1 Corinthians 13

Originally published in 1981. The author, the late Phil R. Parise, was pastor and Bible teacher at an independent fellowship in Sydney, Australia.

God IS Love

In order to fellowship with God or to walk with God we must walk in love, because God is love.

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
( 1 John 4:7,16 )

Note that these passages do not tell us that God has love or that God may show love at times, but that the very nature or personality of God is based in love - God IS love. The nature of God is love. Love is the heart and spirit of God, the same new heart and new spirit He has placed within each of us. Now it is not in the nature of a man who has not been born again to show the love of God and this was our condition before salvation. But now we have become free of that old nature through the Spirit of God, who has:

…given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.  ( 2 Peter 1:4 ).

God has called us to share in His life, to share in His nature, and that nature is: love. He has called us to walk with Him and He tells us in His word that two cannot walk together unless they agree. God wants to walk with us but at times He cannot because we are not walking in love. If we do not walk in love we separate ourselves from the life and presence of God, and we walk in death.

There may be times when the devil will attempt to deceive us into thinking that we do not have the love of God. He is a liar, for the Word of God tells us:

God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.   ( Romans 5:5 )

If we have received the Holy Spirit then we have received Jesus Christ, for He comes to dwell within us when we are baptised with His Spirit. This Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, who is LOVE. Therefore if we are the people of God then we do have the love of God within us. If we do not have this love within us then we are not in the family of God. But although God has placed that love within us, we may not be walking in it. If we lead undisciplined and unruly lives, then the “love deposit" which God has placed within us will not be effective. We will be like that man that Jesus spoke of in Matthew chapter 25, who did not use the gift that God had given him, or like the people of ancient Israel spoken of in Isaiah chapter 5 who brought forth bad fruit even after God had done everything for them.

Read the two passages mentioned above. Do you see how severely God treats those who rebel against Him? The same thing will happen to us if we do not discipline ourselves to walk in love.

We are the children of God and we have the Love-nature of God within-us, but let us be sure to release the love of God, which is in us. This will never happen if we allow our outward man or our natural mind to dominate us.

In order to discipline our minds and our bodies so that we may walk in love, we must have our minds renewed by God's Word.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but he transformed by the renewing of your mind.   ( Romans 12:2 )

As our minds are renewed we become transformed. Our minds are renewed as we replace the old thought patterns and attitude of the world with the wonderful ways of God, as revealed in His Word. This is why we must discipline ourselves to receive the Word and humble ourselves so -- that we may receive it in meekness and grow thereby. (James1:21). To begin to do this in the area of love we will be studying that great “Love” chapter of the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians chapter 13.

1 Corintians 13

We believe that God is a God of order and therefore we believe that it is no coincidence that the great love chapter of Corinthians 13 is sandwiched between the two chapters on spiritual gifts and placement in the body of Christ, chapters 12 and 14. A close study of all three chapters gives us a clear picture of the mistakes that the brethren in Corinth were making at that time and helps us to avoid them. It is immediately apparent that while they were certainly zealous for spiritual gifts (and this is a good thing) they were not walking in love towards one another - because of this they had missed it, and were immature, thinking like children (14:20). Paul, in writing to them, was bringing correction and balance. He was showing that the most important thing is - LOVE.

The spiritual gifts are a great blessing and absolutely indispensable to the work of the ministry, yet without love they are useless. Thus, there is a balance in the Word. We are to be zealous for spiritual gifts but first of all - be zealous for love. Paul summarises this balance in verse 1 of chapter 14c:-

Make love your great quest; then desire spiritual gifts…
(M.L.B.)

Eagerly pursue and seek to acquire this love – make it your aim, your great quest; and earnestly desire and cultivate the spiritual endowments…
(Amp.)

V 1.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels; but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

We all speak in tongues and thank God for it as Paul did in chapter 14, verse 18. Praying in the spirit is an essential part of our walk with God. It is so important that I would suggest that it is impossible to walk in love without praying in the spirit, i.e. in tongues. Yet the fact is that it is possible to speak in tongues and yet not walk in love. If you are not walking in love you may speak in tongues all you like -- but it will be worthless. God says you would just be like a noisy, clanging cymbal. Speaking in tongues is a privilege and a blessing - but it is not the badge or mark of a Christian. That mark is -- love.

V 2.

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

It is a common mistake for young Christians (and some not so young) to equate things such as those listed above with great spirituality. That forceful, dynamic word of prophecy, ... that brilliant knowledge and “understanding” of the scriptures, ...that ability to “explain” things that seem to puzzle many of us,  ...these things certainly appear to be indications of a spiritual life. But underneath the thing that really counts is the fruit of the spirit or character development in a man's life; things such as self-control, gentleness, joy, faithfulness, etc. All the fruit of the spirit can be summed up in one word: love.

Similarly, great faith is often held up as a measure of spirituality. Faith is certainly important, and it is one of the foundation principles of the Christian life. Without faith it is simply impossible to please God. (Heb. 12:6). We could say then that walking in love includes walking in faith, and yet it is possible to have faith, -- miracle working faith, -- even faith to literally remove mountains  ...and yet without love, God's Word declares the man who can do this is just a spiritual has-been, “nothing”.

V 3.

It I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

This is a subtler problem, for as we have seen previously, the essence of scriptural love is sacrificial giving. However, even giving can stem from a wrong motivation, i.e. selfishness or a desire to be noticed rather than genuine love. Outwardly, two actions of giving may appear identical, only God sees the motives of the heart. If the action is not motivated by genuine love it is an abomination in the sight of God. The second part of the verse where Paul speaks of surrendering his body to the flames is perhaps more difficult to understand. Probably it refers to voluntarily allowing oneself to be killed (much as happened to many of the saints under persecution of the Roman Catholic church - they were burnt at the stake) for the sake of the gospel. Here again two motivations may he possible -- a genuine commitment or -- selfishness; the desire to be noticed, or to be famous (even after death). A person may be persecuted and put to death for the sake of the good news or for the name of Jesus and go out praising the Lord, with genuine love in his heart. But then there is that other, unholy and selfish motivation, that of recognition which is based in pride and foolishness.

V 4.

Love endures long and is patient and kind…

It is not sufficient merely to endure long -- we must he patient and kind at the same time. It is possible to endure long because you have to -- because there is no alternative.

That would he a hassle, because the motivation is not love.

V 4. 

…Love is never envious nor boils over with jealousy…

It is natural, human “love” which becomes jealous or envious. One Bible teacher has described love as “wanting someone to receive the credit when you’ve done all the work!” This is the opposite of jealousy, which becomes resentful and angry, if someone else succeeds when we do not.

V 4. 

…Love is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.

The N.I.V. says: “Love... does not boast, is not proud.” These things are characteristic of selfishness, or self-love which is the very opposite of the love of God. Pride and arrogance are so far removed from the ways of the Lord that God says:

Every one proud and arrogant in heart is disgusting, hateful and exceedingly offensive to the Lord…
(Proverbs 16:15, Amp.)

And again:

God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace to the lowly…
( James 4:6, Amp.)

V 5.

Love does not insist on its own rights or its own way for it is not self seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful...

It is a natural (fleshly) reaction to “stand up for your rights”' or to attempt to avenge a wrong suffered. In the world this would be seen as a victory. However in the Lord it is a defeat. For example, see 1 Corinthians chapter 6, verses 1 to 8.

V 5.

...(Love) takes no account of the evil done to it ...pays no attention to a suffered wrong.

Here is a real test of whether or not we are walking in love. If we begin to take account of a wrong done to us and to hold something against the offending person, we are NOT walking in love. All of us were at one time the enemies of God, yet God did not take account of the evil we had done to Him. He loved us even when we were in rebellion against Him, and sent Jesus to be the propitiation for our sins.

V 6-13 (MLB)

Love takes no pleasure in injustice but sides happily with truth.

It bears everything in silence, has unquenchable faith, hopes under all circumstances, endures without limit.

Love never fails.

As for prophesyings, they will pass away; as for tongues they will cease; as for knowledge, it will lose its meaning.

For our knowledge is fragmentary and so is our prophesying

But when the perfect is come then the fragmentary will come to an end.

When I was a child I talked like a child, thought like a child, 1 reasoned like a child, but on becoming a man I was through with childish ways.

For now we see indistinctly in a mirror, but then face to face.

Now we know partly, but then we shall understand as completely as we are understood.

These remain then, faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Copyright 1981, Good News Ministries

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