Scripture Reading : 1 Corinthians 13
Theme : Love
This passage is the central chapter in Paul’s lengthy discussion of spiritual gifts, that is, the “more excellent way” in which God has planned for all of the gifts to operate.
- The importance of love (13:1-3). The health of spiritual living is not reflected in spiritual gifts, but in spiritual fruit, the first and chief of which is love (Gal 5:22). It is through the fruit of the Spirit that God gives the motivation and power to minister His gifts. Without the motivation of love, all the things that we do – be it prophecy (proclaiming God’s truth), knowledge, faith, benevolence or martyrdom – is counterproductive and is all nothing.
- The qualities of love (13:4-7). Love is active, not abstract or passive. Only when love acts, then it is fully love (1 John 3:18). Here, Paul focuses on what love does and does not in order to help us understand how to apply it in our lives. This beautiful portrait of love is a portrait of Jesus Christ, who has lived out in perfection all of these virtues of love.
- The permanence of love (13:8-13). In contrast to spiritual gifts which are temporary, partial and elementary, love is permanent. It cannot fail because it shares God’s nature and eternity. Gifts, ministries, faith, hope, patience, all one day will cease to exist because they will cease to have purpose or meaning. But in that perfect day when we see our Lord “face to face”, love will just be a beginning for us.
Praying the Scripture
- In contrast to the world’s definition of love as “romantic feeling” or “attraction”, true love (agape) is above all sacrificial. It sacrifices self for the sake of others, even for others who may care nothing at all for us and who may even hate us. It is not a feeling, but a determined act of will, which always results in determined acts of self-giving. This supreme measure and example of agape love is God’s love, “for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). Love is so much an absolute of the Christian life that Jesus commanded His disciples to love one another (John 13:34) as the supreme mark of discipleship to Him. We do not have to manufacture love, we only have to share the love we have been given “because the love of God has been poured our within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Rom 5:5). Let’s pray that we will be determined to do everything in love as prescribed in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
- Paul strengthens his emphasis on the supreme nature of love by comparing love’s permanence to the impermanence of three spiritual gifts: prophecy, tongues and knowledge. Though we are told here that all three gifts would someday cease to exist, two different verbs are used to indicate their cessation. For the gifts of prophecy and knowledge, they will be made inoperative (“pass away”) by something outside themselves one day. But the gifts of tongues will stop (“cease”) by itself like a battery with limited lifespan. Let’s pray that we will seek love as the greatest gift by practicing and living love now in our temporal life.
经文：哥林多前书13
主题：爱
这篇经文是保罗对属灵恩赐的冗长论述中的核心篇章。这就是神策划所有恩赐当行的“最妙的道”。
- 爱的重要性（13:1-3）。属灵生活的健全是反映在圣灵所结的果子，而不是属灵恩赐上；居首的就是爱（加5:22）。神是藉着圣灵所结的果子给予施行祂恩赐的动力和能力的。若无爱的激励，我们所做的一切，不论是预言（宣扬神的真理）、知识、信心、恩慈或殉道，都是无用的，也一无是处。
- 爱的特质（13:4-7）。爱是积极的，不是抽象或被动的。唯有当爱心运行时，那才是真正的爱（约一3:18）。这里，保罗着重于爱的所行与所不行，好助我们理解爱在实际生活中的运用。这对爱的美丽画像既是对耶稣基督的勾画，因为祂完美地活出了一切爱的品德。
- 爱的永恒性（13:8-13）。与暂时性、有限，及属小学的属灵恩赐相比，爱是永恒的。它永不止息，因为它共享了神的性情与永恒。恩赐、事工、信心、盼望及耐心都将有一日停止，因为它将不再有意义了。但在那完全的日子，当我们与主“面对面”时，爱对我们而言仅是个开始。
用经文祷告
- 与世界对爱的定义相比，如“浪漫情感”或“吸引”等，真实之爱（agape）的特质是舍己。它愿为别人的缘故，甚至是不在乎或恨自己的人，舍了自己。它不是一种感觉，而是一个意志，所以其结果终究是定意要付出的行为。Agape之爱的最高程度与例子就是神的爱，因为“神爱世人，甚至将他的独生子赐给他们”（约3:16）。爱是基督徒生命中一个如此必要的特质，叫耶稣命令祂的门徒要彼此相爱（约13:34），以作耶稣基督门徒的最高标志。我们不需要制造爱，只需要分享我们已领受的爱，“因为所赐给我们的圣灵将神的爱浇灌在我们心里”（罗5:5）。让我们祷告我们会定意凡事都在爱中而行，如哥林多前书13:4-7所指明的。
- 保罗藉着对爱的永恒性与三个属灵恩赐的暂时性（先知讲道、方言及知识）作对比，强调了爱的最高品质。虽然我们从这里能晓得那三个恩赐终究会止息，但所用的两个动词说明它们已经止息了。先知讲道与知识的恩赐将有朝一日因外在的因素不复存在（“归于无有”），而说方言的恩赐会像有限使用期的电池一样自动“停止”。让我们祷告我们会寻求爱作最大的恩赐，在我们暂存的生命里将爱实践与活出。
