An Ode to Agape

Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.—1 Timothy 1:5

A verse by verse study in 1 Corinthians 13

Agape is a Greek word adopted by the New Testament writers to describe a higher form of love than that described by the traditional word phileo. Cramer in his Biblio-Theological Lexicon of New Testament Greek has this to say: "We find agape used to designate a love unknown to writers outside the New Testament—love in its fullest conceivable form; love as it is the distinguishing attribute, not of humanity, but in its strictest sense, of divinity" (p. 14). John A. Meggison, in the Appendix to his Notes on the Bible, styles phileo as "a love that grows out of relationship or craving," while agape is a "love that goes out voluntarily without any intermingling of selfishness—the one being ordinary love, the other being the higher form of friendship love." Thus "charity," signifying an outgoing generosity that expects nothing in return, is not a bad translation of the word, though inadequate to its full scope of meaning.

The Contrasts—Verses 1 to 3

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling 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, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Two of the three contrasts which Paul draws between other signs of religious involvement and love are based on the discussion in the preceding and following chapters on the subject of the gifts of the spirit. Much was made of these outward manifestations of the spirit. In the church at Corinth undue importance was being placed on these miraculous gifts. As an apostle, Paul possessed perhaps most, if not all, of the gifts of the spirit. Yet he says in 1 Corinthians 14:18,19, "I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all: Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue." These external signs, he states, were for a sign, "not to them which believe, but to them which believe not" (1 Corinthians 14:22).

While the "tongues of men" seem to refer to the various languages of earth, some have tried to deduce from the phrase "tongue of angels" some mysterious unknown language. This is used to defend the doctrine of glossolalia. Much more likely, the phrase is meant to confer the concept of great eloquence. The commentator Barnes writes: "The language of angels here seems to be used to denote the highest power of using language, or of the most elevated faculty of eloquence and speech." He thus translates the opening phrase: "Were I endowed with the faculty of eloquence and persuasion which we attribute to [angels], and the power of speaking to any of the human family with the power which they have . . ."

Such use of eloquent speech, without converting the heart to expressions of unselfish love, would be no more effective than the brazen trumpets or cymbals with which his audience was familiar from the many festivals held in Corinth.

The second contrast concerns the gifts of prophecy, knowledge and faith (see 1 Corinthians 12:8–10). In 1 Corinthians 14:1,3,4 (NAS) Paul places the gift of prophecy pre-eminent, writing, "Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. . . . But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation. One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church."

Important as were these gifts, however, they were not, even when combined, equal to the exercise of love. The sectarian strife-torn church at Corinth was of considerable concern to the apostle, but the lesson applies with equal force to any church in which a similar spirit of division occurs. Great as may be their progress in the comprehension of the deep mysteries of God, praiseworthy as may be their works of fearlessly giving forth a witness to the cause of Christ, strong as they may be in their expressions of faith, if they possess not the love required to transcend their differences and work with others the Lord has similarly called, all is naught.

In the third contrast Paul turns from the miraculous gifts to the sacrificial life style of the Christians, even altruistic charity to the extent of completely depleting their resources. The "giving of their bodies to be burned" may well refer to the New Testament realization that the Old Testament animal sacrifices represented the consecrated lives of the Christians. Such sacrifices, however noble as they were, were not what would make them worthy to the Lord who, above all, sought the indwelling spirit of agape love.

In later years the lesson became even more specific. During the Middle Ages many martyred Christians paid the ultimate penalty for their faithfulness and were literally burned at the stake. Even such martyrdoms, unless they were accompanied by true love, were of no meritorious value.

Still others draw the lesson from the three Hebrews who were cast into the fiery furnace for their fidelity to Jehovah. Even such acts of faithfulness, unaccompanied by love, would be profitless.

It is interesting to note another variation of this verse. Westcott and Hort, following three ancient manuscripts, translates the verse, "And if ever I should beside the body of me, in order that I might boast," love profiteth me nothing. The danger always remains to give ourself glory for the sacrifices we make. Such an attitude countervails the entire purpose of Christianity.

The Attributes of Love—Verses 4 to 7

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

It has been well stated that love cannot be defined but can only be demonstrated by what it does. Agape finds its expression in all the fruits of the spirit. Quoting an unknown author, Charles Russell on page 186 of The New Creation, shows this relationship:

(1) Joy—Love exultant. (2) Peace—Love in repose. (3) Long-suffering—Love enduring. (4) Gentleness—Love in society. (5) Goodness—Love in action. (6) Faith—Love on the battlefield of life. (7) Meekness—Love in resignation. (8)Temperance [moderation]—Love in training.

In the chapter under consideration, the apostle enumerated twelve attributes of love.

Suffereth long—He begins with a quality of agape that related particularly to the Corinthians in their sectarian divisive strife. Agape will bear with others, looking for the long-range good, rather than the short-range gain. The Greek word here is makrothumia, meaning literally "of a long or patient spirit."

Is kind—Tyndale translates the word here as "courteous." As such it is the companion of "suffereth long." The latter puts up with the discourtesy of others, while the former reciprocates with actions of benevolence and kindness in return. It is one thing to put up with the faults of others, it is yet a different action to bear it kindly and with gentleness.

Envieth not—It is, perhaps, no coincidence that the words envy and zeal are translations of the same Greek word. In both cases it represents intense desire, one for bad things and one for good. Envy is an emotion that is aroused by many causes. We may envy a man because he is happy while we are miserable; well, while we are sick; caressed, while we are neglected or overlooked; successful, while we meet with disappointment; handsome, while we are ill-formed; honored with office, while we are overlooked. We may envy him because he has a better farm than we have, or be a more skillful mechanic, or be a more successful physician, or lawyer, or have more honor amongst other Christians. In all of these ways, love will seek to cast out envy and replace it with pleasure at the exaltation of others.

Doth not vaunt itself—Once again the message, while applicable to all Christians today, seems specially tailored for the situation in Corinth where one claims to be of Paul, another of Apollos, another of Cephas, and some even of Christ. The Greek word translated "vaunt" is perpereuomi. Strong’s Concordance suggests that it originated as a duplication of the Greek word for peran, the word for "beyond." Such a word is fitting for the concept of braggadocio which likes to retell a story, going over and beyond the truth to make one’s position more prominent.

Is not puffed up—Expressions of self-importance usually cloak feelings of insecurity. Recognizing one’s own unworthiness, there is a natural tendency to bolster one’s spirits by the exaggeration of some accomplishment. This operates in opposition to love since that grace elevates another’s accomplishments over those of self.

Doth not behave itself unseemly—True love not only acts becomingly but avoids even the appearance of those things which could bring disgrace on the one loved and, more particularly, on the Lord and his cause. Love conforms to the norms of society and seeks to go beyond them. Here agape passes out of the realm of thought into the actions it provokes. The one other usage of the Greek word in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 7:36) relates the word specifically to physical love between a man and a woman. While generally advising the single state, Paul advises marriage on the basis of this word between a man and the woman he has been courting if the omission of such a step would caused emotional or financial hardship to her.

Agape seeketh not her own—Here is an instance where the agape of love goes beyond the phileo. The latter is responsive, based upon reactions to stimuli. Agape manifests itself, even when to do so is seemingly to one’s detriment. True love not only seeks the highest spiritual welfare for one’s self, but also for one’s neighbor. Love is never satisfied except in the welfare, comfort, and salvation of all.

Is not easily provoked—Some of the force of this attribute is lost in the King James translation. Other ancient translations, some even pre-dating the King James, more correctly render the verse simply "love is not provoked." The Greek word does not convey the amount of provocation to anger, but simply pits agape against all provocation. The admonition is to a "cool head," carefully weighing as objectively as possible the facts of a case, and not letting the emotions rule with either anger, bitterness, or strife.

Thinketh no evil—Once again the apostle calls attention to the mental condition of the one who professes agape love. Here he follows the lead of the Lord Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount, tracing the action to its proper beginning—in the thought process. If those emotions which demonstrate the lack of agape love are to be stopped at all, they must be stopped at their source, in the mind.

Rejoiceth not in iniquity—This qualification of love is easy when it is exercised toward a friend. However human nature tends to rejoice in bad reports about those with whom we are at enmity. The true test of agape is when we are sorry to hear of our enemy’s misfortunes or anything that substantiates our low opinion of our enemies. This tendency is directly contrary to that of love, and must be constantly fought.

But rejoiceth in the truth—This completes the couplet started by the preceding phrase. What is our reaction when the report ofiniquity is the truth? Often truth is nebulous. Complete truth is not easily discerned. What appears true to one may appear false to another. The search for truth is one of the functions of true love. When it comes to ascertaining the accuracy of charges, the Lord sets out a complete procedure in Matthew 18:15–20. Complete truth includes viewing a matter from the perspective of all sides, with all mitigating circumstances taken into account.

Beareth all things—The last four graces of agape deal with its staying power. The apostle is laying the groundwork for his discussion in the next verses of the temporary nature of the miraculous gifts in contrast with the permanence of love. It is permanent, first, because it bears all burdens. No load is too heavy, no injustice too great, but that, knowing the temporary nature of the present evil world, they cannot be borne with the heavenly goals in view. As Paul writes in Romans 8:18, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

Believeth all things—The Greek word here, as Professor Vine points out, is not merely to place credence in, but to rely upon. Love is not gullible, but is willing to risk loss. "Perfect love is not suspicious, but is, on the contrary, disposed to be trustful. It acts on the principle that it is better, if necessary, to be deceived a hundred times than to go through life soured by a suspicious mind—far better than to accuse or suspect even one person unjustly." (R4919)

Hopeth all things—This quality refers more to the frame of the mind of one who may feel injured by another. Not only is he willing to bear indignities and quick to believe the words of the supposed wrongdoer, but he sincerely hopes that future events will prove that his trust was well placed. How pertinent were these words to the divided church at Corinth! How appropriate today!

Endureth all things—Whereas "beareth all things" is passive, relating to the uncomplaining acceptance of trials, "endureth all things" is active. The soul that is united to the God of love by the link of love cannot be crushed, cannot be overcome, because this is the divine will, the divine arrangement.

The Permanence of Agape—Verses 8 to 10

Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

After extolling the virtues of agape love, the apostle returns to the main theme of chapters 12 through 14. The gifts of the spirit which the Corinthians so coveted were not only inferior to love in quality, they were also inferior in durability. Tongues, knowledge, and prophecy were only temporary gifts of the spirit.

It should be noted here that the knowledge to which the apostle refers is not the ability to accumulate facts and join them in the thinking process. Such knowledge we are assured is eternal. We read of God’s eternal kingdom in Habakkuk 2:14, "For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea." Rather it was the miraculous special inspirations of knowledge that were granted as a spiritual gift to some in the early church.

Not only were these gifts to be temporary, but they were only partial as well. Even the inspired apostles did not possess all knowledge. If their knowledge was only partial, it followed that their prophesying, telling others of their knowledge, could only be partial as well.

Verse ten becomes the critical verse in the discussion. It implies that the partial gifts would continue until "that which is perfect" would come. The expression "that which is perfect" is frequently applied to the perfection of being that awaits the resurrected faithful at the second advent of Christ. However, if that is true, then we should expect that "that which is in part"—the miraculous gifts of knowledge, prophecy, and tongues—would still continue. We do not see evidence of that today despite the many charismatic Christians who claim to possess these gifts. These gifts in the early church were for the purpose of communicating in known languages to those of different nationalities instead of producing unintelligible sounds that pass for the tongues of our day. Prophecy and knowledge were used as internal gifts for the development of the church and not merely for a sign to show that one had "the spirit."

The word translated "perfect" can with equal ease be rendered "mature" or "complete." Since the gifts were for the preliminary development of the church, we would suggest that "that which is perfect" refers to the completed canon of the Bible. The Bible became the tool to replace the partial knowledge and prophecy which preceded it.

In harmony with this, we quote the words of Charles Russell in his book The At-one-ment Between God and Man: "All of these ‘gifts’ were evidently necessary at the inauguration of the Church, at the start of the new age, but became unnecessary after the Church had been established and the canon of the inspired writings had been completed."—p. 179*

Now and Then—Verses 11 to 13

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

In the final section of this chapter the apostle contrasts conditions of the future, "when that which is perfect" has come.

In the first he treats the miraculous gifts of the spirit as children’s toys—important tools for their learning process but not an end in themselves. Children think of the present time only, adults look to the work of future years. The gifts were important for the early church in its childhood phase. But these gifts were of little value for the future work of the church.

Rather than learning by rote, the Lord wanted to instruct his followers to think. If they would be part of a future work as priests, judges, and kings, they would need to learn not only the laws of God but why these laws were right and important. The primitive church began to develop their Christian theology only after the Bible was complete. True, they made many errors in their discernment of doctrine, but such errors are also a part of the learning process. The proud and self-satisfied would be led astray by their own worldly "wisdom" while the meek and humble would await the Lord’s due time for correction.

In the second contrast he shows how that "now" was like viewing an object through a smoked glass in comparison with the views that would come after "the perfect" arrived. The phrase, "then shall I know even as also I am known" is an apt one. We are known by the Lord, not by our outward appearances, but on the full manifestations of the heart (1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Corinthians 5:16). In the same way as the Lord now knows us, by our heart, the church would come to know him after the Bible was completed. They would learn not to know him merely by his actions, but would be introduced to the very heart of God, learning that, indeed, "God is love" (1 John 4:8,16).

In the final verse Paul breaks away from contrasting agape with the gifts of the spirit and compares it to the higher elements of faith and hope. In a sense, he wraps up his lesson by going back to the themes of verses two and three. Important as was their new-found faith in the gospel, even a deep comprehension of the Bible’s mysteries would be temporary if it were not accompanied by the object of that gospel, the development of agape love.

The final contrast was with hope. It was the Christians’ hopes for future rectification of all wrongs that enabled them to give so freely of their temporal goods to feed the poor and to face the horrors of torture, the lions of Rome, and burning at the stake. It was for this hope that they could face any rigor with steadfastness. Yet, such hopes would have been vain if they had not been accompanied by the development of agape love.

Love alone endures. Love is the greatest thing. It is not the responsive phileo love, though that is important, but the full unselfishness of agape that must be the goal of each follower of the Master. Let us so run that we may obtain.