and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:2)
These are the most excellent things known to man; the most excellent privileges, and the most excellent performances. Yet, without love, they are nothing.–Charity and its fruits by Jonathan Edwards
I could boast about it;a but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:3)
Great things that these, no natural man ever had or did, and they are the kind of things in which men are exceedingly prone to trust; and yet the apostle declares that if we have them all, and have not charity, we are nothing.–Charity and its fruits by Jonathan Edwards
and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:2)
These are the most excellent things known to man; the most excellent privileges, and the most excellent performances. Yet, without love, they are nothing.–Charity and its fruits by
Jonathan Edwards
but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. (1 Corinthians 13:1)
There is no proof of ignorance more common than conceit of knowledge. Much may be known, when nothing is known to good purpose. And those who think they know any thing, and grow vain thereon, are the least likely to make good use of their knowledge
Matthew Henry Commentary
made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18)
The spirit through which they may fulfill all the divine acquirements
love is the fulfilling of the law (Romans 13:10)
How to become like their Father in heaven and fitted for his presence
God is love. (1 John 4:8)
Heaven
faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven (Colossians 1:5)
–Adapted from Introduction by Tyrone Edwards
to Charity and its fruits by Jonathan Edwards
Love is the best way of all
Keep on desiring the better gifts. And now I will show you the best way of all. (1 Corinthians 12:31)
12:27-31 Contempt, hatred, envy, and strife, are very unnatural in Christians. It is like the members of the same body being without concern for one another, or quarrelling with each other. The proud, contentious spirit that prevailed, as to spiritual gifts, was thus condemned. The offices and gifts, or favours, dispensed by the Holy Spirit, are noticed. Chief ministers; persons enabled to interpret Scripture; those who laboured in word and doctrine; those who had power to heal diseases; such as helped the sick and weak; such as disposed of the money given in charity by the church, and managed the affairs of the church; and such as could speak divers languages. What holds the last and lowest rank in this list, is the power to speak languages; how vain, if a man does so merely to amuse or to exalt himself! See the distribution of these gifts, not to every one alike, ver. 29,30. This were to make the church all one, as if the body were all ear, or all eye. The Spirit distributes to every one as he will. We must be content though we are lower and less than others. We must not despise others, if we have greater gifts. How blessed the Christian church, if all the members did their duty! Instead of coveting the highest stations, or the most splendid gifts, let us leave the appointment of his instruments to God, and those in whom he works by his providence. Remember, those will not be approved hereafter who seek the chief places, but those who are most faithful to the trust placed in them, and most diligent in their Master’s work.–Matthew Henry Commentary
Posted on May 11, 2017
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Christian Agape Love
The first outgoing of the renewed soul to God
We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)
The sure evidence of a saving work of grace in the soul
The fruit of the Spirit is love. (Galatians 5:22)
Welcome to part 6 of the Going By Faith series “Uncovering Going By Faith and Finding Faith.” For the previous confession, click “confessions of greed.”
If you feel like you’ve been living like a part-time Christian, living for God sometimes and turning away other times, take a moment to repent. You can do this by praying with the Bible verse below. Next, read the questions one by one — answer them truthfully. Confess it if you’ve been irresponsible toward God. Be honest — this is between you and Him.
Every “yes” answer means sin in your life. Name it, and let there be no excuse — admit it and ask forgiveness.
Below are three translations of 1 Corinthians 4:2. Reading all three can give us a special glimpse into the true meaning of being responsible with our saved life in God’s eyes.
“Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” (NIV)
“Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful.” (NLV)
“Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.” (ESV)
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Keeping faith in everyday Christian life helps us get through trials, but it also helps us to live, think and trust like Christ — keeping our hearts open to God to do His work in us, through us and around us. In other words, we become responsible and trustworthy stewards of our faith.
Heavenly Father, shine the light of your love into our hearts so that it can pour out to others. Help us walk with you full-time, in every area of this life you have given us to live. May our life show your glory.
Thank you Christ Life Ministries for granting permission to use your content (concept and confession questions).
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or languages, not such as were new made, and had never been heard and known before;
but foreign languages, such as they had never learned, or were able to speak, or understood before;
and this not only did the apostles on the day of pentecost, but even common believers at other times, ( Acts 2:4 Acts 2:6 Acts 2:11 ) ( Acts 10:45 Acts 10:46 ) ( 1 Corinthians 12:10 1 Corinthians 12:28 1 Corinthians 12:30 ) ( 1 Corinthians 14:13 1 Corinthians 14:18 1 Corinthians 14:26 1 Corinthians 14:27 ) .
Not all of them, but some; and not always, only for a time;
and which were necessary for the confirmation of the Gospel, and the establishment of Christianity in the world;
and not only believing hearers, but believing ministers of the word, are chiefly designed;
and this is said, for the encouragement both of those that preach the Gospel, and of them that hear, believe and obey.
The Persic version, contrary to all others, reads, “ye shall show signs and wonders to them that believe not”; see ( 1 Corinthians 14:22 ) .
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1 Now about food sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge [concerning this]. Knowledge [alone] makes [people self-righteously] arrogant, but love [that unselfishly seeks the best for others] builds up and encourages others to grow [in wisdom].
2 If anyone imagines that he knows and understands anything [of divine matters, without love], he has not yet known as he ought to know.
3 But if anyone loves God [with awe-filled reverence, obedience and gratitude], he is known by Him [as His very own and is greatly loved].
4 In this matter, then, of eating food offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world [it has no real existence], and that there is no God but one.
5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords,
6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, [a]who is the source of all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things [that have been created], and we [believers exist and have life and have been redeemed] through Him.
7 However, not all [believers] have this knowledge. But some, being accustomed [throughout their lives] to [thinking of] the idol until now [as real and living], still eat food [b]as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and because their conscience is weak, it is defiled (guilty, ashamed).
8 Now food will not commend us to God nor bring us close to Him; we are no worse off if we do not eat, nor are we better if we do eat.
9 Only be careful that this liberty of yours [this power to choose] does not somehow become a stumbling block [that is, a temptation to sin] to the weak [in conscience].
10 For if someone sees you, a person having [c]knowledge, [d]eating in an idol’s temple, then if he is weak, will he not be encouraged to eat things sacrificed to idols [and violate his own convictions]?
11 For through your knowledge (spiritual maturity) this weak man is ruined [that is, he suffers in his spiritual life], the brother for whom Christ died.
12 And when you sin against the brothers and sisters in this way and wound their weak conscience [by confusing them], you sin against Christ.
13 Therefore, if [my eating a certain] food causes my brother to stumble (sin), I will not eat [such] meat ever again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.
Footnotes:
👉 1 Corinthians 8:6 Lit from whom are all things.
👉 1 Corinthians 8:7 In Paul’s viewpoint, meat sold at the market place (even if it had been used in idol worship) was permissible food because a pagan sacrifice was meaningless, and the meat itself could not be contaminated by any such ritual (cf Mark 7:19). Some who had accepted Christ worried that they were violating their new faith if they ate any meat without knowing its origin first-hand.
👉 1 Corinthians 8:10 I.e. the knowledge that no harm can come from eating the meat, since in reality the sacrifice is meaningless (see note v 7).
👉 1 Corinthians 8:10 Lit reclining, i.e. the position in which people dined.
