The Gift of Love

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1–3)

God's love is the most excellent gift, shining brightest in the coming of His Son.

Love at the Heart of the Gifts

First Corinthians 13 is well known even to people who rarely read the Bible, because they've heard it at a wedding or seen it on a bookmark. But it sits in the middle of Paul's teaching on the gifts of the Spirit. In chapter 12 Paul lists gifts like the word of knowledge, the word of wisdom, prophecy, and miracles. We're not focusing on those in this series, but here at the church we believe in continuationism — that God continues to work by His Holy Spirit today.

Chapter 12 explains what the gifts are; chapter 14 explains their use within the church. Right between them is chapter 13. Look at the verse immediately before it: "But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way" (12:31). Paul then leads into the most excellent way — the gift of love.

This Christmas series is about the gifts of God. Pastor Jason began with the gift of gratitude; today we consider the gift of love. As a grounding statement: love is a good gift that God has demonstrated and given to us — for our joy, for the praise and glory of God, and so that we can be a blessing to others.

What Is Love? Science and Scripture

We live in a culture that, over the last four or five hundred years of Renaissance and Enlightenment thinking, has become scientifically reductionistic. We break things down to their parts and try to explain everything naturalistically. So when it comes to love, we reduce it to biochemical mechanisms.

This week I Googled "what is love." After a terrible 1993 song, you get scientific articles. According to Harvard Medical, love breaks into three categories, each with its own hormones: lust (testosterone and estrogen), attraction (dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin), and attachment (oxytocin and vasopressin). Does that explain the deep question of what love is? Not really. Reducing love to chemistry leaves something to be desired.

It reminds me of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, who in 1964, writing about obscenity, said it's not easy to describe or define, "but I know it when I see it." There's truth in that for love. If we went around this room asking what love is, none of us would give a perfect definition — yet we know it when we feel it from others and when we extend it ourselves. Love happens in the soul, the immaterial part of humanity, and it cannot be captured biochemically.

Three Loves in the Bible

Interestingly, the Bible also speaks of love in three categories. The first is identical to science — lust. In the New Testament we see this as epithumia and sometimes eros, from which we get "erotic" — a romantic love, a deep desire or longing.

The second is affection. Two Greek words describe it: phileo, brotherly love or tender-hearted affection, used frequently in the Bible; and storge, familial love, the affection for brothers, sisters, and family members.

The third is devotion — the love Paul speaks of here in 1 Corinthians 13. The Greek word is agape. In the King James Version, verse 4 reads "charity." This is a self-sacrificial devotion, the highest form of love.

In the last century, C.S. Lewis, philosopher and professor at Oxford, wrote The Four Loves. He observed that without eros, none of us would have been conceived, and without affection, none of us would have been raised. Each is important. Within the confines of marriage, eros is good — without it none of us would exist. And I would add: without agape, without devotion, all of us would be damned. None of us would be saved.

The Gift of Love Is Essential for Life

When we look at love biblically rather than merely scientifically or culturally, our first point emerges: the gift of love is essential for life. This is true from the initial act of creation and for every true act of procreation.

God created as an expression of His nature. Everything seen and unseen, Genesis 1 and 2 tell us, is created by God. And 1 John 4 says God's essential nature is love — God is love. There would be no creation, no life, if not for God's love for all things. We procreate as an expression of love too — that's why we call it "making love," and the fruit of two people coming together in marriage is children. Without love, there is no life.

Christmas is an annual reminder of God's great love. The celebration of Christmas is the celebration of the Incarnation — God coming into this world to extend His life. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" (John 3:16).

The Gift of Love Shines in the Incarnation

John restates this in 1 John 4. Verse 9: "In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him." To manifest means to reveal — like a Christmas gift you must open to see what's inside. Jesus coming into the world is the revelation of God's love. Verse 10: "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

So our second point: the gift of love shines in the Incarnation. The coming of Jesus declares to the whole world how much God loves us.

We usually think of God's love demonstrated at Romans 5:8 — "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." That points us to Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. But there would be no cross, no resurrection, without the Incarnation. The baby boy in Bethlehem is a beautiful demonstration of God's love. As Tina Turner asked, "What's love got to do with it?" Everything — it's all about God's love coming into this world. Paul writes that Jesus "made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant... He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross" (Philippians 2).

Jesus Is the Gift of Love

Many Christians struggle with the commercialization of Christmas, and I understand the concern even if I don't entirely share it. Yesterday we celebrated my daughter Addison's 10th birthday by taking the family to see the Nutcracker. Driving home, the kids put on A Charlie Brown Christmas. I couldn't watch — I was driving — but I heard Charlie Brown frustrated, asking, "Doesn't anybody know what Christmas is all about?" His frustration was the commercialization of Christmas. That cartoon was made around 1958, so this is not new — it's only gotten worse.

Amid the trappings, our third point: the gift of love is the gift that is Jesus. The cliché is true — Jesus is the reason for the season. It's not bad that it's cliché, because people at least somewhat know it, even if it's at the back of their minds while Amazon Prime and the lines at Target crowd the front.

This time of year brings holiday parties — work gatherings, family gatherings — full of people who don't know what this holiday is really about. I watched a documentary about how Christmas has become big business in China, where retailers love the holiday but know it entirely as Santa Claus, bells, and Christmas trees, with no idea what it's connected to. A lot of people here have the same problem — they've heard the story but don't know its real weight.

So be opportunistic in a good way. As you gather, tell people: that whole thing in Bethlehem, the nativity scene you've seen — it's all about the love of God, that God loves you. Many in our culture are rejecting a certain image of God — an angry, cranky old man in the sky. I reject that too, because that's not how God has revealed Himself. Scripture reveals the God who loves us in spite of who we are, who saved us even when we were dead in trespasses and sins, according to His manifold love (read Ephesians 2).

The Gift of Love Brings Great Joy

Love is a good gift from our good God, given for our joy, for His praise and glory, and for the blessing of others. "Joy to the world, the Lord has come; let earth receive her King." The advent of Jesus is the coming of God's love and the coming of joy.

This is pictured clearly in Isaiah 9, written about 2,800 years ago when Israel was a divided nation — ten northern tribes (Israel) and two southern tribes (Judah). The northern tribes, including the region of Galilee, were about to be obliterated by the Assyrian armies and exiled, becoming the Lost Tribes. Into that darkness Isaiah speaks.

Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed... The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined. You have multiplied the nation and increased its joy; they rejoice before You according to the joy of the harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For You have broken the yoke of his burden... as in the day of Midian. (Isaiah 9:1–4)

Darkness was coming, but it would not last. A light would shine and increase their joy — like the joy of a great harvest, or, in modern terms, a five-digit Christmas bonus, or the joy of victors dividing the spoil. And this joy-increasing light would release them from the oppression of the enemy.

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

Who is this Child? Jesus — the light that shines in darkness, freeing the oppressed and increasing their joy exponentially. So our fourth point: the gift of love in Christ brings great joy. That's why we sing "Joy to the world, the Lord has come." This is why the church's message is called gospel — good news. His coming means great joy, freedom from oppression, and the endless reign of a righteous King.

The Gift of Love Is Meant to Be Shared

This gift is not meant to be kept secret. Back in 1 Corinthians 13, Paul says that even speaking with the tongues of angels, having all prophecy, all knowledge, and faith to remove mountains, giving all my goods and even my body — without love, it profits nothing.

We give good gifts at this time of year, and that's wonderful — time off, celebration with family, giving and receiving. But if we don't extend with our gifts the love this holiday is all about, we miss the point entirely. So this Christmas, whether you have a forest of Christmas trees like my house or just a couple of gifts, make sure you share the great gift of God's love that brings great joy and freedom from sin.

Our fifth point: the gift of God's love in Christ is meant to be shared with all people. This season is a great opportunity to take advantage of that — we cannot miss what this time of year means.

Remembering His Love in Communion

So we never forget the greatness of God's love in Christ Jesus, on the night He was betrayed — the day before His crucifixion — Jesus shared a meal with His disciples and gave them a sacrament to observe regularly, reminding them of His body broken and His blood shed to demonstrate love. We call it communion. Today we will partake of the bread and the cup together.

Closing Prayer

Father, as we now prepare our hearts for this time of communion, help us to have fresh in our minds what this is all about and what we are doing. May it never become a meaningless thing we observe; may we always be reminded of the greatness of Your body broken for us and Your blood shed for us, so that we could be restored to relationship with You — all an expression of Your love and grace. Jesus, You came to this world, and we celebrate Your coming at Christmas; You came for the very purpose of demonstrating Your love on the cross. Keep that fresh in our minds, especially since You desire that we share that good news with others this time of year and in all times. So help us to have hearts readied right now as we worship You. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen.