1Cor 13.1-3

Love, the Measure of All Things

Part 2

Recap.

Paul has already established that love is to be pursued above every spiritual gift and service, because without love, nothing matters. The one who speaks with the tongues of angels without love — it were better had he never spoken, for his words are worthless and obnoxious. (1Cor 13.1.) The one with all knowledge and all faith to remove mountains but without love is a nobody. (1Cor 13.2.) The one who performs heroic spiritual service without love receives nothing from God. (1Cor 13.3.) These stark truths carry several profound implications.

Implications.

First, love is indispensable. With love, all the aforementioned gifts and services would be blessings to all concerned. Without love, no one is benefited. Take out love and leave all the other stuff and you have zero blessing. Leave in the love and take out the other stuff and you have great blessing.

Second, love is the goal. The reason why love is indispensable is that it is not just another element; it is the goal of all the elements. Love is a fruit (indeed, the chief fruit). (Gal 5.22-23.) And the chief end of a tree, according to Jesus, is to bear fruit. (John 15.5, 8.) Gifts and services are like stems and leaves and  flowers — they are good, desirable, and even beautiful, but they are not the goal — they are all means. So when we have no love, we are like a fruitless tree. Our stems, leaves, and flowers don’t matter.

Third, love is the measure. If love is the goal, then love is also the measure. Jesus curses a tree with leaves and no fruit and promises his Father will do the same. (Mat 21.19; John 15.2, 6.) Without fruit, our leaves and flowers only tell people what we should have but don’t. Without fruit, our leaves and flowers are false advertising and bring us greater judgment than if we had no leaves at all. Jesus did not curse a tree with no leaves; he cursed a tree with leaves but no fruit.

Fourth, love is easily overlooked and omitted. It is a scary thought, but one we need to face head on: It is perfectly possible to have great spiritual gifts and do heroic Christian deeds apart from love. As F.L. Godet said:

Experience proves that a man, after opening his heart with faith to the joy of salvation, may soon cease to walk in the way of sanctification, shrink from complete self-surrender, and, while making progress in mystical feeling, become more full of self and devoid of love than he ever was. [Commentary on the First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians (1887), vol. 2, p. 237, quoted in Garland, 1Corinthians, p. 608.]

If this were not a very real temptation, Paul would not say what he does in our text. Indeed, if it were not so, the epistles to the Corinthians would never have been written. The Corinthian church is a monument to how easy it is to be spiritually “great” while being spiritually nothing.

Conclusion.

So where should our emphasis be?  Not gifts or ministries, but love.  Our spiritual gifts and ministries are simply vehicles through which to express love and the other fruits of the Spirit.  Spiritual gifts were given in love for love. (Eph 4.7-16.) How then could they be exercised any other way?  If we pursue gifts and ministries in their own right, there is nothing inherent in them that will lead us to love. On the other hand, if we pursue love, we will develop our gifts and find opportunities to serve, for love will compel us.