With Love or Without Love?

Introduction

I have often used 1 Corinthians 13 as an illustration of improper interpretation of scripture. I would mention that the entire chapter talks about me and my family since our last name is “Love.” One person recently joked back with me, “you are talking about the noisy gong and clanging right?”

1 Corinthians 13 is a familiar passage to most of us here this evening. Some may even have portions of this hanging in their home on pictures or some type of artwork. The key theme of the chapter is “love.”

One author wrote this talking about love, “A friend of mine was trying to read the newspaper, but his 5-year-old boy kept interrupting him; he would lean against his knees and say, "Daddy, I love you." His dad would give him a pat and say rather absently, "Yes, son, I love you too," and would give him a little push away so he could keep on reading.

This didn't satisfy the boy, and finally he ran to his father and said, "I love you, daddy," and he jumped up on his lap and threw his arms around him and gave him a big squeeze, explaining, "And I've just got to do something about it!"

That's it -- to know if we authentically love-- we are not content with small-talk love, or pat-on-the-head love. We want to get involved, demonstrate our love, and do something about it with all of our being.”

We live in a world and society that has a misconceived idea of what love is. In an article in Psychology Today, an article was written explaining what love was and was not. The doctor who wrote the article made these three key points:

Love is bigger than you are. You can invite love, but you cannot dictate how, when, and where love expresses itself.

Love cannot be turned on as a reward. Nor can it be turned off as a punishment.

Marriages, whether arranged or not, may have little to do with love.

She refers to love as a force of nature that cannot be commanded or demanded. It cannot be taken away. We cannot influence love any more than we can the weather or the cosmos. One area she does get correct is that love is inherently free. We do not have to pay anything to love; however, the act of love is not always free. Christ paid for our sin punishment with his life.

She finishes her article with this statement, love is its own law. We know from Galatians 5 that the law of Christ is loving God and others. We know that love is not a law of its own but an act of decision that roots itself in the character and nature of God himself (1 John 4:8–11 “8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” )

Our society does not know what love is. They see and understand parts but they do not see the whole picture and this results in an incorrect application of love.

To have or not have love is not about emotions or feelings but about living and relating to other people in a way that either does or does not reflect their great worth in God’s eyes and therefore in ours. (Ciampa, Roy E., and Brian S. Rosner. 2010. The First Letter to the Corinthians. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.)

The apostle Paul explains this very truth to us. In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul delivers an explanation and listing of the gifts the Church has been given by way of the Holy Spirit. He mentions that everyone does not have all of the same gifts but that there is a great diversity among each saved individual, each member of the Church body. Paul explains that it was for the unity of the church that each member was different and unique. In 12:31 Paul starts by saying to covet or desire earnestly the best gifts so to serve God. He throws a twist in by stating that though he desires them to want the best gifts there is one value, one way that is more excellent than any gift he just mentioned. [AL1] It is he says a more excellent way than just desiring the gifts of the Spirit. This more excellent and superior way is LOVE!

[AL1]The word for earnestly carries the meaning in the original language of setting your heart on or having a deep commitment. It is also in the present imperative mood. This is more of a command than a suggestion that chould take place daily.

The first three verses speak directly to that very point of being more excellent. In verses 4-8 Paul lays out a wonderful description of love. He then in the remainder of the chapter explains that the certain gifts were for a season and that they would cease, yet, love would go on forever. He wraps up the discussion on love (13:13-14:1) by stating again that love was greater than faith or hope. He states and encourages the Corinthians to choose this better way of living. He wants them to live in the way of love and desire gifts but only for the furtherance of ministry.

It is not a matter of these things or love, or even these things motivated by love, but these things by a person whose whole life is otherwise also given to love. If not, that person’s life before God adds up to zero. (Fee, Gordon D. 1987. The First Epistle to the Corinthians. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)

This evening we are simply going to look at the first three verses and see the importance of love in our lives as Christians. The Corinthians were promoting a wrong view of spirituality. They were missing the truth of the gospel and the sanctification it produces on how to live or the ethics of the gospel.

So this evening the main theme and application is:

Sermon Main Theme: No amount of human ability and accomplishment profits anything without love.

Sermon Main Application: Exercising our God-given gifts and abilities without love stands profitless and empty.

I. Love drives our communications, v. 1.

a. Explanation:

In 1 Corinthians 13:1 “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.” Paul discusses the nature of our speaking within the church. He has just finished discussing the spirit gifts in chapter 12 and one of those gifts was tongues. He discusses using vivid imagery the emptiness of being eloquent and educated in your speaking if love is not present.

i. Agape refers more strongly to a deep, abiding affection of God and Christ for each other and for us. The word speaks of regarding with affection. It is this love that should then be true in our lives.

ii. Paul uses himself as an illustration or object lesson as he begins here to explain the more excellent way of love. He begins by stating “though I speak with the tongue of men and of angels.”

1. The word “tongue” here means; what is meant by γλώσσαις τῶν ἀνθρώπων ‘tongues of men’?

a. It refers to common human speech [HNTC]. It refers to languages and dialects that the speaker has not learned such as happened at Pentecost [Ho, Lns]. It refers to being able to speak all sorts of languages with the eloquence of the greatest men [MNTC].[i]

2. This phrase is largely used as hyperbole to reference eloquent speech.

3. I do not believe as the charismatics that tongues still exists as a gift. Based on the end of 1 Corinthians 13 and the surrounding context on the purpose for the sign gift of tongues of spreading the gospel further than Jerusalem. Christ told the apostles to go unto the uttermost parts of the earth and spread the gospel. God through the Spirit empowered them to understand and be able to speak in many foreign languages for that sole purpose. Today, what you see taught as tongues is a bunch of gibberish that is not even in a known language and can tend to be fairly chaotic. God is a God of order. The word in the Greek in 1 Corinthians 12-14 referring to tongues is where we get our word glossary. It simply means spoken languages.

4. Paul here again uses this reference as hyperbole to emphasize the idea of having eloquent speech.

iii. Paul continues here in this verse and states that without love he becomes as a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.

1. Sounding Brass: he most likely is referring to a trumpet. The meaning that Paul is getting at here is the great noise or even important noise that is made but without life and vitality. In summary, the power of speaking all languages is just noisy, useless, valueless, empty and without vitality when done without love.

2. Tinkling cymbal: a cymbal was made of two pieces of metal that would be clanged together to make music, to make noise. They were used in connection with other music but never on their own. It has no melody or harmony to it. As they are clanged together they can only make one noise. It is by itself almost a hollow sound. It begins and ends quickly. The point Paul is making is that even if he had the most eloquent speech and did not have love all he said and did would be hollow, empty, and useless.

3. The point of similarity is the lack of intelligent communication [AB, HNTC, ICC, TNTC]. The point of similarity is the empty hollow sound of heathen worship [ICC, NIC2, Vn]. The point of similarity is the lack of heart in both resounding gongs and people speaking in tongues without love [NIC]. Paul is saying that such action without love is without meaning [HNTC, NTC, TG, TNTC] and, in fact, pagan [HNTC].

Love is the vital principle. Love is the base motive for everything that ought to be spoken.

a. Application:

i. Paul did a lot of talking in his ministry. Maybe you are here this morning and you are saved and feel as though God has given you an ability to speak in an influential and powerful way. Maybe you are able to learn languages well and understand others in a more full way. I have heard preachers preach that are phenomenal communicators. The type of speakers where you sit there almost in awe just of how well they communicate. You and I can have all the ability in the world to communicate to someone but if we do not have love than all our speech is useless.

ii. I even will stretch the application here to all of our speech and communication. When we speak to others, we can be as honest and truthful but if there is no love than it is useless and hollow.

iii. Have any of you ever received advice from someone and after they finished and left you say to yourself, “Why do I need to listen to him or her? They just wanted to feel good about themselves or think they have the answer for every problem.” Now it may not be that exact thought but maybe similar. Has there ever been a time where someone could have said that about you? They could tell that there just was not any love in the situation.

iv. Whether you are eloquent with your speech or just ordinary, if you are not motivated and grounded in love, your speech is hollow and empty.

Is the way your speech considered pagan because you fail to speak in love? Evaluate and be honest before the Lord this morning and ask Him, “Show me Lord if there is an area of my speech that needs love to replace the speech directed by my flesh.”

II. Love drives our Christian service, v. 2.

a. Explanation:

i. Paul begins this verse by again using himself as the illustration. He mentions the gift of prophecy (“the gift of inspired teaching”) and understanding (fathom, comprehend)all mysteries and all knowledge. The word Paul uses for prophecies here is talking about understanding those things in scripture that God had not revealed to everyone. It is not speaking of predicting the future. He is talking about understanding the deep things of scripture and God’s purposes.

ii. If one person could embrace the whole range of charismata and the full measure of any one of them, but at the same time would fail to be full of love, such a person would be nothing in the sight of God.33[1]

iii. QUESTION—What is meant by μυστήριον‘mystery’?

1. It means ‘that which was not known before’ but now is revealed to some [LN]. It means truth that people could only know if God revealed it to them [Ho, TNTC]. It may refer to God’s secret plans for mankind (see 2:6, 7) [TG]. It refers to the secrets of God’s thinking (see Rom. 11:25, 16:25) [Alf]. It refers to truths of God’s plans revealed by the Holy Spirit only to believers [Vn]. It refers God’s secret plans to save people from their sins [Gdt, Ho, NIC2]. He speaks of understanding all unrevealed mysteries of God and all the mysteries that have been revealed [MNTC].[i]

2. The gospel is part of the mysteries God has revealed to mankind.

iv. QUESTION—What is meant by γνῶσις‘knowledge’?

1. It means a human understanding of all facts, being virtually omniscient [MNTC].

v. The second phrase Paul uses here is the picture of having so much faith that he could move mountains. He is not referring to saving faith but daily faith and trust in God. It is the idea of special acts of faith as in miracles. Paul says though I could have the faith to move a mountain, if I do not have love I am nothing he says.

1. QUESTION—What is meant by πίστις ‘faith’?It means miracle-working faith [Gdt, Herm, HNTC, Ho, ICC, Rb, TNTC, Vn]. It does not mean the faith which brings salvation [HNTC, ICC, Vn]. It refers to faith as a gift of the Spirit as seen in 12:9 [MNTC, NCBC, NIGTC, TNTC]. All faith does not indicate absolutely all the faith in the world, but rather to enough faith to accomplish a given goal [Alf].[ii]

2. QUESTION—What does ὅρη μεθιστάναι ‘to remove mountains’ imply? It is a proverb which implied the doing of what was thought to be impossible [BAGD, HNTC, Lns, NTC]. A mountain represents a possible obstacle [Gdt, NIGTC]. This is hyperbole (overstatement) [EGT, MNTC, NCBC] and means completely trusting God to do mighty things on behalf of his people [MNTC].[iii]

3. Let’s take Jonah for example. He had an immense amount of faith that God would change and spare Nineveh. However, he had no love. God used the preaching to perform a great miracle but the preacher himself was nothing.

b. Application:

i. We live in an intellectual culture. People have to know the reason for everything. You and I could understand every little truth in God’s Word but it holds no value for you or I without love.

ii. All the academic degrees in the world exercised without love profits nothing.

iii. You and I can understand everything about God’s grace but if we do not show love to others by telling them about it that knowledge does nothing for us. God has given to many of us here a fairly good knowledge base of who He is and how He works. What and how do you use that knowledge? God has revealed to us through His Word many wonderful mysteries, the main one being salvation. What are we doing with it?

iv. Most of us here this morning believe God came to save the lost sinners in the world. The faith and trust we have in God’s miraculous works means nothing without love. Love causes us to give the gospel. Love causes us to encourage the discouraged. Love causes us to edify the downtrodden. Love causes us to act on the faith we have in God. We believe God works in wonderful and inexplicable ways. What are you doing with that faith?

v. What is meant by οὐθέν εἰμι ‘I am nothing’?

We could have the entire range of spiritual gifts and each of them to their fullest but without love we would be nothing before God. It means I am worth nothing [EGT, Ho, NIC, TG, TH, Vn]. None of these attainments are of any value without love and so he is worthless [Ho].

Having the gifts of the spirit are not what shows us living and being led by the Spirit of God. Love stands as that which never fails. IT never will come to an end. Faith one day will be complete in eternity, hope will be fulfilled when Christ returns again. We are nothing when love does not drive the exercise of our gifts enabled by the Spirit.

III. Love drives our personal interactions, v. 3.

a. Explanation:

i. Paul continues to use himself as the illustration of his hyperbole. Each of the illustrations refer to a person’s will power. He states two different aspects of life where an action is done on the behalf of someone else.

ii. This verse is a what if statement Paul is using to make his point.

1. Sell all that he has in order to feed the poor.

a. The aorist tense indicates a single action in which the person gives all of his possessions away[i]

b. The basic idea is selling ones goods and giving away the proceeds [ii] The verb implies that the gifts be given to many people and be given personally [Ed, Gdt, ICC]. The verb implies giving away in small amounts to a large number of people [TNTC]. It implies giving away bit by bit over a long time [NTC][iii]

c. During this time poverty was very prevalent. He does encourage in other passages of scripture to help the poor and specifically those who are in need within the church such as orphans and widows. However in this passage, in this verse, Paul tells the Corinthians that without love it profits nothing.

2. Give your body as a sacrifice for another.

a. Some early manuscripts actually translate this “that I may boast” referring to boasting in the Lord.

i. TEXT—Instead of καυχήσωμαι ‘I may boast’ some manuscripts have καυθήσωμαι ‘I may be burned’ or καυθήσομαι ‘I will be burned’. GNT selects the reading καυχήσωμαι ‘I may boast’ with a C rating, indicating difficulty in deciding which variant to place in the text. The reading καυχήσωμαι ‘I may boast’ is also taken by AB, EGT, NIC2, NIGTC, Rb, TNTC; NET, NLT and NRSV. The reading καυθήσωμαι ‘I may burn’ or καυθήσομαι ‘I will burn’ is taken by Alf, Gdt, Herm, HNTC, Ho, ICC, Lns, NTC, Vn; CEV, KJV, NAB, NIV, NJB, REB, TEV, and TNT.[iv] I can see how with the language here and the overall context of Paul’s writing that it could be translated as such.

b. “aorist act. subj. of παραδίδωμι (BAGD 1.a. p. 614): ‘to hand over’ [AB, BAGD, HNTC, LN, NIGTC; NAB, NRSV], ‘to give over’ [NET], ‘to give up’ [BAGD, Herm, NTC; NJB, TEV], ‘to give’ [KJV, REB], ‘to surrender’ [ICC; ISV, NIV], ‘to deliver up’ [TNT], ‘to deliver over’ [Lns], ‘to sacrifice’ [NLT], ‘to let oneself (be burned alive)’ [CEV]. See this word also at 11:2.[v]

c. History does not have anything recorded at this time of burning at the stake. Many theologians believe that Paul was speaking hypothetically here in regard to ultimate self-sacrifice. Whether hypothetical or not it is not unfeasible that this could take place. In Daniel 3 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednago were thrown into a furnace as they truly boasted in the Lord.

d. It could be viewed as the ultimate act one could do for another, giving your life for another. Paul states that without love this profits nothing!

e. Either way you want to read this section of the verse you arrive at the same conclusion. Paul was simply stating that without love nothing he did whether, sacrificial or boasting in the Lord, had any meaning or value.

iii. Personal action without love, doing things for others without love profits you nothing!

b. Application:

Paul’s point is that such an action by one who is not otherwise characterized by the love described in the next four verses is of no benefit42 whatever to the giver. (42 Harnack, “Hymn,” p. 394, suggests that Paul is here reflecting on his Jewish background, in which good deeds “profit” one before God.) (Fee, Gordon D. 1987. The First Epistle to the Corinthians. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)

The First Epistle to the Corinthians (A. The Necessity of Love (13:1–3))

But these things must be brought forth in lives that above all “have put on love”; for without love one quite misses the point of being Christian in the first place. The easiest way to move this paragraph from their situation to ours is simply to give it a new ad hoc expression, in terms of how one thinks of his/her own life to be spiritually significant. For example, “If I preach with the brilliance of Paul or Chrysostom, but have not love …”; or perhaps, “If I write a commentary on 1 Corinthians 13, but have not love …,

iii. The apostle Paul gave the gospel everywhere he went. Christ even though while here on earth healed the sick he never failed to present the gospel. True love for others flows from the love of God because God is love.

iv. Paul is saying that he could feed all the poor he could, give his life for another, and/or even stand strong and boast in the Lord but if all of it is done without love it profits him nothing!

v. As you look over your actions and good deeds among those that cross your path on a daily, weekly, yearly occurrence how do you interact with them? Are your actions just done to be seen of men as the Pharisees? Or, do you just do it to feel good about yourself and help you to have a conscience free of guilt, like the thought that you did not do anything bad today?

vi. What are your motives for what you do? Is love the baseline from which you build? Is there areas in your life that you have not shown love to those around you? Are there areas where you have done good to others but was not really doing it out of love but rather you wanted others and God to look at you as something. Our actions toward others need to be motivated out of a love for God! God is Love!

Conclusion:

Sermon Main Theme: No amount of human ability and accomplishment profits anything without love.

Sermon Main Application: Exercising our God-given gifts and abilities without love stands profitless and empty.

Whether God has gifted you with ability in regard to language and speaking, mental understanding and knowledge, or the ability to interact socially by giving to others it means nothing without love.

QUESTION—What is meant by ‘I am benefited nothing’?

There is a different result for each of these attainments: I produce nothing of value (13:1), I am of no value (13:2), and I gain nothing of value (13:3) [EGT, ICC, MNTC]. This changes from ‘I am nothing’ (13:2) to ‘I am benefited nothing’ because the focus changes from the worth of the person to the worth of the acts [Gdt]. Everyone who serves the Lord will receive a reward only if he has love [NIC]. At God’s judgment he will receive no credit [HNTC].[vi]

This evening as we have looked at these three simple verses explaining to us where true value comes from regarding our gifts and abilities, has the Holy Spirit brought to your mind areas, maybe other than these areas, where you are acting or thinking without love.

Paul in Philippians preaches unity to the church. Here in Corinth they were hung up on gifts of the Spirit and which one was the best to have and who was greater based on their gifts. They esteemed certain gifts higher than others. Paul addresses that issue directly in the verses we have studied this morning. It does not matter what gift you or I have because when done without love it profits me and you nothing. Each member is gifted uniquely Paul says in chapter 12. God designed and created us this way so that as a body of believers we can come together with diversity to bring unity and stand firm and strong as we strive to fulfill His purpose in the life of the church and each individual.

Are you serving to be seen of men? Are you serving to have a clear conscience? Are you utilizing your gifts simply because it makes you feel good about yourself? What are your motives this morning for serving the Lord?

Let’s take it a step further back. Are you serving the Lord and living to glorify him by obeying him and being about His will and purpose for your life? Someone who truly loves God and serving God does not just talk about it but they do it.

Is love existent in your actions and thoughts? What area or areas need improvement? What areas have you seen yourself truly living the love of God?

If you are here this morning and you have never accepted the gift of God’s love. You have never asked Jesus to come into your heart and save you from your sin, I pray that you do that this morning. You will never be able to truly profit by living the love of God until you have accepted His loving free gift of salvation. All you have to do to have that loving relationship with Christ is to first admit you are a sinner. Romans 3:23 tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. Romans 6:23 tells us that the payment for sin is death, separation from God forever. God tells us though that second you just need to call upon Him and ask Him to save you by confessing and repenting of your sin believing that Christ death on the cross paid the penalty of sin. Ask Him to cleanse you from sin and save you and cleanse your heart from sin. You are dead in your sin but through the love of Christ you are made alive by asking him to come into your heart and save you. Will you make this decision today?

Christian, this morning, as we sit here as a church family. Are there areas in your life where you have not acted in love? You may wonder why that thing I did for someone I did not get recognition, I was never thanked. Is that truly acting in love? Where does love need to be more the motivation for why you do what you do?

Clincher: If God’s love is so great we cannot comprehend it, why do we fail to exhibit that same love in our day to day life? Let love be the source for our words, thoughts and actions! God is love and to love God is to obey and serve God. Love is the key to living spiritually! Let’s be a church where love drives our conversations with each other, drives our Christian service, and our personal relationships.