1 CORINTHIANS LESSON 21

     We will begin this lesson in "I Corinthians 13:1 "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."

     The word that was translated "charity" is agape, which means
love.  This use of love is not the kind of love that has conditions.
It is not "I love you because", but "I love you in spite of". This
type of love is the kind the Lord Jesus has for all of us. While we
are yet in sin, Christ gave his life for us.  This is the God kind of
love. The nearest thing to that kind of love on this earth, is the
mother's love for her child. Even that falls very short of being the
perfect love that God has for mankind.

     "The tongues of men", here, is possibly speaking of these who
have training in speaking on the earth. To include the angels, would
indicate inspired speaking from heaven itself. Paul is saying, here,
that it would not make any difference at all how great a speaker you
were, if you did not have this unselfish love for those you were
speaking to. There would be sound in the speaking, but it would not
give a true sound. In other words, all the speaking in the world
avails nothing without love attached to the words.

     I Corinthians 13:2 "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."

     You may even be filled with the knowledge of God to overflowing,
but without love, no one will listen. "Prophecy", in this instance,
has to do with predictions. "Understanding all mysteries" means that
Scriptures that have been hidden to you are revealed. Though I have
bought every book and studied every word and accumulated a great
learning, no one will listen if I do not show love. This faith may be
speaking in having faith in your own abilities. I have said it before,
but faith in God and mind over matter are dangerously close. We must
place our faith in God's ability and not in our own ability. This
faith, as I said, is possibly speaking of faith to do miraculous
things. All things we might do, are no use at all, unless we are full
of love for God and man.

     I Corinthians 13:3 "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 profiteth me nothing."

     I have said in all the lessons, that it is more important why you
do something than in the actual doing. The woman gave all she had,
which was very little monetarily. Jesus said she had given more than
those who gave great sums, because she gave all she had. The Lord does
not want us to figure out some formula about giving and receiving. He
wants us to give from a free heart, expecting nothing in return. God
who sees in secret will reward you openly. It is not the
fact of giving all that he owns that is important. If he did not give
it from a loving heart, he should have kept it. It will do him no
good. We are not to give begrudgingly, or of necessity. II Corinthians
9:7 "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, [so let him
give]; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful
giver."  You may give your body to be burned, but that is not what God
wants from you. He does not want you to die for Him, He wants you to
live for Him. Everything I do with love in my heart is better than ten
times that much without love.

     I Corinthians 13:4 "Charity suffereth long, [and] is kind;
charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,"

     Now, we see a description of this type of love in action. How can
you tell if I have this type of love? This type of love is willing to
suffer for the ones he loves. This is speaking primarily of love for
God, but extends to mankind, as well. This type of love is a positive.
This type of love overlooks shortcomings in others. It is even
patient, until they can change. This perfect love, spoken of here,
never wants what someone else has, or wonders why they did not get
that, too. They are happy for the one who does have it. "Vaunteth", in
the verse above, means boast. Someone who truly loves will not boast
and brag to make someone else feel little. This being "puffed up" is
speaking of pride.  We must never act proud and cause someone else
pain in the doing. True love thinks of other's feelings, before they
think of their own.

     I Corinthians 13:5 "Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not
her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;"

     "Unseemly" means indecently, or shamefully. A person who has love
in his heart would not embarrass others and God  doing things that
would be a shame. He would always do the decent thing. Love in the
sense of " seeketh not her own" could be very well covered by the word
charity. It would mean that other's needs would be more important to
them, than their own needs. This person, full of love, would not go
around with a chip on his shoulder looking for someone to knock it
off. He would be a peace maker. He would have the mind of Christ and
would not be thinking evil thoughts. His mind, stayed on Christ would
have no room for negative thoughts.

     I Corinthians 13:6 "Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in
the truth;"

     The person who has the kind of love that this is speaking of,
does not find pleasure in earthly things. His pleasure is in pleasing
God. The truth would be his motto. We see from the whole armour of God
that all Christians must wear, what part truth has.  Ephesians 6:14
"Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having
on the breastplate of righteousness;"  You see you are not only to
speak truth, but to have it tightly bound around you.  The true
Christian with this godlike love does not love to make a lie, but gets
real joy from telling the truth.


     I Corinthians 13:7 "Beareth all things, believeth all things,
hopeth all things, endureth all things."

     Paul, thought it all joy to suffer for Christ. This verse, above,
is speaking of being willing to bear whatever persecution comes our
way, in the name of the Lord. This "believeth all things" has to do
with faith in God. Abraham believed, and it was counted unto him as
righteousness. This means continues to believe, even in the face of
problems. Christians have hope of the resurrection. Matthew 10:22 "And
ye shall be hated of all [men] for my name's sake: but he that
endureth to the end shall be saved." We see from this Scripture that
there is something to endure. It, also, tells us how long it will be
required of us to endure.

     I Corinthians 13:8 "Charity never faileth: but whether [there be]
prophecies, they shall fail; whether [there be] tongues, they shall
cease; whether [there be] knowledge, it shall vanish away."

     The type of love, spoken of here, will be just as active in
heaven as it will be here on the earth. In fact, we will be even more
aware of God's love toward us then. I Corinthians 2:9 "But as it is
written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into
the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that
love him." The love that God will show to us in heaven is far greater
than all we can imagine here on earth. The fact that the "prophecies
fail", makes me believe that this is speaking of some who prophecy
falsely. The way you determine whether a person is a true prophet or
not, is whether the prophecy comes true. Of course, there will be no
need for prophecy in heaven. The tongues that cease is after God is
finished with His work here on the earth. Tongues are nothing but the
evidence that a person has been filled with the spirit of God in one
of the ministering capacities. When the ministering is all finished
and all believers go to heaven, there will be no need for the evidence
{tongues}. The knowledge that vanishes away is the knowledge of things
of the earth. Actually, our heavenly understanding will be fully
opened, and we will know the secret of God in heaven. We will not need
to accumulate learning in heaven. We will know what God would have us
know. A friend of mine, {in the ministry} said you will not need
building tools after the house is finished.

     I Corinthians 13:9 "For we know in part, and we prophesy in
part."

     All of our understanding and ability to minister here on the
earth is limited. We are in flesh, and flesh has weaknesses.

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

     Jesus is all in all. We can see where we will be, when Jesus {the
perfect one} comes and sets up His kingdom. Ephesians 4:13 "Till we
all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of
God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the
fulness of Christ:"

     I Corinthians 13:11 "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."

     This is just saying that we cannot always stay a baby in Christ.
Sometime down the road, we need to start being an adult in the Lord.
Milk is for babies. Get where you can chew the Word and get stronger
nourishment. We need to grow in the Lord to the extent that we can
stop being fed, and begin to feed others. It is alright to be a child,
when you are first saved. There is a time, however, to put all that
behind and take on the responsibilities of adulthood.

     I Corinthians 13:12 "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."

     We will not fully understand about the Lord until we meet Him
face to face. We see Him now in types and shadows in the things we
read of Him, There will come a time when the dark glass is removed and
we will see Him face to face. Jesus tore the curtain away into the
Holy of Holies. We can now enter in.  I John 3:2 "Beloved, now are we
the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we
know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall
see him as he is."

     I Corinthians 13:13 "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these
three; but the greatest of these [is] charity."

     Faith, hope, and love are all very much of Christianity.  They do
not change. You might even say, they are conditions of Christianity.
"Abideth" means continues to abide. You see, these never change, they
are absolutes. If we had to give up all but one, we would have to hang
on to love.  John 3:16  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life."

     To sum up this lesson, we would have to say that Paul is teaching
them the proper functions of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, in
the confines of their traditions. There is a song written from the
thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians called "Charity". I highly
recommend it for singing in the church.











                     1 Corinthians 21 Questions

1.  Quote 1 Corinthians chapter 13 verse 1.
2.  The word that was translated "charity" in verse one, is what?
3.  What does agape mean?
4.  While we were yet in ________, Christ gave His life for us.
5.  What does "tongues of men" mean in verse one?
6.  What type of speaking would be spoken of with the word angels
    added?
7.  What is the gift of prophecy?
8.  What is it speaking of about "understanding all mysteries"?
9.  What is the faith speaking of in verse 2?
10. What could possibly be wrong with bestowing all my goods to feed
    the poor?
11. What is wrong with giving your body to be burned?
12. What kind of a giver does God love.
13. What is this type of love, or charity, like?
14. This type of love is speaking primarily of the love for God, but
    includes what else?
15. What does vaunteth in verse four, mean?
16. What are they puffed up with?
17. What does "unseemly" in verse five, mean?
18. Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the ______.
19. Where does the Christian's pleasure come from?
20. Paul thought it all joy to ______ for Christ.
21. How long must the Christians endure?
22. What is meant by "prophecies failing"?
23. What are the tongues evidence of?
24. You will not need building tools after the _____ is finished.
25. Why is our understanding on the earth limited?
26. Quote Ephesians chapter 4, verse 13.
27. When I became a man, I put away _______ things.
28. We now see through a ________  _________.
29. Now abideth _______, ________, and _________.
30. The greatest of these is ________ .
31. How could we sum up this lesson?