A More Excellent Way

A MORE EXCELLENT WAY

SCRIPTURE TEXT:          I Corinthians 12:31

SCRIPTURE READING:   I Corinthians 12:29-31; 13:13

INTRODUCTION.

        You can live any way you want to live.  This is your right.  You are the only person who has the power to determine how you will live.  You can be agreeable or disagreeable, a help or a hindrance, an asset or a liability to yourself, your family, you co-workers, and the kingdom of God.  But Paul says, "I show you a still more excellent way."  The Christian life was never meant to be a good way or even a better way but rather a more excellent way!

        Paul had just received a letter from the church at Corinth listing all kinds of problems that had risen in their fellowship for one reason:  they were not following "a more excellent way."

        The apostle is saying, "In light of all your varied lifestyles and the difficulties and heartaches they have brought upon the church, it seems to me that it is high time you recognize your need of following 'a more excellent way.'"

        He declares love to be "a more excellent way."  In this first letter to the church at Corinth he lists four reasons why love is a more excellent way:

I.      ITS MINISTRY OF HEALING (I Corinthians 1:10-17a).

        A long letter had been written by the church at Corinth to Paul listing several of their problems.  But one problem that was not listed was the problem of divisions in the church.

        Paul learned of this problem from the relatives of Chloe, a well-known member of the congregation.  He is not secretive; he names the source of his information and then deals directly with the problem.

        But the fact that he chooses to deal first with this subject proves that of all the problems mentioned he considered this one to be the most critical.

        It is to this problem that he immediately addresses himself.  And it is to this problem that he applies the healing ministry of love.

        A.     THE HEALING MINISTRY OF LOVE IS REALIZED WHEN CHRIST IS HONORED (1:12-26).

        In verse 12 of I Corinthians 1 we can see what Paul may be saying about each group that wanted to rally around some human personality.

        Some said, "I am of Paul."  Paul did not take this as a compliment, nor does any preacher.  In claiming to follow Paul the theologian they were claiming to be "great theologies." 

        Others said, "I am of Apollos."  These were the "cultured vultures" who worshiped oratory, since Apollos was a prince of preachers.

        Still others said, "I am of Peter,"  the fiery evangelist.  This is the "tell-it-like-it-is" crowd.

        And the "super Christians" said, "I am of Christ."

        In light of these childish divisions, Paul turns to some wholesome humor.  He has fun with the situation as he singles out no one else but himself as an example.

        In verse 13 he asks, (a) "Is Christ fragmented?  Tell me about it."  (b) "I haven't noticed any nail prints in my hands…"  (c) "Did Christ say in the Great Commission to baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of Paul the apostle?"

        In verses 14-16 Paul expresses relief that he baptized but a few, lest that make of them his followers.

        B.     THE HEALING MINISTRY OF LOVE IS REALIZED WHEN THE GOSPEL IS PREACHED (1:17).

        The gospel is the good news about the healing ministry of Christ's love.  Christ is the focal point of the gospel-not Paul or Apollos or Peter or any other man.

        This then is the first reason why love is a more excellent way; its ministry of healing.  The second reason is:

II.     ITS SIMPLICITY OF LANGUAGE (2:1-2).

        Love is never concerned with impressing others with our importance, our knowledge, our intelligence, or our "excellency of speech or wisdom."  Love of self is vitally concerned about these things.  But not the love that is "a more excellent way."

        It is concerned with making as clear and as simple as possible the gospel of Jesus Christ and His power to save.

        If any man could have complicated the simple with multisyllable verbiage it was Paul.  He certainly had the vocabulary and the intellect to do it.  But Paul had been down the empty halls of academe as a Pharisee and found nothing until he encountered the more excellent way of God's redemptive love.

        Someone has said, "It is nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!"  Paul had the nicety to speak in love's simplicity of language so that all may understand.

        No wonder Paul says, "And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (2:4).

        The reason he offers for speaking in love's simplicity of language is "that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God" (2:5).

        As long as my faith stands in the "wisdom of men" it can fall.  For there will always be someone wiser than I who can undermine that faith.  But when my faith stands "in the power of God" no man on earth and no power of Satan can cause that faith to fall!

        The third reason Paul lists for love being a more excellent way is:

III.    ITS COMPETENCY FOR PROBLEM-SOLVING (chapters 5-12).

        In these eight chapters, Paul addresses himself to that long list of problems of which the Christians of Corinth had written.  The problems of lawsuits, sexual impurity, marriage, eating meat sacrificed to idols, the place of women in the church, abuses of the Lord's Supper, and placing one's piety on parade.  In all fairness he deals with one problem at a time.  He does not rush through these problems as though they are not serious.  Rather he devotes eight chapters to discussing them.  But at the end of his discussion he informs them that there is not one problem they have shared that love is not competent to solve.

        Especially in the face of life's problems Paul sees love as a more excellent way because of its competence for problem-solving.

        A.     THE PROBLEM OF SEXUAL IMPURITY (5:1-2).  He is saying that because you love that person you must deal with him in such a way that he will turn from his sin.  And because you love the church you cannot allow the continuance of this problem to "infect it."

        Love is a more excellent way because of its competency of solving the problem of sexual impurity.  And this applies to any form of sexual impurity.  Because when you love someone, you will not use him or her as an object to satisfy your own desires.  You will not inflict on that person the guilt and hurt of sexual impurity.

        B.     THE PROBLEM OF LAWSUITS (6:1-8).  Love is a more excellent way to resolve differences than civil lawsuits.  Paul states that it is unchristian for fellow believers to take their differences to heathen courts--to rely on those who know nothing of the grace of God to settle their problems.  This, he says, can and ought to be solved by Christians in the spirit of Christian love.

        C.     THE PROBLEM OF ABUSING OUR CHRISTIAN LIBERTY (chapter 8).  Paul contends that souls are more important than steak.  Men are of more value than meat.  Lives are more important than our liberty.

        When we are tempted to say, "It is my right to do this, or to say that," we must recall the words of Paul, who advocates a more excellent way:  "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable" (6:12a).

        There are certain times when we have every right in the world to do a certain thing.  But the more excellent way of love reminds us that if using our liberty in such a way will cause one brother to stumble, if it will reflect in the least on the work of our Lord, we should refuse to use that liberty.

        D.     THE PROBLEM OF PLACING OUR PIETY ON PARADE (chapter 12).  When the more excellent way of love binds us together as the body of Christ, there is a unity that nothing can sever.  We care for one another--we rejoice with one another.

        Love is a more excellent way because it removes a competitive, jealous spirit among God's people.  It takes piety off parade and puts Jesus Christ on parade!

        Paul's forth reason for love being a more excellent way is:

IV.    ITS SUPERIORITY OF VALUE (12:31-13:13).

Paul concludes chapter 12 by saying, "And I show you a still more excellent way."  Then he goes into the beautiful love chapter of I Corinthians 13 which he concludes by saying, "The greatest of these is love."

        Why is love "the greatest of these"?  Why is it "a more excellent way"?  Because of its superiority of value.

        A.     THE SUPERIORITY OF LOVE'S VALUE IS SEEN IN THE WORTH IT IMPORTS TO THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT (13:1-3).  These gifts have no intrinsic value.  The only value they have is the value love imports to them.

        B.     THE SUPERIORITY OF LOVE'S VALUE IS SEEN IN THE WORDS USED TO DESCRIBE IT (13:5-13).

CONCLUSION.

        Paul closes his letter in these words, "Let all that you do be done in love" (16:14); and his final sentence is, "My love be with you all in Christ Jesus" (16:24a).

        Love is a more excellent way because of:

        1.     Its ministry of healing

        2.     Its simplicity of language

        3.     Its competency for problem-solving

        4.     Its superiority of value.