I. INTRODUCTION

A. The first century church at Corinth was plagued with strife and division. This even affected the way they used miraculous spiritual gifts.

1. In 1Corinthians 1:11, Paul wrote, "For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe's people, that there are quarrels among you." In 1Corinthians 3:2-3, he said, "I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?"

2. In chapters 12 and 14 of 1Corinthians, Paul wrote of spiritual gifts, telling these Christians that the gifts were to be used for the edification of one another

B. To guide the Corinthian Christians in the use of their spiritual gifts and all they did, Paul wrote to them of the more excellent way of love in 1Corinthians 13. Presently, let us consider the excellent way of love and how it should govern our lives today.

II. THE MORE EXCELLENT WAY

A. Love is the more excellent way because it gives meaning to all we do (1Cor. 13:1-3).

1. Paul speaks in the negative about the vanity of practicing the faith without love.

a. The most cherished spiritual gift among the Corinthian Christians apparently was speaking in tongues, but even this was as "a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal" without love. Indeed, no spiritual gift was of value to the gifted one without love.

b. Likewise, all prophecy, knowledge, and faith were of no value to their possessor unless he also had love. In 1Corinthians 8:1, Paul wrote, "Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies."

c. Even the greatest acts of sacrifice were unprofitable to the giver unless he had love.

2. In contrast, when genuine love is the motivation for our works of faith, they are invaluable.

a. Love is the necessary ingredient, for with it our deeds take on real, lasting meaning, and without it our deeds are merely selfish and unprofitable for us.

b. The element of love in God's plan transcends every era and dispensation. It gave meaning to the Old Testament in the greatest commandments (Matt. 22:37-40), and it is the defining trait of the gospel of Christ (John 3:16; 13:34-35).

B. Love is the more excellent way because of its characteristics (1Cor. 13:4-7).

1. Love is patient.

a. Patience is the willingness to wait and endure for something or someone. It is a truly selfless and faithful trait of love.

b. God Himself is immeasurably patient, for in His patience He delays His judgment to give all men the opportunity to come to repentance and be saved (2Pet. 3:9, 15).

2. Love is kind.

a. Kindness is mild and gentle benevolence and consideration. It is expressed through deeds of benevolence toward others (1John 3:17-18).

b. Christians have a mandate for kindness, for we are told to "be kind to one another, tender-hearted" (Eph. 4:32) and that the Lord's bond-servant must "be kind to all" (2Tim. 2:24).

3. Love is not jealous.

a. Jealousy and envy are closely related as bad feelings that are aroused by someone else's good fortune. Jealousy is a purely selfish trait that has no place in the heart of love.

b. Let us recall that it was for envy that the Jews delivered Jesus to Pilate (Mark 15:10). Accordingly, envy is one of the lowest characteristics of man.

4. Love does not brag and is not arrogant.

a. Love is a humble attitude rather than one of self-exaltation. A person who loves will not exalt himself or parade himself before others.

b. Arrogance is simply incompatible with love because the attitude of love seeks to lift up others rather than self. Arrogance can never proceed from love of others.

5. Love does not act unbecomingly.

a. The Greek word translated as "unbecomingly" literally means "not fitting the form" and indicates inappropriate behavior.

b. There are certain behaviors that are unfitting for one who has love, such as rudeness, discourtesy, impoliteness, etc.

6. Love does not seek its own.

a. One who loves others does not obsess with his own self-interest.

b. This attribute of love is invoked in the commandment of Philippians 2:3-4 -- "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others."

7. Love is not provoked.

a. One who has love shows a good temper and a calm disposition.

b. This trait of love is also found in 2Timothy 2:24, which says that "the Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome."

8. Love does not take into account a wrong suffered.

a. One who loves does not hold a grudge or keep a ledger of offenses against himself. Again, 2Timothy 2:24 gives us direction pertaining to love, for it says that the Lord's bond-servant is "patient when wronged."

b. This is the trait of love that causes forgiveness. In Ephesians 4:32, we are told to be "forgiving [of] each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you"

9. Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth.

a. One who loves finds no joy in unrighteousness. Even when others are made happy by unrighteous things, we cannot be happy for them because we love them and are saddened for the harm done to their souls.

b. Instead, love rejoices with the reception, acceptance, and compliance with the truth.

10. Love bears all things.

a. Burdens and hardships do not affect the trait of love. Love suffers through all.

b. If we abandon our loved ones in times of difficulty, then we do not truly love them.

11. Love believes all things.

a. This is not to say that love is gullible, but rather love is not distrustful or suspicious.

b. Especially pertaining to the things of God, love always believes.

12. Love hopes all things.

a. One who loves is optimistic and looks for improvement.

b. Love does not give up easily. It is ever hopeful of the good in others.

13. Love endures all things.

a. Love can survive anything. It will remain when trials have passed.

b. Love does not depend on circumstances, age, or time. It perseveres through all.

C. Love is the more excellent way because it never fails (1Cor. 13:8-12).

1. The unfailing quality of love is different than that of the spiritual gifts, for all of them have been done away.

a. Notice that "the perfect" in verse 10 refers to perfect or complete knowledge and prophecy. "The perfect" is a contrast to "the partial." This perfect knowledge and prophecy has now come and is recorded in the New Testament Scriptures.

b. Unlike the partial knowledge and prophecy of spiritual gifts, love will not be done away.

2. In this way, we see that love is a quality of God Himself, for He also never fails.

a. For this reason, the apostle John wrote, "The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love" (1John 4:8).

b. Notice that men fail, but love does not fail. As long as men stay in possession of love, they will not fail in the service of God.

III. CONCLUSION

A. Love is the greatest of the three abiding traits of Christians (1Cor. 13:13).

1. This is a significant statement, for faith and hope are part of the bedrock of our faith. They are not trivial matters by any means.

2. Even so, love exceeds both faith and hope, for faith and hope will both be realized and fulfilled when the Lord returns, but love will abide forever.

B. Therefore, let us "pursue love" (1Cor. 14:1), for it is the more excellent way.