"But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of
these is love."
33. The sophists have transgressed in a masterly manner as regards
this verse. They have made faith vastly inferior to love because of
Paul's assertion that love is greater than faith and greater than
hope. As usual, their mad reason blindly seizes upon the literal
expression. They hack a piece out of it and the remainder they ignore.
Thus they fail to understand Paul's meaning; they do not perceive that
the sense of Paul concerning the greatness of love is expressed both
in the text and the context. For surely it cannot be disputed that the
apostle is here referring to the permanent or temporary character
respectively of love and other gifts, and not to their rank or power.
As to rank, not faith only, but the Word, surpasses love; for the Word
is the power of God unto salvation to all that believe. Rom 1, 16. Yet
the Word must pass. But though love is the fruit of the Word and its
effect, it shall never be abolished. Faith possesses God himself. It
possesses and can accomplish all things; yet it must cease. Love gives
and blesses the neighbor, as a result of faith, and it shall never be
done away.
34. Now, Paul's statement that love is greater than faith and hope is
intended as an expression of the permanence, or eternal duration, of
love. Faith, being limited as to time in comparison with love, ranks
beneath it for the reason of this temporary duration. With the same
right I might say that the kingdom of Christ is greater upon earth
than was Christ. Thereby I do not mean that the Church in itself is
better and of higher rank than Christ, but merely that it covers a
greater part of the earth than he compassed; for he was here but three
years and those he spent in a limited sphere, whereas his kingdom has
been from the beginning and is coextensive with the earth. In this
sense, love is longer and broader than either faith or hope. Faith
deals with God merely in the heart and in this life, whereas the
relations of love both to God and the whole world are eternal.
Nevertheless, as Christ is immeasurably better and higher and more
precious than the Christian Church, although we behold him moving in
smaller limits and as a mere individual, so is faith better, higher
and more precious than love, though its duration is limited and it has
God alone for its object.
35. Paul's purpose in thus extolling love is to deal a blow to false
teachers and to bring to naught their boasts about faith and other
gifts when love is lacking. His thought is: "If ye possess not love,
which abides forever, all else whereof ye boast being perishable, ye
will perish with it. While the Word of God, and spiritual gifts, are
eternal, yet the external office and proclamation of the Word, and
likewise the employment of gifts in their variety, shall have an end,
and thus your glory and pride shall become as ashes." So, then, faith
justifies through the Word and produces love. But while both Word and
faith shall pass, righteousness and love, which they effect, abide
forever; just as a building erected by the aid of scaffolding remains
after the scaffolding has been removed.
36. Observe how small the word "love" and how easily uttered! Who
would have thought to find so much precious virtue and power ascribed
by Paul to this one excellence as counterpart of so much that is evil?
This is, I imagine, magnifying love, painting love. It is a better
discourse on virtue and vice than are the heathen writings. The model
the apostle presents should justly shame the false teachers, who talk
much of love but in whom not one of the virtues he mentions is found.
Every quality of love named by him means false teachers buffeted and
assaulted. Whenever he magnifies love and characterizes her powers, he
invariably makes at the same time a thrust at those who are deficient
in any of them. Well may we, then, as he describes the several
features, add the comment "But you do very differently."
37. It is passing strange that teachers devoid of love should possess
such gifts as Paul has mentioned here, viz., speaking with tongues,
prophesying, understanding mysteries; that they should have faith,
should bestow their goods and suffer themselves to be burned. For we
have seen what abominations ensue where love is lacking; such
individuals are proud, envious, puffed up, impatient, unstable, false,
venomous, suspicious, malicious, disdainful, bitter, disinclined to
service, distrustful, selfish, ambitious and haughty. How can it
consistently be claimed that people of this stamp can, through faith,
remove mountains, give their bodies to be burned, prophesy, and so on?
It is precisely as I have stated. Paul presents an impossible
proposition, implying that since they are devoid of love, they do not
really possess those gifts, but merely assume the name and appearance.
And in order to divest them of those he admits for the sake of
argument that they are what in reality they are not.
_First Sunday In Lent_
Text: Second Corinthians 6, 1-10.
1 And working together with him we entreat also that ye receive not
the grace of God in vain 2 (for he saith, At an acceptable time I
hearkened unto thee, and in a day of salvation did I succor thee:
behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of
salvation): 3 giving no occasion of stumbling in anything, that our
ministration be not blamed; 4 but in everything commending ourselves,
as ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities,
in distresses, 5 in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors,
in watchings, in fastings; 6 in pureness, in knowledge, in
longsuffering, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in love unfeigned, 7
in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the armor of
righteousness on the right hand on the left, 8 by glory and dishonor,
by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; 9 as
unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as
chastened, and not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as
poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all
things.