The Culture of Hope Founded on Faith

Charity Applied

The New Testament talks a lot about love. In the series on 1 John I explored that topic a little bit. Simply put, in 1 John love of one another is shown to be a key outcome of our salvation. If we know God, we live love because of the love of God in us. Without God’s love in us, we would not love others as we ought and therefore we cannot prove that we are saved or that we have the Holy Spirit in us to teach us how to love. There is way more to 1 John than that, of course. But the first epistle to the Corinthians written by the apostle Paul also talks a lot about love in very specific terms.

1 Corinthians 13 is especially well-known as “The Love Chapter”. It follows twelve chapters that gradually move from exhortations about love-based individual behaviors into the promotion of charity in corporate conduct within the assemblies of believers. Chapter thirteen is then followed by specific church directives advocating peace and unity in worship that comes from the impact of the love described in chapter thirteen. The chapter is prefaced with Paul’s comment that we are to “covet the best gifts, and yet I show you a more excellent way” (1 Cor. 12:31). Here then is what the love that Jesus showed us in the first place, the more excellent way, looks like when applied to our own lives:

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burned and have not charity, it profits me nothing.

Charity suffers long and is kind; charity envies not; charity vaunts not itself, is not puffed up, does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, and thinks no evil. Charity rejoices not in iniquity but rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Charity never fails: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But when I became a man I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly but then face to face: now I know in part but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abides faith, hope, charity, these three. But the greatest of these is charity.”

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Update/Prayer Request: Dan continues to have breathing issues that have, once again, turned into a sinus infection. In July he went through three different antibiotics for this with the resultant allergic interactions that caused joint damage. He is still doing physical therapy for that. Now he has another antibiotic prescription. Please pray for tolerance of the new prescription, healing of his sinus infection, and continued healing of our collision injuries.