Gifts Minus Love Equal Zero

“If I…do not have love, I am nothing” (1 Cor. 13:2). Among the New Testament apostles no one wrote more about love or provided more practical, leadership examples of love than Paul. Through the life-time ministry and letters of Paul, God has given His Church, and all its leaders and teachers, a model of loving church leadership. It is universally agreed that Paul is the greatest pioneer missionary, greatest scholar, apologist, leader, teacher, evangelist, prayer warrior, servant, and hero of the faith. “The greatest man after Christ.”[i] Yet Paul knew that all his brilliance, multi-giftedness, and dedication meant nothing if not bathed fully in the Christlike spirit of love, the new commandment. To drive home this point with unforgettable rhetorical force, Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 13, one of his most memorable, oft-quoted passages of Scripture. The More Excellent Way of Love Disruption arose in the church in the city of Corinth over spiritual gifts. To correct the church’s misguided views of spiritual gifts and its overall self-destructive way of thinking and behaving, Paul presents a “more excellent way” (1 Cor. 12:31). The Greek word “way” is literally the word for “road” or “journey,” but here it is used figuratively of a way of thinking and behaving, of practical conduct, “an entire ‘way’ of life, an overarching, all-embracing style of life that utterly transcends in importance the claims of this or that charisma.”[ii] Gordon Fee writes, “The way they are going is basically destructive to the church as a community; the way they are being called to is one that seeks the good of others before oneself. It is the way of edifying the church (14:1-5), of seeking the common good (12:7).”[iii] Paul wants the Corinthian believers to know that there is something far more important than spiritual gifts, something that transcends gifts, something that if absent will render all gifts harmful, and that something is love. Love is not a spiritual gift, but the proper disposition and power in which gifts are to be exercised. It is the first-fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22). To silence any doubt that love is the “more excellent way” and to jolt the Corinthians’ wrong-headed thinking about spiritual gifts and themselves, Paul uses in verses 1 to 3 all his rhetorical skills to communicate with eloquence and force that love is the “more excellent way.” Or as one commentator puts it,“a royal road.”[iv] Here is a true master teacher and writer at work. “It is one of Paul’s finest moments.”[v] The Most Extraordinary Gift of Ecstatic Speech Minus Love—A Loud, Annoying, Empty Sound “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Cor. 13:1). The Corinthians’ enthusiasm over tongues-speaking caused pride, division, and disorder in the congregational meetings. The original purpose of spiritual gifts was to build others up and unite the church; instead, the Corinthians’ use of spiritual gifts resulted in inflating their own egos, discrimination, and tearing the church apart. So to make his point heard, Paul pictures himself hypothetically as “the world’s most gifted tongues-speaker,”[vi] being able to speak eloquently in “the tongues of men and of angels.” But then he adds, even if I had such heavenly giftedness and exalted experience, if I am not acting in love (as described in verses 4-7), “I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal,” that is, a loud, annoying, empty noise. Paul isn’t merely saying that his tongue’s speaking is a clamorous noise, but that he himself is a hollow, annoying sound. He is not what he should be. He is seriously deficient in his Christian life. He is not living according to the “more excellent way.” When expounding this passage, I like to use the following illustration. I first explain the passage. I then pull out from behind the pulpit a steel pot and a hammer and begin to beat hard on the pot while I am still explaining spiritual gifts and the need for love. At first, the people laugh. They think it’s a marvelous illustration. But I keep it up. While I am continually banging on the pot, I keep talking about spiritual gifts. By now, however, people aren’t laughing or smiling anymore; they’ve had enough; they’re annoyed; they’re getting more agitated by the moment, but I keep banging. When I think they can’t take it anymore, and I am about to be despised forever for my illustration, I stop and ask them, “Are you annoyed?” “Are you enjoying this?” “Does it please you?” “Do you find it edifying?” “Would you like me to continue this for the remainder of the message?” No one wants me to continue speaking and banging on the pot. Finally, I remind them, that’s this is what they are like to others and God if they use their gifts apart from love. They are “a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” The Most Extraordinary Gift of Prophecy Minus Love—A Spiritual Zero “If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge…but do not have love, I am nothing” (1 Cor. 13:2). Paul further speaks of himself as possessing the gift of prophecy in such full measure that he knows “all” mysteries and “all” knowledge. Such a person would have all the theological answers to all the mysteries we have always craved to understand. Such a person would be a spiritual Einstein of Bible knowledge, a walking, talking encyclopedia of Bible doctrine, a theological giant. But again Paul says, if he had such all-encompassing knowledge, but apart from love, he would be “nothing.” That’s right. Paul says he himself would be a spiritual zero. The love that Paul is speaking about is primarily in this context love for fellow believers, neighbor love. But love for God cannot be excluded because love for neighbor and love for God are tied together in Christian thinking. So Paul says a loveless prophet or a loveless teacher is nearly worthless to the proper education of God’s people. Knowledge without love can destroy people as witnessed in the assembly at Corinth (1 Cor. 8). History shows as John Short so lucidly writes, that, Loveless faith and loveless prophecy account for some of the more tragic pages in the Christian story through the ages. It has burned so-called heretics, it has stultified the sincere quest for truth, it has often been contentious and embittered; and it has often issued in the denial of Christian brotherhood to fellow believers.[vii] A loveless prophet or loveless teacher is not living according to the “more excellent way.” George Sweeting, former president of Moody Bible Institute, makes this insightful observation: “I have been keenly disappointed to find people more concerned about hidden mysteries than about needy people…Too often Christians are concerned about hidden truth, but indifferent about loving difficult people.”[viii] The Most Extraordinary Gift of Faith Minus Love—A Spiritual Zero “And if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing” (1 Cor. 13:2b). The third spiritual gift presented is faith (1 Cor. 12:9). Paul imagines himself as possessing the most excellent gift of faith imaginable, “so as to remove mountains.” Like Abraham, such a person would be able to believe God for the impossible and to actively trust Him to do miraculous works. This person would be a powerhouse of prayer, a spiritual risk taker, a virtual George Muller,[ix] thus greatly admired by all and sought by all. Such a person would be a courageous David racing out in battle to kill the Philistine giant Goliath (1 Sam. 17:32). Yet, again Paul says, if I had such a powerful gift but “do not have love, I am nothing.” Paul means what he says, “I AM NOTHING.” I’m not a spiritual powerhouse; I’m a spiritual zero; I am spiritually fruitless. I’m on the wrong path of the Christian life; I’m not walking on the royal road of love, the “more excellent way.” The Most Extraordinary Display of Philanthropy Minus Love—Spiritual Bankruptcy “And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor…but do not have love, it profits me nothing” (1 Cor. 13:3). Paul postulates giving away all his worldly possessions to feed the poor (Rom. 12:8), his home, property, furniture, savings, and most cherished possessions. He gives it all. He reduces himself to poverty to help others. Surely this is the ultimate in altruistic action and total self-sacrifice. Wouldn’t such giving be by definition love? Here’s a highly instructive point to grasp: The most extraordinary, self-sacrificing action can be done without love. This fact is illustrated in the Book of Acts by the account of Ananias and Sapphira. This couple sold their property and gave money to the apostles for them to distribute to the poor (Acts 5:1-11). They gave and they sacrificed for the poor. However, they gave without love or integrity. They weren’t really concerned about the needs of the poor, but about themselves. They didn’t love God or neighbor. Like the trumpet-blowing Pharisees whom Jesus condemned in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6:1-5), Ananias and Sapphira gave in order to enhance their personal prestige in the church and to receive the praise of men. Their love was hypocritical love, phony love (Rom. 12:9). In fact, they didn’t have love. They gave to the poor, but without the motivating power of love, so their giving profited them nothing. They were both spiritually bankrupt although they gave to the poor. God thus rejected their giving. So Paul concludes that if he gave all he owned to the poor apart from love, it would be unproductive, useless, worthless, and of no eternal profit to himself. Even after such sacrifice he would be left a spiritual bankrupt man. He would not be living according to the “more excellent way.” The Most Extraordinary Display of Self-sacrifice Minus Love—Spiritual Bankruptcy “And if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing” (1 Cor. 13:3b). Finally, Paul envisions himself as the ultimate hero of the faith. He surrenders his body to the painful flames of martyrdom for Christ. He gives his life, the supreme sacrifice. However, even the total offering up of his life without love amounts to nothing in God’s eyes. It is a worthless sacrifice, an empty religious show, a hollow performance. He would not be living according to the “more excellent way.” This is how absolutely indispensable love is. Without love for neighbor and love for God our highest achievements and services are useless. Writes one commentator, “it is clear that nothing has any value for him unless it arises from love.”[x] Jonathan Edwards summarizes God’s perspective on love and self-sacrifice this way: [God] delights in little things when they spring from sincere love to himself. A cup of cold water given to a disciple in sincere love, is worth more in God’s sight than all one’s goods given to feed the poor, yea, than the wealth of a kingdom given away, or a body offered up in the flames, without love.”[xi] Divine Mathematics. D. A. Carson summarizes Paul’s presentation of these five extraordinary gifts and sacrifices by reminding us that “divine mathematics,’ works on this basis, “five minus one equals zero.”[xii] Or as George Sweeting concludes, “gifts, minus love, equals zero.”[xiii] For a moment use your sanctified imagination and think of what the Corinthians must have thought when they first heard these words read in public. They probably couldn’t believe their ears. It was contrary to their way of thinking and behaving. They were deficient in love and they didn’t even know it. Their pride of wisdom and extraordinary gifts had deceived them. At the heart of all their relational problems was out right disobedience to the new commandment—to love one another as Christ loved. Like the Corinthians we need an awakening to the indispensable nature of love to the discharge of our spiritual gifts and of all our service to others. Without love we are “a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” To help drive home the point that love is indispensable to gifted leaders and teachers, I have paraphrased verses 1 to 3 in modern leadership language: If I were the most gifted communicator to ever preach, so that millions of people were moved by my oratory, but didn’t have love, I would be an annoying, empty wind-bag before God and people. If I had the most charismatic personality, so that everyone was drawn to me like a powerful magnet, but didn’t have Christlike love, I would be a phony, a dud. If I were the greatest visionary leader the church has ever heard, but didn’t have love, I would be misguided and lost. If I were the best selling author on theology and church growth, but didn’t have love, I would be an empty headed failure. If I sacrificially gave all my waking hours to disciplining future leaders, but didn’t have love, I am a false guide and model. So, “Let all you do be done in love” (1 Cor. 16:14). [i] Clarence E. Macartney, Paul the Man (Westwood: Revell, 1961), 9. [ii] D.A. Carson, Showing the Spirit: A Theological Exposition of 1Corinthians 12-14 (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1987), 56, 57. [iii] Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, NICNT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), 625. [iv] Jean Hering, The First Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (London: Epworth, 1962), 134. [v] Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, 625. [vi] Gregory J. Lockwood, 1 Corinthians, Concordia Commentary (Saint Louis: Concordia, 2000), 458. [vii]John Short, “ ??,“ in The Interpreter’s Bible, ed. George A. Buttrick (New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury, 1951-57), 10:170. [viii] George Sweeting, Love is the Greatest: The Power of Christian Love, 40. [ix] George Muller founder and directed of the Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol, England. 122,683 orphans pass through his orphanage. [x] Ceslaus Spicq, Agape in the New Testament (St. Louis: B. Herder, 1965), 2:178. [xi] Edwards, Charity and Its Fruits, 61, 62. [xii] Carson, Showing the Spirit, 60. [xiii] Sweeting, Love is the Greatest,117.