Sermon Tone Analysis

Love In The Church

1 Corinthians 12:31-13:

G. Campbell Morgan wrote that examining this chapter is like dissecting a flower to understand it.

If you tear it apart too much, you lose the beauty.

Alan Redpath said one could get a spiritual suntan from the warmth of this chapter.

G. Campbell Morgan wrote that examining this chapter is like dissecting a flower to understand it.

If you tear it apart too much, you lose the beauty.

Alan Redpath said one could get a spiritual suntan from the warmth of this chapter.

A. The supremacy of love.

(Verses 1-2) Love is superior to spiritual gifts in and of themselves.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

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, but have not love, I am nothing.

a.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels: The Corinthians were enamored with spiritual gifts, particularly the gift of tongues.

Paul reminds them even the gift of tongues is meaningless without love.

Without love, a person may speak with the gift of tongues, but it is as meaningless as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

It is nothing but empty noise.

i. “People of little religion are always noisy; he who has not the love of God and man filling his heart is like an empty wagon coming violently down a hill: it makes a great noise, because there is nothing in it.”

(Josiah Gregory, cited in Clarke)

b.

Tongues of men and of angels: The ancient Greek word translated tongues has the simple idea of “languages” in some places ( and ).

This has led some to say the gift of tongues is simply the ability to communicate the gospel in other languages, or it is the capability of learning languages quickly.

But the way tongues is used here shows it can, and usually does, refer to a supernatural language by which a believer communicates to God.

There is no other way to understand the reference to tongues of… angels.

i.

In Paul’s day, many Jews believed angels had their own language, and by the Spirit, one could speak it.

The reference to tongues of… angels shows that though the genuine gift of tongues is a legitimate language, it may not be a “living” human language, or may not be a human language at all.

Apparently, there are angelic languages men can speak by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

ii.

Matthew Poole Commentary has a fascinating comment, suggesting that the tongues of… angels describes how God may speak to us in a non-verbal way: “Angels have no tongues, nor make any articulate audible sounds, by which they understand one another; but yet there is certainly a society or intercourse among angels, which could not be upheld without some way amongst them to communicate their minds and wills to each other.

How this is we cannot tell: some of the schoolmen say, it is by way of impression: that way God, indeed, communicates his mind sometimes to his people, making secret impressions of his will upon their minds and understandings.”

c.

Prophecy, knowledge, and faith to do miracles are likewise irrelevant apart from love.

The Corinthian Christians missed the motive and the goal of the gifts, making them their own goal.

Paul draws the attention back to love.

i. Paul, quoting the idea of Jesus, refers to faith which could remove mountains ().

What an amazing thing it would be to have faith that could work the impossible!

Yet, even with that kind of faith we are nothing without love.

ii.

A man with that kind of faith can move great mountains, but he will set them down right in the path of somebody else – or right on somebody else – if he doesn’t have love.

iii.

It isn’t an issue of love versus the gifts.

A church should never be forced to choose between love and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Paul is emphasizing the focus and goal of the gifts: love, not the gifts for their own sake.

iv.