Learning from the Corinthians (Part 24) 1 Corinthians 12:31 – 13:13

In this sermon, Pastor Sam emphasised that the essence of the gifts of the Spirit is to express love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul highlights a hierarchy among the gifts and introduces a superior approach: love. He explains that speaking in angelic tongues, wielding prophetic powers and insights, or showing extreme generosity, even to the point of martyrdom, is meaningless without love. Such acts, devoid of love, are mere noise, amount to nothing, and yield no reward. The true purpose of these gifts is to serve and love God’s people.

Love reflects the attitude that Christ has toward the church, seeking the good of others regardless of personal cost. This love originates from God, and apart from Him, it does not exist. Without God, man cannot love, for God is love. Just as God loved us without waiting for our actions, our love must be proactive. The gifts God grants us will be judged based on how we use them for the benefit of others, not for personal gain or selfish ambition.

Paul further describes love as patient, kind, trusting, hopeful, and enduring, while free from envy, boastfulness, arrogance, resentment, or delight in evil. In essence, love seeks the well-being of others, not their harm or pleasure.

God embodies love, and love is eternal. While other gifts will eventually lose their purpose, love will endure forever. The ultimate goal is to be with God, where love will remain supreme. Until then, the church should be a foretaste of heaven by loving one another as Christ loved us. Paul concludes that while faith, hope, and love endure, love is the greatest, as our faith and hope stem from God’s love for us.