Love and the Gifts

This is the fifth sermon in the series, "What are the Spiritual Gifts all About?" This lesson was drawn from 1 Corinthians 13:1-7:

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

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

First, a word about love. When I enter into premarital counseling with a couple, I generally ask them what love is. I get a lot of answers; "I just feel like I am going to explode when I see him," "O I feel so good when I am with her." Generally the answers refer to feelings. That is part of the picture. The Greek language is a little more complete than English; they have three words for love. The first one is pretty close to what I described above. The word is Eros, from which we get words like erotic. This is basically based upon feelings usually based upon our sexual/emotional responses. The second word is Phileo, like in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. This is the word that describes our feelings of relationship -- love -- of people that we associate with. We really have a love for someone that is not based upon the sexual/emotional. The third word is the one used by the Apostle Paul in this passage. It is the word Agape. This is the word used in the New Testament when the love within the church is mentioned. It is also used when the scriptures talk of God's love for us. This is a self giving loved that is not based upon emotion, but on decision. It is love that causes us to act in a certain way towards others; we aren't demanding from them, but giving to them.

If we have gifts but no love we have nothing. The Corinthians were really into the spiritual gifts, especially tongues. Paul says that if you speak in tongues, but don't act in love to the other people, you are only making a lot of worthless noise. He goes on to say that if you have prophetic gifts, gifts of wisdom and understanding, actually if you have such a faith that you can move mountains, but don't love your brothers and sisters, you are really nothing.

If we are sacrificial people but have no love we gain nothing. You might say, "well surely, if I give everything to the poor, this must count for something." Isn't that would Jesus told the Rich Young Ruler to do? Well, yes, but what is the motivation. If you are just giving it so that you will be blessed you have gained nothing. Love must be the motivation. Even if you were to die a martyrs death, just so you would be a hero, you have missed the point. The only worthwhile motivation is love.

What is love like? Look at the characteristics listed above (and paraphrased below):

• Patient -- we love enough to hang in there with the person we love
• Kind -- we sneer at the concept of "just be nice," but isn't that the kind thing to do?
• Doesn't envy the one we love -- If we love someone we want them to get ahead. We don't pout because they got ahead of us, we cheer them on.
• Doesn't boast about getting ahead our selves -- This is not one-upmanship, this is love.
• Pride doesn't get in the way -- we aren't insulted if they don't seem to recognize how wonderful we are.
• It isn't rude -- Being rude is not nice.
• It isn't about us -- It is about the one we love.
• It isn't easily angered -- this goes along with patience.
• It doesn't keep score -- Keeping score dooms a relationship.
• It isn't happy when bad things happen to another -- Remember, we want them to succeed.
• It really wants the truth -- Too many relationship are built on webs of lies.
• It always protects the loved one
• It always trusts the loved one
• It always hopes for the best
• It always hangs in there
  

Who are we to love? An easy answer is "everyone." But really the first order of love is to God. It actually starts with his love for us. His love is what makes us able to love. Then of course we are to love our family. This whole passage is telling us to love the people in church. Since everyone is a potential member of the church, they are to be loved. Actually since God loved the whole world, and we want to be like Jesus, we also should love the whole world. Jesus really gets down to the real nitty gritty however, when he says that we should actually love our enemies.

How are we to love? This is the real question. None of this really comes naturally to us. It depends on change from the inside out. We are changed when we accept the love that Jesus has for us and ask him into our heart. We begin to change. We are loved and we become loving. This is the difference between the gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit. Love is a fruit -- not a gift. Fruit grows in us because life has come into us. Pray that the seed within us grows into the lovely fruit of love.