1 Corinthians 13:1-2 - Love Is Supreme.
1 Corinthians 13:1-2 (NIV) 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.
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.
1 Corinthians 13:1-2 (NLT) If I could speak
all the languages of earth and of angels, but
didnt love others, I would only be a noisy gong or
a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of
prophecy, and if I understood all of Gods secret
plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had
such faith that I could move mountains, but
didnt love others, I would be nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:1-2 (ESV) If I speak in the
tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I
am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if
I have prophetic powers, and understand all
mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith,
so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I
am nothing.
INTRODUCTION
In chapter 12 Paul gave evidence of the
Corinthians' lack of love in the utilization of spiritual
gifts; chapter 13 defines real love; and chapter 14
shows how love works. Love is more important than
all the spiritual gifts exercised in the church
body. Great faith, acts of dedication or
sacrifice, and miracle-working power produce very
little without love. Love makes our actions and
gifts useful. Although people have different
gifts, love is available to everyone. [Life
Application SB]
Spiritual gifts were present in Corinth
(1:7); right doctrine was even in place (11:2); but
love was absent. This led to the quarrels and
exhibitions of selfishness and pride that plagued the
church notably in the area of spiritual gifts.
Instead of selfishly and jealously desiring showy
gifts which they don't have, believers should
pursue the greatest thing of all love for one
another. This chapter is considered by many the
greatest literary passage ever penned by Paul. It is
central to his earnestly dealing with spiritual
gifts (chaps. 12-14), because after discussing the
endowment of gifts (chap. 12) and before presenting
the function of gifts (chap. 14), he addresses
the attitude necessary in all ministry in the
church (chap. 13). [MacArthur Daily Bible 2003]
COMMENTARY PEARL
Without Love, Youve Wasted Your Time
Love is our greatest aim in life because
we were put here on earth to learn to love God
and others. The Bible makes it clear in the
first few verses of 1 Corinthians 13 why love is
the most important value.
Without love, all that you say is
ineffective. If I speak in the tongues of men or of
angels, but do have not love, I am only a resounding
gong or a clanging cymbal (1 Corinthians 13:1
NIV). Words without love are just noise. People
resent and reject unloving words. But they will
listen and respond to words spoken in love.
Without love, all that you know is
incomplete. If I have the gift of prophecy and can
fathom all mysteries and all knowledge but do
not have love, I am nothing (1 Corinthians
13:2 NIV). The world is exploding with
information and knowledge. Yet many of our most basic
problems are not being solved, because the world is
not looking for more knowledge. The world is
looking for love.
Without love, all that you believe is
insufficient. If I have a faith that can move
mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing (1
Corinthians 13:2 NIV). Many people have the
misconception that being a Christian is just about
believing certain truths and doctrines. But do you
love Jesus? Do you realize he loves you?
Christianity is about experiencing the love Jesus has for
you and learning how to love like him.
Without love, all that you give is
insignificant. If I give all I possess to the poor
but do not have love, I gain nothing (1
Corinthians 13:3 NIV). There are all kinds of
motivations for giving, including obligation or prestige
or guilt. Just because you give doesnt mean
youre doing it in love. You can give without
loving, but you cannot love without giving.
Without love, all that you accomplish is
inadequate. If I were burned alive for preaching the
Gospel but didnt love others, it would be of no
value whatever (1 Corinthians 13:3 TLB). You
can have all kinds of great accomplishments. You
can even sacrifice your life for the greatest
cause in the world - the Kingdom of God - but
without love, its wasted effort.
You can have the eloquence of an orator,
the knowledge of a genius, the faith of a
miracle worker, the generosity of a philanthropist,
and the dedication of a martyr. But if you
dont love, it doesnt count.
The good news is that you can love others
because God first loved you. Jesus says that as you
live within his love, he will help you to love
others. When you draw closer to him, your ability to
love will increase - he makes it possible for you
to live out the calling to love others. [Daily
Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
ILLUSTRATION
Have love. Be something.
How could I work this out? Tomorrow was
my meeting with a small circle of women who
gathered to critique one another's writing. By far
the least experienced, I felt honored to be so
warmly included at their last meeting. How could I
miss my second one?
Let's see. I could drop my husband off at
work. He wouldn't have a car, but that would give
me a vehicle to drive. A babysitter could pick
up my son from his violin lesson at noon. Then,
perhaps, she could take my daughter to her art
lesson. Of course, this all meant I had to get four
children up very early. Such a lot of work for a
little meeting. But it was important - at least to
me. Father, what should I do?
I heard the faint whisper of a familiar
phrase: "If I speak in the tongues of angels if
understand all mysteries but do not have love, I am
nothing."
Stay home? Was that God's answer? But
there are words of angels to translate, prophecies
to reveal, and mysteries to decipher. Was I
destined to be something? or nothing? Though "I have
all faith . but do not have love, I am
nothing."
It wasn't until the next day as my
husband drove away and I sat with my rested children
on the couch that I realized I had unknowingly
written something special. I had written "I love
you" on their hearts. God had critiqued it. And I
think he liked it.
Elizabeth Bridges Hiett, a registered
nurse, has been happily married for fifteen years
and is a homeschooling mother of four children.
[The One Year Bible Live Verse Devotional re 1Co.
13:1, 2 NRSV]
CLOSING THOUGHT
No matter how high the profession, he whose
heart is not filled with love for God and his
fellow men is not a true disciple of Christ. Though
he should possess great faith and have power
even to work miracles, yet without love his faith
would be worthless. He might display great
liberality; but should he, from some other motive than
genuine love, bestow all his goods to feed the poor,
the act would not commend him to the favor of
God. In his zeal he might even meet a martyr's
death, yet if not actuated by love, he would be
regarded by God as a deluded enthusiast or an
ambitious hypocrite. {AA 318.2}
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
1 Corinthians 13 - The Love Chapter
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2007/20070820-1119.html
1 Corinthians 13 - Love Is Like That.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20190611-0928.html
1 Corinthians 13:1-2 - Love Is Supreme.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20231002-0945.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
