The Priority of Love: The Greatest Christian Virtue
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
February 22, 2015
Dr. Ritch Boerckel
Matthew 22:36-39 (ESV)
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall
love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your
neighbor as yourself. “
1 Timothy 1:5 (ESV)
“But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a
sincere faith.”
Truth: Love is the sum of the Christian faith.
Truth: Love is the indispensible ingredient to every act of worship.
“When applied to a local church, (this chapter) becomes dynamite. It uncovers all the
weaknesses, gaps, failures and sins in any Christian community. It is a particular challenge to any
church which has seen outward success in its ministry. These words cut us down to size; they
humble us, because we begin to see what really matters to God. They re-direct us as the body of
Christ to our true calling.” David Prior, The Bible Speaks Today Commentary
The Definition of Love: Love is the giving of oneself in diligent pursuit of God’s
eternal blessing for others.
John 3:16 (ESV)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him
should not perish but have eternal life.
1 John 3:16 (ESV)
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our
lives for the brothers.
The Source of Love: God is the spring from which all love flows.
Galatians 5:16-17 (ESV)
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the
desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the
flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want
to do.
Truth: We do not naturally give ourselves in diligent pursuit of God’s eternal blessing for others.
Our flesh gives ourselves in diligent pursuit of self-interests. Only God’s Spirit can
transform our hearts.
Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Principle: Our love for others flows from the fullness of God’s provision for us in Christ.
Remember that the Christian life is not a performance to earn Jesus’ love, but a response to the
joy of Jesus’ love for us.
2 Corinthians 5:14 (ESV)
For the love of Christ controls us
Ephesians 3:14, 18-19 (ESV)
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, . . . that you, being rooted and
grounded in love, . . . may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the
breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses
knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
The Superiority of Love: Love yields fruitfulness to every other expression of worship.
Principle: Love for other church members is not the only thing that matters to God, but without
love, nothing else we do matters to God.
1 John 4:7-8, 21 (ESV)
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been
born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because
God is love . . . And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also
love his brother.”
Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting
to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the
more as you see the Day drawing near.”
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Love yields fruitfulness to speaking the truth.
Love yields fruitfulness to prophesy.
Love yields fruitfulness to spiritual knowledge.
Love yields fruitfulness to acts of faith.
Love yields fruitfulness to acts of mercy.
Love yields fruitfulness to acts of sacrifice.
Principle: God is glorified in a church where members open their hearts to one another
regardless of past sins. Such a church is strong and happy and fruitful. God will not be
glorified in a church that has members closing their hearts to one another! Such a
church is weak and sad and fruitless.