"LOVE"
Describing the characteristics of Love
This chapter is properly called the love chapter of the Bible. Many men have attempted to give an exposition of it.
You will not find a definition of love in this chapter. Sometimes definitions are destructive. To try to define love would actually be a very serious violation of this chapter. When you try to define a rose, you can read the description of a rose that botany gives you, but that definition doesn’t picture a rose like I know a rose to be. Or have you ever had anyone describe a sunset for you? I remember one evening at the Island of Saint Thomas in the Virgin Islands standing on the deck of a little boat and seeing the moon come up. It was such a thrill that it made the goose pimples come up all over me. I wish I could picture it for you, but I cannot. This chapter gives to us a display of love, not a definition.
The preeminence of love—its value (vv. 1–3)
The prerogative of love—its virtue (vv. 4–7)
The permanence of love—its victory (vv. 8–13)
Remember how this chapter follows the thought in chapter 12, which was the endowment of gifts. Chapter 13 tells of the energy of the gifts. All gifts of the Spirit are to be exercised in love.
PREEMINENCE OF LOVE—ITS VALUE
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal [1 Cor. 13:1].
I am sure the tongues of angels means eloquence. I have never heard an angel speak, but I think Paul had heard them.
The most marvelous eloquence without love is nothing in the world but a noisy bell. Dr. Scroggie says it like this: “Language without love is noise without melody.” McGee says it like this: “Chatter without charity is sound without soul.” You can sing like a seraph, but without love it is nothing but the hiss of hell. Love gives meaning and depth and reality, and it makes eloquence meaningful.
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, and have not charity, I am nothing [1 Cor. 13:2].
The first verse was speaking of love as it comes
from the heart. This is from the mind, love as an act of the intellect. Knowledge alone is not sufficient. Love must be added to that knowledge. Understanding alone is not enough. Love must be added to that understanding. I feel this is the sad plight of Bible-believing churches in our day. There is a knowledge of the Bible and an understanding of the truths of the Bible but a lack of love. How terrible to find churches filled with gossip, bitterness, and hatred! Along with knowledge there must be love.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing [1 Cor. 13:3].
This love is an act of the will. Love involves the heart (v. 1), the mind (v. 2), and the will (v. 3). Love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Although we are to covet earnestly the best gifts, they are to be exercised in love—and only the Spirit of God can do that.
Look at it this way: Write down a string of zeros—eloquence alone is zero, prophecy alone is zero, knowledge alone is zero, faith alone is zero, sacrifice alone is zero, martyrdom alone is zero. Six zeros still add up to nothing. But you put the numeral I to the left of that string of zeros, and every zero amounts to something. And, friend, love is the thing that needs to be added to every gift of the Spirit. Without love your gift is worthless.