Sunday 04:07:13

Corinth had problems – dissentions, immorality, and quarrels between believers 1:10 Paul appeals to them to get along b/c they are quarreling about whose teaching they follow: Paul’s or Apollo’s. 5:1 Sexual immorality - A man had taken his father’s wife – and they’re proud of it. 6:1 Christians were suing Christians in the church 6:12-20 There was sexual immorality 8 Confusion about eating food sacrificed to pagan idols 11 Lack of order in worship – attention hogs 1 Corinthians 3:1-4 Their quarreling showed they were immature. They were not ready to grow in their faith. They would not mature until they learned to love each other instead of arguing with each other. Their quarreling showed they were still worldly. Their quarreling showed that Jesus’ love had not changed their hearts. 12 Spiritual gifts – the variety and purpose – to build up the church 14 How to practice spiritual gifts Right in the middle of those is the love chapter. It shows that the church functions when its environment is love. It shows that spiritual gifts work only within the constraints of Christians loving each other. It shows that without love, spiritual gifts don’t work, they cannot build up without love. The love that is NOT 1 Corinthians 13 love: • Eros – Sexual desire. Self-centered love, always grasping, always seeking its own satisfaction • Philia – Brotherly love. An affection or friendship. A family’s love for each other. Agape – used here. Outside the NT, this word was rarely used, but had a cold connotation, like esteem. The NT writers took it and gave it deep, full, rich meaning. They used it to describe God’s love: self-sacrificing love, a love that is a decision of the will and, therefore it does not have to be earned, cannot be lost. A stubborn love. A loving devotion. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 Paul would write: you can have the highest extreme of spiritual gifts, but without love you would produce nothing, gain nothing, and be nothing. “If” and “all” are used 5 times to show if you have matchless eloquence, profound insight, immeasurable knowledge, tremendous faith; even if you’re the greatest martyr known to the Christian faith; if you don’t love people, your eloquence is useless, if you don’t love people, despite your great knowledge and faith, you are nothing if you don’t love people, your giving and sacrifice means nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a Love is • Patient – long-tempered, not quick to take offense • Kind – loving and merciful • Does not envy – not jealous of others • Does not boast – does not try to impress others by words or show • Is not proud – not conceited or arrogant, does not have inflated ideas of its own importance • Is not rude – does not treat anyone unfairly • Is not self-seeking – does not insist on its own way • Is not easily angered – not irritable or touchy, is not quick to take offense • Keeps no record of wrongs – does not carry grudges, does not harbor resentment • Does not delight in evil – does not take pleasure when bad things happen to others • Rejoices with the truth – is glad when truth prevails, not siding with evil, but goodness • Always protects – endures in trouble, is supportive • Always trusts – believes, is not suspicious • Always hopes - never loses faith • Always perseveres – persists in suffering and adversity, never ceases, never gives up • Never fails – love will go on expressing itself throughout time and eternity