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Text: I Corinthians 13.4
Intro:
NOTE: It is important to note here that this is not just general truths concerning love.
I do believe this to be the greatest dissertation on the subject of love, but do not confuse great teaching on love by pulling it away from it's target audience.
I wish to remind you that I Corinthians is written to a church in the city of Corinth.
This church was in desperate need to learn how to live in love with and for one another.
There was division over silly things.
This division was because of carnality, self-interest, and self-exultation.
Literally this church was killing the body to exalt one piece.
Chapter 13 is what we could call a transition chapter.
In the first 12 chapter Paul is blasting this church for sin, and selfishness.
But he is attempting to take the church to a big picture of what they could be.
He is having a vision night for this church.
He is on purpose setting their sights on some greater thing they have yet to experience.
So this transition includes what they are missing and what is the cure - charity.
I.
The Unnatural Idea of Love
We would all agree that we should love one another.
The harsh reality is that sometimes it's easier to love starving children half-way around the world than it is to love the brother down the pew.
In fact it is in the old man in our old nature to reject the idea of unity.
Eph 4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
According to Paul it is unnatural in fact we have to work at it as the spirit produces the fruit of unity and peace.
In fact in our culture and in history there have been natural processes at work that have torn the idea of love.
Many that come to church and hear the word love are many times contemplating idolatry.
Some of cultures love destroyers.
1. Individualism - I don't need you.
Lone Ranger, Superman, Indiana Jones, Wesley, Luther.
We idolize individualism in our country to the point that we make individual heroes out of those that could never accomplish what they did on their own.
- Benjamin Franklin, Fredrick, Douglas, Abraham Lincoln.
Every attachment is negotiable.
We are free agents, and every relationship and life station is a contract that can be negotiated or canceled...
I retain veto power over everything." - Jonathan Leman
Our world doesn't make heroes out of the farmer and his wife that have loved each other and stayed faithful for fifty years.
2. Romance - If you love me, you will let me feel it.
The world is made by people that are wanting to feel anything.
The idea of Romantic love was given a platform by Luther the unregenerate monk that struck out at his bosses in the catholic church.
Leeman sheds light on the trouble with romance.
For the romantic lover, the point of absolute moral reference was an exclusive fidelity to the love relationship and its maximization.
All other social ties - familial, class, religious, professional, ect.
- became secondary and, finally, expendable for the sake of preserving this primary human relationship.
- Jonathan Leman
3. Self-Expression - If you love me, you will let me be me.
This expresses itself in the church by caring more about your own spiritual gifts than service to others.
This attitude has brought an outcropping of "Self-Help" manuals in local Christianity.
4. Consumerism
If you love me, you will let me be a better me.
People come to the relationship like they do a super market.
What do you offer me.
5. Commitment Phobia
If you love me, you will let me be.
"The drive to pursue happiness in the negotiations and renegotiations of our various contracts means making sure that no contract is too binding."
We are less likely to join clubs, civic entities.
And it increases with each generation.
6. Skepticism
If you love me, you will meet my criteria for love.
Skepticism removes the need of openness.
I don't have to be accepted by you.
You need to just accept me.
Which means we have to move to an "anything goes" attitude.
You can imaging what this fluid idea of love does to churches and the standard of holiness.
7. Pragmatism
If you love me, you will take me where I want to go.
Pragmatism is inevitable.
Everything is done for what is best for me right now.
Doesn't see like a big deal but churches choosing to define love in this manner has brought about a movement that must quantify everything.
They have to measure for them the good right now.
And lead churches based on the last statistical model instead of following the head Christ.
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