with Elder Elico Manenji
✝️In this chapter, the Apostle Paul commends charity/ love above all other gifts and graces. Love is most preferable, than tongues, prophecy, miracles, giving of alms, preaching and knowledge. Without doing things in love and with love the person will be like a noisy gong, love supercedes all things. The greatest of all graces are faith, hope and love but love exceeds all.
*1️⃣1 Corinthians 13:1-8: Love supercedes all other temporary gifts.*
⏹️The Apostle begins this chapter with "Though, Greek _-eh-an ) a conjuction which has a conditional particle often used in connection with other particles to denote indefiniteness or uncertainty. In some cases, the Bible men and Jesus used a supposed language. The disciples supposed Jesus to be a spirit, *"But when they saw him walking on the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out"(Mark 6:49).*
⏫Supposition is not definitive but rather used to express a point as the Apostle here says if there were known Angelic tongues and if he was able to speak those Angelic tongues but without love he will remain nothing.
Jesus said, *"Suppose you that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, No; but rather division"(Luke 12:51).*
⏫The case is here merely supposed that even if he would be able to speak with all human languages including, perhaps the peculiar utterance of ecstatic inspiration, he is nothing without love. The tongues of Angels are supposed, they are not definitive as Angels always in their ministration to mankind spoke the language of mankind. The prophet Jeremiah spoke of those with a false gift of prophesy saying, *"For I have not sent them, said the LORD, yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I might drive you out, and that you might perish, you, and the prophets that prophesy to you"(Jeremiah 27:15).*
⏹️ The Apostle says love thinks of others, it is not self-centred. Love is patient, kind, humble, forgiving, self-controlled, it is not boastful, bad mannered, resentful or irritable and above all it upholds God’s standards of righteousness and mercy. The Apostle Peter says, *"And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins"(1 Peter 4:8).*
*2️⃣1 Corinthians 13:9-13: Love endures forever than the display and exercise of faith and hope.*
⏹️The Apostle says our knowledge is partial for we shall be know clearly, brightly and eternally when we have been redeemed.
⏫Our prophecies are temporary and full of imperfections, all that we here possess that is obscure shall be lost in the superior and perfect glory of that eternal world.
⏹️As we live in this sinful world, we are like children, we speak the gibberish language of children, we think, reason and plan like children. Our current knowledge, plans and views of things can not be compared with those which we shall have in heaven. Our view of things are blarred. *Sir Isaac Newton said: “I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself by now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, while the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me”( Brewster’s Life of Newton, pp. 300, 301. Ed. New York, 1832).*
The Apostle says, *"For every one that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe"(Hebrews 5:13).*
⏭️We may have that faith which is peculiar to God's elect. For, "..without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him"(Hebrews 11:6).
We may have hope anchored, sure and steadfast, *" For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man sees, why does he yet hope for?"(Romans 8:24).*
But the greatest is love for nothing will ever separate us from the love of Christ. The Apostle John says, *"No man has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in us"(1 John 4:12).*
*🅰️Appeal*
LOVE is the fulfilling of the law but this is never said of faith or hope. Love is properly the image of God in the soul. Faith and hope respect ourselves alone but love takes in both God and Mankind. Faith helps and hope sustains us but love to God and man makes us obedient and useful. The Apostle John says, *"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins"(1John 4:10).* Amen!!!
Elico Manenji
(+263712952704)
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