First Corinthians 12:31-13:7:

[31] But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. [1] If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. [2] And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. [3] If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. [4] Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant [5] or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; [6] it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. [7] Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Introduction :

There is a famous song that is probably familiar to us all where the words of the chorus go like this:

What’s love got to do, got to do with it
What’s love but a second hand emotion
What’s love got to do, got to do with it
What’s love but a sweet old fashioned notion.

The chorus of Tina Turners hit says it all right? What’s love got to do with it? Well, if Paul were to hear this song, he would say, “Everything Tina, Everything.” This morning, we come to one of the most well known chapters in the Bible. The love chapter. But, if you have been with us recently, you know that we are working through Paul’s teaching concerning spiritual gifts.  He started is addressing the nature and practice of the gifts God bestows on His church in 12:1 and goes through 14:40. And he essentially has one overarching charge found in 14:1, look there, “Pursue love…” Paul’s main charge is above all, pursue love. Many suggest this is essentially Paul’s main charge in the entire letter. And last week, Sam showed how love has been the consistent refrain. This chapter, then, is the crux of 1 Corinthians. Beloved, God calls us to pursue love and specifically to pursue loving the church. Now, it is important to recognize that this love we are speaking of is agape love.  It is love that was rare in Greek literature and almost non-existent before the New Testament.  It is not brotherly love for friends and family, or passionate love for a spouse. It is love that is selfless and concerned for the welfare of others.  Love that involves action.  It is decisive love.  It is love that proceeds from God, because God is love.  Speaking of this love, John writes in 1 John 4:7-8,

“Beloved, let us (agape) love one another, for love is from God, whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

Love is not something we hope to have as Christians.  Love has been set in our hearts if we are in Christ.  Because love proceeds from God and God is at work in His church. Look back at chapter 12 and follow the work of God again with me. In verse 3, our profession comes from the work of God. In verses 6, 7, & 11 God gives and empowers our gifts, services, and activities.  In verse 13, the work of God has made us to be immersed in the Spirit. In verses 18 & 24, It is the work of God to arrange the body of Christ as he chooses.  And finally, in verse 28, God appoints those the church needs. The church is the work of God. And because God is agape love, His people exhibit His agape love. Leon Morris comments, “Love which is to characterize and control the Christian community is a love for the utterly unworthy. A love that proceeds from a God who is love. It is a love lavished on others without a thought of whether they are worthy to receive it or not. It proceeds rather from the nature of the lover than from any merit in the beloved.” Beloved, Paul is not recommending agape love to us.  Above all we must pursue love.  And we will be aided in our pursuit of love by examining 2 things this morning.

Number 1. The Position of Love (12:31-13:3):

“But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

Sam covered this beautifully last week but it is helpful to remind ourselves of the position of love because it aids our pursuit of love. Paul is showing the Corinthian church the position of love, that love is the “more excellent way” (12:31b).  Notice again, he doesn’t condemn desiring spiritual gifts.  In fact, he calls for us to desire them 3 times in these chapters.  In 12:31, he says, “earnestly desire the higher gifts.” Then in 14:1, he says, “earnestly desire spiritual gifts…” And a 3rd time in 14:39, where he says, “earnestly desire to prophesy.”  The word he uses each time is zeloo, where we get our English word zealous from.  He wants us to be zealous for gifts. Yes, gifts which only come from God. Yes, content if God chooses not to give them but desirous nonetheless. However, there is a caveat. We desire them so they might serve love. As Sam said last week, “Love is the engine of Spiritual gifts.” So, in verses 1-3, Paul drives that home by showing the position of love. Love is the most excellent way.  Without love, everything is useless.  Speaking in tongues is a nuisance. Understanding mysteries, or having prophetic powers, knowledge, and even full faith make us nothing. And sacrifice or martyrdom count for nothing without love. Don’t miss this point. Revealing the agape love of God is the reason you are in the church and have been given gifts.  So we should desire spiritual gifts for the sake of love.  Reflect for a moment on the great Position of Love.  Is love the more excellent way in your eyes? Is love everything for you?

Number 2. The Practice of Love (verses 4-7):

“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.”

There is great familiarity with these verses. We could probably recite most of them without blinking twice. And with familiarity comes the temptation to avoid really meditating on these verses.  But press in with me to really see the practice of love. Before we do, notice a couple things.

Notice that Paul personifies love. Paul’s language signifies that he is not defining love ideologically or philosophically but love in action. This is why many have suggested to insert your name in the place of love. Or perhaps try inserting our church’s name.

Also, notice where Paul places this teaching.  He did not insert this in Chapter 7 while speaking about marriage.  He puts this here, while speaking about the church gathered. Certainly, we should love our spouses and families with this love but don’t miss that Paul’s call for love is specifically towards the church.

Examine with me, then, the practice of love. Look at verse 4,

“Love is Patient”
Paul begins by saying “love is long-suffering.” This Greek word used in the New Testament always describes patience with people and not patience with circumstances. Jonathan Edwards says, “Love Disposes Us Meekly to Bear the Injuries Received from Others.” Chrysostom says, “This is a word used of the man who is wronged and who has it easily in his power to avenge himself but will never do it.” Love is patient while suffering injuries of all kinds. In other words, love’s wick burns long.  This is the antithesis of what we are often taught right? We should protect ourselves.  We should fight back. Most people would call someone who is truly long-suffering weak or having no backbone. But, beloved, this is the mark of true love. Consider with me the example of Paul’s patience towards this church. He is so patient with them. Paul also calls for Timothy to follow his patience in 2 Tim. 3:10 and display this patience in his preaching in 2 Tim. 4:2. And in Eph. 4:2, Paul urges us all to be “with patience, bearing with one another in love.” This patience is also a fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. Love is not one strike and you are out.  It is consistent and persistent in it’s patience. It is long suffering. Jonathan Edwards poses an objection we may have here and answers it beautifully, “But you may say…that those who have injured you, persist in it, and do not at all repent, but go on doing it still.” Edwards answers, “But what opportunity could there be for long-suffering, if injury were not persisted in long?” Love is patient. The second practice of love is the other side of the coin.  

“Love is kind.”
This is the active practice alongside the passive of patience. The root of the word means “useful.” Love doesn’t just endure injuries but seeks to return them with good. The idea is not just kindness in a situation of ease and friendship but in a bad situation or even a faulty church. Matthew Henry comments that “The law of kindness is in (loves) lips; her heart is large, and her hand open.” Love is disposed to be good-natured and perform good to another. It gives itself to help others, even those who have wronged it. We find our example of these practices of love in God don’t we, He is so patient and kind towards us. The psalms repeat 3 different times, “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Psalm 86:15, 103:8, & 145:8).  Are you long suffering? When you are injured do you respond with kindness? Are you pursuing this love?  Love is patient, love is kind. Continue with the next practice in verse 4.

“Love does not envy”
The next 4 could really all go together and it is no wonder these are here by what Paul addressed in chapter 12. He actually uses the same word for envy used when calling the church to “earnestly desire…gifts.”  But here it is in its negative sense. We should connect this to spiritual gifts. At the root of feelings of inferiority is envy. While superiority breeds boasting which springs forth from arrogance. And rudeness accompanies all three.  

Paul starts with envy, “Love does not envy.” Now, there are two kinds of envy.  The first covets another’s possessions. It simply wants what someone else has. It is jealous of the success or status of another. That is bad enough but there is another kind of envy that goes further and resents what others have. This is the worst kind of envy. It doesn’t just want the possession but it hates the fact that others have it. There is a painting by the Renaissance artist Giotto which hangs on the wall of a chapel in Padua, Italy. In this painting, Giotto portrays envy with long ears that could hear any news of another’s success. He then provided envy with the tongue of a serpent to poison the reputation of the one being envied. Envy is divisive and destructive. And it will never build the body up. Love does not envy. Continuing, verse 4,

“Love does not…boast.”
Love is not a braggart. This is the verbalizing of pride. The King James Version translates this, “vaunteth oneself.” The idea is to heap praise on oneself, to set oneself above others. And this boasting is designed to make another feel inferior. Love does not boast over intellect, position, or gifts. Think back on the first report Paul addressed in chapter 1, what were they saying? “I follow Paul, I follow Apollos, I follow Peter, I follow Christ.” Love does not do this. It is always modest and humble in speech.  John MacArthur helps us to see how these two relate, “Envy,” he says, “is wanting something that other people have and bragging is making people want what you have.” Beloved, Love will never envy what God has given to others and it will never parade around others any sort of supposed superiority.  Love knows that every good and perfect gift comes from God. Love does not envy or boast. Continuing in verse 4,

“Love is not arrogant”
Paul says that love is not “puffed up.” Love is not inflated with it’s own self importance. We see that arrogance clearly permeated this church because Paul has used this word 5 times already in his letter (4:6; 4:18,19; 5:2; 8:1) and addressed pride from the beginning. And as we saw from the start, the one who truly knows his position before Christ intervened will never be puffed up. True love is always more mindful of its unworthiness. A story about William Cary illustrates this so well. William Carey began his life as a cobbler. He would become arguably one of the greatest missionaries and linguists the world has ever seen. He translated at least parts of the Bible into no fewer than thirty-four Indian languages. But when he arrived in India, he was was not held in high regard. One time, at a dinner party, a man wanted to humiliate him and said so that everyone could hear, “I suppose, Mr. Carey, you once worked as a shoe-maker.” Carey responded, “No, your lordship, not a shoe-maker, only a cobbler.” William Carey moved himself even lower. Pride simply has no place in our hearts. Love is not arrogant. Look at the next practice of love, verse 5

“Love is not…rude.”
The Greek means “to act unbecomingly.” Love is not improper. It always seeks to conduct itself in decency. This also carries the idea of a disregard for how one’s words or actions affect those around them. Rudeness or indecency pervaded this church’s gatherings, did it not? Whether through women discarding head coverings, the elites behavior around the Lord’s supper, or even the confusion we will see in chapter 14. Love does not act unbecomingly. Commentator William Barclay has some piercing comments here,

“It is a significant fact that in Greek the words for grace and for charm are the same. There is a kind of Christianity which takes a delight in being blunt and almost brutal. There is strength in it but there is no winsomeness. There is a graciousness in Christian love which never forgets that courtesy and tact and politeness are lovely things.”  

And beloved, this is not just graciousness with Christians but with non-Christians as well.  There are certain ways in which we interact with others, based on their habits, patterns of life or the way they treat us that are just rude at times.  And when we do that, we miss the opportunity to communicate something about the love of Christ to them. Love always has a high regard for extending courtesy, politeness, and grace. Do you see how these are building on each other? Love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. Are you pursuing this love? Continue in Verse 5.

“Love does not insist on its own way”
Some suggest this is the key to everything. Love is altogether unselfish.  Lenski says, “Cure selfishness and you’ve just replanted the Garden of Eden.” Love will not seek its own rights at the expense of others. Instead it will seek the rights of others. Paul says in Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Then, he beckons us towards seeking the interests of others through the example of Christ.  Beloved, love will not cling to what one is owed in life but what one owes to God.  And because of this, love is free from seeking its own to seek that of another.  

Elizabeth Elliot once taught on selfless love and some young children sat in front of her.  While speaking, she sought to make it plain for them to understand and apply.  Later, a 6 year old boy sent her a letter which read, “I am learning to lay do my life for my little sister.  She has to take a nap in the afternoon.  I don’t have to take a nap. But she can’t go to sleep unless I come and lay down beside her. So I lay down with my little sister.” This young boy understood love that does not insist it’s own way. Are you pursuing this love?

Beloved, do you sense the weight of this text?  This is such a searching passage and there is much more we could say. Let the word be a mirror in your life. Continue then with the next practice of love at the end of verse 5.

“Love is not irritable”
Paul literally says, “Love is not provoked.” It is unfortunate that the King James Version adds “easily” because it gets the thought completely wrong. The idea is that love is never provoked or exasperated with people. One commentator notes that it relates to “something between irritation and anger which takes offense because one’s self-regard has been…wounded….” and comments, “Love, Paul urges, does not become exasperated into..a transient feeling of wounded vanity…partly because patience delays exasperation and partly because lack of self-interest diverts a sense of self-importance away from reacting on the grounds of wounded pride: it is not embittered by injuries, whether real or supposed.” (Thiselton)   Love heeds the words of Ecclesiastes 7:9, “Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.” Now, let’s be balanced. Certainly there are righteous reasons to be provoked to anger. Our Lord was when clearing the temple. We should be provoked with our own sin. Provoked with everything that defiles God’s world. Provoked with things that rob God’s glory. Those are righteous reasons for anger. But love refuses to get exasperated with people, especially when our pride is wounded. Next time you feel exasperated with someone stop and recognize that in that moment you simply aren’t loving them.  Stand for truth, for sure. But check your pride and your love.

I, personally, have tried to make a practice of pausing a conversation with my wife if I notice that I am getting provoked. Then, I intentionally take time to assess my sin and my love before returning to continue the conversation. I am not always perfect at this. Often times I have to apologize specifically for getting exasperated. But I want to grow in love in this way. And not just love for my wife, love for the church. Beloved, Love is not irritable. The next follows,

“Love is not….resentful.” (verse 5)
I never like contradicting a faithful translation but I think the ESV doesn’t help us here. When we think of resentful, we think of expressing bitterness or indignation. The greek goes beyond not expressing these things.  There are two greek words here, logizomai and kakos. Kakos means “an evil thing or moral wrong.”  Logizomai means “to reckon” and is an accountant’s word used for entering an item in a ledger to look back on it later. So this means that love does not keep records of wrongs in it’s memory bank. It is not that love doesn’t express bitterness, it doesn’t keep records at all. There is a story about natives ‘in Polynesia that tells of a custom where each man keeps reminders of his hatred by hanging objects from the roofs of their huts to keep the memory of their wrongs alive. This is not love. Love forgives and forgets. Yes, forgets. Beloved, this is the same word used in Romans 4:8, quoting Psalm 32, saying, “blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” If you are in Christ, there is no record of your sins against a holy and righteous God.  Why would be presume to keep records of others injuries against us?

Are you pursuing this love?  Love keeps no record of wrongs. The next practice of love is in verse 6, look there with me.

“Love does not rejoice in wrongdoing”
The word for wrongdoing is “unrighteousness.” Paul is saying, Love does not rejoice in sin.  Isaiah 5:20 says, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” We see in Corinth, one way, to rejoice in sin is boasting about it.  But there are many ways we may rejoice in sin without knowing it.  Ways we laugh it off.  Ways we entertain it by not stopping it. Love does not rejoice in sin. It exposes sin and seeks to heal. Consider another way we may rejoice in sin mentioned by Albert Barnes,

“(Love) Does not rejoice over the vices of other men; does not take delight when they are guilty of crime, or when, in any manner, they fall into sin. It does not find pleasure in hearing others accused of sin, and in having it proved that they have committed it.”

Beloved, we can rejoice in sin by being happy when our injuries are vindicated. Even in vindication of one’s injuries, love is grieved by the presence of sin not rejoicing that it is right. So let’s ask ourselves the tough question, do we find any pleasure in sin? Even the hearing of sin which justifies our concern? Now look at the flip side. Verse 6 again,

“Love rejoices with the truth.”
There is an interesting dynamic of this contrast. Paul actually uses two different words for rejoice in this verse.  The first simply means that one is glad. While the second points to sharing in another’s joy. And truth signifies that which was hidden being manifested. The idea here is that love takes joy when truth wins out, whatever that truth may be.  And it rejoices with others in it. Love grieves over sin but rejoices in repentance. Love grieves over unrighteousness but rejoices with righteousness. Love grieves when reports of sin are proven correct but rejoices when reports of truth are heard. And when love rejoices in the truth instead of unrighteousness, it promotes the truth.

I think to some degree, verse 6 can also be a kind qualifier for verses 4 and 7, the latter we will address shortly.  In other words, even though “love is patient and kind…bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things”, it will not overlook sin or find joy in the presence of it. Are you pursuing this love? Love does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Finally, we come to the crescendo of the practice of love in verse 7,

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

This is the ultimate summation of love. And Paul uses hyperbole to elevate these points by repeating “all things” 4 times. Now, he doesn’t mean all things arbitrarily but all things within biblical boundaries. Let’s cover these quickly to get the sense of Paul’s movement.

“Love bears all things” (verse 7a)
Bears means “to put up with or to cover.” It can mean that love patiently endures injuries again or that it covers the faults of others, meaning it keeps them from spreading and damaging one’s reputation. Scholars are somewhat split. I think it could mean both. The root word means “a thatch or roof.” A roof bears weight and covers the ground beneath. F F Bruce comments that, “Love covers unworthy things rather than bringing them to the light and magnifying them.” When we truly endure offenses patiently we will seek to conceal others faults rather than expose them to everyone. Think about it in relationship to church discipline.  The first step is to go to a brother individually.  The second step is concealing also, you only take 1 or 2 others. Even the third step keeps it in the church. There are moments when we may need to share the sins of others but love seeks not to lay faults before others until it is absolutely necessary.  It’s continued concern is for one another. Yes, love will warn, rebuke and exhort but love will also cover and conceal. Love bears all things. Next,

“Love believes all things” (verse 7b)
Believes is from the word we use for faith. In the general sense it means trusting all the promises of God. In the context of relationships it means love believes the best in a person. It always first gives the benefit of doubt. Paul is not saying that love is gullible or lacks wisdom and discernment but that love fights first to believe the best until proven otherwise. Love is not automatically cynical or suspicious. Love is believes all things. Then,

“Love hopes all things” (verse 7c)
Are you seeing how Paul is building love’s inexhaustibility?  When belief fails to be an option, love moves to hope. Hope in the bible is not vague, it is concrete. The root word conveys a sense of confidence. This means that love confidently anticipates a good outcome.  It anticipates change if change is needed, reconciliation if reconciliation is needed, or restoration if restoration is needed. Albert Barnes comments, “This hope will extend to all things–to words, and actions, and plans; to public and to private intercourse; to what is said and done in our own presence, and to what is said and done in our absence.” Maybe you are past believing all things in a relationship.  Maybe the truth has come out that sin has rendered its ugly head.  And maybe you have confronted to no avail. Let me ask you, do you hope for that person?  Or have you given up hope? Love hopes all things. And finally the end of the crescendo,

“Love endures all things” (verse 7d)
The word here means “to remain or abide.” It can also mean fortified. The idea is not that love can passively bear under all things but that love is tenacious in its perseverance. It is the opposite of passive avoidance. This word was used often in military terms. Alistair Begg says, “It is the picture of a soldier who, when the battle is at its toughest, he launches into it with renewed energy.” Love presses in when things are tough. It will not just avoid people to try to get along. It will purposefully press in to love them. In the midst of our greatest suffering we should pursue love harder. Love endures all things.    

Did you notice the movement of this verse?  Love bears all things, cover faults from spreading. Love believes all things, clinging to the best thoughts until convinced otherwise.  Love hopes all things, hoping for the best outcome, even when the worst is discovered. Love endures all things, pressing in to love when things get tough. In Roberston and Plummers Commentary of 1 Corinthians 13, they show that verse 7 “forms a climax…When Love has no evidence, it believes the best. When the evidence is adverse, it hopes for the best. And when hopes are repeatedly disappointed, it still courageously waits. Are you pursuing this love?

Conclusion :

Oh, How I wish my love was truly like this all the time!  Can you imagine the picture the world would see if our love was like this? Time won’t allow to consider all the ramifications of this.  Let me end with one thing.  This portrait of love is a portrait of Christ.

Christ Jesus meekly endured inexcusable injuries.
     He endure spiteful conversations with pharisees.
     Silly rebukes from his disciples.
     He endure people plotting to kill him
     And his own disciple selling him for silver.
     He endure scourgings and beatings.
     Mocking, spitting and even death.  
Yet Christ Jesus was kind.
     He prayed fervently for His sheep
     He cried out for others forgiveness on the cross
     He sought to care for his mother
     He gave paradise to a thief who was previously taunting him.
     He restored Peter after he denied him 3 times.  
He did not envy his Father’s glory
He did not boast of his own position.
He was not puffed up but humbled himself, taking the form of his creation.
He did not insist on his own way but sought our redemption.
He was not provoked to unrighteous anger.
He has kept no records of His people’s wrongs.
He does not rejoice in sin but rejoices with truth.
He truly bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things.  

You will only love to the extent you have tasted and seen the love of Christ.  If you do not see Him in His love, you will not love at all.

“His are the hands that spread the sky and spread to die.
His is the love that sacrificed and gives us life.
His are the broken and needy ones.  He is the love.”  

Have you trusted in His love?  If not, trust in His love displayed through His work on the cross. If you have, will you pursue His love?