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1 CORINTHIANS CHAPTERS 13 KJV WEB See previous page 1Cor 13,1-13 (110l) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spiritual substance and truth >> Spiritual substance follows the truth – Love is not something you can put into words. Paul made an attempt, saying: “love is patient, love is kind.” All he could say is that it is associated with the fruits of the spirit, described in Galatians chapter 5, indicating that all the other fruits are embedded in this one, love. So it appears that we cannot experience “Joy” or any of the fruits of the spirit without love. Being that love seems so difficult to define, it gives rise to the possibility that love is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit, suggesting that those who live and walk in love have entered a spiritual state. We often receive huge responses from the smallest acts of love, why? We are being like God during those moments, demonstrating the Kingdom of Heaven. We have been taught all our lives that love is an action. It ultimately is manifested as an action but, "if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love," then love is not an action. What is it then? It is a spiritual substance that originates from heaven! It is one of the few things the world is willing to receive from us. The best definition of love is that it is the substance of the anointing. This explains why love is indescribable, because the anointing is indescribable. God has given us various levers of the anointing in the gifts of the spirit, but without the fruits of the Spirit, these levers don’t work. (233d) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >> Seeking the goals of the kingdom >> Seek the goal of love – Love is like a suitcase where inside all the fruits of the Spirit are stored: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal 5-22,23). This is not a list of actions as much as they are spiritual states. For example, when we think of patience, it is not something we do but something we don’t do, referring to the absence of anger and frustration. Paul said love is patient and kind; both are found in the suitcase of love. We take this suitcase wherever we go; we are never without it, being cumbersome at times. We want to set it down as we fumble for the keys, but without it we would be lost in a world without faith. If we set down the suitcase, we are no longer able to access its contents and we become separated from the fruits of the Spirit, and evil desires begin to creep into our mind with thoughts of greed, lust and pride. 1Cor 13,1-8 (88e) Thy kingdom come >> Faith produces works >> The function of works in faith >> Faith doesn’t move men until it is manifested in the spiritual realm – They say that the English language doesn’t have a word for “love”. Some say that the Greek language is fuller and deeper and uses other words to distinguish between the various meanings of love. For example, the word for God's love is “Agape”, but what does agape mean other than the love of God? That doesn’t exactly expand the meaning. If the English can’t do the word justice, and if the Greek hasn’t done much better, then maybe the love of God transcends all human languages. This suggests that love also transcends all human actions and is better understood as a spiritual substance, like Heb 11-1 says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (KJV). This further suggests that faith and love are the same. Actually, Paul did a better job of defining "love" in Gal 5-22,23, when he named the nine fruits of the Spirit, love being one of them, so we can say: love is joy, love is peace, love is kind, etc. Essentially, love is what we take from the presence of God. (230k) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Mystery of godliness >> Solving the mystery of godliness >> The love of Christ is the mystery of godliness -- These verses go with verse 13. The world would like to believe they are free because their government and military say so, but Jesus disagrees if they don’t believe His word. The world abuses their own concept of freedom, much less possesses the freedom of Christ, spending it on their pleasures like the prodigal son, and then fall back into slavery to another nation’s rendition of freedom, perpetuating the cycle of man’s truth, which is twisted beyond hope. God does not want His people to enter this cycle. He wants us to know the truth that we may be free indeed and to remain free. If we are going to be slaves He would rather we become slaves of our freedom in order to avoid the bondage of man. The world does not know God or His freedom, and for this reason the world does not know His love. Now we know why it is so hard to define love. It is like trying to describe the importance of water to the natural sciences; it is the very cornerstone to all living things! How much more is love the cornerstone of our faith in God and of our interpersonal relationships? See also: Truth will set you free; Jn 8-32; 6f 1Cor 13,1-3 (63e) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Sarcasm >> Exaggerate the truth to make a point (160b) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit God >> Counterfeit spirit (168b) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Do not conform to the world’s version of love – The world's version of love is devoid of substance. I can make the ultimate sacrifice of my life for whatever cause, whether it be for good or for evil, but if I have not love, my charity ends when the act is accomplished. For example, I could run into a burning house and free a child only to be trapped myself and die in the flames, but if I have not love, I am denied heaven, and the flames continue. How has my sacrifice profited me? If I were rich I could donate millions of dollars to a good cause, and that money may benefit others, but without love I will not be able to enjoy the blessing or internalize what I have done. Without love there is no positive emotion; such a condition of the heart belongs to monsters. There are those who for their own reasons have developed an appreciation for life apart from love; they are dead inside. We experience many things, but love is the experience that makes all other experiences worthwhile. It is not in the million-dollar gift or in rescuing a child from a burning house or in the gift of prophecy or in tongues, or the ability to solve mysteries, or having knowledge and faith as to remove mountains. We could perform them as one performs on stage, but none of these are the experience. The experience is in love, through which we enjoy life, for without love our experiences mean nothing. Paul didn’t say we cannot do these things without love, he said we cannot assign value to them. Without love our lives do not belong to us; our daily activities dance in the darkness for no one. (171g) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Outward appearance >> Decorating the outside to simulate the inside >> Playing the part to be accepted by God – Maybe you are a performer of diverse miracles or an articulator of the oracle of God, and maybe you are the answer-man and can answer some of the deepest questions man has ever asked, but without love you are nothing. If you want your service and ministry to affect people and mean something to God, you must cultivate love as the basis of your identity and of all you do, or your life is in vain. (173h) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Catholicism >> Unholy sacrifice >> Offering sacrifice without God’s approval >> Sacrifice against the ways of God (176h) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Zeal without knowledge (Spirit w/o the word) >> Resolution without relationship (196i) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Spiritual laziness >> Replacing God’s standard of excellence with yours >> Lukewarm Christianity (248h) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Values >> Valuing God >> Knowing God is more important than serving Him 1Cor 13-1 (85b) Thy kingdom come >> Your words can lead to your own demise >> How can you, being evil, speak what is good? – Paul said that if we have the gift of tongues, but do not have love, it is nothing. So what is Paul saying, that the gifts are nothing? No, he is saying that the gifts must flow through love. This suggests that if our heart is not founded on love, then the gifts of the spirit will be ineffective and probably dangerous. Without love the gifts of the spirit will turn from a blessing to a curse, for where they were once tools to build up the body of Christ, now they are weapons that cause division. (95e) Thy kingdom come >> Positive attitude >> Speaking in tongues >> Tongues are a form of prayer -- This verse goes with verse 8 (124d) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love >> Acts of love >> Love is one of the fruits of the Spirit KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 1Cor 13-2 (71b) Authority >> Believer’s authority >> We have authority in the wisdom of God (86f) Thy kingdom come >> Belief >> Mental ascent (believing a set of facts) (124m) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love is the action of faith >> Love is the motive of faith -- This verse goes with verses 8-13 (152ia) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> Witnesses of the father >> Prophets >> The Church holds the position of a prophet >> Church operates under a prophetic anointing >> Delivering a prophetic message from God -- This verse goes with verses 8&9 1Cor 13,3-7 (124b) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love >> Acts of love >> Love takes from the rich and gives to the poor >> love is the act of giving to the poor 1Cor 13,3-5 (34l) Gift of God >> Be generous like your Father >> Give to your brother 1Cor 13-3 (23e) Sin >> Poverty (Oppression) >> Poor are those who are rich in their own minds – A three-year-old is content with her dolly, a little food in her tummy, a pillow, some blankets, a couple toys and a sense of security. For possessions, what does she need, a car? Her daddy needs that. She lives in a house, but it is deeded to her parents and they make the mortgage payments. A parent can devote every waking hour being a provider and ignore their children, yet what their children really need is their parents. They would rather their parents were home than out making money to buy the feeling of being better providers. Parents love their children often without thinking about it, yet over a period of years they can look back and see the repository of love they had been, especially in contrast to other children whose parents didn’t love them. When we begin to realize the value of love, we can’t put a price on it. (34a) Gift of God >> God’s generosity >> Believer owns everything >> Jesus belongs to us – If we have not love, we have nothing; but if we have love, we have everything. Nothing we give has value compared to love that has motivated us to give in the first place. Had Jesus gone to the cross without love, it would have benefited Him nothing; as it is Jesus is the love of God, and as a result He gained the Church. When we give people things they don’t need, it is hard to call that love, since love is about providing for those who cannot help themselves. Someone who really needs help, for instance a fireman pulls someone from a burning house, that is love. Accordingly, God saved us from our sins, and He gave us Jesus whom we needed. The person who walks in love, everything he does is inspiring, how much more when he gives to the poor and is kind to his fellow man? (235c) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> Tithing >> Be faithful in your tithes >> Unfaithfulness nullifies your tithe (252j) Trinity >> You shall put no other gods before Me >> Worship God >> Worship God by your lifestyle – Paul said that apart from love, all my actions of love profit me nothing. Give to a charity with a grudging attitude, and the charity will profit as if you gave from a willing heart, but you will not profit from it. This verse resembles what Jesus did with His life; He gave all His possessions to feed the poor, and He surrendered His body to be crucified, but He did it in love, and for that reason God gave Him the Church, but had He gone to the cross outside of love, He would have gained nothing. Jesus died for our sins in love, not in love for us but in love for His Father. We need to remember how Jesus taught; He did everything in obedience to His Father, including the cross. Many believe Jesus came on His own initiative and went to the cross based on His own volition, but this simply does not stand-up to Scripture. Everything Jesus said and did was in obedience to His Father. Jesus didn’t visit mankind on His own initiative; His Father sent Him. Therefore, the cross represents the Father’s love, which is even more significant than the love of Christ. We know Jesus gained the Church through the cross, but what did the Father gain from the cross? Jesus said that the Father desires worshippers who will worship Him in spirit and in truth (Jn 4-23). So Jesus gained the Church while the Father gained worshipers. See also: Father sent the Son; Heb 5,1-10; 80l KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 1Cor 13,4-8 (6g) Responsibility >> Being spiritual >> Ministering to God by dying to self – In this mortal body we naturally dwell more on selfishness than on helping others. Therefore, dying to self is an intrinsic part of loving someone, and we do it for Christ, not for the people we are helping. Our personal interests get in the way of caring for others, so we must first remove the obstacle of ourselves engrained in our flesh before we can focus our attention on other people. (41j) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Be like Jesus >> Be godly toward one another (42g) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Transformation >> Conform to the Love of Christ – Paul’s definition of love is surprisingly short, suggesting that love is not complicated. Love is beautiful; love is selfless; it does not get angry, and it forgives. That is what love does, but what is love? It is patient, and it is kind. Those are two of the nine fruits of the Spirit; therefore, love is spiritual at it's core, and its fruit are not actions but spiritual states, generated by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. (64h) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Weaknesses of God >> God subjects himself to human frailty >> His weakness is stronger than men (156da) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of salvation >> Loving your fellow man is evidence of sa lvation >> Love your enemies (244l) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Literal manifestation of God’s word >> Love is the manifestation of truth -- These verses go with verse 13 (250k) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Lists >> Terms of graduating to the next level >> List of spiritual traits in descending order – Paul defined love through the fruits of the Spirit and then went on to explain the opposite of love, and his list is by no means complete. He mentioned “jealousy”, which incorporates just about every sin imaginable, defining love by what it is not more than what it is. Love is essentially the fruit of the Spirit, and since love is spiritual, what the Holy Spirit does occurs inside us, like love. His actions don’t cause anything physical to happen but creates things in us. 1Cor 13,4-7 (123b) Love (Key verse) 1Cor 13-4,5 (77d) Thy kingdom come >> Humility >> Refusing the glory of man >> Refusing to exalt yourself – Love does not seek its own glory but seeks to glorify God and serve others. Paul mentioned two of the fruits of the Spirit, and they represent the other seven fruits mentioned in Gal 5-22,23. Then he began numbering things that love is not: it is not provoked, and it does not take into account a wrong suffered. How easy is it for us to be provoked? People who yell at us, or are chronic complainers vex our souls and provoke us to react against them, returning evil for evil. The very things that provoke us are the things we want to throw at them, which is how wars start. All these negative things come from our flesh, but we must control them and keep them at bay. We who are born of God go into attack mode at the slightest provocation because we are sinners too, and we live in a body of sin, and we are not immune to its wickedness. We try to avoid the pitfalls of our sinful nature, things that pull us into darkness, and we fight to avoid them, sometimes falling prey to them, so we ask God for help and He forgives us and provides His strength to overcome our weaknesses. (124h) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love your enemies >> Loving your enemies leaves room for God to Work >> Leave room for the salvation of God (126i) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Patience >> The patience of God >> God is patient 1Cor 13-4 (24h) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Being envious of your brother (84g) Thy kingdom come >> Words of your mouth >> Boasting in men is not needed – God has accepted those who believe in Him for eternal life. There is consequently no place for boasting. Therefore by definition, a person who walks in love is not boastful. It is interesting that Paul mentioned bragging, since it isn’t often addressed in the Bible, yet it is in the love chapter describing what love does not do. What would love have to brag about anyway? Actually, love has more to brag about than anything, for love produces all good things in the world. For example, a mother’s love is what produces decent children who become adults and teach their children how to love. Without a mother’s love, the world would soon lose its capacity for love and all things would come to an end. "Boasting" and arrogance are brothers, but a person who walks in love is neither boastful nor arrogant. We can use these truths to discern the spiritual state of those who claim to be Christians but don't act like it. If he is truly a child of God, he will not arrogantly place himself above others, but will instead look for opportunities for service. (127d) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Kindness >> God is kind KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 1Cor 13-5 (89a) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Being sensible is always wise – Love does not act unbecomingly or seek its own. This is a pair that seems redundant. Seeking our own interest is “unbecoming”, which is a sensitive word, used also for things far less severe. For example, public intoxication is unbecoming; smoking in a public facility is unbecoming. “Inappropriate” is the word that comes closest to unbecoming. Question: ‘Should I practice love in this case?’ The answer is always a resounding “Yes!” Love is always appropriate. (120d) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Forgiveness >> Forgiving your brother >> As God has forgiven you (123d) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love >> Spiritual affection >> Compassion >> Reaching out to those in need (124f) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love >> Acts of love >> Love does not seek its own – Some say that pursuing a reward for acting in love is hypocritical; others say it is no different from a dog seeking a treat for performing a trick, but neither of these are true. Jesus went to the cross, not hypocritically or like a dog seeking a treat but, “for the joy [hope/reward] set before Him” (Heb 12-2), He received a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works. Therefore, we too should expect to gain something by our selfless acts of love. We should live for the benefit of others, holding to hope, knowing God has every intension of blessing us for doing His will. Nobody does anything apart from hope, not even God! If our hope is in heaven, God says our motives are right. That is, our personal interest in pursuing a heavenly reward for being kind to others is divine, but if we hope for an earthly reward, then we are back to selfish interests with no benefit to ourselves and with nobody else in mind. The love we bestow on others in this life has an earthly benefit to those we love, but the reward is stockpiled in heave for us, and equating these two are like comparing apples to oranges. (124k) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love your enemies >> Love your enemies that you may not become like them – Love “does not take into account a wrong suffered.” When someone does something malicious to us, love does not take it into account. We pass over their sins. This is not an easy thing to do, and the world would say it was just plain wrong, but the Bible says this is what it means to be like God, for He passed over our sins. (135f) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Sins of the body >> Abortion >> Consequences of abortion >> Abortion is the result of a selfish life-style (159h) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit >> Counterfeit godliness >> Counterfeit fruit – Paul did not say that love is not easily provoked; he said that love is not provoked at all, that if it is provoked, then it is no longer love. When looking at the Old Testament, God was regularly provoked to anger; therefore, could we say that God was not acting in love at those times? His patience grew thin and He sought justice against the Israelites and the neighboring countries. What many don’t understand about God in the Old Testament is the amount of patience He demonstrated before He got angry. We are talking about thousands of people disobeying Him for years until He couldn’t stand it anymore. His patience wore thin and He was provoked to anger. Our provocation and search for justice are usually way too early; we rarely show enough patience before we get angry. Paul is saying that while we are being patient and showing forbearance toward one another, we are walking in love, but the moment we become angry, it is like a switch that has been turned, and now we are walking by a completely different set of principles. In an instant we go from walking in the Spirit to walking in the flesh, and it is often difficult to return to faith. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 1Cor 13-6 (86n) Thy kingdom come >> Obedience >> Be doers of the word from the heart >> Love the truth (127i) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Goodness >> Rewards for doing good >> Doing good teaches you about the truth – Paul has linked love with the truth, implying that love without the truth is not godly love, but is a sickening-sweet form of self-righteousness. God’s love is very different from the world’s version of love, which is not in any way related to the truth, but is something people do to promote themselves. In contrast, the biblical version of love is directly associated with the truth, according to Jn 3-21, “He who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” In other words, the one who walks in God’s love gives Him the credit, since God has given him the ability to walk in love. Love and truth are closely related, whereas apart from the truth love becomes quiet and unresponsive. (194g) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Hate evil >> Victory over sin >> Hate evil by loving good 1Cor 13-7,8 (112d) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Light >> Jesus light in us overcomes darkness >> The light of His power 1Cor 13-7 (86c) Thy kingdom come >> Belief >> Treating the knowledge of God as fact >> Repentance is the result of the resurrection (99g) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Enduring circumstances >> Enduring hardship – The best thing a person can do who is persecuted is to keep the faith, for it increases his confidence to endure all things and thus increases his capacity for love, which believes all things and bears all things regarding the truth. Love never fails the truth, just as truth never fails love. They are dance partners in a symbiotic relationship that performs on stage in front of the world in a syncopated choreography called the Two-Step, consisting of faith and love. Love does not believe in anything except the truth. How many people do we know picks and chooses the doctrines they believe, but truth, where is it? Any belief system that does not incorporate the truth is incapable of walking in love! Their rendition of love does not believe the truth, and we know that those with a selective belief system also deselect the truth when it confronts their sinful nature. A person with a selective belief system is also selective in what they obey and who they love, and so we who are of the truth should beware of them, for false brethren are incompatible with those who love the truth. See also: Faith and love of the truth; 1Cor 13,8-13; 124m / Faith in the truth; 1Tim 2-7; 78b (121k) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Hope Based On Faithfulness >> Hope based on character -- This verse goes with verse 13 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 1Cor 13,8-13 (124m) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love is the action of faith >> Love is the motive of faith -- These verses go with verse 2. Love is difficult to define. As we scan the New Testament we see the terms faith and love frequently appearing together. There is a reason for this; faith and love are one and the same. Hence, if love is the substance of the anointing, then so is faith. This bears out in Heb 11-1, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith is a “heavenly” substance, just like love. There is another pair of terms in the New Testament that also goes together in the same way. Jesus said in John 8-32, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” These four: truth and freedom, faith and love, are closely related—love is to faith as truth is to freedom. Freedom is a product of truth, as love is a product of faith, and all four are spiritual substances, meaning they are off limits to unbelief. We must believe in God before we can walk in His love, which opens our eyes to His truth, which sets us free to serve Him. See also: Faith and love of the truth; 1Cor 13-7; 99g 1Cor 13,8-12 (170f) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Outward appearance >> Temporary >> Whatever is temporary will perish – Love will continue to the end of eternity, but gifts of prophecy and tongues will cease; knowledge will become obsolete, for in heaven how can someone say he knows something when everyone knows what he knows? There is value in gold because it is rare, and so is knowledge in this life, but not in heaven. The streets will be made of gold to mock the greedy man, but that is where its value will end in heaven. Love will be just as common, but it will retain its value, because it is the essence of God. Will we arrive in heaven suddenly knowing everything, or will we accumulate knowledge throughout eternity? Knowledge will most likely remain a process. 1Cor 13-8,9 (152ia) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> Witnesses of the father >> Prophets >> The Church holds the position of a prophet >> Church operates under a prophetic anointing >> Delivering a prophetic message from God -- These verses go with verse 2 1Cor 13-8 (39h) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death >> Victory >> Jesus never fails – Paul promised that through love we will be able to do anything within the parameters of His will. Love does not believe in lies, nor does it bear the heart of fools. It does not hope in stupidity, or endure sin. God gives us his love and expects us to believe in Him no matter what happens. He wants us to remember our hope of eternal life, while we bear the burdens of others. (95e) Thy kingdom come >> Positive attitude >> Speaking in tongues >> Tongues are a form of prayer -- This verse goes with verse 1 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 1Cor 13-9,10 (112j) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Light >> Being in the presence of truth -- These verses go with verse 12 (245e) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Literal manifestation of Jesus Christ >> Manifestation of Jesus’ second coming 1Cor 13-9 (80i) Thy kingdom come >> Know the word to minister to God >> Know the word to know God – We all have partial knowledge of God. We will always know just the tip of the iceberg of what there is to know about Him. God gives an eternity to learn about Him, and even then some things will remain completely in the dark. For example, we can conceptualize eternity past, but we will never know it by experience, simply because we had a beginning. Imagine ten thousand years from now after we have become convinced we know God, He will reveal something about Himself that will change everything we know about Him. We know this by the way Jesus treated His disciples; He always had an agenda. Had Jesus given the teachings of John chapters 14-17 at the beginning of His ministry, His disciples would have never understood any of it. As it was, they didn’t anyway, but they knew it meant something, and after Pentecost the anointing enlightened their minds. Eternity will be similar to the disciples’ 3-year odyssey with Jesus. God may say things to us during the Millennium that we are not capable of understanding at the time, because we haven’t yet developed the knowledge base to fathom it, and then over millions of years our experiences will accumulate to give us the means to understand Him, but by that time, He will have said many other things that we will not understand until billions of years later. We will always be catching-up to God, always striving to understand Him, “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4-13). 1Cor 13-10,11 (118m) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >> Law of the spirit >> Newness of the spirit transcends oldness of the letter – Love will continue forever. It will never get old and be replaced by something better, as happened to the Law of Moses. Nevertheless, his Law will never stop being true; that is, we should not ever commit murder or lie or break any of the commandments. In the same way, we should forever love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and love our neighbor as our self, yet the law has already become obsolete through the administration of the Spirit, who teaches us about God and His love using the Scriptures. The law has been made obsolete, which was designed to increase the knowledge of sin, but the Holy Spirit does this much more effectively now, convicting us of sin, if people would pay attention to Him, "as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts" (2Pet 1-19). 1Cor 13-10 (43i) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Perfected by God – Some say when we get to heaven we will know all things in that the partial will give way to the infinite, and there will be no occasion to learn. However, in some contexts “knowledge” is another word for faith. The difference between scientific knowledge and faith is that our faith knows things that are incomprehensible. That is, we know things in ways that even we don’t understand. In other words, we have a faith that is greater than ourselves, meaning that it is not actually our faith but God’s faith we use to believe in Him. Although this faith goes beyond comprehension, it is incomplete; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away, so our faith will be complete. We will continue learning throughout eternity about God and His creation, and as we do, we will come to know Him in ways that are beyond our ability to comprehend in this life. See also: God replaces our belief with His faith; 2Cor 12-8,9; 43k (44g) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Transformed >> Complete >> Lacking in nothing – That which is perfect is Christ, and that which is partial is our flesh. When the perfect comes, He will perfect us as He is perfect. That is, our sinful flesh will be abolished and He will give us new bodies that cannot sin. Paul made a comment, “faith working through love” in Gal 5-6; that is what it means to be complete. Verses like this point to the statement James made in his epistle, “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (Jm 1-4). That is the goal, though we will never fully reach it in this life. Voyaging on a journey toward perfection is the closest we will ever get to being perfect in this life. If we don't seek perfection, we will find corruption. If we are on a genuine pursuit toward perfection, God doesn’t count our trespasses against us but sees us as already perfect, even when we fail. 1Cor 13-11 (19f) Sin >> Having the mental disease of the world >> Incorrect thinking (62l) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Being clever >> Grow up – We are not to remain babes, for there is a maturity process that requires sacrifice. If we remain babes, the world will continue to receive us; but if we allow our faith to mature, and take on our heavenly calling, we will have abandoned our fleshly impulses and received an anointing from God that makes us less earthly and more heavenly, so that the world no longer understands us. There must be a departure from this world, a setting aside of the old life and putting on the new that we have in Christ (Eph 4,22-24). By this the world will no longer recognize us as one of its own but as we were aliens of another planet, a world they have rejected, a world they hate and despise, being enemies of God. The world hates us because we are not of the world but are of God (Jn 15-18,19). Those who have remained babes we have left straddling the fence with a foot in both worlds, who don’t have acceptance from either world. They strive to be spiritual, but their flesh keeps getting in their way, and they refuse to remove it through sheer force of will, considering it an act of self-betrayal, being more fleshly than spiritual. Then they strive to be worldly and they can’t, because their other foot is trying to please God. Most immature Christians remain in the valley of decision their entire lives, never climbing the valley cliff to the higher plateau, giving them the ability to hear the voice of God telling them to perfect righteousness in the fear of God, giving them the fortitude to follow Him wherever He may lead. (78k) Thy kingdom come >> Renewing your mind >> Conform to the word of God (85j) Thy kingdom come >> Words of your mouth >> Better not to say anything >> Shut up! (137g) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Maturing in Jesus is hard work >> Maturity is the process of growing – When Paul was first saved, his love was immature, but over time love matured him, and he did away with childish things. You cannot walk in love and be a fool at the same time. The world may not respect faith, but it does respect the product of faith, which is love. Paul is comparing this life to eternity, showing that love bridges the gap between this life and the next. It is the way to eternal life. Love will show the way, for when I look in the mirror I see myself dimly, but when I get to heaven I will see God face to face and myself like Him. In the same way I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I am fully known. (196f) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Immaturity >> Not mature enough to seek God >> Unable to know the mind of Christ KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 1Cor 13-12 (33j) Gift of God >> God is our Father >> God serves His people who serve Him >> He treats His people with special care (34f) Gift of God >> Believer owns everything >> True knowledge belongs to us (94n) Thy kingdom come >> Perspective is your personal reality >> How you interpret your point of view (104j) Thy kingdom come >> Pure in heart shall see God >> Shall see Jesus >> We shall see His face (112j) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Light >> Being in the presence of Truth -- This verse goes with verses 9&10. So many professing Christians today believe in God based on certain doctrines that they assert to be true, and if this is what Paul was saying, then fine, but can we really relate to God based on a set of doctrines? Maybe it’s time to rethink what we believe! Paul said that he has come to know God, at least in part, and if he can know God then so can we. Paul wasn’t talking about knowing Him based on a set of Bible passages that we have reduced to doctrines of salvation; rather, he was talking about knowing God by the Spirit; there’s a difference. We study the Bible in hope of coming to know the truth, but we cannot say that the Bible itself is the Truth; it is more like a treasure map that leads to the Truth. If the Bible were the Truth, people would have destroyed themselves with it long ago. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” (Jn 14-6). The Bible is not Jesus, and Jesus is not the Bible; rather, it merely speaks of Him. Rephrasing, people pick up the Bible and shake it over their heads saying, ‘This is the word of God,’ but actually the Bible merely represents the word of God. For example, the Bible says that the Word of God is “living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb 4-12), so the Word of God is alive and active. Open the Bible and the words are just setting there lifeless, merely organized inkblots on a page. Those who don't fellowship with God have a relationship with the Bible instead of with Jesus, and are attempting to replace the living God with a set of doctrines. Nobody has ever gone to heaven believing in a set of doctrines. See also: Bible (Inkblots on a page without the Holy Spirit); 2Tim 3-7,8; 167g (132e) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holy Spirit is in God’s people >> God gives his spirit as a pledge >> Spirit pledges the presence of God (208j) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Personal relationship >> Being married to God >> Knowing God – God has given us this life in order that we might come to know Him. Some say that the moment we enter heaven God will endow us with full knowledge, but I say the next life will be a learning process just like this one. For God to simply endow us with full knowledge would contradict the way He deals with us in this life. He wants us to learn about Him experientially by pursuing Him, which takes time and effort building knowledge in our understanding of Him and His creation. Why would He simply throw it all into our laps without making us seek Him? Just to see Him face-to-face will answer a myriad questions in the first few seconds, but there are many other things He will divulge to us throughout eternity. (212j) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> God is all knowing >> God knows everything about you (224f) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of heaven >> The joyful kingdom >> We shall always be with the Lord (245o) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Spirit realm superimposed upon the natural realm >> The natural manifesting into the spiritual 1Cor 13-13 (121k) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Hope Based On Faithfulness >> Hope based on character -- This verse goes with verse 7 (230k) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Mystery of godliness >> Solving the mystery of godliness >> The love of Christ is the mystery of godliness -- This verse goes with verses 1-8 (244l) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestation of God’s word >> Love is the manifestation of truth -- This verse goes with verses 4-8. Love is the hope of faith. We use hope to water the garden of our heart, so faith might grow into love. Hope therefore is the bridge between faith and love, as water is the bridge between the seed and the plant; it is the catalyst that causes the transformation. Love is greatest of all because it is the end product. (248j) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Values >> The Highest Values >> Top Priority See next page