Sunday 13 Feb 1994: 5.15pm

1 Corinthians 13

I wonder what the first thing is you can remember; your earliest childhood recollection. Without inviting you to sit and ponder at length, it's probably true that most people's memories don't go back earlier than their third, or at least second year. I think there's a simple reason for this. lf you have recalled anything from early life, it's probably a memory in picture-image only. Our earliest memories are scant because we had no words with which to codify those early events, Our early memories are what the psychologists would call 'iconic'. Then as we grew older, our minds start to work in a 'symbolic' way as we acquire the use of language.

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13, in that well-loved passage that we had earlier that now I know in part (v12); even more he says, in effect, that our knowledge of God is as a child. The point is the Greek word Paul used here is nepoio; which means literally, 'without language'. ln other words our this-wordly knowledge of God is as but an infant's knowledge who hasn't gained the use of language; our spiritual faculties operate on an infantile level.

Paul wrote this passage on 'love' after addressing the subject of spiritual gifts which you will find in chapter 12. The spiritual gifts of which Paul spoke were given by God that his children might function in the spiritual sphere; that they might grow in their knowledge and love of him. They were also for the individual person to function in the life of the church, for (12:13) we were all baptised into one body, and for a Christian to function in isolation from other Christians was totally foreign to Paul's way of thinking.

Today most of us do try to live individualistic Christian lives; most of us tend to deride or underrate the spiritual gifts. In chapter 12 Paul lists the word of wisdom then the word of knowledge, then faith, healing and so on. But the Corinthians were going to extremes. They were flaunting their spiritual gifts, yet Paul had to take them to task for immoral behaviour, disrespect of marriage, taking one another to court and for idolatry. So he leads into chapter 13, with (12:31) I will show you a more excellent way; though I have this that and the other gift even so if I don't have love they are worthless and I am useless. It is the love of God to which the Christian must aspire for; which indeed he has been brought alive spiritually. This indeed is the hallmark of a Christian: he is alive spiritually- but that's of no value unless he is exercising the gift of love; love for God; love for one another; and growing in his knowledge of God. Paul, in giving us a kind of portrait of love is giving us a portrait of God, Did not the apostle John say, “God is love” (1 John 4:18) Our knowledge of God may be infantile- but here's a picture of what God is like, and as we read 1 Corinthians 13 we instinctively feel the validity of what Paul says, and maybe feel judged by it, Let's look at what Paul is saying; look especially if you feel judged! We take our lead from verse 7 Love beareth all things That is not a good translation; the true meaning here is 'love covers all things with silence', God's love protects us with a suggestion of much more than physical protection; it's a moral and spiritual protection. God protects us from all that would harm us; even from the siren voice of our own conscience. In 1 Peter we read "Love covers a multitude of sins". And the place of protection is at the foot of the Cross where God reaches down to our filth and our weakness.

No earthly father loves like Thee;

no mother, e'er so mild,

bears and forebears as Thou hast done,

with me thy sinful child,

For thou hast stooped to ask of me,

the love of my poor heart.

Love believeth all things

Here we have the standard New Testament word for 'belief' or 'faith'.

I remember a book entitled 'God believes in you' That can be a very novel and powerful idea. We feel our main need is for us to believe in God; to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, for, yes God is trustworthy.

The much more staggering truth is that God puts his trust in us! He even relies on us. When Jesus left this earth he left behind him the nucleus of his church, composed of ordinary believing men and women to carry on his work. Jesus depends on us; he counts on us, for he has committed his work to us. There are some people who will never know of Jesus' love unless you, or I, tell them.

Love hopeth all things

God sets his hope on us, which is really almost a follow-on. Every parent sets his hopes on his children. The trouble comes, of course, when we set our hope on our children- looking to them to do what we failed in. It is unfair and unkind in the extreme to expect children to make up for our own shortcomings.

Very different is to set our hope on someone- a confidence on what they will do and will achieve. If God went on our track-record. he would have precious little basis for hope! But no! He sets his hope on us because he knows what he can make of us, To 'hope' in this context is to ' wait for'. God waits for us to grow, He doesn't force us to grow; which is not to say he doesn't wish for it But he accepts that we will stumble and fall, knowing what in the fulness of time he can make of us.

Love endureth all things

God never runs away or desert us. Rather he endures with us, reassuring that, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hcb 13:5), that his grace is sufficient for (us) (1 Cor 12:10) And, of course, Jesus has endured all things for us. All the evil that we deserve to come our way he took upon himself. This is prophetically captured in the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53.

“The Lord hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all.”

Then finally:

Love never faileth

God's love will never fail. Not in the least, tiniest part. We can rely absolutely and totally on the love of God. However we change; however fickle we are, God's love for us will never be one iota less.

The way of God's love is the more excellent way; a way we are to covet earnestly God's love is the standard for which we should aim- and his love the gift we should most ardently seek. Our knowledge of God, however imperfect will stir us on. God's gifts of thy Spirit, if we will but use them, will ennable us to grow; they are a necessary tool to use.

But, at best, we have to admit that our knowledge and love are very, very incomplete. We see through a glass darkly. When Paul used the image of a mirror, he would think in terms of a non-too-flat sheet of rather tarnished metal. We know in part; and here the Greek word is 'ainigmata': our knowledge of God is an enigma.

Occasionally the veil may be pulled back just a little and we may be shown a small measure of God's love and glory. It happened to me once; and what I glimpsed I cannot put into words. Let that suffice! In heaven's clear light we shall see the dazzling glory of God face-to-face and our distorted phantasies of God will be lost for ever.

All the hurt, the pain of half-trufh healed by God's perfect love. And we shall know God in ways it never entered our minds to think of.

Father of Jesus, love's reward, what rapture will it be;

Prostrate before Thy throne to lie, and gaze and gaze on Thee!