1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13
Introduction: In many ways we have started this year as confused, divided, and unsettled as we ended last year. As we look to the future as a church, people, and country, we must embrace the language of love. We might think we live in a peculiar time of division and despair, but in 1 Corinthians, Paul encouraged a church in a similar situation. Like us, the Corinthians were not only divided by whom they followed, but about what values they emphasized. What we can learn from Paul is that it is easy to lose sight of what can guide us through our differences. We might have good intentions or correct theology, but when we don’t have love, we miss out on everything that God intends for us. In this passage, Paul makes his final case for love as what should be pursued before all other things.
Paul’s Loving Rebuke
Love is in the air around this time of year. Whether it is the sappy appeal of Valentine’s Day advertising, the cheesy movie recommendations on Netflix, or the reminder to revisit those New Year’s resolutions we made to our families, we can all feel it. Because we often associate love with romance, it seems much more light and abstract. However, the Bible speaks of love more concretely. We must not forget that when Paul is writing to the Corinthians about love, he begins in the form of a sharp rebuke. Far from fuzzy feelings or mushy sentimentality, Paul is calling out the Corinthians for their inability to choose love in their divided context. As the text makes clear, they have failed to love both actively and passively, in what they have done and what they have left undone.
Lest we be too overwhelmed, we must not forget how Paul follows his rebuke. Paul writes in a way that moves from the challenge of love to the concept of love. He writes more descriptively in verses 3-6, but in verse 7 he writes that love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Notice that his superlative style here is weightier than a list of attributes. Paul then moves from the concept of love to the duration of love. In verse 8 he begins with “love never ends” and follows with a discussion about completeness and maturity. As we close this series, we are reminded that the biblical concept of love is much more than mere romance, a list of commands, or even a collection of virtues. Love is something eternal. This world might weigh us down, but love will always lift us up. By this we are empowered to join in the work of love.
1. Love is Hard Work
When Paul writes that “love never ends,” he is using a unique form of the word never that only appears here in all of his writing. The term denotes a strong negative form that takes on a temporal extension: “not even at any time.” The significance for us is that aligning ourselves with love will not come easy. Love is hard work! In our experience, love is something that will feel as if it is too much to bear especially at times when we feel we have nothing left to give. Consider your present circumstances. Perhaps you are weighed down by life, family, or work in the midst of the pandemic. You might feel the desire to love others more, but not the energy to carry it out. Love demands of us not only action but an underlying and continuous attitude. It is tempting to think that it just isn’t worth the effort, but like many hard things in life, the difficulty lies in that we desire to overcome our aversions in order to mature. Paul is aware of this desire in the Corinthians despite their inability to act in love toward one another. Instead of directing their attention to the hard work of love, they directed their attention to other works that were only partial or limited in comparison.
2. Love is Holy Work
A. Love is the most holy work we can do for another person – Don’t miss the direction of Paul’s argument in verses 8-10. Love is where the very energy, eternal power and life of God is found. The Corinthian church was most excited about tongues, prophecies, or great knowledge. They thought these things were the difference makers. We find ourselves in a similar predicament. We too easily set aside the work of love in favor of other things that seem more effective and exciting to us. The climate we find ourselves in does not make it any easier. We are drawn to politics, power, education, money, and influence as a means to satisfy our longing for significance and impact. Paul confronts us head-on by telling us that the most holy and lasting work we can do is the work of love. The work of love we do for others will last forever.
B. Love is the most holy work God does in us – We can be tempted to think that a mature faith is one where love sits in the background while center stage belongs to flashier things like theological knowledge, eloquent prayer, and externally religious works of ministry. Paul argues that this is how spiritual children think. He challenges the Corinthians to stop acting like children and grow up into adulthood (13:11). The flashy things are partial (and even necessarily signs of saving faith), they come to an end, but love never ends. The holy work that God does in us may seem insignificant (listening, changing diapers, doing acts of service), but it is the work of God moving us toward true spiritual maturity – growing up into a person who loves.
3. Love is Heavenly Work
We ought not be too hard on ourselves because many of our spiritual desires, even those apart from love, are not entirely devoid of meaning or intention. Paul is pointing out that they are a partial reflection of God, just not the complete reflection. Historically, Corinth was known for the production of mirrors constructed from metal, particularly bronze. In these mirrors, you could see your reflection, but only a partial reflection. Paul touches on this in verse 12: “now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face,” but then connects it with what it means to “know fully.” The Corinthians were pursuing what was dim or partial as if it was complete or full. Paul then makes one of his most radical points. Faith and hope have some form in eternity, but they are not intrinsic to God compared to love. Love is the greatest. This makes more sense if we turn briefly to a fundamental Christian doctrine. If God is a Trinity, then we can understand love as ontologically essential to his nature in a communal way. In this way, love is a complete reflection of our glorious God, and our work of love is fundamentally an outworking of a heavenly work.
4. Love is Our Highest Priority Work
As we conclude our series on love, we would do well to summarize how Paul began and ended his instruction on love. Consider the connection between 12:31 “I will show you the most excellent way,” and 14:1 “Pursue love.” The word pursue in this context is aggressive, like a hunter pursuing its prey. In the same way, if you claim to be a Christian, you are called right now to make love your highest priority. This will not be easy, but it will be rewarding. Life will demand of us different tasks in different seasons, but love should always be at the forefront. We are instructed in this way because God’s love for us in Christ is more that we could ever need or want. If you ever feel inadequate, you are not alone. Think about God’s love for you and allow it to fill your heart with purpose, your minds with focus, and your hands with work.
REFLECT OR DISCUSS
How have you felt challenged or convicted about this series on love? Do you feel as if you have learned something new about Paul’s loving rebuke in 1 Corinthians 13?
What are some ways that contemporary culture portrays the concept of love that are appealing to you? What are some of the ways in which you feel it is incomplete?
If you were to be honest, does the challenge of love discourage you or motivate you? Are you able to identify what it is that makes you feel the way you do?
Read verse 7 again. Which aspect of the commitment required of love is hardest for you (bearing, believing, hoping or enduring)? How so? How can we keep committed to the hard work of love when we feel our “love tank” is empty?
Paul contrasts childish things to mature things in verse 11. He says the slow, hard work of love is the way of true maturity not the dramatic and impressive things (ie things a child is drawn to). How might this help you reframe how we think about the work God is doing in you right now?
How does knowing that our highest goal and destiny is to be face to face with a loving God in eternity compel us to do the hard work of love now? In other words - What impact does it make to you to know God knows you fully and loves you fully – enough to bear any cost to bring you face with his love?
What are some practical ways that you can make love our highest priority in your life? Does this only relate to our relationship with others??