1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says...
Today's verses are 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, which read,
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
What is the more excellent way that Paul is going to share about the spiritual gifts?
Paul has pointed out that the Christians in Corinth had desired spiritual gifts and displayed signs of spiritual gifts that can only be given by God and not created by man. Those spiritual gifts are for God's glory and not our own. In addition, those spiritual gifts are for the good of the body of Christ, for others, and not for ourselves. There are various spiritual gifts placed in the body for the good of the body and not one dominant gift that everyone would have. The Christians in Corinth had let pride create divisions and factions in the church in the area of spiritual gifts to elevate themselves over others or used the pride of false humility to get attention. These tactics also allowed practices that looked like gifts of the Spirit to be present in the church that could not have been of the Spirit because of the definition laid out by Paul.
What is the more excellent way?
Paul says basically, what if you have the gifts of tongues or prophecy or wisdom or knowledge or discernment or faith or giving but do not have at the base of that spiritual gift love, then you have nothing. Love is at the base of the use of any spiritual gift given by the Holy Spirit to the believer. If love is not at the base of the use of the spiritual gift then we will go the way of making that spiritual gift about ourselves and not about God and forfeit the opportunity to show love to Him and others.
The tongues of men would have been actual languages. The tongues of angels could have been something that the pagan religions and cults were doing and it was being promoted in the church. The gift of prophecy is bringing God's truth to God's people. The gift of wisdom and knowledge and discernment deal with taking God's truth and applying it to life as we understand it and putting it up against the falsehoods of the world. The gift of faith deals with leadership during times of decision to continue to follow God. The gift of giving is the ability to give of one's self sacrificially for needs of others. The being burned was to take another's place at the stake of persecution which was common in that day for Christians.
The use of these spiritual gifts were very beneficial to the church but if they were not rooted in love then pride would render their use useless. Or as Paul says one of the my favorite words, "nothing." In our next study Paul will look at what that love looks like that is to be at the root of us using the spiritual gift that the Holy Spirit has given us.
Again, we are treading on a passage that has been used so many times for weddings but its context is in the midst of defining what spiritual gifts are and where they come from and then how they are to be used in the context of the local church. The definition of love is applicable to marriages but it is given in light to give a knock out punch to pride in the church.
"Lord, how easy it is to go through the motions of church or even some acts in the church that look to be serving others but our heart is far from love. How much more would be accomplished in Your name if we let love dictate our words and actions rather than just duty alone. Increase my love for others today. Amen."
Pastor Adam
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
What is the more excellent way that Paul is going to share about the spiritual gifts?
Paul has pointed out that the Christians in Corinth had desired spiritual gifts and displayed signs of spiritual gifts that can only be given by God and not created by man. Those spiritual gifts are for God's glory and not our own. In addition, those spiritual gifts are for the good of the body of Christ, for others, and not for ourselves. There are various spiritual gifts placed in the body for the good of the body and not one dominant gift that everyone would have. The Christians in Corinth had let pride create divisions and factions in the church in the area of spiritual gifts to elevate themselves over others or used the pride of false humility to get attention. These tactics also allowed practices that looked like gifts of the Spirit to be present in the church that could not have been of the Spirit because of the definition laid out by Paul.
What is the more excellent way?
Paul says basically, what if you have the gifts of tongues or prophecy or wisdom or knowledge or discernment or faith or giving but do not have at the base of that spiritual gift love, then you have nothing. Love is at the base of the use of any spiritual gift given by the Holy Spirit to the believer. If love is not at the base of the use of the spiritual gift then we will go the way of making that spiritual gift about ourselves and not about God and forfeit the opportunity to show love to Him and others.
The tongues of men would have been actual languages. The tongues of angels could have been something that the pagan religions and cults were doing and it was being promoted in the church. The gift of prophecy is bringing God's truth to God's people. The gift of wisdom and knowledge and discernment deal with taking God's truth and applying it to life as we understand it and putting it up against the falsehoods of the world. The gift of faith deals with leadership during times of decision to continue to follow God. The gift of giving is the ability to give of one's self sacrificially for needs of others. The being burned was to take another's place at the stake of persecution which was common in that day for Christians.
The use of these spiritual gifts were very beneficial to the church but if they were not rooted in love then pride would render their use useless. Or as Paul says one of the my favorite words, "nothing." In our next study Paul will look at what that love looks like that is to be at the root of us using the spiritual gift that the Holy Spirit has given us.
Again, we are treading on a passage that has been used so many times for weddings but its context is in the midst of defining what spiritual gifts are and where they come from and then how they are to be used in the context of the local church. The definition of love is applicable to marriages but it is given in light to give a knock out punch to pride in the church.
"Lord, how easy it is to go through the motions of church or even some acts in the church that look to be serving others but our heart is far from love. How much more would be accomplished in Your name if we let love dictate our words and actions rather than just duty alone. Increase my love for others today. Amen."
Pastor Adam
Comments
Post a Comment