Pastors Leslie & Adeline Chua

The Corinthian church is an interesting church, both in a good and bad way. This church is an enigma. Many people see the Corinthian church in that way.

Why?

As far as we know from the New Testament writings, it is the only church that moved mightily in the power of the Holy Spirit. The demonstration of the Spirit’s power through the exercise of spiritual gifts is obvious.

From the first 3 verses of 1 Corinthians chapter 13, we also get the sense that the church was full of life and meaningful activities. It was vibrant in its expression of the Christian faith and ministry.

The Corinthians believers spoke in tongues and prophesied powerfully. They had a good knowledge of the Scripture and they also understood mysteries in the Word. In other words, they were critical thinkers with a supernatural worldview.

The Corinthians were also pragmatic in their Christian faith. They were doers, not mere talkers. They put what they believed into action.

They had faith that could move mountains. No one has mountain-moving faith without really believing that God can do the impossible. It is not just a matter of whether God can, but He also will.

They give generously. They were lavish, giving their all. Paul again attested to the Corinthians’ generosity in his second letter to them (2 Corinthians 8-9). Generosity is a good barometer of our faith.

They served sacrificially. Besides in the area of money, the Corinthians also gave their lives and everything willingly in the service of God and His Kingdom. They counted the costs, and they were willing to pay the price.

You probably have not heard many good things said of the Corinthian church. But that is what Paul said (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

From all that has been described, this is an exemplary church.


The Corinthian Enigma

Herein lies the enigma.

The Corinthians possessed all these remarkable qualities of faith and discipleship. But Paul told them that they lacked love.

Three times in these first three verses of chapter 13, Paul was essentially saying, “So what you have all these excellent Christian traits and qualities if you do not have love?”

The context of Paul’s words, rebuke if you like, is found in the first eleven chapters of the letter. Throughout these chapters, Paul was dealing with problems in the Corinthian church.

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How could a church that was so anointed, committed to the Lord, sacrificial in service, strong in faith, and powerful in works be so divisive, carnal, immoral, proud, disorderly, and irreverent?
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The Corinthian church was mired in all sorts of controversy – divisions, sexual immorality, lawsuits, compromise, spiritual pride, insistence of rights, irreverence toward God, and disorderly conduct during worship and meetings.

How could a church that was so anointed, committed to the Lord, sacrificial in service, strong in faith, and powerful in works be so divisive, carnal, immoral, proud, disorderly, and irreverent?

Someone looking from the outside into the Corinthian church would likely label these believers as hypocritical.

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Paul put his finger on the underlying problem.
The Corinthians lacked love. They did not have love for one another. That was the root of the problem in the Corinthian church.
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What happened in the Corinthian church is paradoxical. It begs the question: how do we explain the Corinthian believers’ paradoxical behaviour?

Paul was not just a brilliant theologian. He worked the ground. So, he understood the human dynamics behind the paradox. Paul put his finger on the underlying problem. The Corinthians lacked love. They did not have love for one another. That was the root of the problems in the Corinthian church.

After telling the Corinthians they “have not love,” Paul proceeded to defined love, the kind of love he expected Christians to possess.

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Love, as Paul defines it, puts us on the back foot. It necessitates us to give up our rights and suffer loss. It forces us to swallow our pride and not to insist on our ways. It delivers us from bitterness and irritableness. Ultimately, it makes us more Christlike.
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“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

Christians must have such a kind of love for one another.

Love, as Paul defines it, puts us on the back foot. It necessitates us to give up our rights and suffer loss. It forces us to swallow our pride and not to insist on our ways. It delivers us from bitterness and irritableness. Ultimately, it makes us more Christlike.


Thinking Deeper about Love

Loving in this way do not always bring us much benefit and for sure, no pleasure. But it pleases our Lord. It endears us to Him. God who sees our deeds will reward us.

You do not find many commandments in the New Testament Scripture. But here is one that Jesus gave: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Matthew 19:19).

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The panacea for the Corinthian problem is love.
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Here is another commandment: “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven…” (Matthew 5:44-45).

It is our duty to obey God’s commandments. But will we obey?

The panacea for the Corinthian problem is love. It is the magic pill that would resolve many of their issues. But you know from experience that it is a difficult pill to swallow. Not because it is bitter, but because there is too much to give up. Our pride and rights often stand in the way.

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There is so much talk about love in a typical church. But sadly, it is hardly practised. Most people are just noisy gongs and clanging cymbals.
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There is a deeper issue when we do not love our neighbours. John, the apostle whom Jesus loved, put it this way: If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:20-21).

John is a straight-talker. He cut through the chase. If you cannot bring yourself to love your brother or sister, there is a big issue in your life, which is, you do not love God. Period.

There is so much talk about love in a typical church. But sadly, it is hardly practised. Most people are just noisy gongs and clanging cymbals.


Loss in Rewards

Many believers do not realise that there is much to lose if you fail to love people. You may regret it for all eternity.

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Even if you are so anointed, so knowledgeable in the Word, so full of mountain-moving faith, so steadfast in your commitment, and so sacrificial in your service, you are nothing without love!
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Do you know why Paul said what he said in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3?

Even if you are so anointed, so knowledgeable in the Word, so full of mountain-moving faith, so steadfast in your commitment, and so sacrificial in your service, you are nothing without love!

According to Paul, it is useless. It means nothing in the Kingdom of God. Without love, all your excellent qualities and good works have no value in the economy of God.

Why is that so?

Earlier in the chapter, in dealing with the issues of sectarianism and division in the church, Paul gave the Corinthians an insight into how God would reward believers for their good works and faithful service (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).

Paul warned the Corinthians, “Let each one take care how he builds…” He went on to tell them to be careful regarding the materials they used to build the Kingdom of God.

For example, a person might build an impressive ministry. Many people were saved, or many people were healed through the ministry. He enjoyed great success because of God’s strong anointing on him.

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Don’t be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. Love people. Wear love in your heart. Wear love in your service and in everything you do. Wear it at home and everywhere you go.
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However, in the course of the successful ministry, he mistreated his co-workers. he took advantage of people. He cared more about his own reputation than the welfare of his co-labourers. He leveraged his position to extract benefits from his followers. Basically, he had no love for people.

According to Paul, the efforts of such a person will be considered of no value because he had used materials that are worthless in God’s eyes for his works. Despite his good works, he “will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved.”

Don’t be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. Love people. Wear love in your heart. Wear love in your service and in everything you do. Wear it at home and everywhere you go.