Love is Not

Defining things by what they are not

When someone asks you to define something do you usually spend a lot of time telling them what its not? I have tried all week to think of a time in my life where I have defined something more by what it’s not than what it is.

In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Paul takes more time defining for the church at Corinth what love is not than what it is.

White Board illustration Is vs Not

Why does Paul do this? Because everything that love is not, is present at the church in Corinth. As God’s holy people they are supposed to be an example of what love is and not be the poster children for what love is not.

We are not so different than the church at Corinth. Too often our love too closely resembles the love is not list. As God’s holy people we are called to live a love that is. How? Through the Holy Spirit living in and through us. The kind of love God calls us into can not be lived under our own efforts but through the work of the Holy Spirit. As we hear God’s word today may the Holy Spirit move in us and clean up the love is not list in our hearts and in our lives.

Love is not

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 The Message

4 Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head, 5 Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first,” Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, 6 Doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, 7 Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.

-Church at Corinth

Paul is writing to a church at Corinth that is to say the least dysfunctional. If we were to sit down and read it as we would any other letter we would see a church that has a lot of unchristlike things going on in the church. We would see people quarelling and causing division, sexual sin, like a stepson sleeping with his stepmother, and the list could go on. The church at Corinth was the poster child for what the church and love is not. Things are so bad at the church in Corinth that Paul asks should I come with a rod to punish, or should I come with love and a gentle spirit?

1 Corinthians 4:18–21 (NLT)

18 Some of you have become arrogant, thinking I will not visit you again. 19 But I will come—and soon—if the Lord lets me, and then I’ll find out whether these arrogant people just give pretentious speeches or whether they really have God’s power. 20 For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power. 21 Which do you choose? Should I come with a rod to punish you, or should I come with love and a gentle spirit?

-An example of love is not

Why does Paul define love by what it’s not? Again if we were to read the book of 1 Corinthians like we would a letter we received in the mail, we would see a church that is defined by what love is not. We would see all these things Paul rattles off at work in the church at Corinth.

It’s important that we remember Christ’s words to his disciples around the table. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. Unfortunately the church at Corinth was defined by what love is not, and not by what love is.

Whether in Corinth or right here in Leicester VT. We are called as God’s holy people to be defined by his love. How is this possible for us and the church at Corinth?

Too often our love is arrogant, rude, envious, demanding our own way, and shares more in common with the love is not list than the love is list. How can we clean up that list to look like the love God calls us into? Of our selves we can’t. We need the Holy Spirit to transform us from the inside out.

-Life in the Spirit is the turning point

Galatians 5:16–25 (NRSV)

16 Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.

What is the turning point for the church at Corinth and for us life in the Spirit. In Galatians we can see similarities between Paul’s list of love is not and the works of the flesh. Paul tells the church at Corinth that living in the Kingdom is living by the power of God. That is living by the Spirit, and bearing the fruit of the Spirit, the first of which is love.

Love is Life in the Spirit

An important theme in the book of 1 Corinthians is the imagery of a body all its parts working together, when one part of the body suffers we all suffer. When we as individuals look more like poster children for what love is not the entire body feels it. As the church the body of Christ we are God’s holy people. The only way we can look like Christ, love incarnate, love divine, the poster child if you will for what or who love is, is through the work of the Holy Spirit within us.

When the Holy Spirit convicts us of the things that love is not in our lives, we have to stop and allow the Holy Spirit to do what only he can do, to make our love look more like Christ. A love by which God’s church is supposed to be known.

As we come to the table today may the Holy Spirit produce in us a love that is Christlike. As Christ told his disciples around the table a new commandment I give you, love one another as I have loved you. John 13:34

John 13:34-35 (NLT)

John 13:34–35 NLT

34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

John 15:12 NLT

12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.