “their” money. The hyperbole though that Jesus uses to draw this conversation out into the open is far more rich. Never could a camel actually pass through the eye of sewing needle, never.
1 Corinthians 13:4–6 (NASB95)
4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous;
love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly;
it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
Remember, we are talking about spiritual gifts and how they are used among a body of believers that were struggling with the socioeconomic issues of their lives.
1 Corinthians 13:7–8 (NASB95)
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails;
but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away;
if there are tongues, they will cease;
if there is knowledge, it will be done away.
Wow, do you see how he wraps it right back into what he was talking about with tongues and knowledge from v1. These things will eventually go away, but love, it will not lose regardless of the timing.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part;
10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.
1 Corinthians 13:11 (NASB95)
11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child;
when I became a man, I did away with childish things.
Paul is calling us into maturity. When we operate without love, we are not operating in a mature manner in the faith.
1 Corinthians 13:12 (NASB95)
12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face;
now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.
Even though we visually are able to see, what we see is only a dim reality of what will be.
1 Corinthians 13:13 (NASB95)
13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three;
but the greatest of these is love.
It is like a building block of our gathering. We are to have faith in Yahweh, the hope of the resurrection, and posses love among mankind until his return for us.