The Pursuit of Love

March 2, 2025|The Pursuit of Love|1 Corinthians 12:28-13:13

John-Daniel Cutler

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As we continue our way through 1st Corinthians, we come to one of the most familiar passages within its pages, for many non-believers and believers alike.

The problem is that our familiarity with it is associated with the wrong context.

Out of all of the weddings I have done, more often than not some portion of this chapter is read during the ceremony. As I said last week, it is not that we cannot learn from it and apply it in our marriages, but that is not the primary context of this scripture.

Chapter 13 is placed intentionally by Paul in the midst of his teaching on spiritual gifts in the church. Which means when Paul talks about love, he is not primarily thinking in terms of marital love, but of the love that should be present within the body of Christ.

Let’s trace Paul’s argument so far, which began in chapter 12, 12 Now concerning spiritual gifts

Paul expresses his concern- I do not want you to be uniformed. (ignorant, without knowledge)

He gives them a foundation test for spiritual gifts, 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit. That is 'what does the possessor profess about Christ through their words and lives?'

He highlights the unity present within the spiritual gifts- Same spirit, same Lord, same God

He reminds them that the gifts are assigned and empowered by the Spirit, as he wills.

Then he uses an extended metaphor of the human body to highlight the unity and interdependency in the body of Christ.

All of this teaches us that no Christian exists outside the body of Christ, indeed they cannot, because Christ is one. We understand then that membership in a local body is a reflection and outworking of our membership within the universal body of Christ. This is the practical and logical outworking of Paul’s connection with the body of Christ and how we relate to one another in the local assemblies he has placed us. We belong to Christ and therefore to one another.

Listen to how Paul finishes that section. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. Paul is going to continue this train of thought as well as its applications through chapter 14.

As a way of introduction this morning, let’s pick up where we left off last week and look at the conclusion of chapter 12 together.

1 Corinthians 12:28–31 “28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.”

I want you to notice that Paul pulls in the same word he used in verse 18, there translated arranged. 1 Corinthians 12:18–20 “18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.” That is the same word he used now when he says God has appointed.

What does Paul mean that God has appointed, arranged, placed members of the body and what are those parts?

What does that look like?

Paul begins with people and transitions to giftings in verse 28, listing them in a numerical fashion, possibly indicating importance in terms of foundational things rather than hierarchical. For instance, In Ephesians 2:20 , Paul tells us that the church is built on the foundation of Christ, then apostles and prophets. “20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,”

As God established his church he used first the apostles commissioned by Christ and second prophets that revealed God’s will in particular situations. He also raised up teachers who would study and share God’s already revealed will through teaching. In all of this we see God’s church is built on the foundation of his word, both the word of God incarnate in Christ Jesus and the divinely revealed word, the holy scriptures. Then Paul gets into the spiritual gifts, not giving an exhaustive list but a general one. Interestingly he stops giving numbers and just says, then miracles, then gifts of healing etc. I don’t think we should see too much into that except perhaps that in his order is that he places tongues at the end of the list, probably because of the Corinthians imbalanced preference for that particular gift as being the most important.

What is Paul’s primary point though? Verses 29 and 30 Paul asks a series of rhetorical questions, that in the greek all demand a negative answer. Are all apostles, or prophets, or teachers, or workers of miracles, or do all posses gifts of healing, tongues, interpretation? Of course not.

The Corinthian church was missing that God arranged the body and gifted the body in the way that he desired and within that body, as we saw last week, diversity and dependency is built in. Not everyone is the same, not every gifting is the same, not everyone has the same role or function. But. There is one thing that we all ought to have in common, no matter our position, no matter our gifting, and no matter our specific call within the body. We ought to all be striving for the same thing. Yes, Paul says, earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but not for personal exaltation or gain, but in love and for love. Essentially, let your primary pursuit be love.

This is Paul’s more excellent way that we are going to dig into this morning. Paul gives us two reasons why pursuing love is more excellent than pursuing position or power and in the middle of those two reasons, he is going to define love for us so that we may better evaluate our lives in light of what love is.

If you don’t get anything else from today, let it be this statement.

Spiritual maturity is not measured in gifts or position, but in rightly understood and rightly expressed love.

One of the first things we have to wrestle with is that our understanding of love has been greatly affected by the culture and when we read the word love from Paul we can wrongly attribute our understanding for his words. We are not talking about love that is an emotional feeling, or a state of being. Paul uses the word agape, a word that in the New Testament always refers to a Godly, self-sacrificial, active love. We will see more clearly when we get to Paul’s definition, but I want us to understand up front that we will be tempted to think of love as primarily an emotion and we must fight that temptation throughout our study this morning. Let’s begin with Paul’s first reason that pursuing love is more excellent.

I. SPIRITUAL GIFTS AND ACTIONS ARE EMPTY WITHOUT LOVE.

Let’s read verses 1-3 together this morning.

1 Corinthians 13:1–3 (ESV)

1 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. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Paul uses some pretty strong language here, giving three essential areas concerning love. Our message, our giftings, and our service. One thing to note up front is in addition to the strong language Paul uses, he also uses hyperbolic language here. This is clear in verse 2 when he says if I under I understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith. No one has perfect understanding, perfect knowledge, or perfect faith. The reason I point that out is that there are some groups of people that miss Paul’s exaggeration here and build whole doctrines off of verse 1, and in doing so distort his teaching on tongues.

When Paul says if I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, we do not have reason to think he is saying that there is some heavenly angelic language that believers can tap into. He is saying, even if I could speak the most eloquent and beautiful language in the world, the tongues of angelic beings. No matter how great and beautiful my message is, if I have not love, it will amount to nothing.

Remember, it seems as though the Corinthians were valuing tongues over all other spiritual gifts, and it seems that they had brought in some of their former pagan practices of babbling unintelligible words and they were attributing it to the work of the Spirit. Paul says, even if you think you have tapped into an angelic language, if you do not have love, you are like a noisy gong or clanging cymbal. A roaring noise or a loud clashing. What is Paul saying? Here’s what I think, that without love our message is unintelligible. Without our gifts being empowered by the love of Christ and exercised in the love of Christ, the clear message becomes a confusing mess. The best preparation and the most eloquent speaking gifts in the pulpit, if not rooted and expressed in love, are like a wall of unintelligible sound. A good example would be, if rather than composed clear musical accompaniment, designed to enhance our congregational singing, we just all gathered gongs and cymbals and crashed them together in random, unharmonized ways for 3 minutes. This is for preachers, teachers, individual Christians, bible study leaders, all of it. If you are speaking the words of God and you are not doing so from love and in love, Paul warns, the message is being lost.

Then Paul moves from our message to gifts. If I have the gift of prophecy, even if we exaggerate it to include perfect understanding of the mysteries of God, if I have the gift of faith in such abundance, that there is no obstacle that could stand in my way, but have not love, I am nothing. No matter your gift, even if you had the fulness of the spiritual gifts from God, if you are not rooted and grounded in love, if you are not exercising that gift in love, you are nothing. No matter your position, no matter your role, you are nothing and your gift ultimately means nothing. But seemingly impossibly, the Apostle Paul continues down this train of thought.

Even if I give away all I have- a more literal understanding would be even if I take everything that is in my control, in my hand, and use it to feed people. Paul envisions someone who would sell everything they have, clear their pantries and fridges, sell their house and their car, and take all of that and use it in an effort to eradicate hunger. Let’s just leave that for a minute.

Even if I deliver up my body to be burned- even if I surrender my body, or place it in the hands of the enemy in order to be burned.

Can you imagine two actions that would seem to be more loving than these? And yet, the Apostle wants us to think beyond the actions to the motivations. Even if I did these seemingly sacrificial acts of service, and it was not rooted and done in love, it would gain me nothing. It would count for nothing.

Paul’s message is both jarring and difficult. Without love, our message is unintelligible. Without love, our gifts mean nothing. Without love, our service gains nothing

I can imagine, if you are like me, there are questions swirling through your mind, questions that unfortunately the Apostle Paul decides not to address. Answers to these questions might make this teaching go down easier, like a spoonful of sugar with some distasteful medicine, but I think Paul wants us to have difficulty here. I think he wanted to challenge the Corinthians and have them wrestle with the difficulty of this passage.

Do you mean that if I am exercising my gifts apart from love, it gains nothing. Yes.

Do you mean that if I am exercising my gifts apart from love, it communicates nothing. Yes.

Do you mean that if I am exercising my gifts apart from love, I am nothing. Yes.

Spiritual gifts are not about lifting ourselves up. The Corinthians seemed to be desiring certain gifts because of the standing it would give in the church. Paul says, if that is your motivation, you are nothing, no matter what your gift may be.

Spiritual gifts are not about serving yourself. The Corinthians seemed to be desiring certain expressions of the Spirit that may look like they were for the benefit of others. Paul again says, if that is your motivation, you will accomplish nothing, no matter what your service is.

Spiritual gifts are not about endearing yourself to God. The Corinthians seemed to be tying God’s favor to what spiritual gift and service they had and did. Paul says, if that is your motivation, it will gain you nothing before God.

Here is the challenge for us. Paul says here and in chapter 14 that we should earnestly desire Spiritual gifts. We should want to be both spirit filled and spirit empowered to serve the body of Christ in greater and greater ways.

It is not wrong to want to be a useful instrument in the hands of the Father to minister to the body. But it does matter, why we want to do what we want to do. The motivation behind our desire and the motivation behind our service matters. For Paul, the person who sweeps the floors and cleans the table in love and because of their great love for the brothers is greater than the one who stands before them and proclaims the words of God if that brother is not motivated by genuine love for those he is ministering to.

Do you see how drastically differently the economy of the kingdom of Heaven is than that of the kingdoms of the world? Your position and role in the church, the ministry you provide, its value, its worth, and its contribution is measured not in outward factors but in its motivation and expression, in as much as it is motivated and expressed in love.

Which is why it is so important for us to understand what agape love is, what it does, what it is not, and what it does not do. Which is where Paul turns next. Let’s look at…

II. LOVE IS AS LOVE DOES.

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 (ESV)

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

The first thing I want us to understand is that all 15 words Paul uses to describe love are verbs. Genuine love then is not measured in levels of emotion but in kinds of action. Does that mean love does not include feelings of affection, of course not, but it does mean that we do not wait to express love until we feel love.

Some of you are acting unloving towards others in the body because you do not feel loving, but what if you acted loving towards others whether or not you felt loving? I would wager that when you started acting in love you would inevitably feel loving towards others. Feelings are largely subjective and hard to define while actions are largely objective and definable. In serving in love, action trumps feelings everytime. Now this is both counter cultural and unnatural to us. It is also hard. But no one ever said following Jesus would be easy, and if they did, they lied to you.

In this section, Paul defines love by describing what it is, what it is not, what it does, and what it does not do. Let’s dig into what he says by looking at the seven statements he makes.

4 Love is patient and kind;- Paul uses two words that deal with overall disposition of our actions. patient here means be slow to avenge, or to be long-suffering. When we are loving, we are not quick to get offended, quick to get angry, we are not constantly reacting towards those that may offend or even injure us. Rather our overall disposition is mild towards others, kindness towards others is our default attitude and reaction, especially when we are wronged by others. Think about what we know about the situation of the Corinthians. If this was their overall disposition, what would immediately stop? The lawsuits Paul discusses in chapter 6. There Paul says, (ESV) Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?

love does not envy or boast;- Paul uses two words that deal with our internal motivators. to envy is the idea of being moved with envy, being motivated by envy or jealousy of another, either their position or their possessions. to boast is to elevate oneself. When we are operating out of envy or self-inflating pride, by definition we cannot be loving. Love is grateful for the provisions of God in both our lives as well as others. Love is considering others better than ourselves. Think again about the situations of the Corinthians. If this was their internal motivators, what would immediately stop? The self elevating of one teacher over another as well as the division present in the supper of the have and the have nots. It would in an instant, stop all of the conversations about which gift was more desirable and who was more spiritual based on what gift they did or did not have.

it is not arrogant 5 or rude.- Arrogant here means to be puffed up with pride and is one that Paul repeatedly uses. He says they are puffed up in favor against one another, they are arrogant in their estimation of Paul, they are proud of their tolerance for the sinful person in their midst in the instance of the man who is having relations with his step mother, they are proud in their knowledge, even when it is harming another brother in the matter of eating food offered to idols. It certainly seems that Paul’s primary judgment on the Corinthians is that they are prideful, which Paul says is unloving. Love is not rude. The word rude is the idea of acting unbecoming, or inappropriately. Love does not act in ways inconsistent with God’s character or commands.

It does not insist on its own way; When we are loving we do not seek to further or profit ourselves over others. Genuine love is not self-seeking or selfish. Love is not looking out for number one or putting ourself or our needs first. This will become more evident in the way they are gathering in worship which Paul will continue to address in chapter 14, but is certainly seen in the way they are observing the Lord’s Supper in the midst of their love feasts.

it is not irritable or resentful; Paul uses two words that deal with our interactions with others irritable is love is not roused to anger, or provoked to anger. This is ver similar to patient in verse 4, the difference, I think is patient deals with actual offenses, where irritable deals with perceived ones. This is when we seem to be looking for a reason to be provoked or a reason to be angry. We are, as it were, on the hunt to be offended by others, and consequently, in my experience, the ones who are irritable, always find something to be offended by. secondly, love is not resentful. Paul uses an accounting term here that means to impute. This is why it is sometimes translated, does not keep a record of wrongs. Love is not keeping a list of all the times someone has wronged you or offended you. Is this hard for anyone else? Just me? Okay What’s the saying, ‘Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on    me_?’ Right.

6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Paul offers a contrast here on what love rejoices in. Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing or an act of unrighteousness. This is perhaps the most important one for us to hear. The world tells us that love means accepting everyone and everything that they decide to do. To tell someone they are wrong is the most unloving thing you can do in today’s world. Paul would disagree. Love finds no joy when God’s word is violated. Love finds no joy when there is unrighteousness. A famous and well respected Pastor, one that I have benefited much from in my life, recently advised someone who called in to his show that they should attend the homosexual grandchild’s wedding because it was loving. I think he has been blinded by the world’s definition of love and I pray that God shows him and leads him to repentance. That is not love, because Paul says love cannot, does not, and will not rejoice in unrighteousness. This, by the way, is why church discipline, as unpopular as it has become is in fact the most loving thing we can do for someone. Why, because Paul says genuine love rejoices with that which is in harmony with divine truth.

7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Paul finishes with a poetic flourish, coupling four words that all have the same phonetic ending coupled with the word all. It is hard to make distinctions between bears and endures, and believes and hopes, because the words are very similar. it bears all things- by covering to keep off something which threatens, to bear up against, hold out against, and so endure, bear, forbear it believes all things- to entrust a thing to one, i.e. his fidelity it hopes all things- in a religious sense, to wait for salvation with joy and full confidence it endures all things- to endure, bear bravely and calmly: ill treatments

If we can summarize what Paul says here in two statements it would be. Love acts as both a cover between offenses and allows us to calmly endure those same offenses. And. Love moves us to entrust ourselves to God in faith and to joyfully wait with confidence for his salvation. In this, love becomes the primary factor in both our relationship to one another and to God.

There are two final things I want us to see before we move on. One, like the beatitudes, if this list doesn’t leave you fully convinced that you cannot love this way in your own power, you have missed what Paul is saying. This kind of love is impossible to understand or express apart from the divine love of God that has been poured out on our hearts. Two, Jesus is the perfect example of love for us. There is not a single defining factor of love that Paul gives that does not find its fullest expression in the life and ministry of Christ. We love because we have first been loved. So far Paul has given us a reason why pursuing love is the more excellent way and has defined love for us, now let’s pick up with Paul’s second reason.

III. LOVE NEVER ENDS.

1 Corinthians 13:8–13 (ESV)

8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Paul contrast love with the spiritual gifts the Corinthians were so wrapped up in. Prophecies, they will pass away. Tongues, they will cease. Knowledge, it will pass away.

No matter where you are on the idea of spiritual gifts, whether you are a cessationist or a continuationist, that is whether you believe the miraculous sign gifts have ceased with the apostolic age or you think they are still active in the church today, Paul’s point is the same. One day there will be no need for the gifts of prophecy, tongues, or knowledge, which are all, at best, incomplete. Even those with the gift of prophecy can only prophesy in part, they do not have complete understanding. Even those with the gift of knowledge do not know everything. Even within the spiritual gifts of the church, there is not completeness apart from Christ. When he comes, that which we possess in part will pass away.

Paul uses an analogy of childhood verse adulthood here. When you are in the season of childhood, certain things are present. You speak like a child, you think like a child, you reason like a child. When you are in the season of adulthood, those imperfect and immature things no longer are part of your life. In the same way Paul says, until Christ comes we are in the season of childhood. We see dimly and we know partially, but when we see Christ face to face, there will be no more need for these things. Here is what I think Paul is helping us understand. Here is his primary challenge to the Corinthians and to us. If these spiritual gifts are given to us because we are not yet in the full presence of Christ, if they are given to us in this season that will come to an end and where they will no longer be necessary, why are they spending so much time pursuing them? Why not pursue that which is unending?

Love will not end. The love of God for us and in us will not cease when we see him face to face. The love of Christ that was expressed through us in faithful obedience will be rewarded and the love of Christ perfected in us will be experienced for eternity. Love is greater than position, love is greater than gifting, love is greater than power or authority, especially considering that all of this is passing away and is not eternal.

If you are going to spend your life for something, if you are going to spend your energy and your time in the pursuit of something, let it be for something that will stand the test of time.

So now, faith, hope, and love abide, these three, but the greatest of these is love. What a statement. Genuine love, agape love, God given and God centered, selfless, sacrificial love is greater than faith and hope. Maybe that is why when Christ told his disciples how the world would know we are his and who are not he did not say, they will know you by your faith, or they will know you by your hope, two things that are an undeniably important part of our Christian life, but he says, they will know you by your love for one another.

Friends, what are you pursuing?

Are you in the more excellent way or have you settled for something less than? Paul has given us two compelling reasons, if this is not the focus of our lives, to repent and embrace this more excellent way. First, apart from love, you gain nothing, you accomplish nothing, and you are nothing. Second, love never ends, it is worth the pursuit. But he has also given us a way to evaluate ourselves. We can ask clearly now and with full understanding, am I walking in love? Does my life reflect the love of Christ to those around me in the body of Christ?

Is the overall disposition of my actions towards others marked by a patience and kindness?

Is my internal motivators influenced by envy and pride or gratitude and concern for others?

Am I arrogant or acting in ways inconsistent with God’s character or commands in my dealings with others?

Am I more concerned with getting my way or in putting others before myself?

Am I constantly looking for others to offend me and am I keeping a list of those that have wronged me?

Is there any area that I am rejoicing in unrighteousness, or does my joy come from the truth of God being displayed in my life as well as other’s lives?

Is love acting in my life as both a cover for offenses and a means of calmly enduring them?

Am I being moved to entrust myself to God in faith and joyfully wait with confidence for his salvation?

Here is where I want to land this morning. If you are sitting here this morning thinking this kind of love seems out of your reach, if you cannot even fathom this kind of love and you are wondering how in the world anyone does. If that’s you, I want you to understand that apart from Christ, this kind of love is impossible and apart from Christ you will never be able to grasp it, experience it, or express it, but in Christ, God’s love is made real in our lives. If you have never come to Christ and God’s word and teaching on love has provoked your heart to desire this kind of radical love, I want you to know that it is available to all those who would repent. That is turn from trusting in yourself, from trying to live in your own power and strength and turn to Christ, believing that he accomplished for you what you could never do for yourself. If you want to know more about that, Brittany and I will be at the front to answer any questions you might have, to pray with you, and if needed to schedule a time to talk more with you.

If you are sitting here this morning and you know this kind of love in Christ, but you have not been living this love out in your life, know that there are many of us in that same place this morning. We have been prideful, we have been selfish, we have been sometimes unloving, but the invitation from the Father is that we can repent and turn to him and we will find the grace and help we need to live out his love in our lives.

Wherever you are this morning, I pray that in our closing time of reflection you would respond to what God is doing in your heart. Let us pray.