1 Corinthians 13:1-13, “Without love, sounding gong!”
Today’s given text is 1 Corinthians 13, a chapter on love. Last week, we discussed the church as a body of Christ and each member as a member of Christ’s body. All have different roles and functions according to the gifts and talents given by the Holy Spirit. No one is less or more important but on equal footing serving God.
Throughout chapter 12, Paul remains firm that this diversity is non-negotiable. God has called the church to be diverse, calling people from all walks of life and to get along within it without discord but like a well-oiled wheel. To realize the church God intended to be, Paul spoke in chapter 12, correcting misunderstandings about gifts among the Christians in Corinth. In that Corinthian church, some believed those speaking in tongues, healing, prophesying, or teaching were more important and better than others. That created divisions in the church, along with jealousy or a sense of inferiority. Paul insisted that God gave every gift to serve the body of Christ and that gift and talent can never be a source of pride or self-glory because gifts are not anyone’s accomplishments but are freely given by God.
In this context, in chapter 13, Paul spoke of ” love ” as an operational principle in the community of God to be Christ’s body in the true sense of the word, accomplishing unity. In other words, chapter 13 is a call to action, an instruction to any church, including family, that is dysfunctional and experiencing discord and strife.
Paul begins this chapter vss. 1-3, by describing just how useless, even destructive, gifts are when not applied from the standpoint of love, especially spiritual gifts. Displays of tongues, prophetic powers, supernatural healing powers, and knowledge may be impressive, but they are worthless if not used as intended by God out of love for Him and other believers. Even the most admirable activities, selling everything to give to the poor and sacrificing one’s body to be burned for the sake of others, gain a person nothing if it is not done in love for God. Therefore, before doing anything, we must ask ourselves, “Am I doing this out of love for God and people or my ulterior motives or agenda?”
We should remember that having these superb gifts does not necessarily mean we are people of God who God approves of unless we have Christ’s love in our hearts. God uses people by giving them the gifts of healing, prophesying, and supernatural knowledge about the spiritual realm when needed, but that does not necessarily mean they are mature and God-loving Christians. They are just instruments of God being used because they are needed for the moment, even when they are at the elementary level in their spiritual growth.
This leads to the second point. We need to grow and reach maturity in full measure of Christ. The sure sign that we are mature is to have “love” in our hearts and to work in “love” with others. In vs. 11, Paul talks about a process of transformation toward maturity. When we are children, we talk, think, and reason like children. ‘I am better than you because I have this great gift everyone notices; therefore, I should be treated more honorably and recognized for what I do for this church.’ Paul says that is a childish thing, a sign of immaturity, no matter what kind of great gift or contributions one might have or make. Paul urges us to mature and become men and women who put away childish things behind. Again, the sure sign of maturity is having “love” in our dealings with others.
Then, what is “love”?
Paul does not describe love as a love of swollen feelings that may come and go. For Paul, love is God’s love, “unconditional love.” It is unconditional in the sense that it does not depend on the one being loved but on the commitment of the one acting. The gist of this love involves setting one’s self aside for the good of other believers. Lack of this kind of love is at the heart of all the problems Paul observes in any church he ministered.
Love is patient, as in long-suffering and kind. It actively waits and actively moves for the good of others, even if it hurts terribly, like when the pearl is made in the oyster. When a hurtful particle intrudes into its shell, the intruder infuriates and grieves it. However, since it cannot eject the evil under its skin, it covers the intruder with a precious substance extracted from its own life, turning it into a pearl. Likewise, if we receive provocations from our fellow Christians, instead of ejecting them or cutting a tie with them completely but with patience, gentleness, long-suffering, and forgiveness if we deal with them, we might be bred within us “pearl,” a precious stone” that God approves of.
Love doesn’t envy or boast, which breeds jealousy. Jealousy clings to us to the last stage of our spiritual growth. There was a monk who was seriously into the spiritual training of contemplation, prayer, and penance in a hermitage deep in the mountain, yearning to realize the complete and perfect spiritual union with God. His younger brother was an ordained priest doing ministry in a Catholic church. One day, the devil and demons decided to disturb the monk in his spiritual training. The devil commanded his demons to tempt him to commit sins and sink him into despair. The demons duly attacked, inflicting pain and suffering on the monk’s body and mind. Sometimes, they tried to seduce the monk into temptation by appearing as an attractive woman with charms and sometimes by showing all sorts of pleasures in life, but he did not waver, not even a bit. The demons failed in all their attempts to tempt the monk, so they reported their failures to the devil. The devil, who wanted to show his followers how to tempt successfully, ran to the monk and whispered, “Your younger brother has just become a bishop in Rome and is well respected and trusted by many people.” As soon as he heard the news, the monk who maintained such a pious and holy composed appearance all that time suddenly opened his eyes and cried out disapprovingly, “Oh, no. how can that incompetent brother of mine become a bishop so soon?” We must watch out for jealousy in our hearts. Satan envied and was jealous of God for all His honor and glory sitting in His great throne. That was why he rebelled and self-claimed that he was God.
Love is not arrogant, convinced of one’s superiority over others. Love is not rude; it does not act ungratefully or disrespectfully. We need to recognize what others do, pay respect, and thank them for their hard work. This is especially true in our homes. Children should be grateful for their parents’ hard work. Some parents have two or even three jobs to provide for their family. Yet, if they are not appreciated or respected as parents, it could cause serious problems. Parents can be frustrated, angered, and depressed. What does it mean to respect one’s parents? Taking heed of their advice might be one. Saying “thank you” frequently for their provision can be, too. Addressing them properly is a must. I had a parishioner who addressed me “Hey you” instead of “pastor” throughout. I felt insulted, although I knew he was not a bad person. But I still remember how I felt whenever he called me, “Hey you.”
Love does not seek their own status and satisfaction first and foremost. Instead, they genuinely commit themselves to seeking good for other believers. Because of that, they don’t get irritable or provoked when other people get in their way. The other people are the point, not the obstacle. In our relationship, love does not hold grudges against others who hurt them in the past. Instead of storing them up and keeping a record of wrongs, we are to let go of our hurts.
Lastly, love doesn’t set limits on love. Love does not declare, “This far and no further.” Love bears or puts up with all things for the good of other believers. This is the love Christ has loved us with. Amen!
