If I Have Not Love (Agape), I Am Nothing

1 Corinthians 13....

This is referred to as the love chapter........

This chapter is smack-dab in the midst of 12 and 14 which are dealing with direct problems within this church........that problem is the abuse of spiritual gifts......

Let’s go back to the last verse of chapter 12........the more showy gifts is what Paul is dealing with.......the folks at the church was either proud of their “showy” gifts or they were jealous of those that had those “showy” gifts.

Those gifts were being misused.......some even to the effect of saying Jesus was not the Son of God.....

Paul tells them you all are after the more showy gifts, but I am going to show you a more excellent way.........That verse cannot mean anything else, I do not care what folks say.........

If you go back to the example of the body about the foot wanting to be the eye, etc. That is the most rational study of that last Scripture of ch. 12.

Paul basically dismisses those gifts and shows their frailty, for without love they and the person using them are nothing!

Those gifts can be counterfeited.......but the Love of Christ cannot!

Charity....... “affection”

The act is not where the love exist, it is in before the action.......

Galatians 5:22–23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

Paul is speaking of gifts here, but fruit in Gal. 5.....what is the difference, well the fruit is the what is inside, the true gift is what is administered........without the inward the outward is nothing!

I heard one preacher say that in this beautiful description of love by Paul, that there is only One that could sit for this portrait and that is Jesus Christ!

That is why we follow Him 1 Peter 2:21 “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:”

Verses 1-3.......Though we have......

Tongues of men

of angels......hyperbole......making it extreme...... “If I spoke angels language and not have love I am nothing.”

You are just a noise that has no meaning!!! Paul will explain that later in ch. 14.

Prophecy

Knowing of all mysteries and all knowledge

All faith (active faith)

Moving mountains

Matthew 17:20 “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

Without love all of these things that the Corinthians church and many other churches throughout history take so much pride in, are nothing!

If I sell everything I have and use it to feed the poor.......These has a greater meaning that just sending money to someplace for them to feed them, more so that you take on the task of actually feeding them like you would your child.

Becoming a martyr.....selflessly giving your life for the name of Christ.......

If there is no love it profits nothing.....NOTHING

John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

This all describes and emptiness when love is not present in the life, if love is not present then......1 John 4:20 “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”

This is the idea that Jesus describes in Matthew 7:21–23 “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

Verses 4-8.........Paul describes what love is..........This description points directly at the Corinthian problem.......division.......schism..........jealousy......arrogance.

Love is kind

Love is not jealous

Love does not brag

Loves is not arrogant

Love is not rude

Love does not demand its own way

Love is not irritable!!!!!!

Love keeps no record of wrongs

Love does not rejoice in injustice or unrighteousness

Love rejoices in truth, what is true

Love puts with all the difficulty thrown at it to attempt to cause a detour from love....some say this means “Protects”

Love believes all things....

Love hopes all things....

Stands firm in all things.....

“All Things” are the things pertaining to God’s righteousness and His Will

Love protects, believes, hopes, and endures what others reject.

Those middle few that are what love is not, there is a good example of this in Philippians 1:12-18....

It would be easy to return evil for evil, but Paul says as long as Christ is preached!

Verses 8......Love never fails, it will never end.....all the the spiritual gifts that folks took so much pride or desired the most, they will cease, but love will never ends......it will also never fail the recipient!

Verse 9-12......While we live out our lives on this earth our sight of things eternal is, at best, indistinct. But then, says Paul, it will be face to face. He does not define his then, nor does he say with whom we shall be face to face. But in neither case is there need. His meaning is plain enough.

As with seeing, so with knowing. All earthly knowledge is partial, a truth Paul has already laid down (v. 9). Over against it he sets the perfect knowledge when we shall know as we are known.

1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

Verse 13....The objects of faith and hope will be fulfilled and perfectly realized in the presence of God and Jesus, but love, the God-like virtue is everlasting.......Heaven will be the place for the expression of nothing but perfect love toward God and each other.

1 John 4:10-19....is the perfect expression of this love as far as we can know it in the human mind and heart......