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Q4. Love Never Fails


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  • 3 months later...

Gifts of the Spirit are given for a specific purpose – to edify the Body of Christ and to build the kingdom of God through spreading the Gospel.  Once that mission has been completed and the Church has been received by Christ as His Bride, the need for those spiritual empowerments will be over.  Faith and hope will no longer be necessary, as believers will fully realize and receive all that has been promised to us and all that we have had confident expectations of.

 

Love, however is completely different and unique, because love is not a thing to be had, it is a Person who endures for eternity! (1John 4:8, 16)  As we are spiritually made in the image of Christ, it is an innate quality, not an endowment or action to take.

 

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Q4. (1 Corinthians 13:8b-13) Why is it important to Paul’s argument to contend that even the greatest spiritual gifts will become obsolete? 


 

It appears that Paul's argument is that the Corinthians use of tongues was over done. They were speaking in tongues in order to edify themselves and to get a 'kick' out of the experience. They were not using the gift for the good of the community. Paul wants to restrain the group in their use of tongues. He does not want them to stop using the gift but he wants the gift used with restraint. It is similar to the situation of women's hair and women's conduct in church- Paul does not say that these are wrong just that it is uncustomary and he does not want to make his group the talk of the town.  Christ is all about love. God is love. (1 John 4.16) Paul feels that their use of tongues effecting others in a negative fashion so he wants the Corinthians to use their gifts with  love. A church body is all about love- the  love for each other and love for God. If we love our neighbours as ourselves than we will not use spiritual to our own advantage and to others disadvantage.

 

Why does he stress the permanence of love? 

 

The permanence of love is stressed because that is all their is  for us- love is all important to our well being. Paul has experienced the love of the living God through love and he wants his readers to experience the same. All else fades away.Paul writes "where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part,  but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears     And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. "                               

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Q4. (1 Corinthians 13:8b-13) Why is it important to Paul’s argument to contend that even the greatest spiritual gifts will become obsolete? 


 

It appears that Paul's argument is that the Corinthians use of tongues was over done. They were speaking in tongues in order to edify themselves and to get a 'kick' out of the experience. They were not using the gift for the good of the community. Paul wants to restrain the group in their use of tongues. He does not want them to stop using the gift but he wants the gift used with restraint. It is similar to the situation of women's hair and women's conduct in church- Paul does not say that these are wrong just that it is uncustomary and he does not want to make his group the talk of the town.  Christ is all about love. God is love. (1 John 4.16) Paul feels that their use of tongues effecting others in a negative fashion so he wants the Corinthians to use their gifts with  love. A church body is all about love- the  love for each other and love for God. If we love our neighbours as ourselves than we will not use spiritual to our own advantage and to others disadvantage.

 

Why does he stress the permanence of love? 

 

The permanence of love is stressed because that is all their is  for us- love is all important to our well being. Paul has experienced the love of the living God through love and he wants his readers to experience the same. All else fades away.Paul writes "where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part,  but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears     And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. "                               

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Why is it important to Paul's argument to contend that even the greatest spiritual gifts will become obsolete?

In Paul's conclusion of this chapter, he does not mention any spiritual gift, rather the fruit of the Spirit that is to be manifested in our daily lives.

 

Why does he stress the permanence of love?

Love becomes a unique part of our soul when we accept Jesus as our Lord and it modifies every thought and intent of our heart.  Love is to be spread out over every action as well as each communication.  Love is cemented in.  It glues our spiritual house together.  Love overcomes all obstacles.. 

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Paul wanted the Corinthians to understand that the gifts they received were temporal but that love was eternal. They were misusing their gifts and thinking of them more highly than they should have. The focus was on the gift, not on the Holy Spirit. The gift was to be exercised out of love and for the good of the church not for prestige or popularity. The same thing happens today. People revere gifts and look for selfish fulfillment in using them. I also think ministry can be born in this way. People choose "popular" ministries or those ministries that are honored more and do them for selfish reasons. Love is absent and that is tragic.

 

Paul stresses the permanence of love because in the future gifts will cease but love will remain. Love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and when we have the fruit of the Holy Spirit, everything we do comes through the Spirit of God. This makes our motives pure and right and holy.

God is love. It is only through Him we can serve whole heartedly and for His true purposes. Love shows God's true presence within us. Without love, everything is just noise, clashing, shallow and oh so human. 1 John 1 tells us that anyone who does not love remains in death. (vs.14) That is a pretty strong statement on love. That equates love to life!

 

But these three things remain: Faith, hope and love....but the greatest of these is love.

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"People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care" is the simple contemporary axiom that comes to mind. The lesson discourse points toward a problem then which remains a problem today. The infatuation with the ability to speak a word of life or to be a spiritual wonder fascinates the church.

However, the church can appear callous to the needs and trials that plague the lost. A spiritual experience of a visitor or candidate for salvation is only add strong ad the interest shown in the circumstance of the follower.

A pastor friend of mine was lamenting that his membership had sharply declined abd He wasn't sure why. I wanted to tell him. It may be because, while you're excited about all the events (worship services) you have on your church calendar, two of your deacons have lost their jobs, subsequently had automobiles repossessed abd have had to move in with family members. When things were well for them, they were the center of activity in the church. When difficulty hit, they were displaced and others embraced. The church has made little effort to support, job referral, compassion basket etc.

They speak of the fine preaching and the fellowship. But they feel left in an island of distress while the church chases its organizational agenda.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels but demonstrate no love, I'm as a sounding brass and tinkling cymbal.

Love is what impacts lives and love is what sustains families through the most difficult of times.

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Q4. (1 Corinthians 13:8b-13) Why is it important to Paul’s argument to contend that even the greatest spiritual gifts will become obsolete?

 

The gifts are a "type and shadow" of our future in Heaven, of living in the presence of God and will no longer need the gifts one to another. At that time we will be surrounded by and filled with His love, knowledge, Spirit....the flesh which falters and misunderstands, is ignorant, rebellious, sins, is self centered....and on and on...will have been left behind at "death" and our new spiritual, eternal bodies will have replaced them. Each will have face to face relationship with our Lord, we will all speak the language of Heaven, understood by all, so the gift of tongues and interpretation will be obsolete, as well as physical and emotional needs, so the other gifts will be "retired" as well. (They were to minister to one another, to teach, train, encourage, provide for, to confirm His knowledge of us as individuals, and His presence with us, mutual cooperation, etc. We will finally be complete in Him, in unity with Him and each other, so "gifts" will not be needed)

 

Why does he stress the permanence of love? 

 

God IS love. His command to us which is the greatest of all, is to love God with all our heart, soul  and mind, and to love one another as we love ourselves. (That is impossible unless He provides that love to us, for us,  and through us) Love will never end, because God is eternal and has no end. We are eternal beings who will then be complete, perfected in His love.

 

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1 Corinthians 13:8b-13

Q). Why is it important to Paul's argument to contend that even the greatest spiritual gifts will become obsolete?

A). The gifts will be obsolete because when Christ comes we shall be perfect and the gifts won't be needed. 

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"But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." (1 Corinthians 13:10)

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Q). Why does he stress the permanence of love? 

A). Paul stresses the permanence of love because it is rooted in the very character of the Eternal God. "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." (1 John 4:8)
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Q4. (1 Corinthians 13:8b-13) 

Why is it important to Paul's argument to contend that even the greatest spiritual gifts will become obsolete? 

Why does he stress the permanence of love? 

When we enter into the Lord’s presence, when we see Him face to face, all gifts will cease to exist because they will cease to have purpose or meaning – we all will be perfect. However, love will endure forever as those in the new heaven and new earth continue to love God and His people.  

 

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Q4. (1 Corinthians 13:8b-13) Why is it important to Paul’s argument to contend that even the greatest

spiritual gifts will become obsolete?

Because the various gifts of the Spirit are temporal.

Why does he stress the permanence of love?

Because the fruit of the Spirit is eternal, since it is rooted in the very character of the Eternal God.

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We will not be witnesses when Jesus returns.  The gifts all have a purpose and when that purpose has been completed they will become obsolete.

 

Love, however, binds us all together with Christ for eternity!!

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Q4. (1 Corinthians 13:8b-13) Why is it important to Paul’s argument to contend that even the greatest spiritual gifts will become obsolete? Why does he stress the permanence of love? 

 

Paul's argument contending that the greatest gifts will become obsolete because Christ Himself will be upon the earth to establish His Kingdom, we will live under His rule and guidance. We will know Him as He is.

The importance of love as Christ has for us is so that we may love the Lord with our whole heart and soul and love our neighbors as we love ourselves. With out this love we are just clouds without rain. In love our gifts will be in balance with Christ and one another. We will build each other up, edify and strengthen the church.   

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Q4. (1 Corinthians 13:8b-13) Why is it important to Paul's argument to contend that even the greatest spiritual gifts will become obsolete? Why does he stress the permanence of love? 

 

He did that to emphasise to the Church in Corinth and to us that we should not be too attached to the gifts of tongues and others we may be proud but to be well informed that the one will outlive every other ones is love.

 

Because love is heavenly as God is love and it love that will keep us together.

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Paul’s argument to contend that even the greatest spiritual gifts will become obsolete is so that they will put the gifts into the right context. He didn’t want them to think that because they have a gift different than other that they were superior to others. He stressed the permanence of love because that is one thing that can unites us with a perfect bond.

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Why is it important to Paul's argument to contend that even the greatest spiritual gifts will become obsolete?

 

To show to the Corinthians that their current evaluation of gifts would be negated when " the perfect comes"; to grasp the fact that love is supreme to all spiritual gifts because love outlasts them all.

 

Why does he stress the permanence of love?

 

For God is love and  God is eternal

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  • 2 weeks later...

In I Corinthians 13:13 writes that faith, hope, and love will last forever but love is the greatest of all.  Faith, hope, and love are main moral principles center to and characteristic of Christianity.  These graces of the Holy Spirit are superior to the gifts of the Spirit and they are more lasting.  The fruit of the Spirit is more important to than the gifts of the Spirit.

 

Love is the greatest of the graces because it is most useful and a greater blessing to others.  It is not self-centered but others centered.  A central theme in the Bible.  Humility is a rare thing to find even in the church among Christians.  Everyone wants to rule the universe but few want to walk humility with God.

 

The fruit of the Spirit is eternal and more excellent.

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  • 2 months later...

Why is it important to Paul’s argument to contend that even the greatest spiritual gifts will become obsolete? Why does he stress the permanence of love? 

  • The spiritual gifts are given for life here on earth for the church and to help serve our fellow Christians.  When we get to Heaven we will be made perfect and complete and there will be no need to spiritual gifts.  With love we are expressing our care for others.  Love is an attribute to God himself.
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  • 7 years later...

Q4. (1 Corinthians 13: 8b-13)

Why is it important to Paul's argument to contend that even the greatest spiritual gifts will become obsolete?

Why does he stress the permanence of love?

At present there was squabbling among them about which gift was the greatest. Paul wanted them to realize that it was not that important, the time would come and all of the gifts but one would become obsolete.

God is LOVE. That is where we will abide . In the presence of Love. LOVE remains permanent.

 

 

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  • 1 year later...

Pastor Ralph mentioned at the end of this section the word, "Balance." I think that's the key to love. Love is like a foundation on which faith and hope rest. When we love, we put the gifts into perspective. Gifts balance themselves when we love.

 

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