It Can't Be Spiritual Without Love

1 Corinthians 12:1 KJV 1900

1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.

1 Corinthians 12:31 KJV 1900

31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

But, I show unto you a … what?… a more excellent way.

In other words, a more excellent way than coveting the showy gift is to be content with the one you have.

A more excellent way than lording it over somebody because you happen to have a … the gift of speaking or teaching or whatever, or languages …

A more excellent way than being proud is to be loving and that’s what he talks about in 13 as he describes in beautiful language the more excellent way which is love. The Corinthian church had the gift. The Corinthian church had a lot of things going on, had a lot of activity, but without love it wasn’t excellent, it was counterfeit. And they were selfish and self-seeking and operating in the flesh.

The truly spiritual life is the only life in which spiritual gifts can truly operate.

The truly spiritual life is not controlled by the gifts of the Spirit, it is controlled by the fruit of the Spirit.

Here are the Corinthians with all the gifts and none of the fruit of the Spirit and what is the fruit of the Spirit?

Galatians 5:22–23 (KJV 1900)

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

What’s the first one? Love … joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control.

If you don’t have the fruit of the Spirit, then the gifts of the Spirit are functioning in the flesh.

It’s a simple process.

The believer walks in the Spirit, the Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit.

Out of the fruit of the Spirit come the gifts of the Spirit operating in the power of the Spirit.

And so it is then that if we do not have the fruit of the Spirit manifest, if love isn’t manifest then maybe love is the fruit and the rest of those words just describe love in its dimensions, love is certainly the greatest according to 13:13 where he says the greatest of these is love. If there’s no love there then what is coming off and what is being done is being done without the fruit of the Spirit and if it’s being done without the fruit of the Spirit, it’s being done without the Spirit. It’s in the flesh, it’s fleshly, it’s carnal, it’s counterfeit. And so, here are the Corinthians, they’ve got the gifts of the Spirit and they’re doing their thing in the flesh without the fruit of the Spirit and Paul says—When it all gets done, you got nothing.

New Dictionary of Theology

agapē, in the sense of Godlike love, is clearly distinguished from the rest.

The first three,

Storgē meant ‘natural affection’ (as between a mother and child),

philia the affection of friends and kindred spirits (or a liking for something),

and erōs the attraction of desire, especially in sexual love,

are all natural, even to fallen man, whereas Godlike agapē-love is not.

All four are essentially God-given, but sin in fallen humanity has badly distorted the first three, and effectively banishes agapē until the grace of the Holy Spirit of Christ begins to recreate it in regeneration, and renews a person progressively in God’s image.

New Dictionary of Theology Agapē and Erōs

agapē is used only of fully interpersonal relationships (human and/or divine) in Scripture.

New Dictionary of Theology Agapē and Erōs

the other loves will only be healed, to function truly and be held and enjoyed in proper proportion, when agapē is in control.

New Dictionary of Theology (A Unique and Distinctive Love)

Agapē, as Godlike love, stands in total contrast to all pagan ideas of love in a fallen world. While they are manipulative, because largely self-centred and working for self-interest, self-gratification and self-protection,

agapē is completely unselfish. It is based neither on a felt need in the loving person nor on a desire called forth by some attractive feature(s) in the one loved; it is not afraid to make itself vulnerable, and it does not seek to get its own way by covert ruses and psychological ‘games’.

Agape is a giving love. That is the reason the KJV uses charity.

The Priority of Love

1 Corinthians 13:1–3 (KJV 1900)

1 Though {If} I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though {If} 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. 3 And though {If} 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.

Love has to be the driving force, love has to be the motive, love has to be the guts of anything in the life of the believer.

You see, it’s possible to have the gifts of the Spirit. It’s not only possible, it’s really true that we have the gifts of the Spirit and it’s possible to have the gifts of the Spirit without spirituality. You see, having a spiritual gift doesn’t make you spiritual. They can function in your own energy in the flesh as you counterfeit them or they can function in the power of the Spirit. And without the fruit of the Spirit it’s in the flesh.

So, here are the Corinthians, they’re up there prophesying and they’re up there speaking in languages and they’re out there supposedly healing people and they’re out there doing all their things, the problem is there’s no love which means there’s no fruit of the Spirit which means the Spirit isn’t operating which means the flesh is which means it’s counterfeit. It’s a tremendously important thing, I think, for us to understand today that God doesn’t want us doing our own thing in our own power and I think we know that.

But let’s see how he unfolds this here.

The Perfection of Love

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 (KJV 1900)

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

In Relation to Saints and Sinners:

“suffereth long”

Love is patient and slow to grow angry

“is kind”

Love is kind and considerate, not harsh.

“envieth not”

Love is not jealous or envious.

In Relation to Self:

“vaunteth not itself,”

Love does not brag, but admits its faults and when it is wrong.

“not puffed up”

Love is not proud or arrogant.

“Doth not behave itself unseemly”

Love is polite and acts appropriately, it shows respect to the other person.

“seeketh not her own”

Love is not self-centered, but Other-Oriented.

In Relation to Sin:

“not easily provoked”

Love doesn’t take things wrong, but rather assumes the best. Love is good natured. Love does not keep account of wrongs suffered against it. Love is not bitter, resentful, or vengeful.

“thinketh no evil”

Love finds no joy in evil.

“Rejoiced in truth”

Love finds joy in goodness and truth.

In relation to Situations:

“beareth all things”

Literally “covers” all things

“believeth all things”

It is trustful, not suspicious.

“Hopeth all things”

Love never gives up.

“Endureth all things”

It never ends.

The Permanence of Love

1 Corinthians 13:8–12 KJV 1900

8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Contrasted with miraculous and revelatory gifts, love is permanent.

Gifts are temporary. vs. 8

Prophecy and Knowledge will be stopped by an outside act (the coming of “that which is perfect”) at some point in history.

Tongues will permanently cease in and of themselves and at an even earlier time.

Gifts are partial. vs. 9-12

The revelation given by the gift of knowledge and the gift of prophecy are partial and give incomplete knowledge. vs. 9

The coming of that which is perfect (or complete) will bring to an end the revelatory gifts which are incomplete. vs. 10

Certain spiritual gifts are for the infancy of the Church and will be put away when the Church matures. vs. 11

The Spiritual understanding of Christians under the temporary and incomplete forms of revelation is only partial. When that which is perfect or complete is come, then our source of spiritual knowledge will be perfect. vs. 12

The Prominence of Love

1 Corinthians 13:13 KJV 1900

13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Service gifts will abide past the ceasing of revelatory and sign gifts.

Love is the fountain of spirituals.

1 John 4:7–8 KJV 1900

7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

John 3:16 KJV 1900

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Are you seeking gifts? or Are you seeking Christ?