I Have Not Love, I am Nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

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.

I. A Call in the Pit Stop

During a NASCAR race in 1995, one call in the pit stop ended up making all the difference. Driver Jeff Gordon was coming in unexpectedly to change a flat tire, when crew chief Ray Evernham made the call or bypass the standard four-tire stop by radioing, “Two! Two! Two!” to the pit team. That change, which saved crucial seconds, helped Gordon preserve his lead lap and everntually win the race. As one online analysis put it, “This is a defining example of a crew chief-driver synergy, where a split-second strategy call from the pit box guides the driver to a win.” Why are we talking about great moments in auto racing on a Sunday morning gathering of God's people? Because I think the Apostle Paul does something very similar here in our study passage this morning. Let's look together at I Corinthians 13 as we continue our ongoing study.

II. The Passage: “But Have Not Love” (13:1-3)

At first glance, 1 Corinthians 13 may seem like a strange digression; like something out of place. If you we were to read chapter 12 again, followed by chapter 14, you would see the very obvious continuation of Paul addressing the issue of a diversity of spiritual gifts being practiced when the church gathers. But chapter 13 is different; so different, in fact, that it's often used by itself in all sorts of other contexts, from weddings to funerals to Christian wall decor.

But even though this chapter does introduce a new topic, it isn't a digression. Instead, it's like that pit stop in auto racing. It's the very thing the Corinthians need to hear in order to continue on the track Paul has laid out for them in light of their unhealthy circumstances. And the off ramp, and on ramp are extremely clear. Look at the last phrase of chapter 12: “And I will show you a still more excellent way.” (12:31b) Now look at the opening phrase of chapter 14: “Pursue love...” (14:1a). For a church that was divided by so many unhealthy perspectives and practices, Paul's discussion of love here is exactly what they need to hear. And it's exactly what we need to hear. So let's listen carefully as we unpack this amazing chapter over the next three weeks.

As we begin with the first three verses of the chapter, we can't miss how important that off ramp from chapter 12 really is. “And I will show you a still more excellent way.” Okay. A more excellent way in comparison to what? Well, in light of the path the Corinthians were already walking. Fact-ionalism. Tolerating sin. Lawsuits. Asserting their rights. Dominated by their desires. Indifferent to weaker brothera. Selfish at the Lord's Supper. Arrogant in terms of spiritual gifts. As Paul wants them to see, the truly excellent way is not self-centered. It's love-centered.

Stop for a moment and think about the path you're on. Is it possible that God, because of that path, is saying to you this morning, “And I will show you a still more excellent way”?

As we look at the opening verses of chapter 13, we discover more evidence that what Paul writes here is not an unrelated digression. Do these terms sound familiar? Verse 1: “tongues”? Verse 2: “prophetic powers”? Verse 2: “knowledge”? Verse 2: “faith”? Yes, all of those are spiritual gifts, activities, or manifestations mentioned in the last chapter. And if the gift of “helping” mentioned in 12:28 is similar to the gift of “generosity” mentioned by Paul in Romans 12:8, then the phrase “give away all I have” in 13:3 could also be a connection to chapter 12.

But we need to understand why Paul is listing these gifts or activities again. Did you notice that with each of these, Paul talks about both the extent to which one possesses the gift or carries out the activity... extent... but also the emptiness of such things when... love is absent.

So, what if I not only had the gift of tongues, but could even speak in the language of angels? And what if I had prophetic powers to the extent that I understood not just some mysteries or had some knowledge, but I understood all mysteries... and all knowledge? Wow. And what if I had faith, and faith to the degree that I could move mountains with such belief? And what if I was so generous that I gave away, not just some of my possessions, but everything I owned?! And what if I was willing to suffer for Jesus to the extent that I would even “deliver up my body to be burned”? Surely, if any of those were true of me, or if you heard about someone like this, you would think, “That's a Spirit-filled person, right? A strong believer, right? A healthy Christian, right?

And of course, you and I might have other things we would add to the list; things that we use as metrics of our spiritual healthiness; things that define our spiritual goals; ministry accomplish-ments and religious qualities and expressions of faith that we aspire to, and even use to judge or assess others. For example, what if I had not just good theology, but perfect theological understanding? What if I read not only some of the best Christian books, but all of the classics? What if I had not just daily quiet times, but quiet times that lasted hours each day? What if I not only shared my faith sometimes, but was regularly leading people to Christ? What if my children not only understood God's word, but were reading on their own, and serving at church because they wanted to, etc.? What if I not only had a Christian worldview, but was able to answer any skeptic's question or win any current debate? And I'm sure we could add many others examples.

But remember why Paul wants his readers to imagine someone who had such gifts, or who did such things, and to such an exceptional extent. He fills that picture up in order to show just how empty it really is... when devoid of love. Even if the Corinthians, who seemed to prize the gift of tongues, had tongues to the most exalted extent possible, but did not have love, their so-called spiritual speech would simply sound like someone constantly banging a gong or a cymbal. That's not amazing. That's annoying. And if you know all mysteries and have all knowledge, but are without love, you are not something extraordinary. You are...nothing. Even if you gave every-thing for Christ, even your life, Paul says, “you gain nothing” in terms of spiritual signifiance... if you do not make such sacrifices from a heart of love.

I'm not sure Paul could make his point any more clearly: love is not just one of the important things in terms of living out your faith. It is the thing. And this passage isn't the only place Paul says that. He told the disciples in Rome that “the one who loves another has fulfilled the [entire OT] law. [9] For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” [10] Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” (13:8–10) And for the Galatians, he was even more concise: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only [that is, here's the only things that 'counts for anything'...] faith working through love.” (Galatians 5:6)

You see, it was not enough for Paul to simply correct the Corinthian disciples in terms of their distortions when it came to spiritual gifts (which he does that very clearly, and very effectively, in chapters 12 and 14). No, no. He must do more than that. In light of the lawsuits and the lust, in light of the divisions and the disdain in this church, in light of their 'pride and prejudice, he must bring them back to what has been so glaringly absent from their life together: love. He hinted at this emphasis at the beginning of the last section, in 8:1... “This 'knowledge' puffs up, but love builds up.” And he will go on to call them to it explicitly in 14:1 (“Pursue love..”), but also at the very end of the book, in 16:14... “Let all that you do be done in love.”

III. The “More Excellent Way”

Brothers and sisters, let me repeat the statement that I made a few minutes ago: love is not just one of the important things in terms of living out your faith. It is the thing. Like tongues and prophecy and knowledge with the Corinthians, as we considered earlier, all of us have our own metrics when it comes to spiritual healthiness (whether you feel healthy now, or are trying to get healthy). But is your conception of spiritual healthiness defined by love? Is love your aspiration? Is your goal to be... more loving? Even if you have others spiritual goals, which you should, are they informed by and anchored in love? For example, is your goal in reading and knowing the Bible better informed by... love? Or, do you want to be faithful in evangelism because you are motivated by... love? Or, do you want to overcome a persistent sin because you see how it hurts your practice of love?

We can't forget the staggering truth Paul has laid out here: if love is not central in our faith pursuits, in our spiritual lives, in our religious practice, then none of it is truly meaningful. That's a hard word, isn't it? But it's true. And please don't miss that Paul does not subscribe to the notion that love is mainly about doing the right things; doing 'loving' things. I've met people who wanted to claim they were loving because they said and did the right things when it came to other people. But Scripture is clear (as in this passage) that we can do good things, we can do godly things, we can do the right things, but... for the wrong reasons. As God's own example teaches us, it is love that produces loving actions. “For God so loved the world, that he gave...” (John 3:16).

When those who confess to be Christians, but are devoid of genuine love, try to justify them-selves by reciting their religious resume, or by rehearsing their theological knowledge, or by holding up their religious experiences, they are subscribing to the same false ideas with which the Corinthians were struggling.

To clarify things a bit more, I think it might be helpful to point out that even though 1 Corinthians 13 is often read at weddings or used in very broad contexts, the clear context here is love within the body of Christ. Love for other Christians. Listen to how another Apostle, this time John, confirms this centrality of love in terms of what it means to be a Christian... (1 John 3:14)

We know that we have passed out of death into life [i.e., we can know that we are actually saved], because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love [the brothers] abides in death.

I think that allows us to say that there is no such thing as a genuinely loveless Christian. No, you will never become perfectly loving in this life. And yes, you will struggle in terms of seeking to know, and seeking to do, more than seeking to love. And yes, you may struggle with fear and anxiety and guarded-ness, and even apathy at times, when it comes to loving other Christians. But in the genuine Christian, that seed of love is always there, always in the mix in some way.

Friends, this is the “more excellent way”. To whatever degree you need to align yourself with this goal of pursuing love, of becoming more loving, of being motivated by love in all that you do, then please acknowledge that need before God, and pray to that end. Of course, saying that love is the thing, is really just another way of saying Jesus is the thing. For being truly love-centered is impossible apart from being truly Christ-centered. Paul's “faith working through love” in Galatians 5 is saving faith in Christ. So Paul calls the Corinthians to love, because that is the way of Jesus. And Jesus died to make that very thing possible. “We love because he first loved us.” May God bless you, and may he bless Way of Grace, with conviction in regard to love, and an even more fervent pursuit of love, and... growth in love for one another, to the glory of God.