As we began our study of 1 Corinthians 13, Paul reminded us in the last verse of chapter 12, that regardless of your gifts, he wants to show us a more excellent way — the way of Agape love / unconditional love. This is the love found only in the Dispensation of Grace, coined in the New Testament. This is a love lavished on others without a thought of whether the recipient is worthy or not. Agape love is a commitment, not a feeling.
In the first 3 verses, Paul establishes that love must be sovereign in the heart, sovereign in the intellect, and sovereign in a person’s will. A definition of religion is doing the works of a Christian without the love of God as a guide for their labor. Producing fruit that should remain comes from mature believers.
Proverbs 22:6 is always quoted concerning our natural children and our efforts in raising them properly. There is a spiritual picture concerning those we are given charge over to mature them in Christ. Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
The 3 principles we ended the class with are:
1. You only receive out of your life what you invest in it, not what someone else invest in it.That reward is theirs. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 gives us clear understanding that our reward is based on what we build in our personal lives upon the foundation of Christ. The reward is based on understanding the next two principles.
2. The reward is in the attitude, not in the action. The gold (knowledge of God — studying the Word), silver (price of redemption – sharing your faith), and precious stones (investing in people), is all predicated on the attitude of our hearts as we obey the Word. 1 Corinthians 3:12-15
3. It is not about what you are doing on the outside. It is about what God is doing on the inside. The illustration of Samuel anointing David king teaches us this valuable principle. But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. Paul reminds us that agape love must be the driving force behind all that we do, or it will be worthless!