The Love in First (I) Corinthians Chapter 13

In I Corinthians chapter 13, Paul is continuing to teach people how to behave according to God's standards. All holy-people (Christians) have received the gift of holy spirit, and therefore we are able to live according to His spiritual viewpoint when we are alone or gathered together, instead of being jealous of one-another's different functions within the one spiritual body of Christ, the church.

Each one of us is a limb (member) within Christ's body of people. Each one can perform the function that God via Christ would ask any one of us to perform. We are to carry out our functions in love - the love referred to in I Corinthians chapter 13.

This word translated "love" (or "charity" in some translations and versions of this passage of Scripture) comes from the Greek word agape which is God’s kind of love. To love with His love means to love the same way as God loves, to manifest God's love towards another, whether it is towards God Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ, yourself, your Christian neighbor, or towards anyone else.

God tells His children today (all who have the spirit of Christ within us) how to Godly-love by means of His previously-revealed written Word and also via our holy spirit-life whereby we receive information from Him regarding how to love in different specific situations.

It is the carrying out of God's commandments, His Word, which is the correct usage or way to manifest God's kind of love according to His will (refer also to I John 5:1-3). It is not the same as the brotherly or friendly kind of love, nor is it the same as the emotional/feelings/sexual kind of love.

Let us read I Corinthians chapter 13 where Paul continues from chapter 12, and he gives himself as an example.

I Corinthians 13:1-3:

^13:1if-ever I may utter-forth with the tongues of men and of angels but I may not have love, I became copper sounding or a cymbal clanging; ^.2and if-ever I may have prophecy and I may have known all the mysteries and all the knowledge, and if-ever I may have all the belief so-as to change-the-standing-place-of mountains but I may not have love, I am nothing; ^.3and-if-ever I may feed all-things (to people), the-things beginning-from me, and if-ever I may give my body over in order that I may boast but I may not have love, I am profited nothing.

Paul writes: If it should happen that I, Paul, would speak with the tongues of men and the tongues of angels (while I am speaking with tongues as explained in I Corinthians chapter 12)…

but if I would not actively have (hold) love while I am doing this
- then I, being a functioning limb, became and continue being in the figurative sense
  - copper making a sound (bronze, brass or any metals echoing, which is not its correct operation, and therefore making a confused noise)
  - or a cymbal making a harsh metallic sound (which is not its correct operation).

Paul does not write that the speaking with tongues becomes copper sounding or a cymbal clanging, but that he himself, the person doing the speaking, becomes that way in the walk (behavior, conduct) category.

He has already taught in I Corinthians chapter 12 that the manifestation of holy spirit is given to each holy-person towards the contributing, spiritually – the spirit will not manifest itself for any other reason. The holy-person who is speaking may have other reasons and motives in his/her fleshly thinking, emotions, feelings, etc, but the holy spirit-life within that man/woman always does the will of God, not the will of the person - unless of course that person also wants to do God's will, then both the holy spirit and the holy-person are in harmony, walking and living with and for God.

Paul continues: If it should happen that...

I would have prophecy (God's words revealed to me which I speak-forth to a person or people concerning the past, present and/or future)
and if I would know all the mysteries (secrets that have been revealed to me)
and all the personal knowledge that God has made available to be known,

...and if it should happen that...

I would have all the belief (God's belief, what God gives me to believe)
- with the consequence and result that I would be able to remove mountains (change or transfer them from one place to another)
but if I would not actively have (hold) Godly-love while I am doing this
- then I, being a functioning limb, am nothing (not one thing, nothing of substance in so far as deserving anything as a result, or to be looked upon by others as being an example to follow)
  - in the walk (behavior, conduct) category.

If it should happen that...

I would feed people all the things beginning from me (all of my belongings, possessions, the things in my domain),
- as though putting little bits of food into their mouths like a nurse would feed young-children when they are hungry,

...and if it should happen that...

I would hand-over or deliver my fleshy body to/for other people's purposes (as though to harm myself for their sakes)
- which would result-in my having a justifiable claim to speak-loudly about myself for doing this,
but if I would not actively have (hold) Godly-love while I am doing this
- then I, being a functioning limb, am profited (benefited, advantaged) not one thing, in no way
  - in the walk (behavior, conduct) category.

Paul continues teaching concerning spiritual-things by writing what the characteristics, qualities and attributes of Godly-love are and what they are-not.

What is love?

Verses 4-7:

^.4The love is patient, it is benevolent, it is not jealous, it does not vaunt itself, it does not puff itself up, ^.5it is not indecorous, it does not seek-after the-thing of itself, it is not sharpened, it does not calculate the bad-thing, ^.6it does not joy on the unrighteousness, but it joys-together with the truth, ^.7it protectively-covers all-things, it believes all-things, it hopes all-things, it patiently-endures all-things.

Love is patient
- (it is long-tempered, long-suffering, with long-forbearance);
it is benevolent
- (it shows itself kind, it supplies what is appropriately needed for use in specific situations);

...

it is not jealous
- (it is not zealous in the bad sense, it does not have a boiling or vehement passion against someone or something);
it does not vaunt itself
- (it does not push itself forward showing-off itself as a braggart in a vainglorious display);
it does not puff itself up
- (it does not inflate itself with its own importance or anything else);
it is not indecorous
- (it does not behave in a not-elegant, not-well-figured, unseemly way);
it does not seek-after the-thing of itself
- (it does not look for its own thing, it is not self-centered);
it is not sharpened
- (it is not whet by anyone or anything rubbing on it stimulating or causing it to be irritated, touchy, incited, no paroxysm);
it does not calculate the bad-thing
- (it does not compute, count, reason within itself anything which is bad, which does not issue from the only true God);
it does not joy on the unrighteousness
- (it is not joyful resting upon injustice, it does not rejoice based on unjustness);

...but...

it joys-together with the truth
- (it is joyful, it rejoices in conjunction with the truth which is what God says);
it protectively-covers all-things
- (sheltering, keeping or fending off anything which may hurt, as the roof of a house protectively-covers the inside of that house which is concealed by the roof, thereby sustaining and supporting all of God's spiritual things);
it believes all-things
- (it has faith in, trusts all of God's spiritual things, which is what Paul is in the middle of teaching here – this phrase does not mean that it believes anything and everything, for that would be against God's will!);
it hopes all-things
- (it expects all of God's spiritual things to come to pass in the future);
it patiently-endures all-things
- (it holds-out, bears-up, stays or remains upright relative to God and the things of God under all things).

Verses 8-10:

^.8The love never falls, but whether prophecies they will be rendered-ineffective, whether tongues they will stop, whether knowledge it will be rendered-ineffective – ^.9for partially we know and partially we prophesy, ^.10but whenever the completion may come the-thing (which is) partial will be rendered-ineffective.

God's kind of love does not fall at any time (it never falls down, as from a higher to a lower place thereby being rendered-ineffective or stopping). How could it - for love is God's love; it cannot fall because God does not fall!

But…

since there are holy-people (Christians) who have prophecies via holy spirit,
- these prophecies will be rendered ineffective (caused to be inactive, inoperative and useless at a future time - refer to I Thessalonians 4:13-17 and I Corinthians 15:51-57);
since there are holy-people who speak with tongues via holy spirit,
- these tongues will stop (cause themselves to cease activity, willingly come to an end);
since there are holy-people who have personal knowledge via holy spirit,
- this knowledge will be rendered ineffective.

Again, by Paul not actually writing all of the different ways that the gift of holy spirit within each holy-person can manifest itself towards what is contributing in the spirit category, he emphasizes that he is including all nine ways (refer to I Corinthians 12:7-11).

Paul next gives the reason why these things which we currently have available to us, by means of our holy spirit-life, will be rendered ineffective or stop in the future.

In truth…

we only partially personally know God's inner thoughts given to us at specific times by means of holy spirit, and
we only partially prophesy God's words given to us at specific times by means of holy spirit.

We don't know all of God's knowledge neither do we prophesy all of God's prophecy, but it is by God's grace that He would reveal a certain amount of knowledge and prophecy to us. And again, the whole manifestation of holy spirit should be included in the reader's mind.

Why does Paul write that its manifestation is only partial? Because that holy spirit which every Christian has within him/her is only the earnest (the token or deposit) of the whole inheritance that we will receive in the future which has been promised to us by God.

But at whatever time in the future the completion will come (when the perfection, the state of completeness which God intends will arrive),
- the-thing which we only have partially (not wholly)
  - will be rendered ineffective (caused to be inactive, inoperative and useless).

At that time, what is partial will be rendered ineffective – because we will receive what is whole. It would not make any sense to want to remain with only part of what is available and thus incomplete, instead of the whole of what is available – the completion!

When the resurrected Christ comes for all holy-people (Christians) then we will receive our full inheritance, the completion of the earnest of holy spirit which all of us have now as a gift from God by means of the Lord Jesus Christ. After Christ gathers all of us together, we will not need the manifestation of the earnest because we will have the completion, the full inheritance, not only a small earnest of it.

We will each have a spiritual body like the resurrected Christ has already received from God. We will be with our Lord Jesus Christ, and we will be with the only true God Who is our Father.

Paul teaches and explains verses 8-10 by illustration, and again he gives himself as the example.

Verses 11 and 12:

^.11When I used-to-be an infant I used-to utter-forth as an infant, I used-to think as an infant, I used-to calculate as an infant – when I became an adult-male I rendered-ineffective the-things of the infant; ^.12for now we observe by means of a mirror in an enigma, but then face towards face; now I know partially, but then I will fully know according as also I was fully known.

He writes...

At the time when I was an infant (a minor being under-age, immature in the physical category)
- I used to speak as an infant (as a baby having received life but still without the power of adult/mature speech and so being childish in my behavior),
- I used to think (have thoughts in my mind) as an infant,
- I used to calculate (compute, reckon, count) as an infant –
but at the time when I became an adult-male (a grown man in the physical category)
- I rendered the things which pertain-to the infant ineffective and they remain ineffective (inactive, inoperative, useless)
- during the everyday living of my adult life.

Corresponding to the illustration Paul has just given regarding himself in the physical category, he continues regarding the spirit category...

In truth, at this time we holy-people observe (we are mentally-aware and contemplate, even though we may not physically see anything with our physical eyes)
- spiritual-things by means of (through) a mirror.

A mirror in Paul's time-period was usually made with polished metal and the person looking at the mirror saw the reflected rays of light producing a reflection of the source-object whether it be the person himself or something else, and these reflected rays of light from the polished metal would also land-on and so light-up his face.

How do we currently observe spiritual-things? As observing by means of a mirror which is observing in an enigma – an obscure hinting of the actual object, a riddle, the content of-which seems to be spoken/written obscurely to the hearer/reader and therefore it is hard to understand.

Because we have only a part of what we will have in the future, our present observance of spiritual-things is enigmatic to us, like looking at a blurred reflection in a mirror.

Paul is not saying that our holy spirit-life communicates obscurely to us, but, because of our physical limitations, we do not understand the fullness of spiritual-things at the moment.

But when the completion comes at a future time and we will receive our complete inheritance,
- then (at that time) we will observe spiritual-things face to face.

We will observe the object looking directly at it. There will be nothing interfering with us concerning spiritual-things causing obscurity, and therefore at that time spiritual-things will not be an enigma to us.

Paul again writes regarding himself...

Now I only partly personally know (which is a truly active and relative knowing),
- but then I will have full, clear and exact personal knowledge within myself concerning spiritual-things
- even as I was fully known – looking from the future backwards to the present time it will be in the past-tense.

God and the Lord Jesus Christ had full, clear and exact personal knowledge concerning Paul in the spirit category which is God's viewpoint. In the future when Christ will resurrect Paul giving him a new spiritual body, Paul will also fully know about himself in the spirit category.

Verse 13:

^.13But now these three things – belief, hope, love – remain, but the love (is) greater of these-things.

At the present time, these three things are staying (they are not stopping nor are they falling):

belief – God's belief
- (that-which God believes, what He gives us to have faith and trust in; belief is God's information that is made known to a person to have confidence-in with assured certainty and surety concerning a specific situation or circumstance);
hope – God's hope
- (that-which God hopes, what He gives us to expect to come to pass in the future, His firm-anticipation concerning a future specific situation or circumstance);
love – God's love
- (as described above)…

…but the love is greater of these-things. It is comparatively more-great, larger in quantity, quality, magnitude pertaining-to or regarding these.

Paul did not write that love is greater than belief and hope, nor did he write that it is better than them – but he wrote that it is greater of them (just like when the mustard seed grows then it is the greater of herbs, Matthew 13:31 and 32). God's kind of love in evidence covers a larger area; it encompasses (includes) hope, and hope encompasses (includes) belief. All three should be active during the life of every holy-person!

We can decide either love with Godly-love or not. We are either manifesting it during our everyday living or we are not manifesting it.

We can thank God that He has given us the ability to love with His kind of love.

I John chapter 4 explains that God is love and the He loved us first.

I John 4:16-21:

^.16and we knew and believed the love which God has in us. God is love, and the (person) remaining in the love remains in God and God remains in him.

^.17In this the love was made-complete with us, in order that we may have boldness in the day of the judgment – because according as that-one is also we are in this world.

^.18There is not fear in the love but the complete love throws the fear outside because the fear has curtailment, but the (person) being fearful was not made-complete in the love.

^.19We love because He first loved us.

John writes that emphatically we...

knew and continue to know (we have a truly active and relative knowing, we are personally knowledgeable of)
and believed and continue to believe (we have faith, we trust)
- the love which God has in us (within the holy spirit-life that is in all holy-people, Christians; refer to Romans 5:5, Galatians 5:22, and II Timothy 1:7).

God is love. God is the One Who issues His love and He sets the standard to be conformed to by others of what His kind of love is.

The person who is continuing within the sphere of action of the love...

remains in God (within God’s sphere of action)
and God remains in him (within that person’s sphere of action).

In/by this the love was made-complete (it was made perfect, it arrived at its ultimate state of completeness) and it continues made-complete...

in company and association with holy-people (true Christians who have received the gift of holy spirit, which is the anointed-thing, the spirit of Christ in us) -

...for the purpose and result that...

we would have boldness (freedom of speech, frankness and openness of speaking)
during judgment day (the time-period of the action of pronouncing sentence, the decision being made in judgment) –

…because…

according as that-one (just as, according to how, in comparison to the way that specifically that one, God’s son Jesus Christ)
- presently and actively is (exists during the present time)
also emphatically we
- presently and actively are (exist during the present time)
  - within the sphere of action of the current world (which will continue to exist until it will be replaced by the new heaven and new earth as recorded in Revelation 21:1).

God has placed His Godly-love within Christ Jesus and within all holy-people. All of us, including Christ Jesus, have received the complete Godly-love from God our Father. Therefore, all of us including God and Christ Jesus are able to love with God’s kind of love – and we do it in company and association with one-another.

God has given the same love to all of us, including Christ Jesus, so that we would have boldness during judgment time. Today, as we wait for Christ’s coming to gather all holy-people together with him, we have the ability to love with God’s kind of love. We will stand before the judgment-seat of Christ to receive judgment regarding our behavior (refer to Romans 14:10; I Corinthians 3:12-15; II Corinthians 5:10; James 2:12).

John continues:

There is not fear (terror, fright, being scared, terrified of someone or something, or being afraid of doing something wrong and then receiving consequences of the performance of any wrong behavior; fear does not exist)
- within the cause and sphere of action of the love
but contrary to fear, the complete love (God’s kind of love which is perfect by the ultimate arrival of its state of completeness, having reached God's intended fulfilling ending-issue)
- casts the fear outside (external to Godly-love’s sphere of action)
  - because the fear has curtailment (it holds a pruning, docking, it causes a person’s actions to be limited or cut-back within certain bounds),
but the person who is being fearful (having fear)
- was not made-complete (he was not caused to reach and arrive at his ending-issue, he was not made perfect, he did not arrive at his ultimate state of completeness) and continues not made-complete
  - within the sphere of action of the love.

Emphatically we love…

because emphatically He first loved us.

God Himself loved us first time-wise. His love to/for us was not a response to our love to/for Him.

God is the One Who loved us first - and now we have the ability to love with His love.

Jesus also spoke about Godly-love when he was asked about the law of Moses during the old covenant time.

Matthew 22:35-40:

^.35and one law-person out-from them asked making-trial-of him, ^.36“Teacher, of-what-kind (is) a great commandment in the law?” ^.37But he said to him, “'You will love (the) Lord your God in your whole heart and in your whole soul and in your whole mind-process'; ^.38this is the great and first commandment. ^.39(The) second (is) like to it, ‘You will love your neighbor as yourself.’ ^.40In these two commandments the whole law and the prophets are hung.”

The law-person asked making trial of Jesus, “Teacher, of what sort is a commandment that is large in importance?" He was asking Jesus to select a specific one from the law of Moses, which were the commandments that God told Moses to tell to all of the children of Israel.

Jesus brought to light by saying him...