Lesson #19

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1 – 2 Corinthians

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Lesson #02

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RETURN TO THE SYLLABUS

1CORINTHIANS 13
Lesson #19
THE LOVE CHAPTER

• Memory Verse: 1John 3:11

• Paul has already introduced us to love in chapters 8 and 9 in order to bring unity to the divided church in Corinth.
• You will remember that Paul gave us the principle for Christian behavior that said, the believer should always consider the consequences of his decision and the influence on immature Christians. Out of supreme love the Christian will restrict his own Christian liberty.
• In the celebration of the “love feasts” (the agapes), their actions should express love toward other believers instead of selfishness and pride.
• In Chapter 13 Paul devotes the whole chapter to love. However, what is most interesting about the context of this chapter is that it is in the middle of Paul’s discussion about the gifts given to believers by the Holy Spirit.
• Chapter 12 gave us the list and definitions of those gifts and chapter 14 will explain their use in the church.
• An important explanation

:

• Before we read this chapter, we need to understand the word “charity” used by the King James Version of the Bible. Modern translations of the Bible use the word “love”.
• Yes, charity is love, but not exactly! There were some very good reasons why the translators of the King James Bible used the word “charity” instead of the word love.
• The word, love, has such a broad meaning that it loses its profound significance and distinct meanings. For example:
• We have erotic, passionate love (the Greek word eros) between lovers.
• This word for love in the Greek does not appear in the New Testament. It seems as though God prohibited its use in His book because it was so abused by the Greeks in their literature that linked it with all kinds of evil.
• We have affectionate fraternal love (the Greek word phileo) between friends.
• We have affectionate paternal love (the Greek word phileo) between a parent and a child.
• We have love (the Greek word phileo) of country, a patriotic love.
• This phileo love is the highest form of human love.
• We have love for things. “I just love ice cream!”
• If this thing takes the place of God in our hearts it is a love (the Greek word is agapeo) for the world.
• We have God’s love (the Greek word agapeo) for man.
• We have a believer’s love (the Greek word agapeo) for God and for other Christians.
• The English word, love, makes no distinction between these different kinds of love. However, the Greek language does make a distinction as can see in the above statements.
• What is the difference between love and charity?

• The King James Bible uses both the word love and the word charity because the intention of the meaning of the words is different.
• Rom 13:9b and 10 says, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”
• The King James translators used the word, love, in this context because it shows the fraternal type of love by a Christian to a non-believer.
• The meaning of the word, love: (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary)
• The word love means = an affection of the mind excited by beauty and worth of any kind, or by the qualities of an object which communicate pleasure, sensual or intellectual.
• The meaning of the word, charity: (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary)
• The word charity means = a supreme love to God and universal good will to men. This is a love that grabs hold of and rules by itself, reaching out to many in spite of feelings.
• The avoidance of confusion: Notice the difference between the King James Version and New International Version.

• “Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity…”

(1Pet 5:14 KJV)

• “Greet one another with a kiss of love…”

(1Pet 5:14 NIV)

• The word charity (agape) tells us that as believers greet each other, it is not an erotic kiss of love. Paul called it a “holy kiss” (1Cor 16:20 and 2Cor 13:12)
• Therefore, the translators of the King James Bible in English used the word, charity, to tell us that this is a special quality of love that only comes from God. It is a love of which non-believers are ignorant.
• This “charity” or agape love is the kind of love God has for us. We are to be like Him, so this is the kind of love we should express to others. (1Joh 4:7-8)
• Read 1Cor 13:1-3 The Preeminent Nature of Charity: The Value of It
• The inherent warning in the section is not to substitute natural talent or human love for this kind of agape love.
• Verse 1: Love from the Heart
• Tongues of men and angels: (1)
• Paul spoke about the gift of speaking in tongues in chapter 12, and we will discuss it further in chapter 14.
• Never having heard an angel speak, Pablo tells us that if we did, it would not be nearly as beautiful and eloquent as the beauty of the agape kind of love that God gives to man.
• When a believer uses this beautiful gift of agape love toward another believer, it rings eloquently throughout the universe.
• Any language without agape love is nothing more than an irritating noise.
• Verse 2: Love from the Mind
• The gift of prophecy without love: (2)
• The gift of a word of prophecy is one of the supernatural gifts given by the Holy Spirit that Paul talked about in chapter 12. He will discuss it further in chapter 14.
• The gift of prophecy is one of the motivational gifts that we find in Rom 12:6.
• This is a powerful gift that speaks the words of God to people. However, without agape love, this gift can be blunt and hurtful in its truthfulness.
• Balaam in Num 22-24 is the example of a misused gift of prophecy without agape love.
• Understanding mysteries and knowledge: (2)
• Paul told us about the gift of the word of wisdom and the gift of the word knowledge in chapter 12.
• While it is important to have wisdom and knowledge, they are not an end in themselves, for Paul told the Corinthian church that knowledge “puffs up” a person with pride. (1Cor 8:1)
• However, knowledge mixed with agape love edifies or builds up the other believers.
• To have all faith: (2)
• Paul told us in chapter 12 that one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is a supernatural faith to meet a specific emergency type of need in the body of Christ.
• To have this great level of faith to do all kinds of miraculous things is small in comparison to having this agape love that touches the hearts and lives of other believers.
• Faith mixed with agape love will do greater things in the kingdom of God. (Joh 14:12)
• Verse 3: Love, an Act of the Will:
• To give away every material thing to the poor or to give your life in martyrdom:
• Agape love is not feelings. Agape love comes from the heart, from the mind, and controlled by the will of man.
• In other words, it is the will of man that decides whether he will love another person to the full extent of agape love or not.
• He can decide to outwardly give away his possessions out of kindness or pity for poor people. He can outwardly decide to give up his life even for a good cause or to save another person’s life. However, if there is no agape love in what he does, it is a great waste.

• Read 1Cor 13:4-7 The Privilege of Charity: The Virtue of It
• This section tells us the quality of agape love. These are the characteristics of Jesus Christ.
• Therefore you can substitute the name, Jesus Christ, for the word, charity, in these verses.
• The positive virtuous characteristics of agape love that transform lives (The things that love will do):
• Love suffers long. (4)
• This is the love of patience that waits for another person to get something right.
• Love is kind. (4)
• This type of agape love has its outward manifestation of an inward determination.
• Kindness cannot help but spill out of a person in the form of deeds if agape love is in the heart of that person. (Eph 4:32)
• The negative virtuous characteristics of agape love (The things that love will not do):
• Love does not envy. (4)
• Agape love recognizes and accepts the inequalities of life and is content with these inequalities.
• Love does not lift up itself. (4)
• Agape love does not parade itself before others in a boastful manner of pride.
• Love is not puffed up. (4)
• We have seen Paul frequently use the phrase, “puffed up” to refer to pride.
• In other words, agape love is not filled with empty air. This is where we get the depth of the meaning of the word, “charity”, “a love that grabs hold of and rules by itself.”
• In other words, agape love is strong, firmly established, and so deep that it has a mind of its own. It comes over a person and is in control of that person’s actions and attitudes.
• Love does not behave unseemly. (5)
• The word unseemly means = unbecoming, indecent, not polite, not courteous.
• In other words, agape love will always behave in a normal behavior. It will not gush with sloppy emotions in a way that Christians humorously say “sloppy agape”.
• Love does not seek its own. (5)
• Agape love always considers the motives of its actions. It is never selfish. This kind of agape love puts others first and self last.
• Read Phi 2:4-5
• Love is not easily provoked. (5)
• Agape love is not provoked to frustration or anger if the other person does not respond in an anticipated way.
• In other words, there are no expectations in agape love. You do not expect anything in return. You do not expect any pay back.
• Love does not think evil. (5)
• Agape love gives other believers the benefit of the doubt. It does not gossip or believe the worst about another believer.
• Love does not rejoice in iniquity. (6)
• Agape love is not happy when a brother or sister gets what he deserves.
• A return to the positive virtuous characteristics of agape love that transforms lives (More things that love will do):
• Love rejoices in truth. (6)
• Agape love means that the believer is happy to see another believer blessed and having success in his life.
• Love bears all things. (7)
• Agape love endures any and all kinds of abuse from other believers.
• Love believes all things. (7)
• Agape love is not stupid to fall for any deception, but it puts an umbrella of acceptance and protection over another believer to trust that God is working in his heart and life. Therefore, agape love will not be suspicious of another believer.
• Love hopes all things. (7)
• Agape love is optimistic and never negative in the thoughts that you have of other believers.
• Love endures all things. (7)
• Agape love stands firm through testing.

• Read 1Cor 13:8-13 The Permanence of Charity: The Victory of It
• Love never fails. (8)
• This is the enduring quality of this kind of love; it is permanent and without bounds. It lasts forever, beyond time and space, beyond death into eternity.
• It is never defeated. In other words, you cannot have too much of this kind of love because it will always bring a positive result and gain the victory over everything else.
• You may or may not see the positive result in this life, but it will reap an eternal reward.
• The things that will fail:
• Prophecy (9)
• Prophecy will fail because when God fulfills all the unfulfilled prophecies that still remain; there will be no more use for the gift of prophecy.
• Tongues (8)
• Tongues will fail because in eternity we will all speak the same language and understand each other perfectly.
• Knowledge (8)
• Knowledge will vanish because knowledge is accumulative and progressive. The computer program you learn today will be outdated in one or two years.
• What is the “perfect” that will come? (10)
• The only perfect thing in this world is Jesus Christ. When He comes, we will have all knowledge in a more perfect way.
• In eternity, we will know all we need to know and what we know will be perfect, revealed to us by Christ. (11-12)
• Knowledge and prophecy are only a small part of the supreme knowledge and wisdom that makes Jesus Christ, the fullness of the Word of God.
• Knowing in part and knowing in fullness:
• Paul says that in this world we only know a small part of what it really means to know something or someone.
• Therefore, in eternity we will know Christ fully.
• We will know each other more fully. We think we know people who are close to us, but in eternity we will really know them better.

• Application:
• What is the “more excellent way” that Paul spoke about in 1Cor 12:31?
• Paul ended chapter 12 with the verse, “…show I unto you a more excellent way.” (12:31)
• The more excellent way is “charity” (agape love).
• All the spiritual gifts in chapter 12 are not as important as “charity” (agape love).
• All the spiritual gifts are to be used with this kind of love, otherwise, they are without value both here on earth and in eternity.
• Paul ends chapter 13 with the verse, “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” (13:13}
• Why is charity the greatest of the three? (31)
• Of the three, “Charity” is the only eternal value.
• In this world we need faith to trust God for the things we cannot see. (Heb 11:1)
• In eternity, when we are with the Lord, we will see all things. We will not need faith to believe them, because those things will be a reality.
• In this world we have the Biblical hope for the future.
• Biblical hope is the assurance that what God promised will in fact, without a doubt, come to pass.
• In eternity, we will experience the full realization of what God promised. We will not have to hope for it; we will live it.
• The agape love of “charity” gives depth, meaning, reality and eternal value to everything it touches.
• Only the believer in Jesus Christ can express this kind of love.
• Read Rom 5:5
• The believer cannot be used by God effectively unless he develops this kind of agape love that is a living love that touches people in a special way.
• The believer can develop this kind of love that dominates his whole being, for it is not a feeling. It is an act of the will.
• It begins in the mind of the believer, energized by and acted on by the will of the believer, fulfilled by faith in the believer’s heart, and results in the feelings of love that follow.
• In order to develop this love, the believer needs to have God’s perspective toward life and people that is found in His Word.
• To gain this kind of love:
• Recognize that love is a command, not an option. (1Joh 3:23)
• Recognize that love is possible. (Rom 5:5)
• Recognize that love is a standard of God. (1Joh 4:7-10)
• Recognize that love is the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. (Gal 5:22)
• Recognize that love takes practice. (1Joh 2:5)

HOMEWORK
1CORINTHIANS 14
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• Application of 1Cor 13
• As you have learned in this lesson, “charity” (agape love) is an act of the will that supersedes feelings.
• If you want this kind of love to operate in your life and through you, make a strong determination today to will it into being.
• Ask God to bring into your life someone who is unlovely and unlovable. When that person appears in your life, ask God to help you express agape love to him or her.

• Preparation for 1Cor 14
• Read 1Cor 14:1-36
• What does Paul say is the “best” of the supernatural spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit?
• What is the value of the gift of speaking in tongues?
• To whom does one speak when speaking in tongues?
• What is the value of the gift of interpretation of tongues?
• What is the other use of tongues besides that of giving a message in the church?
• Speaking in tongues is a sign of what to whom?
• What is the underlying principle for use of the supernatural spiritual gifts in the church?

• Memory verse: 1Cor 14:40