The Greatest Christian Virtue

TEXT: 1 Corinthians 13

TOPIC: The Greatest Christian Virtue

Pastor Bobby Earls, Northgate Baptist Church, Florence, Alabama

Sunday Morning, January 6, 2013

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 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. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke 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 in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

First Corinthians 13 is called the love chapter of the Bible. Many men have attempted to give an exposition of it. Personally, I have preached on it only once or twice in my ministry. It is one of those Bible passages that pass beyond my comprehension and capability. In 1884 Henry Drummond wrote a very brilliant essay entitled, The Greatest Thing in the World.

It is to that great thing of which Dr. Drummond wrote, the greatest subject, what I am calling today, the greatest Christian virtue to which we turn our attention this evening.

It is the subject of love. And who can understand it? Who can explain it?

The word charity,which is used throughout this chapter, should be translated into our simple word “love.” The Vulgate, which is the Latin translation of the Bible and Wycliffe’s English translation, used the word charity, and this word was carried over into the King James Version. The Greek word is agape, which is properly translated love.

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 provides, 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 beautiful evening while Penny and I were staying in a lovely hotel with a rather remarkable view that looked out across the Tampa Bay there in Tampa, Florida, and watching the sun melt in the rich darkness and velvet waters of Tampa Bay. It was such a marvelous display of God’s creation. I wish I could properly describe it for you, but I cannot.

This 13thchapter of Corinthians gives to us another indescribable display, a displayof God’s great love.

There are three words in the Greek language of which the NT was first written that are often translated into our English word “love.”

There is the word eros. That is the word for passion, the word used for lust. It is used of Aphrodite and Eros, or Venus and Cupid as we know them. This word does not occur in the New Testament at all.

Then there is the word phileo which means “affection.” We find its root in our words Philadelphia and philanthropist. It means love for one’s fellow man, or brotherly love, a noble kind of love.

The third word is agapao and is the highest word for love in the New Testament and is always used to refer to God’s “divine love.” It is more than love in the emotional sense; it is love in the will. It is love that chooses its object. It is selfless love, sacrificial love that thinks only of another. It is a definition of God, for God is love.

It is this kind of love that is described for us here in this chapter. It is the love of God. The kind of love that each of us as Christians are compelled to emulate. It is the Greatest Christian virtue.

Notice first the preeminence of love—its value, in the first three verses.

I. THE PREEMINENCEOF LOVE-ITS VALUE, 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

…but have not love, I have become sounding brass or clanging cymbal, v.1

I am sure the tongues of angels means eloquence. I have never heard an angel speak, but I sure when they speak it is with perfect eloquence.

This verse tells us that the most marvelous eloquence without love is nothing in the world but a noisy clang.

Someone has said: “Language without love is noise without melody.” Another 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.

Oh the preeminence of love, its value is beyond compare.

…but have not love, I am nothing, v. 2

Knowledge alone is not sufficient. Love must be added to that knowledge. Understanding alone is not enough. Love must be added to that understanding. Faith alone is not enough. You must have faith added to your faith.

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, and even faith in the Bible, but a lack of love.

…but have not love, it profits me nothing, v. 3

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 1 to the left of that string of zeros, and every zero amounts to something. And, friends, love is the thing that needs to be added to every gift of the Spirit. Without love your gift is worthless.

II. THE PREROGATIVEOF LOVE-ITS VIRTUE, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

…love suffers long—is patient and kind;

“Love suffers long,” means it is patient and kind. Love is impossible without kindness. Love without kindness is like springtime without flowers, like a day without sunshine. That’s why the Apostle Paul admonished, “be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Eph. 4:32).

This is the positive side. Now notice the negative side.

“Love does not envy.” This means that love is content with what is. We all know that life is filled with inequality. Some men are rich, and I hear Christians say, “Why did God bless that man with so much wealth and not give me some?”

Love recognizes that there are inequalities, and love is satisfied with its lot. Remember that the very first murder, when Cain slew Abel, was prompted by envy.

…love does not parade itself. The KJV says, “vaunteth not itself”

There is something terribly ugly about pride and arrogance. A young preacher stood up in a conference in Tennessee and said, “I want you to know that I’m not a trained minister. I am an ignorant minister, and I’m proud of it.”

The bishop answered him, “I can see you have a lot to be proud of, and, young man, it is dangerous to boast even about ignorance.”

…love is not puffed up-means to be over inflated, or filled with hot air. There are a lot of professing Christians today who are nothing but hot air.

…love does not behave rudely-means we are to exercise politeness and courtesy.

…love does not seek its own-that is it acts in an unselfish manner;

…love is not provoked-or easily provoked-means it does not lose its temper.

…love thinks no evil-refers to mean or nasty intentions, even gossip.

…love does not rejoice in iniquity-but rejoices in truth, v. 6. What brings joy to your heart? Do you rejoice over the misfortunes of those you dislike? If so, you are not practicing the highest Christian virtue.

…love bears all things-carries the idea of protection. Love puts up an umbrella of protection.

…love believes all things-doesn’t mean love is gullible or naïve. It simple means love is trusting.

…love hopes all things-love is optimistic.

…love endures all things-love remains strong through testing.

We learn from all this that love is an abstract noun, but it is not to remain abstract. It is to be translated into life and action. It is to express itself in action through patience, through kindness, without envy, without boastfulness.

III. THE PERMANENCE OF LOVE-ITS VICTORY, 1 Corinthians 13:8-13

…love never fails, v.8

Love never fails. That is why at the end of the chapter it says, 13And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these islove.

Love abides. It is permanent.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote a poem entitled “I Loved Once,” in which she writes, “They never loved who dreamed that they loved once,” and “Love looks beyond the bounds of time and space, Love takes eternity in its embrace.”

Love is deathless. It is never defeated, never disillusioned, never disappointed.

God’s love is that kind of love. His love looks beyond the bounds of time and space and takes eternity in its embrace.

Christ never ceased loving. You can’t do anything to keep Him from loving. No sinner has committed an unpardonable sin. You may be in the state of unbelief, but He still loves you. You may have committed ever so great a sin, but He still loves you. You cannot keep Him from loving you.

Do you know this great love I have spoken of today? If not, come today, and place your faith and trust in Christ alone to save you and forgive you of all your sins.