Podcast
Chunks: 1 Corinthians 13
Hosted by Cameron Lee · EN
Many Christians think of 1 Corinthians 13 as Paul's "love chapter." The verses are read at weddings and printed on inspirational keepsakes. But Paul wasn't writing about love in the abstract; he was writing as a pastor trying to correct the attitudes and behaviors of a troubled congregation. Thus, we'll explore Paul's teaching against the background of how the Corinthians struggled in relationship to each other, and see how this might apply to our lives as Christians. (All biblical texts will be read from the New International Version, unless otherwise noted.)
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Episode 18: Transformation
Aug 1400:08:36Tap to summarizeIn this final episode, we’ll explore two common misconceptions that might affect how we understand and apply Paul’s teaching. The first is that the Greek word agape means “Christian love”; the second is the idea that love is an action and not a feeling. And to correct both these ideas, we need the idea of transformation, both in how Paul transforms language, and how love is meant to transform us.
Transcribe →Episode 17: Unfailing love
Aug 1400:08:25Tap to summarizeAs I suggested earlier, to say that love is “patient” and “kind” is not only a correction to our own unloving behavior, but a reminder of the character of God. Something similar could be said about Paul’s statement that love “never fails.” In one sense, that statement points back to what he’s said about endurance and perseverance. But it also points forward to what he says immediately after about a future in which only a godly love remains.
Transcribe →Episode 16: A love that endures
Aug 1400:07:28Tap to summarizeAs I suggested earlier, when Paul says in verse 7 that love “trusts” and “hopes,” I take this as a reference to the virtues of faith and hope he mentions at the end of the chapter. But what does he mean when in the same verse he says that love always “protects” and “perseveres”? In this episode, I’ll argue that with both words, Paul is pointing to a love that endures despite the many challenges it faces.
Transcribe →Episode 15: The greatest of these is love
Aug 1400:07:45Tap to summarizeAt the end of the chapter, Paul mentions faith, hope, and love together. In church history, these three have been known as the “theological virtues.” But Paul declares that love is greater than the other two. Why? Paul is encouraging the Corinthians to have a forward-looking perspective, anticipating the day in which faith and hope will no longer be needed, while the love of God remains.
Transcribe →Episode 14: Rejoicing in the gospel together
Aug 1400:07:54Tap to summarizeIn verse 6 of chapter 13, Paul teaches that “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” Again, he’s making a distinction between what love doesn’t do and what it does instead—but what should we make of his contrast between “evil” and “truth”? And is it true that we “delight in evil”?
Transcribe →Episode 13: The merry-go-round of resentment
Aug 1400:08:07Tap to summarizePeter once asked Jesus how many times he was obligated to forgive someone who offended him. But Jesus didn’t give him a number; he didn’t want Peter to resentfully keep a mental record of offenses. Similarly, Paul teaches the Corinthians that love “keeps no record of wrongs.” In this episode, we’ll explore how being “self-seeking,” being “easily angered,” and keeping track of offenses all feed and reinforce each other.
Transcribe →Episode 12: Quick to anger
Aug 1400:07:39Tap to summarizeWhen Paul first visited the city of Athens, he was cut to the quick by the rampant idolatry he saw there. The word Luke uses to describe Paul’s reaction is the same one Paul uses himself to say that love isn’t “easily angered” in verse 5 of First Corinthians 13. What Paul seems to be describing is how the Corinthians’ quick temper with each other isn’t tempered by love.
Transcribe →Episode 11: Looking out for number two
Aug 1400:07:20Tap to summarizeIn a highly individualistic culture like the United States, we're used to looking out for number one. And to some extent, it's human nature to protect ourselves and our interests. But Paul teaches that it's more loving and godlier to look out for number two. As we’ll see, he teaches this not only in First Corinthians, but in his letter to the Philippians.
Transcribe →Episode 10: Love isn’t me-first
Aug 1400:07:41Tap to summarizeIn verse 5 of chapter 13, as we’ve seen, Paul says that love doesn’t act inappropriately. To this, he adds that love is "not self-seeking,” or literally, that it “doesn't seek its own things.” Loving people aren’t merely concerned about what’s best for them; they’re willing to make sacrifices for the sake of what’s best for others. We’ll explore that idea using a situation Paul describes earlier in the letter.
Transcribe →Episode 9: Bad form!
Aug 1400:07:39Tap to summarizePaul continues his description of what love doesn’t do by saying that love doesn’t “dishonor others.” That’s the New International Version; other versions say that love isn’t “rude” or doesn’t “act unbecomingly.” What does that mean? His language suggests that Christians shouldn’t behave in ways that even people outside the church would consider socially inappropriate.
Transcribe →