THE MOST EXCELLENT WAY A study of I Corinthians 13 (with grateful acknowledgment of Jonathan Edwards‘ classic work, Charity and Its Fruits) J. Render Caines INTRODUCTION ―It is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved‖ (Romans 10:10). In response to such Biblical teachings, many Christians have publicly confessed their sins and professed their acceptance of Jesus‘ death as the payment for their transgressions. As the pastor of a church I have had the privilege of hearing the testimonies of many people, especially those joining our congregation. With their mouths they profess to believe the Gospel, and with their lips they own Jesus as Savior and Lord. I have spoken such words. I have professed such faith. But how do I know the commitment of my heart corresponds with the profession of my mouth? Can I offer any proof to validate my claim that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Lord? Jesus said those who have embraced Him as Savior and Lord are known by their love (John 13:35). Scripture teaches if we love Him we will keep His commandments (John 14:15). When asked to name the greatest commandment, Jesus quoted the Old Testament: ―Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, and mind;‖ and ―love your neighbor as yourself‖ (Matthew 22:37-39). It might appear that Jesus could not make up His mind and therefore answered the question by suggesting two possibilities. ―What is the greatest commandment? It‘s either to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, or to love your neighbor as yourself. I‘m not sure. Pick one.‖ But, in truth He gave one answer to the question. These two commandments cannot be separated. If we love God with all our heart, soul and mind, we will love our neighbor as ourselves. If our confession of faith in Him is valid, we will love Him, and our love for Him will be seen in our desire and effort to keep His commandments. Our love for Him, as well as our desire and effort to keep His commandments, will be seen in our love for others for He has commanded us to ―love one another.‖ Our love for others shows our desire to keep His commandments. Our desire to keep His commandments shows our love for God. Our love for God helps assure us of our salvation. Jesus set this pattern before us in Scripture. Our love for God and others validates the confession of our lips. i Introduction The focus of this book is love — love for God and one another. Because our love for God is demonstrated by our love for others and validates our claim to have exercised faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, the subject of love should be of great interest to us, and the first thing we need to do is define the term. What is ―love‖? The answer to that question is far from obvious. The biblical understanding of love differs radically from that of our culture. Much of what the world calls love God would label ―lust.‖ Most often, when the world uses the word love, it is speaking of positive feelings about those who please us and provide us with pleasure. When they no longer please or pleasure us, we ―fall out of love.‖ Several years ago on television, a famous sit-com couple exchanged wedding vows, but instead of vowing to remain together ―as long as we both shall live,‖ they vowed to remain husband and wife ―as long as love shall last.‖ Such ―love‖ has nothing to do with biblical love. What is the biblical idea of love? How can we know if our ideas about love correspond with God‘s? With a profound sense of our dependence upon the Lord we will examine 1 Corinthians 13 for answers. We will also frequently take note of Jonathan Edwards‘ comments on 1 Corinthians 13 in his book, Charity and Its Fruits. Jonathan Edwards was a preacher/theologian from New England who was used by God in the early and middle 1700s to profoundly impact the American colonies with the truth of the Gospel. Of his many writings, Charity and Its Fruits is my favorite. His book has profoundly challenged, encouraged, and by God‘s grace, shaped my understanding of 1 Corinthians 13. I hope, by God‘s grace, it has also positively impacted my relationship with God and others. In the opening words of his book, Edwards writes, ―In [1 Corinthians 13] we observe . that something is spoken of as of special importance, and as peculiarly essential in Christians, which the apostle calls CHARITY [love]. And this charity, we find, is abundantly insisted on in the New Testament by Christ and his apostles — more insisted on, indeed, than any other virtue.‖ To lay our burdens down, to be refreshed by the river of God‘s grace, we must embrace Jesus as Savior and Lord. If we have embraced Him as Savior and Lord, we will be eager to keep His commandments. If we are eager to keep His commandments, we will be vitally interested in ii Introduction understanding the biblical concept of love, for Christ commands us to love one another, and Scripture teaches that our love for others evidences our love for Him. Knowing we love Him, provides us with great assurance concerning the genuineness of our professed faith in Him as Savior and Lord. May God grant us clear minds and tender hearts as we carefully examine this most excellent way. iii - Chapter One - LOVE’S GLORIOUS IMPACT ―You are the light of the world. A City on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.‖ Matthew 5.14-16) The darkness is terrible. It was an all too familiar story. In his late teens and early twenties, he willfully and repeatedly chose to live immorally. He wanted to speak with me because the circumstances of his life were terribly dark. His second marriage was failing. He was angry with his wife, with his boss, with the church, and with me. He thought I ought to know about the things he had done in his late teens and early twenties. He had asked forgiveness for what he called his ―sins.‖ But he also wanted me to know that he didn‘t really believe what he done was really all that bad. He told me that for several years he had been involved with a girl much younger than himself. He knew they could never marry because her family didn‘t like him. But they managed to find ways to be alone. As we talked it became obvious that he remembered fondly their times together. He told me, repeatedly, how much he missed the excitement and passion of those days. He was angry because of lost pleasures. Angry with people who found him a less-than-desirable match for their daughter. Angry with a wife who didn‘t meet his needs. Angry with people like me who dared to suggest that his previous affair was displeasing to the Lord, that his ―confession‖ of sin was less than genuine, and that his present life was shrouded in darkness because he had never experienced the godly sorrow Paul writes of 2 Corinthians 7 – godly sorrow that brings repentance, leads to salvation, and leaves no 1 Love‘s Glorious Impact regret. He was not indignant or alarmed. And he certainly had no longing to be freed from the memories in which he so delighted. Darkness had permeated and enshrouded his life. He loved the darkness, embraced it, and was unable to call evil, evil. Eventually, he left his wife, left the church. The last time I saw him he had married for a third time and wanted me to know his relationship with the Lord was back on firm ground. I hope so. I never saw him again. It‘s an all too familiar story. The world is a dark place. Paul teaches in Romans 6.20 that we are born slaves of darkness. That is, we are enslaved by wicked passion and evil desires. We know these things are true. Paul tells us in Titus 3.3 that as sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, we are ―foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures . filled with malice and envy, hating and being hated‖ (Titus 3.3). When did you last encounter an angry driver, or witness an angry shopper, or watch an angry parent, or hear an angry child? How long has it been since you were that angry driver, angry shopper, angry parent, or angry child? Instinctively, we are selfish, self-centered, self-absorbed. Which is the reason for all the hatred and malice that are so much a part of our daily experience. James minces no words when he writes: ―What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don‘t they come from those desires that battle within you? You kill, and you covet, but you cannot have what you want. And therefore, you quarrel and you fight‖ (James 4:1-2). It‘s an all too familiar story. Adam and Eve desired the forbidden fruit, and so they ate with little or no concern for Who God was or for what God had said.