Without Love, Everything is Meaningless
If you searched the Bible for wisdom about love, where would you look? Most Bible-readers would direct you to the well-known and easily misinterpreted 1 Corinthians 13 passage a la "love is patient, love is kind…” Sound familiar? The apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Christians in Corinth advising them on how they should live: in love, because without love everything is meaningless.
Without love:
What we say about God is deceitful
Spiritual gifts such as prophecy and speaking in tongues were prevalent among the Corinthians. They were not shy to display their gifts. While it is encouraged to pursue and develop your spiritual gifts like the Corinthians did, we should not share them out of selfish intent. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:1,
“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”
The Corinthian church was doing that exactly; speaking in tongues and prophesying purely for selfish reasons. Without love as the primary motivator, what comes out of our mouths does not honour God. Paul recalls the sounds of a gong and cymbal which were commonly used in pagan worship. We can assume Paul used the metaphor of a “resounding gong” and a “clanging cymbal” to say that when we speak about God without love, we do not honour Him. It may as well be counted as pagan worship.
What we know about God is fake
Faithfully studying the Bible is important to Christians, as it furthers our understanding of God and how to live as Christians in a pagan world. Paul says in verse 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”.
Here Paul uses hyperbole to further his point in saying that without a loving heart, it is of no value to possess and understand “all mysteries and all knowledge”. Even if my faith was so deep and steadfast that it could “move mountains”, without love, it it meaningless. The more we know about God and the more we know Him, our capacity to cultivate a bigger heart and loving-kindness for people and for God should grow. Ask yourself, ‘Does my knowledge of God transform me to become more loving?’. If yes, then that’s great! If not, then that’s something to reflect upon and pray about.
What we do for God is futile
God has given us a new life, as a “new humanity” (Ephesians 2: 15) which means that we have left our prior way of living behind. The choices we make and the way we live as Christians should be to glorify God alone. Paul says in verse 3,
“If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing”.
What is Paul saying here? Even if we give generously all that we have (whether it is money, time or our comfort), it is neither noble nor an act of worship if done without love. We would gain nothing. Is love the reason you spend time with you friends? Is love the reason you read your Bible and worship? Is love the reason you work? Let’s bring it back to the heart as God wants for us too. It all starts and ends with love for God and others.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Would you help me to you as my Lord and Saviour to love my neighbour as myself? May a gracious love be the reason why I serve you and the people around me? Thank you for your unconditional, and unfailing love.
Amen.