Perpetual Love
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Paul is writing to the church in Corinth, which he is believed to have established. In this letter he is tackling rumors that he is not an actual Apostle, denial of the believer’s resurrection, incestuous relationships, divisions, believers suing believers, abuse of spiritual gifts, interruption of public worship, communion descrated by greediness,
1) the controversy about meats offered to idols; (2) the disputes about celibacy and marriage; (3) the due exercise of spiritual gifts in public worship; (4) the best mode of making the collection which he had requested for the saints at Jerusalem (1 Co 16:1, &c.). Such were the circumstances which called forth the First Epistle to the Corinthians, the most varied in its topics of all the Epistles
This is literally the epistle with the most topics in one sitting and what I think is interesting is that this subject of Love made it in. With so much going on in this church, Love was also a focal point. It shows us that as important as it was to correct their moral compass, Love is an important portion of preserving the church.
Partially
Partially
What is something that you didn’t understand as a kid, that you understand now?
If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
In Our verses tonight we have to see them as a similitude, in other words, Paul is saying, “our lives on this plane are like…while we are living here, in this imperfection...
Some of the things in our childhood that we didn’t understand of didn’t know, we grow up and begin to understand them as we learn. Education is necessary as children, but the need for it does not disappear as adults.
What is something you are curious of and still don’t quite understand as an adult?
Something that I believe will really serve us well is this, we are not perfectly wise or intelligent.
Mirrors in the ancient near east were made of metal, bronze, and were polished until you can catch a reflection, not the beautiful pieces of reflective material adhered to glass that we use today.
We, who have not as yet reached that great height, behold the image of God as it is presented before us in the word, in the sacraments, and, in fine, in the whole of the service of the Church
John calvin presents this idea that the mirror we see into dimly is the actual ministry of the word. Not becuase the word is lacking, but because God is no less than what is revealed in scripture, but he’s also greater than what is revelaed in scripture and greater tahn we can understand.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.
For the angels have no need of preaching, or other inferior helps, nor of sacraments, for they enjoy a vision of God of another kind; and God does not give them a view of his face merely in a mirror, but openly manifests himself as present with them.
that, so long as we dwell in the body we are absent from the Lord; for we walk by faith, not by sight. Our faith, therefore, at present beholds God as absent. How so? Because it sees not his face, but rests satisfied with the image in the mirror; but when we shall have left the world, and gone to him, it will behold him as near and before its eyes.
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
How do you understand this verse?
This verse was difficult for me for a good while. Until by the Spirit’s guidance, and help from some different commentaries, it clicked. The thought can be easy to mix up. It can be easy to read this, especially out of its context and say, “Love is literally greater than any of those things.” All we need need is love, but it’s not quite what is going on in this letter.
In the Old King James Version (KJV), the word love is mentioned 310 times. In the New American Standard Version (NASV), the word love is mentioned 348 times. In the New International Version (NIV), the word love is mentioned 551 times. In the New Revised Standard Version (NASV), the word love is mentioned 538 times. In the New Living Translation (NLT), the word love is mentioned 898 times.
Love is the greatest because it is the one Spiritual gift that will carry into eternity, not necessarily greatest in value, though it is so high in value that is spoken about everywhere in the bible.
So please do not think I’m down playing it.
Faith brings fourth hope and love. Love outlasts both because it will go with us into eternity when we will no longer need faith but have perfect sight, we will no longer need hope, but take possession.
Something that can be lacking from our church, just like the Corinthian church, is love. I’m not saying it’s missing, but we can always grow in love. Maybe we get a sense of Holier than thou? that because I serve, or because you don’t sin like I do that we are better, etc. The beauty is the thought I brought up to us, a bit of humble pie. We are not perfectly wise, intelligent, righteous (though declared so before God cause of Christ) and so on. We are not perfect, so when we deal with eachother we need to do so in that same manner, with love.
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Hmmmm, truth.
What does that mean?
The spirit uses love to preseve and strengthen the church.
Ultimately this reflect God’s love for his son, his church and how we are to love each other.