The Priority of Love Over Spiritual Gifts
12:31b to 13:13
It was Jonathan Swift, the satirical author of Gulliver’s Travels, who said, “We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.” Spiritual gifts, no matter how exciting and wonderful, are useless and even destructive if they are not ministered in love.391 The Corinthian believers were not displaying love toward one another. Quite the contrary. They were busily trying to outdo each other by elevating some spiritual gifts above others, and some positions of power above others, by seeking places on the platform to the exclusion of others. No wonder Paul chided them a bit when he suggested that when an unbeliever visited their church won’t he say you’re crazy (14:23)? Therefore, Paul pointed a finger in their faces and essentially told them that without love it didn’t matter what spiritual gifts the Ruach Ha’Kodesh distributed in their church. They meant nothing without love.392
Leave A Comment