Lessons #459 and 460
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Excellency of love in church of Christ (1 Cor 13:1-3)
1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
The message of the thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthian that we have been considering is: A life characterized by love is more important in the church of Christ than temporary exercise of spiritual gifts. This message, we stated, would be expounded through three assertions of the apostle that conveyed the importance of love. The first assertion derived from the section of 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 is that the exercise of the gift of speaking in tongues without a life characterized by love is meaningless in that it gives a confusing message. The second assertion is that the exercise of the spiritual gifts of prophecy and faith without a life characterized by love renders the believer ineffective. This assertion is based on two conditional statements of the apostle in 1 Corinthians 13:2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. We have started to consider the second conditional clause and if I have a faith that can move mountains with focus on the word “faith.” We examined the Greek word (pistis) translated “faith,” concluding that the word is used in our verse in the sense of “that state of strong confidence in, and reliance upon God that is a gift from God that may lead to the miraculous.” It is with further evidence for this meaning that we begin our study today.
The strong confidence in, and reliance upon God that the apostle meant is further qualified with the verbal phrase can move mountains. The word “move” is translated from a Greek word (methistēmi) that has two general meanings. It means “to remove,” that is, to transfer from one place to another either of things or persons. Thus, it is used in the parable of the Shrewd Manager being removed from his position as we read in Luke 16:4:
I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’
The clause when I lose my job is literally when I am removed from the management. Another meaning of the Greek word is “to cause a complete change in someone’s beliefs, normally in the unfavorable sense of causing someone to turn away from a previous belief,” that is, “to mislead.” It is in this sense that the word is used by Demetrius of Ephesus to incite riot against Apostle Paul’s preaching of the gospel by asserting he was drawing people away from the worship of the goddess Artemis as we read in Acts 19:26:
And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 13:2, the word is used in the sense of “to remove,” that is, “to remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off.” Of course, the verbal phrase of 1 Corinthians 13:2 can move mountains reminds us of the concept conveyed by the Lord to His disciples in Matthew 21:21:
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.
The Lord did not mean that the disciples could literally move mountains but that if they had faith, they would overcome great difficulties since moving mountains is an idiom for doing the impossible. That aside, the apostle having stated the two conditional clauses we have considered, proceeds to provide an additional statement that is necessary to complete the second assertion that the exercise of the spiritual gifts of prophecy and faith without a life characterized by love renders the believer ineffective.
The additional statement is given in the verbal phrase of 1 Corinthians 13:2 but have not love. We have previously expounded on what this verbal phrase have not love means in a more practical way beside the implied fact of not being under the control of the Holy Spirit. We said that exercising one’s spiritual freedom in Christ regarding debatable matters in such a way that will cause spiritual problems to a weak believer or a believer who does not yet know much of the Scripture is an action that implies not having love. To fail to be understanding towards the failures of fellow believers or to fail to be patient with each other is an act that means that one who does so does not have love. Another thing that one could do that implies that one does not have love is if there is no genuine interest in the affairs of other believers in a way to be helpful to them. Still another thing that implies not having love, that is related to the previous, is shutting one’s eyes to the needs of others. Thus, if a believer fails in the manner we have described, then what the apostle states as the conclusion of the conditional clauses that concern exercising gifts of prophecy and faith is true.
The conclusion of the apostle is that he is ineffective if he failed to love despite exercising the gifts of prophecy and faith. This conclusion is given in the sentence of 1 Corinthians 13:2 I am nothing. The word “nothing” is translated from a Greek word (outheis) that as an adjective means “no” as it is used in Peter’s argument as the church considered the relationship of Gentile believers to the ceremonial aspect of the Mosaic law as we read in Acts 15:9:
He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.
As a noun, the Greek word may mean “anyone” as Apostle Paul used the word to indicate he was not a burden to anyone in Corinth when he was in need as we read in 2 Corinthians 11:9:
And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.
The word may mean “nothing” as in the answer of the disciples to the question of Jesus if they lacked anything when He sent them to the mission field as we read in Luke 22:35:
Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?”
“Nothing,” they answered.
The meaning “nothing” has various nuances depending on the context. For example, the word may mean “invalid” as it is used in the Lord Jesus’ statement about the inconsistency of Jewish religious leaders regarding taking of an oath as recorded in Matthew 23:18:
You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’
The meaning “nothing” here is equivalent to “invalid” because the sentence he is bound by his oath implies that the oath taken by the altar is not binding so that to say that such oath taking is nothing implies that it is invalid so as not to be binding. The meaning “nothing” may also be understood to mean “worthless” or “meaningless” since our Greek word is used by Apostle Paul in what should be considered earth shaking among the Jews in Corinth or elsewhere when he described how unimportant or worthless circumcision is when dealing with the spiritual life of believers as we read 1 Corinthians 7:19:
Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts.
We are saying that when the apostle wrote Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, he meant that circumcision or lack of it is worthless or meaningless when it comes to the spiritual life. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 13:2, the Greek word is used in the sense of “nothing,” that is, “a quantity of no importance.” So, if the apostle said he is “nothing” if he did not meet the conditions related to loving others, he meant that he is worthless or of no importance to the church of Christ and so means that he is ineffective as far as his impact is concerned. Consequently, we made the second assertion of the apostle in the passage of our study as the exercise of the spiritual gifts of prophecy and faith without a life characterized by love renders the believer ineffective. This brings us to the third and final assertion of the apostle in the section of 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 that we are studying.
The third and final assertion of the apostle in the passage we are studying is that exercise of the spiritual gift of help without a life characterized by love would not lead to eternal reward. This assertion is derived first from the conditional clause of 1 Corinthians 13:3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames.
On a surface reading, this conditional clause If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames does not seem to be concerned with spiritual gift of help as per the assertion we made. However, it is concerned with gift of help. This is primarily because of the context. The conditional clauses the apostle used in verses 1 and 2 were concerned with spiritual gifts so it makes sense that the third will follow the same pattern as the first two. This being the case, the apostle is concerned with the spiritual gift of help although what he stated in the conditional clause could possibly be carried out by an unbeliever since people in general have the tendency of helping others regardless of their spiritual life.
It should not surprise you that I indicated that an unbeliever could be helpful to others since we know that there are many wealthy unbelievers that try to help others. This tendency of wanting to help others should be recognized as part of the image of God in every human being since He created us in His image that includes some of His character. Helping others often involves some kind of compassion which every human being is capable, again because we humans, although fallen, are the image of God. God is compassionate towards us because that is part of who He is as He described Himself to Moses as recorded in Exodus 34:6:
And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
That aside, people could also be generous to others because they are religious in the sense that they recognize there is God, the creator, without actually being saved. This fact is probably illustrated by Cornelius that eventually got saved after Apostle Peter presented him and others the gospel message. Prior to his salvation, he is described first as God-fearing as we read in Acts 10:2:
He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.
Cornelius was described as devout and God-fearing in the sense that he embraced Judaism to some extent without being a full convert that would have required him to undergo circumcision. Nonetheless, he was religious in that he worshipped the God of the Jews by devoting himself to certain Jewish activities that are associated with being pious such as giving to the poor as this was true of him according to the testimony of an angel concerning him in Acts 10:4:
Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.
Cornelius was not saved but an elect who was religious. I say this because if he were saved, the angel that appeared to him would not have instructed him to send for Peter to hear what he has to say, which is the preaching of the gospel. Hence, we contend that a person who is religious can be quite generous, especially if such a person thinks that generosity is a way to earn eternal life which, of course, is not true. Even when an unbeliever is especially generous and compassionate towards another person, it is God that ultimately works in such an individual to act that way. We say this because God can move an unbeliever to accomplish His will as He moved King Cyrus to make a declaration that enabled Israelite captives to return to rebuild Jerusalem as stated in Ezra 1:1:
In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing.
The point I am making is that an unbeliever is capable of helping others to an extent and that the spirit to do so is because the fallen humans are still the image of God although in a corrupt state.
Be that as it may, the clause of 1 Corinthians 13:3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames we are considering, as we have stated, is concerned with the gift of help. We have already argued a reason for our assertion but before we present further support for our assertion, we should recognize that the apostle again used the word “if” that is translated from a Greek word (ean) that may be used as a maker of condition of a reduced likelihood of occurrence of an activity referenced with the meaning “if.” Here the apostle used it to describe something that is possible but unlikely with respect to him. I mean that although the apostle could probably do what he wrote in the verse we are considering but that is highly unlikely since the apostle did not have much of material things after he became an apostle of Jesus Christ. By the way, the Greek word translated “if” appears twice in 1 Corinthians 13:3 although probably because of the need to be precise, the translator of the NIV used it once in our verse.
The reason for asserting that the apostle is concerned with gift of help is because of the clause If I give all I possess to the poor. Truly, the word “poor” of the NIV although helpful to the English reader does not appear explicitly in the Greek since literally the Greek reads if I give away all the (things) belonging to me. You see, the expression “give… to the poor” of the NIV is how the translators of the NIV rendered the Greek word (psōmizō) used in our verse that appears twice in the Greek NT. In its other occurrence the word means “to feed” as it is used in quotation from the OT Scripture as we read in Romans 12:20:
On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 13:2, the word means “to dole out, to give away” probably done bit by bit.
The thing to be given away probably bit by bit is described in the NIV in the sentence all I possess that reads literally all the (things) belonging to me. This is because the word “possess” of the NIV is translated from a Greek verb (hyparchō) that may mean “to be present, be at one’s disposal” so it means “to possess” or “to belong” as it is used in the description of the property possessed by Publius in the island of Malta where Apostle Paul and his team landed due to shipwreck as we read in Acts 28:7:
There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and for three days entertained us hospitably.
The word may mean “to be in a state or circumstance” as it is used to describe the state of a believer in need that should be helped in James 2:15:
Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 13:3, because the word appears as Greek participle it has the sense of “possession” used collectively for all of a person’s possessions.
The possibility of giving away all that a person possesses suggests that the apostle was probably not thinking of ordinary giving but sacrificial giving that only a few believers could do. So, the idea of sacrificial giving implies that the apostle was probably thinking of a person with a gift of help. We say this because we argued in our study of verse 28 of 1 Corinthians 12 that those who are able to help others are those with gift of help. They are those who, because of the gift of the Holy Spirit related to helping others, are more devoted to helping the needy in the church more consistently than others. A person in this class would be prone to give sacrificially. It is for this reason that we contend that the apostle was not thinking of someone who could give sacrificially as such but someone with the gift of help. This interpretation as we have stated previously is supported by the context where the apostle had mentioned gift of speaking in tongues, gift of prophecy and spiritual gift of faith. Therefore, it makes sense that the clause If I give all is concerned with gift of help. The point we are making is that the first conditional clause of 1 Corinthians 13:3 If I give all I possess to the poor implies the apostle is probably concerned with an individual with gift of help since it is such a person that could give sacrificially in the sense of giving away all the person possesses. Of course, we should bear in mind the apostle is stating something that is unlikely to occur with him but could happen with others who do not understand what he understood about the spiritual life in the sense the apostle would not give without being controlled by the Holy Spirit. This brings us to the second conditional clause the apostle stated.
The second conditional clause the apostle stated that is problematic as we will note later is given in the form of the verbal phrase of the 1984 edition of the NIV of 1 Corinthians 13:3 and surrender my body to the flames. Literally, using the same Greek manuscript that is the basis the translation of the 1984 edition of the NIV, the Greek reads and if I hand over my body in order that I may burn. This is because the word “surrender” of the NIV is translated from a Greek word (paradidōmi) that may mean “to betray” as it is used in Jesus’ statement regarding the arrangements to hand Him over to the Jewish religious authorities as recorded in Matthew 20:18:
“We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death.
The word may mean “to hand down” as in the charge against Stephen as we read in Acts 6:14:
For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”
The word may mean “to commit” as it is used to describe the action of church in Antioch when they sent Paul and Barnabas on a missionary trip as we read in Acts 14:26:
From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.
The word may mean “to entrust” as Apostle Paul used it to describe obedience of the Roman believers regarding the teaching they received as stated in Romans 6:17:
But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.
The word may mean “to pass on to another what one knows, of oral or written tradition” with various nuances. Thus, the word means “to pass down” as Apostle Paul used it to describe the gospel message he passed on to the Corinthians, according to 1 Corinthians 15:3:
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
This meaning of “to pass down” is also used to describe the commands of the Lord as Apostle Peter use it to warn against backsliding spiritually as conveyed in 2 Peter 2:21:
It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 13:3, the word is used in the sense of “to deliver,” that is, to surrender someone or something to another; especially to an authority. However, the thing that is to be delivered, that is, surrendered is the apostle’s body for a purpose.
The purpose of surrendering the body is where we have a problem due to manuscript variations. Of course, the reading in the 1984 edition of the NIV that is similar in many English versions is to the flames or more literally to be burned. However, if you consult other English versions, such as the NET, you will notice that there is another translation that is also reflected in the 2011 edition of the NIV that reads that I may boast. The question is whether what the apostle wrote in the Greek is “that I should be burned” (Greek hina kauthēsomai) or “that I may glory/boast” (Greek hina kauchēsōmai).
There are two major arguments in support for the reading “that I should be burned.” The first is that there is an impressive number of witnesses, including many manuscripts that range from the fourth to the ninth century and some apostolic fathers that support this reading. The second is that reference to “burning” whether by martyrdom (as was the situation with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) or by voluntary self-burning, is particularly suitable as the strongest example of sacrifice.
There are three arguments in support of the reading “that I may glory/boast.” First, that there are more ancient (ranging from second to tenth century) and more weighty manuscripts that support this reading. Second, that it is easier to see why a copyist would have changed this original reading to the one that translates “that I should be burned” than the other way round. Third, the Greek verb that means “to glory/boast” appears a total of thirty-five times in the epistles of the apostle so that it makes more sense that the apostle would have used it in 1 Corinthians 13:3. Having considered the arguments in support of or against each reading that experts presented, I accept that the original reading or that what the apostle wrote is “that I may glory/boast.” My conviction is based primarily that it is the reading that is found in the most ancient manuscripts of Greek NT and so explains better the origin of the other variations of the sentence found in other Geek manuscripts of a later time than second and third centuries. Admittedly, the reading “that I should be burned” is easier to explain in terms of martyrdom but the apostle used conditions that he would still be around after the action stipulated in them is carried out. For example, the giving to the poor is something that after it is completed, the apostle would be around, that is, still alive, but martyrdom is something that if it comes the apostle would be out of the world and so the condition he sets up, would not make sense if the person is already dead. So, we take the more difficult reading in terms of its interpretation. Anyhow, the more difficult clause to interpret is the reading “that I may glory/boast.”
Accepting the more difficult reading implies that the conditional clause the apostle wrote should read in 1 Corinthians 13:2 and if I give over my body so that I may boast. As we have stated, this clause presents an interpretation difficulty because it does not say to what the apostle gives his body. To interpret the clause, we need to understand the sense in which the apostle used the word “body” since it is subject to many possible interpretations. Furthermore, it is as we understand how the apostle used it that we will understand the various ways the apostle has used the body, especially as he spoke about himself. The other word that we need to understand what the apostle meant is the word “boast.” Again, the Greek word is subject to various interpretations as we will note later. If we understand how the apostle used it, we will be in a better position of interpretating the conditional clause that we are considering.
The first word to be considered is “body” that is translated from a Greek word (sōma) that is used both literally and figuratively. Literally, it is used for the body of a human being or an animal as in the instruction of the Lord Jesus not to be afraid of those who can only kill the body but of God who can destroy both body and soul as stated in Matthew 10:28:
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
The body may refer to a dead body or corpse as it is used to describe Jesus’ declaration recorded in Luke 17:37:
“Where, Lord?” they asked. He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”
The body may refer to a living body such as one that is involved in sexual immorality as stated in Romans 1:24:
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.
Figuratively, Apostle Paul uses the word “body” to refer to the Christian community. Hence, to the Corinthians, the apostle indicated they are the body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12:27:
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
The phrase body of Christ here in 1 Corinthians 12:27 refers to the church of Christ, as Apostle Paul used it in Ephesians 1:22–23:
22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
The Greek word may mean “nature” as in Colossians 2:11:
In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ,
The word may mean “the thing itself, the reality” in imagery of a body that casts a shadow as the word is used in Colossians 2:17:
These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
The clause the reality, however, is found in Christ is literally and the body is of the Christ. The word may mean “physical” as it is used to describe the needs of a destitute believer that may go unmet in James 2:16:
If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?
The phrase his physical needs is literally the things needful for the body. The word may refer to an “entire person” as it is used to describe the corrupting activity of the tongue in James 3:6:
The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
The sentence It corrupts the whole person is literally defiling the whole body. It is clear that the corrupting influence of the tongue is on the entire person that includes body and soul and not merely the physical body. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 13:3, our Greek word is used in the sense of the entire structure of an organism, animal, or human being, that is, “a living body.” Something would be done to it that would lead to the apostle boasting as in the clause of 1 Corinthians 13:3 so that I may boast.
The word “boast” is translated from a Greek word (kauchaomai) that means to express an unusually high degree of confidence in someone or something being exceptionally noteworthy and so means “to boast.” However, there are several nuances to the Greek word. It may mean “to brag”, that is, to say something boastfully, as in Romans 2:23:
You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?
The word may mean “to rejoice” as in Romans 5:11:
Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
The clause but we also rejoice in God is literally but also we are boasting in God. The Greek word may mean “to glory”, that is, to take great pride or pleasure in someone/something or to rejoice proudly as the apostle used it in reference to believer’s relationship to Christ, as we read in Philippians 3:3:
For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—
The verbal phrase glory in Christ Jesus is literally boasting in Christ Jesus. The Greek word may mean to “to take pride”, as in 2 Corinthians 5:12:
We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart.
The verbal phrase to take pride in us is literally to boast about us. Hence, we see that our Greek word can be used in different ways that may be negative or positive. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 13:3, it is used with the meaning “to boast” positively in the sense of “to be proud of.”
To help us interpret the clause of 1 Corinthians 13:3 and if I give over my body so that I may boast as we have stated, it is necessary for us to consider some of the boasts the apostle indicated he made or desired to make as it relates to himself. The apostle alluded to boasting about the authority the Lord gave him for building up of believers in 2 Corinthians 10:8:
For even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than pulling you down, I will not be ashamed of it.
The apostle boasted about his heritage as a Hebrew, a slave of Jesus Christ, and about the various sufferings he underwent for Christ’s sake as we read 2 Corinthians 11:21–28:
21 To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that! What anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
Hence, we see that the apostle’s boasting involved his position in the Lord, his function as a slave of Jesus Christ, and his sufferings. To narrow down the boasting the apostle meant in 1 Corinthians 13:3, we should consider the things that he spoke in general about the body and personally as involving his body.
There are two general things the apostle wrote regarding the body of believers that are important in our quest to interpret what the apostle meant in the clause of 1 Corinthians 13:3 and if I give over my body so that I may boast. The apostle spoke of offering of the body as a living sacrifice in Romans 12:1:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.
The apostle here probably meant for believers to devote their entire person to God in such a way that they are at God’s disposal to do what He wants. The next general thing the apostle says about the body concerns its harsh treatment as we read in Colossians 2:23:
Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
The harsh treatment of the body refers to some form of self-denial so that the body is denied things it needs. This harsh treatment could involve fasting and abstinence from certain foods. This general description of the treatment of the body is related to the apostle’s self-discipline of the body for the purpose of spiritual progress that he described as beating of his body in 1 Corinthians 9:27:
No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
The word “beat” is translated from a Greek word (hypōpiazō) that in Greek literature is used in the sense of to give black eye to someone. However, in the Greek NT, the word may mean “to wear out” as it is used in the Lord Jesus’ parable of the woman who pleaded with a judge to help her for which the judge granted her request to keep from being worn out by her as we read in Luke 18:5:
yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’”
Another meaning of the Greek word is “to put under strict discipline,” “to exercise self-control.” It is with the meaning of “to discipline” that the word is used in 1 Corinthians 9:27. In effect, the idea of the word is “to keep one’s body under complete control, with the implication of rough treatment given to the body, possibly as an aspect of discipline.” The apostle also referenced Christ being magnified or honored in his body as we read in Philippians 1:20:
I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
The idea of the apostle magnifying or exalting Christ involves some form of suffering as well. In other words, the apostle would bring honor to Christ by the physical toil and suffering he would endure for Christ’s sake if he was put to death for Christ. With this explanation of what the apostle stated about his body and body in general we are now in a position to interpret what the apostle wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:2.
When the apostle wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:3 and if I give over my body so that I may boast he meant to say that if he subjected his body to severe sufferings because of preaching the gospel and to exercise of self-discipline so he could be proud of his achievements. In other words, he meant that it is possible for him to suffer for Christ’s sake and apply self-discipline that results in doing great things for the Lord so that he could boast about them. It is probably this interpretation that the translators of the 2011 edition intended when they translated the clause with the word “hardship” since they translated the Greek as and give over my body to hardship that I may boast. It is suffering or self-discipline of the body that is an activity of the apostle for which he would still be alive after it, especially since the apostle referred to his self-discipline in the ninth chapter of 1 Corinthians. Therefore, that must be what he conceived in the conditional clause the apostle gave. Having stated this condition, the apostle made a statement that he made previously that is necessary to make sense of the third assertion that exercise of the spiritual gift of help without a life characterized by love would not lead to eternal reward. This statement is given next in 1 Corinthians 13:3 but have not love.
The expression but have not love this third time, supports our interpretation that the expression is concerned with a life characterized by love, implying habitual control of the Holy Spirit. This is because one would expect that a person who gives all his possessions to the poor is motivated by love but that is not necessarily the case. A person may give and not be controlled by the Holy Spirit. We can see this by comparing two men in the early church that were mentioned regarding the matter of giving. Barnabas is described as giving to the church the proceeds from the sale of his property as we read in Acts 4:36–37:
36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.
Although it is not directly stated that Barnabas was filled of the Holy Spirit when he gave, that is implied by the contrast of the second person who gave, that is, Ananias as recorded in Acts 5:1–2:
1Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.
Clearly, Ananias was not filled of the Holy Spirit as indicated not only by his action that implies deception but because Apostle Peter said he was controlled by Satan as we read in Acts 5:3:
Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?
Thus, we can see that a person may give even sacrificially and not be filled of the Spirit. Of course, that should not be difficult to understand when we realize that there are many unbelievers who for altruistic reasons sacrificially give their wealth.
A person who gives sacrificially or who disciplines self so to boast of it if not controlled by the Holy Spirit has achieved nothing of eternal value hence our third assertion that exercise of the spiritual gift of help without a life characterized by love would not lead to eternal reward. The concept of not receiving eternal reward is embedded in the last sentence of 1 Corinthians 13:3 I gain nothing. The word “gain” is translated from a Greek word (ōpheleō) that may mean “to help” as the word is used in Jesus’ denunciation of the Jewish religious leaders for mishandling of God’s word regarding honoring of one’s parents as we read in Mark 7:11:
But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God),
The word may mean “to benefit, profit, to be of use” as the word is used in Apostle Paul’s rebuke of those in Galatia that were trying to become circumcised due to false teachers’ influence as we read in Galatians 5:2:
Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.
The sentence Christ will be of no value to you at all is more literally Christ will profit you nothing. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 13:3, the word has the sense of “to profit/benefit.” You see, what every believer should be looking forward to for doing good or for self-discipline in spiritual life is eternal reward. Thus, if a person helps others, the individual should expect eternal reward but if the help is rendered not under the filling of the Holy Spirit, then as far as eternity is concerned such help rendered does not lead to eternal reward. Hence, our third assertion that exercise of the spiritual gift of help without a life characterized by love would not lead to eternal reward. With this, we end this section of 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 by reminding you of its message which is: A life characterized by love is more important in the church of Christ than temporary exercise of spiritual gifts.
10/14//22