The Emptiness of Spiritual Gifts Without Love, 1-3
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not
love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I
have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all
knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove
mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my
goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but
have not love, it profits me nothing.”
Contrary to popular opinion, the context of chapter thirteen is not love; it is the inferiority of spiritual gifts as they are contrasted to superior virtues. Paul wastes no time in putting spiritual gifts in their proper place.
The failure of those at Corinth was the elevation of gifts and the abandonment of love. It is man, not God, who elevates the gifts beyond their intended function. Gifts were nothing more than a tool for the spread of the gospel and the maturing of the early Church yet, the Church elevated these gifts beyond their proper value. What was to have been of great benefit and value to the work of God was rendered meaningless by some through the abuse and misrepresentation of these gifts. The gifts were not being exorcised responsibly.
A. What was the value of spiritual gifts to the Church and who determines their value?
Value must be measured by the intended purpose of a thing and what it is capable of accomplishing. Spiritual gifts had a limited scope. Always of limited value to begin with, spiritual gifts, when separated from love, became of even less value, most especially to the one so gifted.
By comparison, what is the value of love to the Church?
Paul offers love as the single legitimizing factor for everything else. Without love, everything else becomes meaningless. In contrast to spiritual gifts, love is an inexhaustible virtue of limitless scope that transcends everything else.
B. Gifts and actions expanded to the limits of their purpose
- The gift of tongues – “speak with the tongues of men and of angels,”
Paul is not implying that either he or anyone else possess the ability to speak in the tongues of angels. He is merely illustrating the expansion of this gift to its ultimate range. Even if one could speak with tongues of angels but has no love, the gift is rendered meaningless. Consequently, it does not matter how many languages you have access to through the gift of tongues, if you do not have love, the gift is useless to you.
- The gift of prophecy to “know all mysteries and all knowledge.”
If God had revealed to me everything there is to know, even the deep things of God... even knowledge such as this has the potential of becoming worthless in the absence of love.
- Having faith so as “to remove mountains.”
This seems to be a level of faith that is able to reach beyond all material constraints and barriers of the natural world (Joshua stilling the sun). Without love, even such an exercise of power is of no value. Without love, what benefit is it?
- Even acts of supreme sacrifice without love is delegitimized.
a. “Give all my possessions to feed the poor,”
b. “Surrender my body to be burned,”
Both of these are extreme acts of love so why the contrast? These acts become meaningless if there is no love for the poor or devotion to the Lord. If love is removed from these acts, this means these things are done for other reasons – illegitimate reasons. This delegitimizes the act.
Characteristics of Love, 4-7
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not
parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek
its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in
iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all
things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
Ἀγάπη is the quality of love that is stressed throughout this entire chapter. The development of this quality of love in a person is the crowning achievement of Christian maturity. Love is the nature of God, and spiritual maturity means taking on the character of God. Ἀγάπη, as a defining behavior, is observable. It is visible in one's interactions with others. How does this influence one's behavior?
A. One is kind – This is considerate of others.
B. One is not jealous – This is resentment toward others.
C. One is not boastful – This is self-promoting.
D. One is not arrogant – This is self-exalting.
E. One “does not behave rudely.” It behaves itself.
F. One is not self-seeking.
Ἀγάπη functions unidirectionally. It flows outward to others. This is exemplified in all of the ἀλλήλων passages. It seeks to fulfill the needs of others even to the neglect of self.
G. One “is not provoked.” It refuses to lash out when it is wronged.
H. One “thinks no evil.” It does not hold a grudge. Forgiveness is a fundamental character of this quality of love. “Does not take into account a wrong suffered.” RSV
I. One “does not rejoice in iniquity.” Hebrews 1:9
J. One “rejoices with the truth.”
K. One “bears all things.”
L. One “believes all things.”
M. One “hopes all things.”
N. One “endures all things.”
The Inferiority of Spiritual Gifts to Superior Virtues, 8-13
“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.”
A. Spiritual gifts were limited in:
Scope
Purpose and function
Time – In time, they will be done away, cease, and fail.
a. With regard to the gift of prophesy it would “be done away.”
The word is καταργηθήσονται from καταργέω – a passive verb meaning literally to be rendered inactive, to be made of no effect, to bring to naught, to discharge, sever, or to separate from. As the Young's literal translation renders it, “it shall become useless.” Once all prophesy was revealed, the gift itself was simply no longer needed. It had fulfilled its purpose. Having fulfilled its function, the gift of prophesy (not prophesy itself) would become no longer necessary. Thus, it would simply be removed.
b. The gift of tongues would cease – παύσονται – middle voice, meaning to cease, stop, or leave off. The middle voice suggests that this gift, unlike the others, would cease on its own. It would simply go away.
c. Revealed knowledge would fail – καταργηθήσεται – passive, same as with the gift of prophesy, it would be rendered inactive, be made of no effect, be brought to nothing. It will be actively taken away. Once all revealed knowledge had been imparted to man, the gift itself was simply no longer needed. It had fulfilled its purpose. Having fulfilled its function, the gift of knowledge (not the knowledge itself) would be removed.
While Paul only mentions three spiritual gifts here, this is representative of all spiritual gifts. The passing of these things would be a natural course of events as their function was fulfilled in time.
- That which is “in part” refers to revealed knowledge and prophesy.
“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.”
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. (Without an obstructed view); now (a then present
condition) I know in part, but then (a change of status which would be
the completion of what was in part) I shall know (that is what would
we know fully – the fullness of what was once revealed only in part.)
just as (καθὼς – relates to manner, not to degree.) I also am known.
(I will know fully in the same way I have been known fully.) And now
abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is
love.
B. Comprehension of truth must be expanded, and this would accompany the full body of revelation. “Now we see in a mirror dimly (literally, in a riddle. The word is αἰνίγματι from which we get our word enigma, meaning a mystery. We cannot quite see what is there). At the time of Paul, partial knowledge and prophesy were still a reality. Paul and the other apostles and prophets still only knew in part and prophesied in part. They could not yet see the whole picture. This stresses the deliberate limitations of revealed knowledge and prophesy. Just as with the giving of the O.T. scriptures, the full revelation had not been delivered to any one man. Some was given to Paul, some to John, some to Luke, some to Mark, some to Peter, and so on. Once they had delivered to the Church everything they had received from the Holy Spirit, the need for such gifts would be no more, thus, the gifts would simply fade away. The New Testament writers recorded all revealed truth. Enough was given to...
- Produce faith, John 20:30-31,
“And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His
disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written
that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and
that believing you may have life in His name.”
- Reveal the mysteries of God, Colossians 1:25-27,
“…of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God,
which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery
which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been
revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known the riches of
the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you,
the hope of glory.”
- Instruct us in righteousness and to make us mature, complete, and fully equipped for the work of God, 2 Timothy 3:16-17,
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly
equipped for every good work.”
The end result of the full revelation is a finished product.
- To serve as our only guide in all spiritual matters,
a.1 Corinthians 4:6
“Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other.”
b. 2 Timothy 1:13
“Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in
faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing, which was
committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.”
- To bring us to salvation,
“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to
you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you
are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless
you believed in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:1-2
C. “But when that which is perfect has come....”
So, what is the perfect/complete to which Paul refers?
Τέλειον can refer to something that is flawless in perfection, but this is not the intent here.
As τέλειον relates to a person, it typically speaks of one who is full grown, mature, or one who is of full age. This is especially true of the development of Christian character. This seems to be part of what Paul is illustrating here by drawing a comparison between himself as a child that exhibited childish speech, thought, and reason, and the Church, which was at that time, still a child in its thinking, speaking, and reasoning. The presence of the gifts was a sign of a still immature Church. The removal of these gifts would be evidence of a matured body. Since the purpose of spiritual gifts was to mature the body of Christ, the illustration of speaking, thinking, and reasoning, as a child was quite apropos. Once mature, these characteristics of immaturity would be set aside. There comes a time when, as characteristics of immaturity begin to fade away as a child grows into adulthood, we begin to embrace more mature traits. Such was the nature of these gifts to the early Church. The mark of a mature Church was the development of greater faith, hope, and love.
Τέλειον also refers to something that is complete in all of its parts, something that is lacking nothing. This has to be contrasted with that which was at that time, still “in part,” which was knowledge and prophesy. The fact that the gifts were still present was a sign that knowledge and prophesy had not yet been given in their fullness. When these things became complete, the gifts that accompanied what was in part would no longer be needed. These gifts would have served their intended function and outlived their useful purpose. With the fullness of the revelation of the word of God, that which was in part became complete and those gifts that brought us the full revelation of God were no longer necessary. They simply began to fade away having fulfilled their function.
D. Faith and hope are also limited by reason of their purpose in time. These virtues are confined to time. Even faith and hope take a back seat to love in this regard.
Hope will eventually give way to realization and we will no longer hope for that which we have obtained.
Faith will one day become sight and we will know longer trust in that which we cannot see.
E. Love alone is represented without limitations of any kind, even beyond the scope of this world, “it never fails.” Unlike the gifts, which one received by the will of another, love is a virtue that must be learned, cultivated, developed, and actuated. Unlike the gifts, to love is a decision of the will. It is a choice. This is part of a maturing process.
