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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
A Psalm of Love.
The high worth of love:
v. 1. 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.
v. 2. 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.
v. 3. 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.
Paul had written, by way of introduction to this magnificent paean in praise of perfect Christian love, that he would show his readers the supremely excellent way to become partakers of the better spiritual gifts, of those which are of greater value for the edification of the congregation, those of wisdom, of knowledge, of prophecy. That way, which strives for the possession of gifts which will do most toward serving our fellow Christian and the Church, is the way of love. The supreme excellence of this gift of God is brought out in a wonderful manner: If with the tongues of men I be speaking, and of angels, but am without love, I have become a sounding brass and a clanging cymbal. In comparing the various gifts of the apostolic age with the better gifts that find their expression through love, the apostle mentions, first of all, the gift of tongues. In the case of one that possessed this gift, a peculiar ecstasy replaced the ordinary function of reason, and in this condition the Spirit of God made use of the tongue in new and strange languages to praise the great works of God. But if a person had this gift in a most extraordinary degree, if he embodied not only the miracle of Pentecost, but of ecstatic and inarticulate forms of speech which needed special interpreters; yea, if this mystic utterance reached such heights that he could speak in the unutterable forms of heavenly language; if, however, he had no love for his brothers in his heart, this wonderful gift would have no value for him. Like a dead instrument of brass he would have become, like a clanging cymbal, both of which yield forth a tone when struck, the one a dull, deep tone, the other a shrill, penetrating tone, but are absolutely without life. Mark that the idea of instrumentality is brought out. The Christian that possesses any gifts is an instrument of the Holy Ghost in using them for the service of his neighbor. To parade any gifts before others for the gratification of vanity, for show, and in the expectation of praise, is to invite the severest censure of God refers to a second gift: And if I have prophecy, and if I know all the mysteries and all the knowledge,—prophecy in its widest stretch amounts to nothing without love. The gift of prophecy is a higher gift than that of speaking with tongues, since its purpose is directly to edify the congregation by unfolding the future and combining earnest admonitions with this form of proclamation of the secrets of God. Some of the early Christians had this gift to such a degree that they had an insight into the mysteries of God and could expound the glories of His essence. "One might be a prophet and know very few mysteries; and one might know all mysteries and yet lack some other point of knowledge. " If such a person were not actuated by the love that finds its supreme delight in serving his neighbor, then his work might indeed have salutary effects, but he himself would be cast out as unworthy. And just so with the gift of the heart: And if I had all faith, to remove one mountain after the other, but had no love, I should again amount to nothing in the sight of God. One might have heroic faith, the confidence that works miracles, Mat_17:20; Mat_21:21, and yet be personally worthless. For such a faith apprehends Christ only in His wonder-working power, and is not necessarily the result of saving faith. But without love, though endowed with these most remarkable gifts, which are also so highly esteemed and may be of such wonderful value and seem to indicate a special divine favor, a person is in fact a mere nonentity in the eyes of God.
There may even be manifestations that seem to have all the earmarks of real charity: And if I should distribute all my property to the poor, if I should give it away, bit by bit, until I had nothing left; and if the sacrifice that I make rises to its climax in that of offering life itself, of suffering martyrdom in its worst form, but the motive for all this were not love, it would have absolutely no value in the sight of God. As Jerome writes: "It is terrible to say, but it is true: If we endure martyrdom in order to be admired by our brothers, then our blood was shed in vain. " That a person gives all his goods to the needy, that he sacrifices body and life, may look like an act of pure love, but it may also flow from selfish motives and seek the person's own ends, and will therefore result in his condemnation.
Note: What the apostle here teaches and very impressively urges the Christians of today should also heed. The most extraordinary gifts of the apostolic days are not found in our congregations today, but there are still the gifts mentioned in the previous chapter. One possesses a rich treasure of Christian knowledge, another has the gift of speaking of divine things in a clear, interesting, comforting way, a third has been given an unusual measure of strength of faith, of Christian energy. And therefore it may easily happen that a Christian or a Christian preacher or teacher may feel a certain amount of pride in his understanding and knowledge, a measure of gratification at his ability to make an impression by his speaking, at his good works, his gifts to the poor, his zeal for God's kingdom and honor, instead of having in mind only the edification of his brethren. Such a one should remember that before God, with all his knowledge and works, he is nothing, amounts to nothing, and will gain nothing, unless his one motive is an unselfish love, which flows out of true faith.