The More Excellent Way

By Jerry D. Ousley

            I believe in the spiritual gifts as outlined in the New Testament by Paul.  There is nowhere in scripture that plainly tells us that they have been done away with.  Paul spent an entire section of the letter he wrote to the Corinthian Church telling them about how those gifts should be used for the Kingdom of God. 

            But at the conclusion of 1 Corinthians 12 he said, “But earnestly desire the best gifts.  And yet I show you a more excellent way.”  (1 Corinthians 12:31).  Remember, when this letter was first written, Paul did not divide it up into chapters and verses.  That was done much later by a man named Stephen Langton who in the 13^th century divided it into chapters.  Then in the 16^th century, Robert Estienne divided it into verses.  That being the case, then when we read 1 Corinthians 12:31 in the original language it goes immediately into 1 Corinthians 13:1.  So when Paul said that he was going to show us a more excellent way, he was speaking of the love chapter – or so we have come to call 1 Corinthians 13. 

            Now, I have no problem with modern versions of the Bible just as long as they stick to what the original language is telling us.  But one thing I like about the old King James Version is that the word “love” in 1 Corinthians 13 is interpreted as “charity.”  A lot of people are offended by that word; “don’t give me your charity,” they may say, “I take care of myself.”  But Paul is not using the word “charity” in that context.  It is used to clarify the type of love he is talking about in 1 Corinthians 13.  It is “love in action.”  It is “love” as a verb – an action word.  It means we just don’t say, “I love you,” but we say “let me show you my love with my deeds.”  When we come to Christ, our first duty is to love God.  We are to love the LORD our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (see Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, and Luke 10:27).  After loving God then we are told by Jesus to “love your neighbor as yourself.” That also means that we are to love ourselves for how can we love our neighbor as ourselves unless we also love ourselves?  If we hate ourselves does that mean that we hate our neighbor?  And if you continue reading in Luke 10 you will see how Jesus defined our neighbor.

            We can be used by God in the spiritual gifts but if only if we are proving God’s love with our actions.  Now, I also must clarify something else about love because in our modern era for some reason to love someone has come to include that we accept them as they are and what they do.  There’s an old adage that says we love the sinner but not the sin.  Some have tried to say this isn’t true but the last time I checked the Word of God we are to hate sin, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t love those who commit the sins.  If we don’t love them then how can we love our enemy?  How can we love those who persecute us?  Yes, we can love the sinner without loving their sin and accepting their sin.  Sorry if I step on modern toes here but let’s keep it real and look at what God said rather than what modern philosophy says.

            At the end of chapter 13 we are told by Paul that the greatest between faith, hope and love (charity) is love (charity).  It is indeed the greatest gift because all the gifts, and everything we do must be flavored with the charity-love of God that flows from Him through us. It is a love that is not conditional.  It is not connected to how one acts, what one does, or even what one says.  The object of our love may be hating us in every way and may want our destruction.  But despite these things the love of God shines through. 

            I Corinthians 13 tells us some things that are vain without love-charity.  It says:

            Even if we speak in all the languages of man or even the language of angels, if we don’t have this love-charity our voice is like the loud clanging of symbols or the sound of brass vessels being dumped out on the floor.

            Even though we may exemplify all the spiritual gifts and are not possessed by love-charity we are nothing at all.

            Though we may give all we have to the poor, and even sacrifice ourselves for others but don’t do so with love-charity, we are nothing at all.  It does absolutely nothing for us.

            Then the Bible tells us some things that love-charity is:

            It acts in patience.

            It is kind.

            It does not envy.

            It does not lift itself above others.

            It behaves well and sets a good example.

            It doesn’t seek for things of itself.

            It doesn’t anger easily.

            It doesn’t think about evil.

            It doesn’t rejoice in sin but in truth and reality.

            It bears the burdens of others.

            I believes all things of God.

            It has hope in God.

            It endures whatever comes to us and it endures for the sake of God.

            IT NEVER FAILS!

            Maybe this is where some get that the spiritual gifts have been done away with because Paul adds in the next verses that whether there are prophecies, they will fail, whether there are languages, they will cease, whether there is knowledge, it will disappear.  He says that now we know partially, like looking through a dirty window or glass.  But when the perfect thing has come, we will see all things clearly.  Now some want to say that “that which is perfect” is the Bible – The written Word of God.  Yes, it is perfect, but so is salvation, and so is the true Church from God.  “That which is perfect” is none other than the coming Kingdom of God.  When that comes then there is no longer any need for gifts, or ministry for that matter because Jesus Christ will reveal all to us at that time.

            I look longingly for the day when that perfect thing has come.  But until then, let’s do all that we do for God with the genuine love of God – CHARITY, love in action.  The better way is ACTION LOVE.  Believers, let’s go forward in it, not loving sin, not allowing sin, not tolerating sin, but denouncing sin while loving those who are trapped in it.  After all, isn’t freedom from sin really what the world is longing for?  “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” (Romans 8:22).

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.?  Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.