Part III in a Series on the Love Chapter
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| Photo by Marcus Spiske on unsplash.com |
None of us can brag about our Spiritual gifts.
Paul writes:
And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did
indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
Have you ever studied 1 Corinthians 13 in its context? It is
surrounded by two chapters that talk about Spiritual
gifts – particularly sign gifts.
- Chapter 12 – Spiritual gifts.
- Chapter 13 – Agape love.
- Chapter 14 – More on Spiritual gifts.
Love is the middle of the Oreo. It is the tasty white cream
that is packed between the two chocolate flavored cookies. In fact, the chapter comes back to the subject of gifts right here at the end of chapter 13 – the Love Chapter.
Regardless of your beliefs about the charismata, or charismatic
gifts, there is no doubt that love supersedes them all.
Love is Greater Because of its Endurance.
The gifts of prophecy,
tongues (or languages) and the gift of knowledge
(not knowledge per se but the gift of knowledge) are all temporary
gifts, as are many other gifts from the Holy Spirit. They do not last forever.
God is instructing the Corinthian church and the church today to not get too
caught up with temporary blessings, but to latch onto that which lasts. The
special gifts, he says, will fail, cease and vanish away. They will be removed
and they will play out. Their use will be exhausted and completed. Sign gifts
will have been replaced in their importance by a full and finished revelation
(the completed bible). God’s word is saying that there will come a time when
none of these gifts will be necessary and will cease to exist, but not so with love. Love will endure forever.
Love will endure because it is the mark of a mature church.
The word “perfect” in verse 10 means “compete” or “mature.”
You can tell when a kid is growing up, he or she will start
to put away their childish toys. You’ve seen the big kid who finally gives up
the pacifier, the girl who packs away her little baby doll to give to her niece,
or the teenager who trades his little bike for a set of car keys. At some point
every boy (hopefully) will start to do “man” things and a girl will begin to
conduct herself as a woman.
In its infancy, the church was heavy with special gifts from
the Lord such as miracles and healings. In its maturity, the church needs to
transition to the full revelation of scripture and also needs to transition to
the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5.22) over the gifts of the Spirit.
If you are a baby Christian, you will need to grow into a mature
child of God. Childish ways will have to be left behind as you become a well
developed grown up Christian.
The nation of Israel, during its journey from Egypt, ate manna [i]
for nearly forty years but soon after they entered Canaan (the land of promise)
the manna ceased. [ii]
And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of
the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more;
but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year. (Joshua 5.12)
Just as Israel no longer had need of manna but rather ate of
the luscious fruit of the land; so we must shift from our emphases on gifts so
that we may feast on the fruit of love, joy and peace.[iii]
Three things within the possession of the Christian outrank
everything else. Those three things are faith, hope and love. They will “abide”
for as long as we live on this earth. But the one trait, the one blessing from
God that outweighs everything else in importance is love. Love is the one quality we now possess which we will take to heaven with us. Faith is “the substance of
things not seen,” [iv]
but when we get to the celestial city, we will see all clearly. Hope seen will
no longer be hope.[v]
It will have completed its course and finished its task.
But love – God’s agape
love, will go forth throughout eternity. At the Father’s throne in heaven it
will continue dwelling in our hearts without end. The Lord God will always love
us, we will always love him and we will always love one another.
This is why we should love one another with a pure heart,
fervently ... right now.
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they
will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is
knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But
when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done
away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I
thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For
now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but
then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love,
these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1Cor 13.8-13)
[i]
Small round bits of bread that came down to the ground from above. Makes me
think of hushpuppies. (See Exodus 15.13-15)
[ii] And the manna ceased on the morrow
after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of
Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that
year. (Joshua 5.12)
[iii] This
doesn’t mean that Spiritual gifts no longer exist, (though some may argue that
some are no longer needed). The emphasis should now be placed more on the fruit
of the Spirit.
