BEHAVIOUR IN MEETINGS
Supremacy of charity
Chapter 13
In this chapter charity, or love in other versions, is the translation of a Greek word meaning deep affection or benevolence: it is the same word used in 1 John 4:6 with respect to God, and in this chapter we find a description of what it represents.
Charity is an essential virtue for the Christian. Without it, even if he spoke in all kinds of languages, he would only make a noise; even though he might prophesy, had all knowledge, and even all the faith, he would be nothing, and even if he gave his possessions to the poor and his body to be burned, it would profit nothing.
Charity is: patient, benign.
Charity is not: jealous, conceited, vain, rude, selfish, irritable, suspicious.
Charity does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices with the truth; it bears all things, believes all things, hopes for all things, endures all things.
Compared with other spiritual gifts, love never fails, while:
- Whether there are prophecies, they will fail.
- Whether there are different kinds of tongues, they will cease.
- Whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
These are spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit at the beginning of the church for evangelism, instruction of new converts and edification of believers. They were only partial, temporary, to disappear when that which is perfect (which means complete) arrived.
In the beginning God's revelations were dimly seen (as the reflection in a mirror of two thousand years ago) but later clearly (like face to face) where the disclosure is complete. Some think that this will only be fulfilled at the coming of the Lord Jesus, but the interpretation that best seems to fit the context is that perfection and complete revelation refers to the maturity of the church and to the full revelation of the Holy Spirit found in the New Testament, which admits no change (John 16:13, Revelation 22:18,19).
This also explains the disappearance in the first century of Christianity of those gifts directly linked to the revelations of God.
Of the three great Christian virtues, faith, hope and charity, charity is the greatest.
R David Jones
1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians chapter 13