Bible
Everything You Know about 1 Corinthians 13 Is Wrong
You can’t find a more popular portion of the Bible than 1 Corinthians 13.
It’s the bubbly “love” chapter, clamping down on the biblical meaning of love.
Or so you think.
First Corinthians 13 at first blush is perfect for weddings. Hallmark cards. Little plaques above your kitchen sink [where ours hangs].
Who wouldn’t love the simplicity of “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude”?
It carries a certain charm–an almost mystical hold on us when it comes to love.
I once found this chapter in an anthology of love poems, alongside the likes of Lord Byron and Kahlil Gibran. Unusual bedfellows if I ever saw any.
Never the Purpose of 1 Corinthians 13
I know during one of my crankier moments in life [that extended from birth to MAYBE just a couple of weeks ago] I memorized this chapter in hopes that it would manage to make me a more kinder, gentler man.
It didn’t work.
Why? Well, it was never intended to be a charter on sweetness. Or seventeen habits of highly-sentimental people.
Paul intended it to be a lot dirtier than that.
Just think were the chapter is embedded…in between two very tough chapters on spiritual gifts.
But you’re still being very narrowed minded if you leave it at that. You must step back even further.
Think about Who Paul Was Writing To
First Corinthians 12-14 are couched in a letter to who? The Corinthians. A self-absorbed, smug, stingy set of church members.
That means while writing his letter hunched over, pen in hand and brow furled bent on setting the Corinthians straight, Paul didn’t sit back and say, “I feel like writing a splendid little reverie on love. Barnabas, did you hear that? I’m going to write a love poem!”
No.
He intended chapter 13 to serve much like God intended the ten commandments to serve: a schoolmaster who drives the disobedient to Christ.
Think about this: Paul is saying, “You think you know what love is? You don’t have a clue what love is. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful….”
In other words, 1 Corinthians 13 is a reprimand. Not an elegant poem that gives us the warm and fuzzies.
A Good Sermon on 1 Corinthians 13
Alistair Begg makes this point in a wonderful series on 1 Corinthians 13. He explains that taken in isolation, 1 Corinthians 13 is often abused, as I noted above.
But once you understand Paul’s original meaning and purpose behind the chapter, you’ll appreciate the chapter so much more.
In the end, 1 Corinthians 13 is a statement against the popular notion [that still holds today] that love is out of our control.
Paul declares that godly love is manly and willful:
It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
It takes guts to endure all things.
What to Do Next
But Paul’s point in the end is that we will never measure up to the standard laid out in 1 Corinthians 13. There is only one person who did such a thing. Jesus Christ.
And what that means is that we will always struggle with this love–a love that never ends–until we humbly submit to the only living person who ever fully and completely fulfilled the law of love–Jesus Christ.
Does this mean you throw out that plaque hanging over your kitchen sink? No. It means you look at it and remember that you will never measure up to that standard until you bow down to the very lord of love–Jesus Christ.
What the Song of Solomon Really Means
The sexually-charged language of Song of Songs [or Song of Solomon] makes it a provocative read…
But one wonders if it actually makes a major theological contribution to Judaism or Christianity.
In fact, one wonders why it’s even in the Old Testament…why it’s even in the canon at all.
I mean, what was the original author or editor hoping to communicate to his reader?
And what about the fact that there’s no mention of God. Isn’t that problematic?
Well, no. Not really. Not after you see that this short, but potent celebration of intimacy between husband and wife sheds light on our own relationship with God. It’s a good lesson to learn.
Common Approaches to Song of Songs
Some pastors would have you think Songs is a manual to a smokin’ hot marriage…
While others would want you to see it as a allegorical narrative of God’s relationship with the Israelites.
Still others suggest it’s a typological story–one in which the groom plays Christ and the bride plays the church.
These three interpretative strategies are the literal, allegorical and typological approaches.
The allegorical grew out of the embarrassment over the erotic details found in the text [the very same details the sex-crazed literalists exemplified]. Take the explicit mention of two breasts in Songs 4:5 for example:
Your two breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle,
that graze among the lilies.
Some Christian interpreters argued the two breasts were the two testaments–spiritually nourishing the church…
Another view suggested the breasts reflected the dual command to love God and neighbor…
And a third view believed the breasts represented Mount Ebal and Mount Gerazim. [Keep your comments to yourself.]
Another good example of allegorical interpretation born out of timid temperaments is the the sachet of myrrh lodged between the two breasts. Some early scholars said it was Christ who spans the two testaments.
Then there’s the graphic, boyish-giggle-inducing walnut grove: ”I came down to the walnut grove / to see the blossoms of the valley,” said the woman.
If you blushed, then you know why some early church fathers went to interpretive extremes to suggest alternative meanings, like the hard outer layer of the walnut is the Mosaic Law–and the nutritious center is Jesus Christ.
But this is fellatio, folks. Plain and simple.
To be honest, you wonder what’s more embarrassing: the topic of oral sex or a scholar’s theological interpretation of that act. Let’s keep digging.
The Problem with Allegorical Interpretations
The problem with interpreting Songs allegorically is that the text simply doesn’t hint at a deeper meaning.
I mean why take the breasts to be the OT and NT? Two mountains? Two commands of God?
The text simply doesn’t support any of those arguments.
But if Songs is NOT an allegorical love story between God and his people or Christians and Jesus–then what is it?
We found part of our answer in the discovery of unique ancient Near-Eastern documents found in the 19th century.
What these specific documents taught us is that Songs is from the exact same genre–love poems. More precisely, matrimonial love poems.
That makes Songs a collection of matrimonial love poems. Songs sung at weddings.
Scholars are divided on how many actual love poems make up Songs. But that’s not really important. What’s important is uncovering the theological contribution Songs makes to the canon…
And this is where it gets good.
The Essential Meaning Behind Songs
The text itself gives us many clues. And whether there are three or thirty poems, the Song’s primary importance relates to love and, no surprise here, sexuality–something near-and-dear to our humanity.
See, what Songs defines is a love that is mutual, exclusive, total and beautiful. And in many ways Songs is an expansion of Genesis 2:24:
Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
In frank but beautiful language, this tiny little book praises mutual, intense love, culminating in this robust, evocative statement:
What we see here is an expression of love that transcends this earth and is deeply emotional–as God intended between husband and wife.
What God-Ordained Marriage Looks Like
Contrast this with the ephemeral, capricious and shallow character of contemporary love and you see God’s vision for marriage involves a volitional, muscular emotion that has a singular and solitary intent to honor the object of it’s affections.
And this is exactly the way God wanted it when he created man and woman in Eden. When you comprehend that the allusions to the garden in Songs are allusions to Eden, then the meaning behind Songs becomes immediately apparent…
The implication is that before sin, man and woman stood bare, unashamed, in front of each other. Now, we sense an intimacy since lost.
Song of Songs then is about the redemption of sexuality. A return to the God-ordained concept of marriage, a concept illustrated throughout Scripture to help us understand the relationship between God and his people.
In the OT, marriage is used negatively to shed light on Israel’s betrayal and unfaithfulness. In the NT, marriage is compared to our union with Christ–a union climaxing [no pun intended] at the end of time with a wedding feast.
Here on earth we get to enjoy the splendid privilege of experiencing the union of man and woman as one flesh, a profound mystery Paul said refers to the union between Christ and his church.
In other words, the better our marriages–the more they reflect the glory of God. And I think that’s pretty sexy. You?
Why You Should Master the Old Testament
If you think the Old Testament is a boring book and not worth your time or attention, let me give you one very good reason why you should master it: Jesus did.
In fact, he coped with Satan’s desert temptations by quoting from Deuteronomy…
He also used the Old Testament to teach his disciples and ridicule his critics…
He confirmed historical events like the destruction of Sodom, the murder of Abel and the calling of Moses–events found in the OT.
Jesus even confirmed the often-rejected OT accounts: the creation of Adam and Eve, Noah and the flood and the three days Jonah spend in a whale’s belly.
[Thanks to The BeAttitudes' article Jesus Quoted Old Testament Scripture: How Can Christians Deny It's Validity? for help on the previous portion of this post.]
But there’s another reason why we should master the Old Testament: neglecting it can rob you of a rich understanding of the teachings and narratives found in the New Testament.
Let’s look at the books of Samuel for instance.
The books of Samuel lay the foundation for the all-important doctrine of the Messiah. In particular 2 Samuel 7 tells us how these promises of the Messiah created hope and expectations that New Testament authors understood to be fulfilled by Jesus.
The Lord promised David he would:
Establish the kingdom of one of David’s Descendants
The New Testament identified Jesus as that descendant who brought the kingdom of God to humanity. [Matthew 12:28]
Build a House for God’s Name
The NT writers viewed Jesus as the one who built the ultimate temple of God in three days. [Matthew 26:61]
Sit on a Throne That Would Last Forever
Hebrews declared Jesus had just that. [Hebrews 1:8]
Live as a Son to God
Jesus was the ultimate Son of God. [Matthew 16:16]
Listen: One of the easiest ways to master the Old Testament is to simply get in the habit of reading through it every year.
Another helpful way to learn more about the OT is read a book like Vanhoozer’s book-by-book survey of the Old Testament
You could also use the Seven Births method [this has nothing to do with contraceptives, by the way].
Or if you’re a sucker for a challenge, throw yourself into a fake masters program on the OT.
How ever you do it, the point is to absorb the entire Bible [both Old and New Testament], because there is nothing worse than a biblically illiterate Christian.
A Christ-Centered Approach to Bible Study–Part 5
Finally, we come to the part of this Christ-centered Bible study series that I have been waiting for.
The C in “T.H.I.N.C.”
Christo-centric
Basically, this means “Christ-Centered.” Hence, the type of Bible study this is.
This is the meat on the bone. The wings to the plane. The juice in the jug.
Not getting this is like wearing shoes without shoe laces. And I have been this person almost all my life.
Thank God for people who have helped me see the beauty of the centrality of Christ in Scripture.
Throughout this study series, I have been developing on Matthew chapter 5.
It has served as a good chapter because of its hard sayings and deep meanings.
And as much as I want to show you how the Beatitudes are Christocentric in that their meaning reflect the person who finds Christ, I will be taking us out of Matthew 5 and into some other parts of Scripture.
Let’s talk about this Christo-centric thing
The traditional approach to reading Scripture is to read it moralistically. But I am going to suggest something different. So please, hold stones until the end.
There are two ways we do this:
1. We are urged into moral behavior or action.
2. We read a moral “meaning” of the text, thus attributing it’s meaning to our person.
What is interesting is that the Gospel message is not one that says you must clean up your act before you come to Christ.
In fact, you can’t. That’s why you and I need the Gospel.
The moral behavior the Bible teaches is good…we just cannot live up to it, because guess what—you and I still struggle with immoral thoughts.
So what do we do when we come across a passage that teaches us moral behavior?
Enter Jesus.
The question you have to ask your self is this: “How does Christ fulfill this text where you cannot?” Let’s look at some examples so I can show you what I mean.
Scriptural Examples
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:15-17
This is a moral-action Scripture. It challenges us to a higher standard of morality.
And that is good. But it is not all.
What if we stopped here? We would simply get a moralistic teaching and possibly come out of the experience discouraged.
How in the world are we to “be wise,” or “don’t be foolish” and “understand the will of the Lord”?
Scripture never calls us into any mandate that Jesus did not fulfill.
We can paraphrase the above Scripture as such:
Jesus looked carefully on how he walked, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days were evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Jesus fits the bill on this one, because He is after all the one who fulfills the promises.
When you see it this way, then you see the beauty of Jesus in Scripture, and by that simple fact, you are better able to make connections to the cross.
The next one is the moral “meaning,” or “plot” of the text
For example: David and Goliath. Everyone knows these guys.
Many times (probably too often) I have heard this passage as David being the example to us being able to conquer our giants in life.
But is that the goal of that event? I don’t think so.
If we look at this Christocentrically, then I think we can see the beauty of Christ in it.
David was a “type” of Christ. He is the one who killed the giant so that all others could live.
Jesus killed the Giant, Jesus defeated the army for God. In other words, Jesus is the hero–not me!
This puts man in the center, not Jesus.
Another example would be in Daniel 4. Daniel is imprisoned and was told that the King was going to kill his magicians because they could not interpret his dream.
Daniel, however, in the special knowledge of God interprets the dream and Nebuchadnezzar’s. Thus, God gives Daniel the message, and Daniel reveals to Nebuchadnezzar’s what the dream means.
My traditional reading of this would be to interpret the passage into meaning that if I seek out God just like Daniel, then I could “interpret” dreams, too.
But actually, that just makes us the heroes of that account. Which is wrong.
What happens when we put Jesus into the meaning of this message? He becomes beautiful, we can respond in worship, and we don’t have to be the hero.
You see, we were all the magicians who were actively working against God, and Jesus stepped in be the mediator between God and man. And just like what happened with Daniel when all the magicians were saved as a result, so too are God’s people saved from execution because of Jesus working on their behalf.
Yet Another Example
What about when we are charged to not provoke our children to anger?
Well, Jesus did not provoke us to anger, but instead was patient and long-suffering in our return to Him.
Therefore, if we understand and remember what Jesus has done for us, we too will be patient and long-suffering toward our children.
This is Christocentric in a nut-shell.
If you REALLY want to learn about this method, hunt down Tim Keller’s lecture series “Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World” on Monergism.com. Get it and listen to it–it’s free.
Remember
You are not the hero of the story, no matter the story.
And what ever morality that Scripture is calling you into, it is not doing so without first in mind that Jesus has fulfilled that very call.
So tell me, have you ever though that YOU were the David in the story?
A Christ-Centered Approach to Bible Study–Part 4
So now we come to our fourth installment of this Bible Study Series.
It’s been an excellent experience for me, as I have thoroughly enjoyed writing it.
Thanks to all of you for tagging along and contributing by your readership and thoughtful comments.
My ultimate purpose in this series is to glorify God in Christ by encouraging those who read to engage the Scriptures that testify to Him, and spurring them into a deeper relationship with the Lord Jesus.
You are the ones who make works such as this worth the while.
Now, On to Business!
In case you’re new, we have been using the acronym T.H.I.N.C. as a our study aid.
T=Trust
H=Halting
I=Immediate Context
And now we enter the part I suspect many of you have been eagerly waiting for: The N in “T.H.I.N.C.”
Navigation
This is the part of our Scripture reading where we ask the simple, yet challenging question: “So, what?”
What does what I just read have anything to do with me?
Today I read over Matthew chapter 5 again. It’s filled with arrows that point to a beautiful truth, which causes me to at once cling to its beauty, and at the same time pricks my heart with conviction.
Chapters such as Matthew 5, 6, and 7 seem to always do this sort of thing when we read them.
They serve as a spiritual barometer to our devotion to Jesus. They never get worn out. Ever.
That is exactly what Scripture is supposed to do.
And when we read it with a willingness to be changed by it, we benefit from its instruction.
But first we must understand where Scripture is leading us in order to receive its benefits, which are not always enjoyable.
Scripture Navigation as a Two-Fold Process.
First, the writers of Scripture, inspired by the Holy Spirit, spoke a particular word to a particular people, for a particular reason.
This is the quality of timeliness.
Since, though, it is divinely inspired, its message is also profitable for us today. This is the quality of timelessness.
Timeliness first, them timelessness—if possible. The key is to find out what the person who penned the words was saying to the people he was writing to for what purpose.
Now, how does that purpose relate to a present-day reality and personally to you? Sometimes this is simple to figure out, other times it requires focused prayer.
Scripture Navigation as an Example
Let’s take a look at our Matthew 5 passage—the one I left off with last time.
Matthew 5:48, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
First impression: Um, Jesus . . . that’s why I need YOU! Let’s walk through the T. H. I. N. C. process real quick:
1. Trust Jesus is saying something good here.
2. Halt! Take a look, re-read, and be patient.
3. What’s the Immediate Context? Here’s the context:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:43-48
Let’s Break It Down, A, B, C:
- Question: Is there a son of our Father in heaven who has done this that we may observe this command? (c’mon people, you know this!)
- Question: How does a son of our Father in heaven fit into this? Because like their Father, children of God show no partiality. (see also John 4:7-9)
- Question: Why would I want to do more than “others”? Because the “others” refers to people who practice evil or are outside a relationship with God (i.e. vv.46-47, “tax collectors,” “Gentiles”).
It looks as though in the immediate context Jesus is addressing a real issue: that the Jews of that day were very selfish with greeting each other, and condescending toward such oppressive “tax collectors” and pagan “Gentiles”.
Thus, Jesus tells them that their self-righteousness makes them like nothing more than the people they are condescending toward.
What do the Jews take away? “Be perfect.” Why? Because perfection in this context is in the action of love and the equality of men.
Where Does This Navigate You, the Reader?
Just as God sent blessings on you when you were far from Him, so you too ought to bless others in spite of their spiritual condition.
That is why this perfection is in the context of love, because love covers what our critical eyes cannot.
Love covers a multitude of sins.
The question you must ask yourself now is this: “Where in my life am I not loving others as Jesus said to in this verse?”
Do you know? Maybe you need to pray about it. Maybe it’s obvious to you? Only you can know.
Are you willing to share?
Are you willing to share where you need to humble yourself and love those who seem unlovable in your eyes?
To begin, I’ll share mine: There is a person I met recently (not here) that is very egotistical and arrogant. He’s difficult to love, and he’s very rude. To top it off, he’s a Christian, which makes me all the more frustrated with him. He seems hyper-religious, which really turns me off. So, I’ve been trying to make conversation with him. It’s tough, but I’m making progress.
Okay, your turn. Leave a comment.
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