Isn't Charity Better than Gifts?
1Corinthians 12:31 and13:1 "But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity..."
Now, many people interpret this to mean that having love is more excellent than the best gifts!
And this makes them feel comfortable, in their lack of the gifts of the Spirit.
They feel justified in their non-gift approach to Christianity.
But is this what God was saying? Did Paul write 2 whole chapters on the gifts, and insert between them, a chapter basically saying it's better not to have the gifts at all - all you need is love? Is that what the Love chapter is all about?
Let's look at that chapter.
First, Paul gives three introductory verses, saying how if he operates in the gifts in a way where love does not operate, then all of his moving in the gifts is useless.
In fact, he goes further, and says "I" am nothing, if I don't operate in the gifts.
This is a clue. What Paul was confronting, was the "I want to be somebody" attitude.
And, you've got to admit it. In every church, there are people who love the limelight.
They'd rather hog the mic and ramble on with nothing really to say, than to sit down and listen to someone else who has something from God.
They want attention. And the more immature they are, the more obvious it is.
That's not loving.
So, if I am nothing without love, while operating in tongues, the opposite is the truth:
If I DO operate in tongues with a heart of love, not trying to be somebody, then I DO contribute to the church, and I will have a place of value in the body!
Same with prophecy. Same with giving money. Same with giving my body to be burned.
All of those acts of great Christian works, if done without love, are worthless.
They profit me NOTHING.
Speaking in tongues, without love, is worthless.
Prophecy, without love, is worthless.
Being burned for my faith is worthless, if I have no heart of love.
But if I DO have a heart of love, then all those things are of great value to the Lord!
You see, Love isn't better than the gifts.
Love is a more excellent way to operate in the gifts!
Love is a fruit of the Spirit.
And there's a difference between fruit and gifts.
Some seem to think the gifts can be pitted against the fruit, and you can have one or the other.
Either have the gifts, or have the fruits. But clearly, that's not God's way.
He wants us to have both fruits and gifts.
So, what's the difference between fruit and gifts?
Fruit grows. It's a process from budding, to flowering, to growing the fruit until it's sweet and nourishing to others.
Fruit might not happen the moment we come to Christ. But the process ought to start then. In fact, if it doesn't, then something's wrong.
Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance...
This is the character of Jesus.
Anyone who has died to self and been resurrected with Christ, will start to show it.
It will take time to grow up to maturity, and be consistently Christlike.
But the process should start the moment you are born again.
The budding ought to start right away, giving the promise of mature fruit in the future.
Gifts, however, are given to raw new believers. Look all through the book of Acts. You see new believers speaking in tongues and prophesying.
Baby Christians will not always operate in love.
That fruit of the Spirit grows and matures, as we are progressively sanctified on a soul-level.
And that process continues as long as we are in these bodies.
That's why Paul had to tell the church in Corinth how to operate in the gifts of the Spirit.
Some of them were immature, attention-hungry spiritual babies.
They were 'hogging the mic.'
Some people say that the way to tell if tongues are from the Holy Spirit, is to see if they do it exactly right, with interpretation, and in love.
But did Paul say that?
Did he say that the Corinthian church needed to stop allowing those speaking in tongues in a fleshly, carnal manner, because they were operating in "counterfeit tongues?" No.
In fact, throughout the entire book of 1st Corinthians, you find no such hint, that these were wrong gifts. Wrong power source. From the dark side.
No warning of immature Christians operating in "demonic tongues."
Not unless they were calling Jesus accursed. Because that's what demons do!
But immaturity in the gifts only means someone needs to learn how to operate in the gifts.
Because gifts are tools. Tools for edification. Either edification of self, or edification of the body.
Edification of self is a good thing, but there's a time and a place for it - not in a public setting, trying to get attention.
In conclusion of "Love vs. Gifts"...
Paul never said in 1st Corinthians, that any of their tongues were demonic, or counterfeit.
They had the real deal.
They were just immature. Acting childishly.
He was telling them to grow up. To grow some fruit.
Because the FRUIT is the "more excellent WAY" to operate in the GIFTS.
Now, many people interpret this to mean that having love is more excellent than the best gifts!
And this makes them feel comfortable, in their lack of the gifts of the Spirit.
They feel justified in their non-gift approach to Christianity.
But is this what God was saying? Did Paul write 2 whole chapters on the gifts, and insert between them, a chapter basically saying it's better not to have the gifts at all - all you need is love? Is that what the Love chapter is all about?
Let's look at that chapter.
First, Paul gives three introductory verses, saying how if he operates in the gifts in a way where love does not operate, then all of his moving in the gifts is useless.
In fact, he goes further, and says "I" am nothing, if I don't operate in the gifts.
This is a clue. What Paul was confronting, was the "I want to be somebody" attitude.
And, you've got to admit it. In every church, there are people who love the limelight.
They'd rather hog the mic and ramble on with nothing really to say, than to sit down and listen to someone else who has something from God.
They want attention. And the more immature they are, the more obvious it is.
That's not loving.
So, if I am nothing without love, while operating in tongues, the opposite is the truth:
If I DO operate in tongues with a heart of love, not trying to be somebody, then I DO contribute to the church, and I will have a place of value in the body!
Same with prophecy. Same with giving money. Same with giving my body to be burned.
All of those acts of great Christian works, if done without love, are worthless.
They profit me NOTHING.
Speaking in tongues, without love, is worthless.
Prophecy, without love, is worthless.
Being burned for my faith is worthless, if I have no heart of love.
But if I DO have a heart of love, then all those things are of great value to the Lord!
You see, Love isn't better than the gifts.
Love is a more excellent way to operate in the gifts!
Love is a fruit of the Spirit.
And there's a difference between fruit and gifts.
Some seem to think the gifts can be pitted against the fruit, and you can have one or the other.
Either have the gifts, or have the fruits. But clearly, that's not God's way.
He wants us to have both fruits and gifts.
So, what's the difference between fruit and gifts?
Fruit grows. It's a process from budding, to flowering, to growing the fruit until it's sweet and nourishing to others.
Fruit might not happen the moment we come to Christ. But the process ought to start then. In fact, if it doesn't, then something's wrong.
Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance...
This is the character of Jesus.
Anyone who has died to self and been resurrected with Christ, will start to show it.
It will take time to grow up to maturity, and be consistently Christlike.
But the process should start the moment you are born again.
The budding ought to start right away, giving the promise of mature fruit in the future.
Gifts, however, are given to raw new believers. Look all through the book of Acts. You see new believers speaking in tongues and prophesying.
Baby Christians will not always operate in love.
That fruit of the Spirit grows and matures, as we are progressively sanctified on a soul-level.
And that process continues as long as we are in these bodies.
That's why Paul had to tell the church in Corinth how to operate in the gifts of the Spirit.
Some of them were immature, attention-hungry spiritual babies.
They were 'hogging the mic.'
Some people say that the way to tell if tongues are from the Holy Spirit, is to see if they do it exactly right, with interpretation, and in love.
But did Paul say that?
Did he say that the Corinthian church needed to stop allowing those speaking in tongues in a fleshly, carnal manner, because they were operating in "counterfeit tongues?" No.
In fact, throughout the entire book of 1st Corinthians, you find no such hint, that these were wrong gifts. Wrong power source. From the dark side.
No warning of immature Christians operating in "demonic tongues."
Not unless they were calling Jesus accursed. Because that's what demons do!
But immaturity in the gifts only means someone needs to learn how to operate in the gifts.
Because gifts are tools. Tools for edification. Either edification of self, or edification of the body.
Edification of self is a good thing, but there's a time and a place for it - not in a public setting, trying to get attention.
In conclusion of "Love vs. Gifts"...
Paul never said in 1st Corinthians, that any of their tongues were demonic, or counterfeit.
They had the real deal.
They were just immature. Acting childishly.
He was telling them to grow up. To grow some fruit.
Because the FRUIT is the "more excellent WAY" to operate in the GIFTS.
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