Title: Ang Katangian ng Pag-ibig

Text: 1 Corinto 13:7-13

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will
pass away. 
For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 
but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I
gave up childish ways. 
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I
have been fully known.
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Introduction: Sarah G. . .

Need: “Paalalahanan ang mga kapatid kung anong klaseng pagmamahal ang idinudulot ng Banal na Espiritu sa
ating buhay kung tayo ay nagpapasakop sa Kanya at kung ano ang resulta nito sa katawan ni Kristo”

Background: The thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians, without me needing to say anything to you, is probably
one that you recognize. In fact, if you've been a Christian for any length of time, you probably have a great deal
of affection and love for this chapter because of the tremendous impact that it has on the greatest thing in all
the world--the subject of love.

The problem inside Corinthian church (chapter by chapter)

What's exciting about this chapter is that it is a breath of fresh air in the middle of such a problem-oriented
book. First Corinthians is negative in many ways, as Paul attacks the Corinthian assembly for all of their
misconduct and immorality, and their failure to acquiesce to those principles which God had given for their
blessing. But all of these issues are set aside in chapter 13, as Paul flies on wings, as it were, interpreting and
sharing his Holy Spirit-given inspiration on love.
Misconception about love in 1 Corinthians 13
One of most abuse term today is love, for other people love is equivalent to tolerance, absolute freedom…

Paul is not defining love. He is applying love to the Corinthians’ situation and using it as the criterion for why
some of their attitudes and behaviors are unacceptable.

Question: Ano ang katangian ng Pag-ibig at paano nito maapektuhan ang ating pamumuhay sa harapan ng ating
Panginoon?
Transitional Statement:
Text:
I. Ang Pag-ibig ay Kumikilos (v7)
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
NIV “It always protects, always trust, always hopes, always perseveres.

Translation of all and always

All-
Lahat-
Ibig sabihin lang po ang Pag-ibig ay kumikilos sa lahat ng bagay at sa lahat ng pag-kakataon…

Ano ang pagkilos ng pag-ibig?

a. bears all things
We should first rule out a common misunderstanding about this verse in order to precisely identify what it
means to bear all things.
1. “suffering in the cause of Christ”- First, there is no need to repeat the reference to patience that was already
discussed (v. 4, cf. also the implication of avoiding anger by being meek and patient, v. 13:5c). Second, verse 6
indicates that now Paul proceeds to “traits of another nature.” He moves from specificity to generalization and
summary (cf. love’s delight in holiness). Third, it is unlikely that Paul would omit the critically important fruit of
love that involves suffering for the gospel. Thus love means that “those who live” because of the death of Christ
“no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised” (2 Cor. 5:15).
A couple of parallel passages help us fix on the point here. Earlier in 1 Corinthians Paul spoke of “bearing all
things” (1 Cor. 9:12). The ESV has “we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of
Christ.” Because “endure” translates the word “bear” it would be better to use bear instead of endure, or an
even better rendering is “we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ” (NIV). Bearing is
applied to all sufferings, afflictions, and anything that must be put up with in order to further the gospel of
Christ (cf. 1 Thess. 3:1, 5). The all things that love bears can be pinpointed to all that must be faced, worked at,
and suffered for the sake of God and Christ. This is a mark of a truly (spiritually) loving person.

A bit of clarification- hindi po ito ina-apply sa mag-asawa…

In NIV- It always protects. . . .
The burdens of fellow Christians, and so fulfils the law of Christ, which is the law of love; the infirmities of weak
believers, and the reproaches and persecutions of the world: or "covers all things", as it may be rendered, even
a multitude of sins, as charity is said to do, ( 1 Peter 4:8 ) not by conniving at them, or suffering them to be upon
a brother; but having privately and faithfully reproved for them, and the offender being brought to a sense and
acknowledgment of them, he freely forgives them as trespasses against him, covers them with the mantle of
love, and industriously hides and conceals them from others;

b. believes all things

Believing is related to all the teachings of the gospel no matter what they are or what they demand. All the
things that are taught by Christ through His word in the sixty-six books of the Bible are embraced. This is
conditioned by the flow of the text and the connection with bearing all things for the sake of the gospel. It is the
gospel that is believed, namely, all things it teaches and to which it applies by good and necessary inference.
That are to be believed, all that God says in his word, all his truths, and all his promises; and even
sometimes in hope against hope, as Abraham did, relying upon the power, faithfulness, and other perfections of
God; though such a man will not believe every spirit, every preacher and teacher, nor any but such as agree
with the Scriptures of truth, the standard of faith and practice; nor will he believe every word of man, which is
the character of a weak and foolish man; indeed, a man of charity or love is willing to believe all the good things
reported of men; he is very credulous of such things, and is unwilling to believe ill reports of persons, or any ill
of men; unless it is open and glaring, and is well supported, and there is full evidence of it; he is very incredulous
in this respect:

c. hopes all things

A loving Christian is hopeful (full of hope like being full of faith).
That are to be hoped for; hopes for the accomplishment of all the promises of God; hopes for the
enjoyment of him in his house and ordinances; hopes for things that are not seen, that are future, difficult,
though possible to be enjoyed: hopes for heaven and eternal happiness, for more grace here and glory
hereafter; hopes the best of all men, of all professors of religion, even of wicked men, that they may be better
and brought to repentance, and of fallen professors, who declare their repentance, and make their
acknowledgments; he hopes well of them, that they are sincere, and all is right and will appear so:
Hope in relation to all things means that love’s fullness reaches out from all things of the present to all
things of the future as they unfold in stages toward the grand finale when all things will be delivered into the
freedom of the children of God (Rom. 8:21).

d. endures all things

I’ve shared to you before that God’s love is an enduring love. Enduring gives us the distinct idea of
steadfastness, faithfulness, or perseverance.
Here all things refer to doing anything good that takes determination, resolve, steadfastness, faithfulness, or
perseverance. Love clings tenaciously to whatever is holy, righteous, or good. It forcefully pursues whatever is
true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, or excellent. It relentlessly strives after all these things to
learn, receive, hear, see, and practice them. Thus, it goes without saying that this is the way of a repentant life.
That are disagreeable to the flesh; all afflictions, tribulations, temptations, persecutions, and death itself, for the
elect's sake, for the sake of the Gospel, and especially for the sake of Christ Jesus.

Ano kinalaman ng Corithian church?

The problem and implication to the Corinthian church.
Bears all things-
Believes all things-
Hopes all things-
Endures all things-

Perseverance applies to bearing, believing, and hoping. Finally, Paul states that love endures all these things,
that is, love perseveres in bearing all afflictions and efforts that come from faith in all the grand truths of
Scripture, love perseveres in faith believing one truth after another, believing them all, holding them all fast
whatever the afflictions may be that come in the course of life. And love perseveres in hope, in expectation with
respect to all the suffering that comes from all the grand truths and in all the work, effort, and trails that come
because of embracing all the things of Scripture.
II. Ang Pag-ibig ay walang katapusan (v.8-12)
The point of Paul’s rhetorically polished description of love is its contrast to what he has earlier said about the
attitudes of the Corinthians.

Main point: permanence of love

NIV “love never fails”

Why love never ends?

Description of God’s never ending love.

That love “never ends” stresses its permanence for both time and eternity. To say it “abides” concentrates on
its permanence for eternity. Thus, Paul compares it with other things that also abide (faith, hope) and states
that it is the greatest. Thus even though other things may abide into the unending future, love still excels.

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will
pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass
away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a
man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I
shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

Why would Paul contrast love’s endurance to the transitory nature of prophecies, tongues, and knowledge?
Background of Corinth… they practice tongues and prophesy and yet there is no love…
Prophecy, knowledge, and tongues were not permanent gifts. (Knowledge does not mean “education,” but the
immediate imparting of spiritual truth to the mind.) These three gifts went together. God would impart
knowledge to the prophet, and he would give the message in a tongue. Then an interpreter (sometimes the
prophet himself) would explain the message. These were gifts that some of the Corinthians prized, especially
the gift of tongues. These gifts will fail (be abolished) and cease, but love will endure forever; for “God is love”
(1 John 4:8, 16). The Corinthians were like children playing with toys that would one day disappear. You expect
a child to think, understand, and speak like a child; but you also expect the child to mature and start thinking
and speaking like an adult. The day comes when he must “put away childish things” (1 Cor. 13:11). In the New
Testament (which at that time was not completed) we have a complete revelation, but our understanding of it
is partial. (Review 1 Cor. 8:1-3 if you think otherwise.) There is a maturing process for the church as a whole
(Eph. 4:11-16) and also for the individual believer (1 Cor. 14:20; 2 Peter 3:18). We will not be fully completed
until Jesus returns, but we ought to be growing and maturing now. Children live for the temporary; adults live
for the permanent. Love is enduring, and what it produces will endure.

Kung ang ESV- love never ends…

NIV- love never fails- I think, the emphasis of this passage is that love (unconditionally and coming from that
Lord will never be hindered and will always be successful.

Paano?
Ano kinalaman ng Corinthian church?
Gift of prophesy and tongues-
Sometimes we are to focus in the gifts but without love.
We are to focus on the ministry but we neglect to help one another, we tend to focus on “what should we do
inside the church even there is someone sinning, someone is missing, someone is in need for the gospel of
Christ.

III. Ang Pag-ibig ay Dakila (v.13)

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Main point: the supremacy of love…

What Paul wishes to impress upon the Corinthians is, that the gifts in which they so much prided themselves,
were small matters compare to what is in reserve for the people of God…faith, hope and love. These are the
three great permanent Christian graces, as opposed to the mere temporary gifts of prophecy, miracles and
tongues. (Charles Hodge)

What makes love the greatest?

(hindi po ito yung kanta ni whitney houston)- “learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all”
Returning to the temporal, to the Christian’s earthly life, Paul mentions the three greatest spiritual virtues:
faith, hope, and love. Actually faith and hope are encompassed by love, which “believes all things,” and “hopes
all things” (v. 7).
Love is the greatest of these not only because it is eternal, but because, even in this temporal life, where
we now live, love is supreme. Love already is the greatest, not only because it will outlast the other virtues,
beautiful and necessary as they are, but because it is inherently greater by being the most God–like. God does
not have faith or hope, but “God is love” (1 John 4:8).
As Paul begins to depict the superiority of love, he points out that however valuable and powerful faith
may be, it is overshadowed by love; “If I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I
am nothing” (1 Cor. 13:2). The faith that Paul discusses here is not saving faith. Rather, it denotes the believer’s
trust in God to be able to accomplish whatever is necessary in serving the Lord. Truly, it is an active faith.
Nevertheless, the exercise of this gift of faith is impossible without God’s superintending and enabling love.
Both the deed and its doer are valueless without love. As MacArthur remarks, “Even with this wonderful gift
from God---of making the impossible possible—Paul says a Christian is nothing if he does not have love.”
With such love, however, the believer may be confident that faith can and will produce good works for the
Lord. Citing verses two and three Hodge adds, “Neither intellectual gifts nor attainments, nor power, without
love, are of any real value...All outward acts of beneficence are of no avail without love.”
Thus active faith has its origin in and is encased in God’s bestowal of love and does accomplish a ministry
for the Lord. It is for the Lord; it is not designed to embellish pride or self-glorification, nor does it operate
through personal power or self-confidence. True faith is a gift from a loving Lord given in order to accomplish his
will and contributes to the believer’s spiritual growth. Therefore, a believer should live in a whole-soul faith that
decides, desires, and determines to think and act immersed in the outpouring of God’s love.

God’s love—it’s from eternity.

So great was God’s love, Jesus went to Calvary.
God’s love—it reaches to you and me;
by knowing God’s love, it makes us family.
God loves us; it’s salvation’s message plain;
God loves us, echoes back the glorious strain.
Because God loves you, you can start your life anew,
for Christ died alone, for you and me, to live with him eternally.
Faith, hope, and love go together, but it is love that energizes faith and hope. Unfortunately, some of the
emphasis today on the Holy Spirit has not been holy (because it has ignored Scripture) and has not
been spiritual (because it has appealed to the carnal nature).
A balance of perspective…
Some people abuses the word love. . .
In 1 Corinthians 13:13, Paul writes, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of
these is love,” leading some Christians to conclude that love is more important than faith or hope. This might
not seem to be a problem, unless, of course, these three attributes—faith, hope, and love—are designed by
God to be mutually reinforcing, built in such a way that to diminish any one of the three is to undermine the
integrity of them all. Likewise, love that is not balanced by faith and hope undermines the very definition of
biblical love.

Application:
What is the connection of 1 Corinthians 13 to 1 Corinthians 12 and 14?
First Corinthians 13 is in the middle of a section on spiritual gifts. In chapter 12 Paul discussed the endowments
of the gifts--the receiving of the gifts and the way God has put them together in the church so that it can
function. Chapter 14 is the proper exercise of the gifts--how to do it and how not to do it. And right in the
middle is the proper energy...the proper motive...the proper power...the proper atmosphere...the proper
environment in which the gifts operate--love. It's part of the more excellent way.

Answer:
1 Corinthians 12:31 “… And I will show you a still more excellent way.”
1 Corinthians 14:1 “Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts. . .”
Service natin in the church and our love for God and to one another is very close…

How can we apply it to the body of Christ?

“At the very heart of authentic discipleship is love.” – Steve Lawson
Romans 12:9-21
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 
Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 
Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited. 
Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written,“Vengeance is mine, I will
repay, says the Lord.” 
To the contrary,“if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing
you will heap burning coals on his head.” 
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Warren Wiersbe “Unity—diversity—maturity; and maturity comes through love.”

Challenge:
Philippians 1:9, "I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment."