The Way of Love

Quinquagesima  I Corinthians 13  A More Excellent Way

 

    This chapter of Scripture hardly needs any introduction.  Its uses are practical right now in our lives.  We need to be exhorted and encouraged to follow this way of doing things for in the end we will feel better about ourselves and God will be pleased.    Luther summed it up well when he said on this passage, “ Justification of necessity precedes love.  One does not love until he has become godly and righteous. Love does not make us godly, but when one has become godly love is the result.”

 

   We learn first that “ nothing beats love.”  Vs 1-3  The Apostle starts out with a series of hypothetical impossibilities.  “ Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass , or a tinkling cymbal.”  And having the tongues things will not impress God either…the tongues of men and angels.  Hypnotizing people by our words is saying only and must be accompanied by doing good as well.   Without love this is just noise.  NO LANGUAGE IS EARTH OR HEAVEN IS TO BE COMPARED WITH THE PRACTICE OF LOVE.

 

    Having all knowledge is nothing either with love.  “ Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.” 8:1  Having all faith is nothing either without love.  Doing deeds of love without love is nothing either.  Deeds of suffering also without love he says are nothing.  All of this shows that apart from love what we do is nothing at all.

 

     Secondly we learn what an attitude of love is and is not in vs. 4-7.  The Corinthians were impatient, discontented, envious, inflated, selfish, unmindful of the feelings and interests of others and resentful.  Sound like a place you would want to spend time in?  Unfortunately this is all too true of our relationships and practices.  We are exactly the above and if our Lenten lists mean anything they should include some of these statements about our continuing bad behavior.  In contrast we learn that love “suffers long”  .  A. Peter asked how many times he should forgive and we hear the answer in Matthew 18:21.  B.  Love is kind .  A loving person reacts with kindness toward those who ill treat them. C. Love does not envy.  Others can succeed and I will not be unhappy about it.  D.  Love is not proud, or conceited. E. Love does not behave rudely. F. Love does not seek its own. G. Love is not provoked ( not quick tempered or as the Phillips translations says “ It is not touchy.”)  H.  Love thinks no evil. “ Love does not keep a ledger in which to enter up wrongs to be dealt with someday later on.” G. Campbell Morgan. I. Love does not rejoice in iniquity. J. Love rejoices in the truth. K. Love bears all things. Love does not easily give way---it endures.L. Love believes all things. Moffatt “ always eager to believe the best” to see the best in others M. hopes all things . forward look. A refusal to take failure as final.  N.  Endures all things.  Verb here is active positive.  Fortitude.  Endurance of the Soldier in battle.

 

   Jerry Bridges express love in I Cor. 13 in terms of motivational statements:”

  ----I am patient with you because I love you and want to forgive you.

  ----I am kind to you because I love you and want to help you.

       I do not envy your possessions or your gifts because I love you and want you to have the best.

       I do not boast about my attainments because I love you and want to hear about yours.

       I am not proud because I love you and want to esteem you before myself.

       I am not rude because I love you and care about your feelings.

       I am not self-seeking because I love you and want to meet your needs.

       I am not easily angered by you because I love you and want to overlook your offenses.

       I do not keep a record of your wrongs because I love you and “ love covers a multitude of sins.”

 

   Lastly, follow the way of love. Vs. 8-13 and 14a.  The nkjv has pursue instead of follow.  This is the same greek verb as in Phil. 3:12 “ I press on”  This means we should have dedication , consecration, effort and persistent zeal.  Vs 8 says charity or love will never fail.  There is a good illustration of this in the book Pursuit of Holiness: “ Suppose you were meditating on I Cor 13, the great love chapter.  As you think about the chapter, you realize the importance of love and you also see the practical outworkings of love: Love is patient and kind and does not envy.  You ask yourself, ‘ am I impatient or unkind or envious toward anyone?’  As you think about this, you realize you are envious toward Joe at work who seems to be getting all the breaks. You confess this sin to God, being very specific to name Joe and your sinful reaction to his good fortune.  You ask God to bless him even more and to give you a spirit of contentment so that you will not continue to envy Joe, but will instead love him. You might memorize I Cor. 13:4 and think about it as you see Joe at work.  You even look for ways to help him.  Then you do the same thing tomorrow and the next day and the next till finally you see God working a spirit of love in your heart toward Joe.”

 

Conclusion- Let’s ask God to help us keep our responsibility to grow in love in a practical way .  We can decide to pray over our need to grow in love.  We can think of people who may need our time, our interest, or our money, and plan to meet those needs.  We can admit our failures to love in specific situations and bring those failures to the throne of God in confession and dependence upon Him for His help in the future.  Let us do this!