Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and may our Lord and Savior sanctify you in the truth, for His word is truth. Amen

Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany (2010) Rev. Toby Byrd

God’s Glory Shines through Christian Love

1 Cor. 12:31-13:13 (ESV)

And I will show you a still more excellent way. [13:1] 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.

[8] Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. [9] For we know in part and we prophesy in part, [10] but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. [11] 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. [12] 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.

[13] So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

St. Paul was a man that loved the Lord Jesus with a passion that knew no boundaries and that love exhibited itself through his life and ministry. Therefore, just as it did in St. Paul, as it must also have occurred in the hearts of the Corinthian Christians, this same love must also occur in us in order that God’s Glory may shine through our Christian love. This is what makes this such a wonderful and practical text for twenty-first century preaching, because in this text St. Paul shows us more than just some mere shallow, sentimental idealism. Indeed, there is more here than some nostalgic appeal to rise above some humanistic approach to life that measures success by some level of man-defined purpose, driven by human logic. No, here we see, first hand, a love that in the heart of the true Christian knows no boundaries. Therefore, today, with the aide of the Holy Spirit, let us open our minds and hearts to St. Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, examining the content of the text in the light of the needs of the church and of all who bear the name of Christ.

As we read the Epistle for today, we must read it in the context of what was happening in the Church at Corinth in the first century. Here we see a church who claimed faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ awash in strife, factionalism, litigiousness, and pride. All these had worked havoc in the congregation. Moral delinquencies had marred individual lives and social evils had made inroads into this community of Christians. Corporate worship was becoming disorganized, divine truth was being challenged, and the exercise of Christian faith was sluggish. The Church at Corinth did not paint a pretty picture and St. Paul was greatly challenged as he sat hundreds of miles across the Aegean Sea in Ephesus learning of the disorder in his beloved congregation and physically unable to address the problem first hand. Instead, he resorted to a letter as a substitute for his personal appearance among these erring believers. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, St. Paul was given the power to rally the Corinthians to true Christianity through his call for them to live their lives guided by the love of Christ.

St. Paul wrote, “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” (vv. 1-3).

One of St. Paul great themes in his first letter to the Church at Corinth concerned itself with the correct evaluation and use of certain special gifts that were found among the early Christians; gifts that were highly regarded among the Corinthians. The Apostle didn’t reject or condemn these gifts, but rather he urged their proper place on the true scale of values and their most profitable use. This thought forms the basis for the introduction to chapter thirteen as St. Paul offers to show that the gifts he speaks of can be given real value when they are accompanied by the spirit of Christian love.

St. Paul writes of speaking in tongues, having prophetic powers, understanding mysteries, having all knowledge, faith to move mountains, and martyrdom and he speaks of them as great accomplishments as gifts of the Spirit. However, what of these accomplishments? Their greatness depends on the spirit and the motive in which they are performed. By themselves, they have no intrinsic value. It is love that makes them acceptable. St. Paul says, without love, “I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal;” an instrument without accompaniment and of no value.

Furthermore, without love, “I am nothing.” Our Lord Jesus will reject those who in His name cast out devils but are hypocrites themselves. He said, “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:22-23 ESV). Some do works in the name of Christ, but they do them for their own gain and not for love of their brother or sister. Such will not see the Kingdom of heaven.

Moreover, St. Paul verifies the words of our Lord when he writes, “I gain nothing.” Without love, our works are meaningless. First, our gift is nothing, next, we are nothing, and lastly, there is nothing in it for us from God. Without love we are vacant vessels without value.

Today, our society, and even the church, place great emphasis on human accomplishments. The gigantic, the colossal, the stupendous, and the fabulous these are what attract attention in this world. Everyone is mesmerized by the “rock star.” Ours is a day of superlatives. Magnificent buildings, highly developed programs, far-reaching social movements, prestige, organization—these are the modern counterpart to the gifts of tongues, prophecy, and knowledge mentioned by St. Paul. While the chrisms of early Christians are not in evidence today, the membership of the church and of the ecclesiastical profession is abundantly gifted in our time. God still blesses His Church with many outstanding gifts. It is safe to say that never has the church had so much. It is easy to find in these gifts per se the highest good in church work. However, unless these gifts are conceived, born, and ruled by love, they are of no abiding value. It is love that gives our talents and works their real worth.

St. Paul further writes, “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” (vv. 4-7). Here, St. Paul shows us love in a personified form. Its value lies not merely in its indispensable character as far as other gifts are concerned, but in itself it works and produces that which is good.

“Love is patient.” However, here St. Paul is not discussing that quality of patience that manifests itself beneath a burden of long-suffering. No, the patient love St. Paul is referring to is God’s patient love for us. St. Peter reminds us of God’s patience when he writes, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9 ESV). This is the kindness of God toward all men which we should reflect in kindness toward our fellow man. This kind of love does not arise from human effort, but descends from heaven, from the power of the Holy Spirit through faith which works love in us. This love is the Christian love through which God’s Glory shines.

“Love is kind.” This is the kindness God showered on us when He sent His one and only begotten Son to be our Savior. Thus, this kindness is not extended only to those whom we might consider worthy and deserving, but rather it is a kindness that without regard for worthiness extends itself to all. This is the kindness of which our Lord spoke when He said, “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil” (Luke 6:32-35 ESV). Such love characterized our Lord’s ministry and such love should be a part of your Christian personality; a life of service to others.

“Love does not boast.” Love is humble and modest. The Christian is not one to parade his real or imagined virtues. Rather, a Christian follows the example of Christ, who humbled Himself, taking the form of a servant, becoming obedient even to the point of death on the cross (Philip. 2:6-8 ESV). Moreover, He warns us not to practice our righteousness before others in order to be seen by them (Matthew 6:1 ESV). Love does not act in an unbecoming way. Love is not egotistical, or thoughtless of others. Rather, everyone whose heart is moved by true Christian love will be considerate in all their contacts with their fellow man.

Such outward virtues of the Christian proceed from the attitude of a Christian heart. “Love does not insist on its own way.” Selfish goals are out of character for a Christian who directs their desires toward the welfare of their neighbor. Moreover, even when this love is received with ingratitude, love is not provoked because, “Love bears all things.” St. Paul could speak from experience. He had met bitterness, hatred, and persecution in his ministry of love to the souls of men. However, he spoke out of his own heart when he said to others: “Repay no one evil for evil” (Romans 12:17 ESV). Here, St. Paul was following our Lord, who, “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten.” (1 Peter 2:23 ESV).

All this is possible because love, “is not irritable or resentful” and “it does not rejoice at wrongdoing.” It does not concentrate on evil. The Christian does not keep record of the injuries others do to them. Love quickly forgets and does not bear a grudge because love always is willing to forgive. Can a Christian do anything less? Not if they believe in God’s Word, which says, “in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:19 ESV).

Instead of rejoicing in wrongdoing, Love “rejoices with the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” In turning away from unrighteousness, love turns toward that which is good, true, and righteous. It has an antipathy toward evil, but real sympathy for the ethical good. It is always patient over against other people. Following the pattern of our Lord Jesus, the Christian endures the burden of suffering and tribulation that is a part of Christian living. Thus, love bears all things. Moreover, there is a simple, naïve quality about Christian love that keeps it from becoming suspicious and cynical. Thus, it rises above the natural inclination of the flesh, which is ever so ready to doubt and mistrust others. However, love is not blind. It is able to distinguish between that which is evil and that which is good. Therefore, “all things” does not mean that love believes evil or a lie which is patently so, but it accepts everything in good faith as that which it ought to be.

St. Paul closes this chapter by writing, “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” (vv. 8-13).

Gifts eventually fail because they are imperfect and incomplete. They are, as Luther said, “patchwork.” Both prophecy and knowledge are short-lived because they are fragmentary. St. Paul emphasizes this point in his analogy of childhood to adulthood. However, his analogy is quantitative, not qualitative. The child is still in the man; child and man is still the same person. But that which is laid aside is the incompleteness that becomes completeness and the childishness which becomes maturity. This is the process of sanctification in the Christian. Thus, the inadequacy lays in us, not in God, the object of our faith.

We do not believe in part nor hope in part nor love in part. Faith takes in all of God and all of salvation. Hope is directed to all of eternal life, not just a part of it. Love includes the total of God, not merely a fragmentary god. God’s love for man is the pattern for live in the heart of the Christian, and the love of Christ finds its fullest expression in His atoning sacrifice, which is the motive for the Christian’s love. The love we show to others is God’s Glory shining through us, through our Christian lives.

Therefore, as we stand on the threshold of Lent, let us grasp hold of this Epistle and the wisdom it offers us as a rich source of encouragement for Christian living; a life lived in faith of our Savior, Jesus Christ, a life filled with unending gratitude for His love for us which is shown through His atoning sacrifice on Calvary’s cross for the forgiveness of our sins. Amen.

May the Peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.