1Corinthians 13:4-7 Status Update: Jesus, You're Killing Me!

Proposition: God's love is not just in us to make us nicer but to kill the person we used to be and make us a totally new person in Christ.

This text describes God's love as a nature within us (opposite of our sin nature) and how it manifests itself in everyday life.  Paul described to the Corinthians ways God's love is supposed to change believers.  So correctly viewing this passage means asking, “What part of me is God trying to kill?”

So what’s the deal with ‘Envy’?  Envy is desire that’s gone bad.  There’s nothing wrong with desire until you boil with anger wanting what others have.  This is human 101...we want to do/have something else, somewhere else, with someone else.  James 3:16 says “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work”. 

Ever read the verse “God is jealous” in Exodus 20?  Why is that OK? Because God's love looks out for the ultimate good of creation.  Human jealousy is often directed toward what does not glorify God and is not good for people.  The opposite of envy would be contentment...trusting that God's plan and gifts for you are perfect.

Humans generally love in a self-seeking way.  Literally we place self first and others second.  God's love seeks and finds joy in the good of others.  We simply should not seek personal, private benefit without considering the good of others.  So in any situation we should ask: is this beneficial to everyone or just me?  Of course, we should not ignore the legitimate needs of ourselves and our family for that would go against I Timothy 5:8 but God's love teaches us to lay down our supposed rights if it is best for others (Phil. 2:4-8).

As unnatural and unjustified as it may seem, true love offers forgiveness over and over again. Bitterness is the opposite of love.  Bitterness literally means to keep a record or account of wickedness.  Keeping records really only stresses you out...it’s much healthier to forgive.

Forgiveness is NOT “Letting people off the hook”.  (Matt. 6:12; 18:21-35)  God hasn’t let anyone off the hook.  Either we pay for our sins in hell or Christ paid for them on the cross.  God’s forgiveness allowed Him to come inside us to help us change.

Forgiveness is NOT “forgetting”. (Ps. 103:12)  God chooses not to remember our sin.  We are not called to ‘forgive and forget’.  We can’t truly help each other if we ‘forget’ what the problem is.  Forgiveness simply says, “I am no longer going to allow your sin to separate you from my help”.

Here are 3 steps to true contentment, self-less love and forgiveness...
1 Trust the work Jesus already did...Believe the Gospel/Holy Spirit
2 Read and pray over Scriptures which deal with these traits – renew mind
3 Get help from the church body - accountability
Utilizing the above steps will help you change from the inside out (heart change) rather than just incorporating another layer of moral (“good”) behavior.

CHALLENGE

What quality is God developing in you?
Envious or Content?
Self-seeking or selfless?
Grudge Holding or Forgiving?
In what ways are these qualities important to church unity? Why?

Songs With This Text
You Never Let Go
Your Great Name
Jesus Paid It All
Beneath The Cross
In Christ Alone