If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don’t have love, I am nothing.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 if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
9 sermons cite this verse
… I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions and if I hand over my body so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing. So you can be right, but if you're not practicing love, you've missed the mark. But then he goes on to describe what love looks like. And here I just invite you to read it with me to think about this is what this kind of love, not a warm fuzzy feeling, but a Christian ethic looks like. Read it together with me. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. I find it interesting, Mark Garzon talks about the role of religion in a healthy society. And you may remember the word religion comes from two Latin words, a prefix, re, which means again, and ligio, from which the word ligament comes. A ligament is something that holds bones together, right? It holds them in tension, but it holds them together. And religion is something that is meant to hold people together. …
… I'm a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge, if I have all faith so as to move mountains, that would be awesome. Imagine getting, you'd get a lot done, but don't have love. I'm nothing. If I give away everything I own and I hand my body over so that that may be burned, but don't have love, I gain nothing. here's the invitation this week you know what your tasks are you know what your work is this week you know what the job is the invitation is show up and do the tasks but do them as if love is the point So not the minimum. Put your heart into it. Not with resistance. Remember, because it's not the load, it's the way I carry it. Not because we're called to simply endure tasks or endure life. No, we're called to joyfully accomplish this task.
… It's in verse 2. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. Now, let me show you what those three things are, for example. First of all, faith that can move mountains, almost every commentator thinks, every commentator I checked, and I checked on Maul just about, says that Paul wouldn't be speaking this way about saving faith. He wouldn't be talking about the kind of faith that relates you to God. Faith that moves mountains is a leadership gift. Faith that moves mountains, what is leadership? Leadership is the ability to get a group of people who otherwise would not be able to surmount a particular obstacle to do so. you're able to it's an infectious vision gift that enables you to get people to do things otherwise they couldn't do so faith to move mountains is a leadership gift prophecy is not just a communication gift it's direct revelation from God fathoming the mysteries now let me show you how astonishing this is Paul is saying God could have made you a great leader in the church have helped hundreds thousands of people through you, and may have given direct revelation right to you. …
… See, first of all, notice he says, he says, For we know now in part, and we prophesy in part. He's talking about, in verse 8 and 9, he's talking about now versus later. Time versus eternity. He says, now we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when the perfection comes. Now, he uses a word here. Sometimes it's translated the perfect, usually. The perfect or when perfection comes. This is one of those places where it's very important to know the particular Greek word, because there's a number of Greek words that can be translated perfect. And I don't think the word perfect is the best word, though I don't really know what the best English word would be. The Greek word that Paul uses is, he says, when totelion comes. the teleon, the telos is the word that means design, aim, the aim, you see, we even get the idea of a telescope, the aim, the design, and Paul is talking about totelion, not that he's saying when we get to that which we're all aiming for, he's talking about ultimate fulfillment of design, He is saying there's a place where we become all that we should be, all we were meant to be, all we were made to be, all we want to be. …
Thank you. 1 Corinthians 13, verses 1 to 13. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth it always protects always trusts always hopes always perseveres love never fails but 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 perfection comes the imperfect disappears When I was a child, I talked like a child. I thought like a child. I reasoned like a child. …
Thank you. If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, if I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude. It is not self-seeking. It's not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But 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. …
… It's 1 Corinthians 13, 1 to 13. if I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease. Where there are tongues, they will be stilled. And where there is knowledge, it will pass away. …
… And Paul says, If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But 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. …
… St. Paul writing in the 13th chapter of the first epistle, his first letter to the Corinthians, and he writes this. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I'm only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails, but where there are prophecies, they will cease. Where there are tongues, they will cease. …