"love" Tagged Sermons (Page 3)
The series opens with a survey of Paul’s dealings with the troubled Corinthian church and a short outline of the letter as a whole. Read in that context, the ‘love’ of 1 Corinthians 13 is not sappy sentimentalism but Christ himself.
John’s doctrine of love is distinct: Romans 5:5 locates its source in the Holy Spirit poured into the heart rather than in any natural human capacity for affection. That distinction cuts against a culture, Mr. Rogers included, that treats love as simply there for the choosing. Paul’s description in 1 Corinthians 13 is offered as the real alternative.
The Philippians are treated as a genuinely necessary part of Paul’s own work, more than merely supportive well-wishers, which shapes how his prayer for them in 1:3-8 actually functions. Paul connects love directly with wisdom and discernment, refusing to let love become sentimental. Christ’s own love for the church, read alongside Colossians 1, is what grounds both.
The architectural imagery of Psalm 46 and a fuller translation of ‘love never ends’ make the case: 1 Corinthians 13:8 marks the end of the charismatic gifts even as it declares that love alone endures forever. That permanence is no accident, since God himself is love.
The nine qualities of love in 1 Corinthians 13 get walked through, with love meant to be exercised, not admired as an abstract concept. Read rightly, this chapter is less a portrait of ideal human virtue than a portrait of Christ, one that extends even to mercy toward enemies.
Paul says love ‘does not act unbecomingly,’ a claim grounded not in mere manners but in the person of Christ. The law can command obedience, but it can never produce it. Only the gospel of Christ’s liberty frees us to truly love.