A Sermon by Martin Luther; 1 Corinthians 13
PAUL'S PRAISE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE.
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have
love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 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 do
not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the
poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain
nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does
not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not
self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of
wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the
truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always
perseveres.
8 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. 9 For we know in part and we
prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in
part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I
thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the
ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection
as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part;
then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the
greatest of these is love.
Paul's purpose in
this chapter is to silence and humble haughty Christians, particularly teachers
and preachers. The Gospel gives much knowledge of God and of Christ, and conveys
many wonderful gifts, as Paul recounts in Romans 12 and in 1 Corinthians 12. He
tells us some have the gift of speaking, some of teaching, some of Scripture
exposition; others of ruling; and so on. With Christians are great riches of
spiritual knowledge, great treasures in the way of spiritual gifts. Manifest to
all is the meaning of God, Christ, conscience, the present and the future life,
and similar things. But there are to be found few indeed who make the right use
of such gifts and knowledge; who humble themselves to serve others, according
to the dictates of love. Each seeks his own honor and advantage, desiring to
gain preferment and precedence over others.
2. We see today
how the Gospel has given to men knowledge beyond anything known in the world
before, and has bestowed upon them new capabilities. Various gifts have been
showered upon and distributed among them which have redounded to their honor.
But they go on unheeding. No one takes thought how he may in Christian love
serve his fellow-men to their profit. Each seeks for himself glory and honor,
advantage and wealth. Could one bring about for himself the distinction of
being the sole individual learned and powerful in the Gospel, all others to be
insignificant and useless, he would willingly do it; he would be glad could he
alone be regarded as Mister Smart. At the same time he affects deep humility,
great self-abasement, and preaches of love and faith. But he would take it hard
had he, in practice, to touch with his little finger what he preaches. This
explains why the world is so filled with fanatics and schismatics, and why
every man would master and outrank all others. Such as these are haughtier than
those that taught them. Paul here attacks these vainglorious spirits, and
judges them to be wholly insignificant, though their knowledge may be great and
their gifts even greater, unless they should humble themselves and use their
gifts in the service of others.
To these coarse
and mean people he addresses himself with a multitude of words and a lengthy
discourse, a subject he elsewhere disposes of in a few words; for instance,
where he says (Phil 2, 3-4), "In lowliness of mind each counting others
better than himself; not looking each of you to his own things, but each of you
also to the things of others." By way of illustration, he would pass
sentence upon himself should he be thus blameworthy; this more forcibly to warn
others who fall far short of his standing. He says, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels,”
4. That is, though I had ability to
teach and to preach with power beyond that of any man or angel, with words of
perfect charm, with truth and excellence informing my message--though I could
do this, "but have not love,"
and only seek my own honor and profit and not my neighbor's, “I am only a resounding gong or a clanging
cymbal.” In other words, "I might, perhaps, thereby teach others
something, might fill their ears with sound, but before God I would be
nothing." As a clock or a bell has not power to hear its own sound, and
does not derive benefit from its stroke, so the preacher who lacks love cannot
himself understand anything he says, nor does he thereby improve his standing
before God. He has much knowledge, indeed, but because he fails to place it in
the service of love, it is the quality of his knowledge that is at fault. I Cor
8, 1-12. Far better he were dumb or devoid of eloquence, if he but teach in
love and meekness, than to speak as an angel while seeking but his own
interests.
"And if I have
the gift of prophecy."
5. According to chapter 14, to
prophesy is to be able, by the Holy Spirit's inspiration, correctly to
understand and explain the prophets and the Scriptures. This is a most
excellent gift. To "know mysteries" it to be able to apprehend the
spiritual meaning of the Scriptures, or its allegorical references, as Paul
does where (Gal 4, 24-31) he makes Sarah and Hagar representative of the two
covenants, and Isaac and Ishmael of the two peoples--the Jews and the
Christians. Christ does the same (Jn 3, 14) when he makes the brazen serpent of
Moses typical of himself on the cross; again, when Isaac, David, Solomon and
other characters of sacred history appear as figures of Christ. Paul calls it
"mystery"--this hidden, secret meaning beneath the primary sense of
the narrative. But "knowledge" is the understanding of practical
matters, such as Christian liberty, or the realization that the conscience is
not bound. Paul would say, then: "Though one may understand the
Scriptures, both in their obvious and their hidden sense; though he may know
all about Christian liberty and a proper conversation; yet if he have not love,
if he does not with that knowledge serve his neighbor, it is all of no avail
whatever; in God's sight he is nothing."
6. Note bow forcibly yet kindly
Paul restrains the disgraceful vice of vainglory. He disregards even those
exalted gifts, those gifts of exceeding refinement, charm and excellence, which
naturally produce pride and haughtiness though they command the admiration and
esteem of men. Who would not suppose the Holy Spirit to dwell visibly where
such wisdom, such discernment of the Scriptures, is present? Paul's two
epistles to the Corinthians are almost wholly directed against this particular
vice, for it creates much mischief where it has sway. In Titus 1, 7, he names
first among the virtues of a bishop that he be "non superbus," not
haughty. In other words that he does not exalt himself because of his office,
his honor and his understanding, and despise others in comparison. But strangely
Paul says,
"If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but
have not love, I am nothing."
LOVE THE SPIRIT'S
FRUIT RECEIVED BY FAITH.
7. We hold, and unquestionably it
is true, that it is faith which justifies and cleanses. Rom 1, 17; 10, 10; Acts
15, 9. But if it justifies and purifies, love must be present. The Spirit
cannot but impart love together with faith. In fact, where true faith is, the
Holy Spirit dwells; and where the Holy Spirit is, there must be love and every
excellence. How is it, then, Paul speaks as if faith without love were
possible? We reply, this one text cannot be understood as subverting and
militating against all those texts which ascribe justification to faith alone.
Even the sophists have not attributed justification to love, nor is this
possible, for love is an effect, or fruit, of the Spirit, who is received
through faith.
8. Three answers may be given to
the question. First, Paul has not reference here to the Christian faith, which
is inevitably accompanied by love, but to a general faith in God and his power.
Such faith is a gift; as, for instance, the gift of tongues, the gift of
knowledge, of prophecy, and the like. There is reason to believe Judas
performed miracles in spite of the absence of Christian faith, according to
John 6, 70: "One of you is a devil." This general faith, powerless to
justify or to cleanse, permits the old man with his vices to remain, just as do
the gifts of intellect, health, eloquence, riches.
9. A second answer is: Though Paul
alludes to the true Christian faith, he has those in mind who have indeed
attained to faith and performed miracles with it, but fall from grace through
pride, thus losing their faith. Many begin but do not continue. They are like
the seed in stony ground. They soon fall from faith. The temptations of
vainglory are mightier than those of adversity. One who has the true faith and
is at the same time able to perform miracles is likely to seek and to accept
honor with such eagerness as to fall from both love and faith.
10. A third answer is: Paul in his
effort to present the necessity of love, supposes an impossible condition. For
instance, I might express myself in this way: "Though you were a god, if
you lacked patience you would be nothing." That is, patience is so essential
to divinity that divinity itself could not exist without it, a proposition
necessarily true. So Paul's meaning is, not that faith could exist without
love, but on the contrary, so much is love an essential of faith that even
mountain-moving faith would be nothing without love, could we separate the two
even in theory.
The third answer pleases me by far
the best, though I do not reject the others, particularly the first. For Paul's
very first premise is impossible--"if I speak with the tongues of angels."
To speak with an angelic tongue is impossible for a human being, and he clearly
emphasizes this impossibility by making a distinction between the tongues of
men and those of angels. There is no angelic tongue; while angels may speak to
us in a human tongue men can never speak in those of angels.
11. As we are to understand the
first clause--'If I speak with the
tongues of angels"--as meaning, Were it as possible as it is
impossible for me to speak with the tongues of angels; so are we to understand
the second clause "If I have all faith, so as to remove
mountains"--to mean, Were it as possible as it is impossible to have such
faith. Equally impossible is the proposition of understanding all mysteries,
and we must take it to mean, Were it possible for one to understand all
mysteries, which, however, it is not. John, in the last chapter of his Gospel,
asserts that the world could not contain all the books which might be written
concern ing the things of the kingdom. For no man can ever fathom the depths of
these mysteries. Paul's manner of expressing himself is but a very common one,
such as: "Even if I were a Christian, if I believed not in Christ I would
be nothing"; or, "Were you even a prince, if you neither ruled men
nor possessed property you would be nothing."
"And if I bestow
all my goods to feed the poor."
12. In other
words, "Were I to perform all the good works on earth and yet had not
charity- having sought therein only my own honor and profit and not my
neighbor's--I would nevertheless be lost." In the performance of external
works so great as the surrender of property and life, Paul includes all works
possible of performance, for he who would at all do these, would do any work.
Just so, when he has reference to tongues he includes all good words and
doctrines; and in prophecy, understanding and faith he comprises all wisdom and
knowledge. Some may risk body and property for the sake of temporal glory. So
Romans and pagans have done; but as love was lacking and they sought only their
own interests, they practically gave nothing. It being generally impossible for
men to give away all their property, and their bodies to be burned, the meaning
must "Were it possible for me to give all my goods to the poor, and my
body to be burned."
13. The false reasoning of the
sophists will not stand when they maliciously deduct from this text the theory
that the Christian faith is not effectual to blot out sin and to justify. They
say that before faith can justify it must be garnished with love; but
justification and its distinctive qualities as well are beyond their ken. Justification
of necessity precedes love. One does not love until he has become godly and
righteous. Love does not make us godly, but when one has become godly love is
the result. Faith, the Spirit and justification have love as effect and
fruitage, and not as mere ornament and supplement. We maintain that faith alone
justifies and saves. But that we may not deceive ourselves and put our trust in
a false faith, God requires love from us as the evidence of our faith, so that
we may be sure of our faith being real faith.
THE NATURE OF
CHRISTIAN LOVE.
"Love suffereth
long, and is kind."
14. Now Paul begins to mention the
nature of love, enabling us to perceive where real love and faith are to be
found. A haughty teacher does not possess the virtues the apostle enumerates.
Lacking these, however many gifts the haughty have received through the Gospel,
they are devoid of love.
First, love "suffereth long." That is, it is
patient; not sudden and swift to anger, not hasty to exercise revenge,
impatience or blind rage. Rather it bears in patience with wicked and the
infirm until they yield. Haughty teachers can only judge, condemn and despise
others, while justifying and exalting themselves.
15. Second, love is "kind." In other words, it is
pleasant to deal with; is not of forbidding aspect; ignores no one; is kind to
all men, in words, acts and attitude.
16. Third, love "envieth not"--is not envious nor
displeased at the greater prosperity of others; grudges no one property or
honor. Haughty teachers, however, are envious and unkind. They begrudge
everyone else both honor and possessions. Though with their lips they may
pretend otherwise, these characteristics are plainly visible in their deeds.
17. Fourth, love "vaunteth not itself." It is averse
to knavery, to crafty guile and double- dealing. Haughty and deceptive spirits
cannot refrain from such conduct, but love deals honestly and uprightly and
face to face.
18. Fifth, love is not
"puffed up," as are false
teachers, who swell themselves up like adders.
19. Sixth, love "doth
not behave itself unseemly" after the manner of the passionate, impatient
and obstinate, those who presume to be always in the right, who are opposed to
all men and yield to none, and who insist on submission from every individual,
otherwise they set the world on fire, bluster and fume, shriek and complain,
and thirst for revenge. That is what such inflating pride and haughtiness of
which we have just spoken lead to.
20. Seventh, love "seeketh not her own." She seeks
not financial advancement; not honor, profit, ease; not the preservation of
body and life. Rather she
risks all these in her is no such thing as the Church of Christ nor as true
Christians. Many erring spirits, especially strong pretenders to [ed. the text
abruptly ends here]
21. Eighth, love "is not easily provoked" by wrong
and ingratitude; it is meek. False teachers can tolerate nothing; they seek
only their own advantage and honor, to the injury of others.
22. Ninth, love "taketh not account of [thinketh no] evil." It is not suspicious; it puts the best
construction on everything and takes all in good faith. The haughty, however,
are immeasurably suspicious; always solicitous not to be underrated, they put
the worst construction on everything, as Joab construed Abner's deeds. 2 Sam 3,
25. This is a shameful vice, and they who are guilty of it are hard to handle.
23. Tenth, love
"rejoiceth not in unrighteousness [iniquity]." The words admit of two
interpretations: First, as having reference to the delight of an individual in
his own evil doings. Solomon (Prov 2, 14) speaks of those who "rejoice to
do evil." Such must be either extremely profligate and shameless,
characters like harlots and knaves; or else they must be hypocrites, who do not
appreciate the wickedness of their conduct; characters like heretics and
schismatics, who rejoice when their knavery succeeds under the name of God and
of the truth. I do not accept this interpretation, but the other. Paul's
meaning is that false teachers are malicious enough to prefer to hear, above
all things, that some other does wrong, commits error and is brought to shame;
and their motive is simply that they themselves may appear upright and godly.
Such was the attitude of the pharisee toward the publican, in the Gospel. But
love's compassion reaches far beyond its own sins, and prays for others.
24. Eleventh, love "rejoices in the truth." Here is
evidence that the preceding phrase is to be taken as having reference to
malicious rejoicing at another's sin and fall. Rejoicing in the truth is simply
exulting in the right-doing and integrity of another. Similarly, love is
grieved at another's wrong-doing. But to the haughty it is an affliction to
learn of uprightness in someone else; for they imagine such integrity detracts
from their own profit and honor.
25. Twelfth, love "bears all things." It excuses
every failing in all men, however weak, unjust or foolish one may be
apparently, and no one can be guilty of a wrong too great for it to overlook.
But none can do right in the eyes of the haughty, who ever find something to
belittle and censure as beyond toleration, even though they must hunt up an old
fence to find the injury.
26. Thirteenth, love "believes all things." Paul does
not here allude to faith in God, but to faith in men. His meaning is: Love is
of decidedly trustful disposition. The possessor of it believes and trusts all
men, considering them just and upright like himself. He anticipates no wily and
crooked dealing, but permits himself to be deceived, deluded, flouted, imposed
upon, at every man's pleasure, and asks, "Do you really believe men so
wicked?" He measures all other hearts by his own, and makes mistakes with
utmost cheerfulness. But such error works him no injury. He knows God cannot
forsake, and the deceiver of love but deceives himself. The haughty, on the
contrary, trust no one, will believe none, nor brook deception.
27. Fourteenth, love "hopes all things." Love despairs
of no man, however wicked he may be. It hopes for the best. As implied here,
love says, "We must, indeed, hope for better things." It is plain
from this that Paul is not alluding to hope in God. Love is a virtue
particularly representing devotion to a neighbor; his welfare is its goal in
thought and deed. Like its faith, the hope entertained by love is frequently
misplaced, but it never gives up. Love rejects no man; it despairs of no cause.
But the proud speedily despair of men generally, rejecting them as of no
account.
28. Fifteenth, love "endures all things." It endures
whatever harm befalls, whatever injury it suffers; it endures when its faith
and hope in men have been misplaced; endures when it sustains damage to body,
property or honor. It knows that no harm has been done since it has a rich God.
False teachers, however, bear with nothing, least of all with perfidy and the
violation of plighted faith.
29. Sixteenth, “love never fails;” that means, it
abides forever, also in the life to come. It never gives up, never permits
itself to be hindered or defeated by the wickedness or ingratitude of men, as
do worldly individuals and false saints, who, immediately on perceiving
contempt or ingratitude, draw back, unwilling to do further good to any, and,
rendering themselves quite inhuman, become perfect misanthropes like Timon in
his reputation among the Greeks. Love does not do so. It permits not itself to
be made wicked by the wickedness of men, nor to be hindered in well-doing. It
continues to do good everywhere, teaching and admonishing, aiding and serving,
notwithstanding its services and benefits must be rewarded, not by good, but by
evil. Love remains constant and immovable; it continues, it endures, in this
earthly life and also in the life to come. The apostle adds, "Whether
there be prophecies, they shall be done away; whether there be tongues, they
shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall be done away." Love he
commends above all other endowments, as a gift that can never pass, even in the
life to come. Those other gifts, the boast of the false apostles, are bestowed
only for this present life, to serve in the administering of the ministerial
office. Prophecy, tongues, knowledge, all must cease; for in yonder life each
individual will himself perceive perfectly and there will be no need for one to
teach another. Likewise, all differences, all inequalities, shall be no more.
No knowledge and no diversity of gifts is necessary; God himself will be all in
every soul. I Cor 15, 28.
30. Here Paul gives utterance to
the distinction between the life of faith here below and that heavenly life of
divine vision. He would teach that we have in this life and the other the same
possession, for it is the same God and the same treasures which we have here by
faith and there by sight. In the objects themselves there is no difference; the
difference consists in our knowledge. We have the same God in both lives, but
in different manner of possession. The mode of possessing God in this life is
faith. Faith is an imperfect, obscure vision, which makes necessary the Word,
which, in turn, receives vogue through the ministry, tongues and prophecy.
Without the Word, faith cannot live. But the mode of possessing God in the
future life is not faith but sight. This is perfect knowledge, rendering
unnecessary the Word, and likewise preaching, tongues and prophecy. These,
then, must pass. Paul continues, "We know in part, and we prophesy in
part."
31. "We know in part"; that is, in this life we know imperfectly,
for it is of faith and not of sight. And we "prophesy in part"; that is, imperfectly, for the substance of
our prophecy is the Word and preaching. Both knowledge and prophecy, however,
reveal nothing short of what the angels see--the one God. "But when that which is perfect has come,
that which is in part will be done away."
He proves this by way of illustration
and contrasts the child with the man. To children, who are yet weak, play is a
necessity; it is a substitute for office and work. Similarly, we in the present
life are far too frail to behold God. Until we are able, it is necessary that
we should use the medium of Word and faith, which are adapted to our
limitations.
"For now we see
in a mirror [through a glass] darkly; but then face to face."
32. Faith, Paul tells us, is like a
mirror, like a riddle. The actual face is not in the glass; there is but the
image of it. Likewise, faith gives us, not the radiant countenance of eternal
Deity, but a mere image of him, an image derived through the Word. As a dark
riddle points to something more than it expresses, so faith suggests something
clearer than that which it perceives. But in the life to come, mirror and
riddle, faith and its demonstration, shall all have ceased to be. God's face
and our own shall be mutually and clearly revealed. Paul says, "Now I know in part; but then shall I know
fully even as also I was fully known [know even also as I am known]."
That is, God now knows me perfectly, clearly and plainly; no dark veil is upon
myself. But as to him, a dark veil hides him from me. With the same perfect
clearness wherewith he now knows me, I shall then know him--without a veil. The
veil shall be taken away, not from him, but from me; for upon him is no veil.
THE GREATEST
CHRISTIAN VIRTUE IS LOVE.
"But now abides
faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love."
33. The sophists have transgressed
in a masterly manner as regards this verse. They have made faith vastly
inferior to love because of Paul's assertion that love is greater than faith
and greater than hope. As usual, their mad reason blindly seizes upon the
literal expression. They hack a piece out of it and the remainder they ignore.
Thus they fail to understand Paul's meaning; they do not perceive that the
sense of Paul concerning the greatness of love is expressed both in the text
and the context. For surely it cannot be disputed that the apostle is here
referring to the permanent or temporary character respectively of love and
other gifts, and not to their rank or power. As to rank, faith only, but the
Word, surpasses love; for the Word is the power of God unto salvation to all
that believe. Rom 1,16. Yet the Word must pass. But though love is the fruit of
the Word and its effect, it shall never be abolished. Faith possesses God
himself. It possesses and can accomplish things; yet it must cease. Love gives
and blesses the neighbor, as a result of faith, and it shall never be done
away.
34. Now, Paul's statement that love
is greater than faith and hope is intended as an expression of the permanence,
or eternal duration, of love. Faith, being limited as to time comparison with
love, ranks beneath it for the reason this temporary duration. With the same
right I might say that the kingdom of Christ is greater upon earth than Christ.
Thereby I do not mean that the Church in itself better and of higher rank than
Christ, but merely that covers a greater part of the earth than he compassed;
he was here but three years and those he spent in a limited sphere, whereas his
kingdom has been from the beginning and is coextensive with the earth. In this
sense, love is longer and broader than either faith or hope. Faith deals with
God merely in the heart and in this life, whereas relations of love both to God
and the whole world are eternal. Nevertheless, as Christ is immeasurably better
and higher and more precious than the Christian Church, though we behold him
moving in smaller limits and as a mere individual, so is faith better, higher
and more precious than love, though its duration is limited and it has God
alone for its object.
35. Paul's purpose in thus
extolling love is to deal a blow to false teachers and to bring to naught their
boasts about faith and other gifts when love is lacking. His thought is: "If you possess not love, which abides fore,
all else whereof you boast being perishable, you will perish with it. While the
Word of God, and spiritual gifts, are eternal, yet the external office and
proclamation of Word, and likewise the employment of gifts in their variety
shall have an end, and thus your glory and pride shall become as ashes."
So, then, faith justifies through the Word and produces love. But while both
Word and faith shall pass, righteousness and love, which they effect, abide
forever; just as a building erected by the aid of scaffolding remains after the
scaffolding has been removed.
36. Observe how small the word
"love" and how easily uttered! Who would have thought to find so much
precious virtue and power ascribed by Paul to this one excellence as
counterpart of so much that is evil? This is, I imagine, magnifying love,
painting love. It is a better discourse on virtue and vice than are the heathen
writings. The model the apostle presents should justly shame the false
teachers, who talk much of love but in whom not one of the virtues he mentions
is found.
Every quality of love named by him
means false teachers buffeted and assaulted. Whenever he magnifies love and
characterizes her powers, he invariably makes at the same time a thrust at
those who are deficient in any of them. Well may we, then, as he describes the
several features, add the comment "But
you do very differently."
