“Follow the way of love,” Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 14, “and eagerly desire the spiritual gifts.”
What do spiritual gifts have to do with love?
To answer that question, it’s helpful to know some of the background on the book of 1 Corinthians.
Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to a church in disarray. People were in sexual sin, worship was out of control, and the church was on the brink of disaster. If there were a church in the times of the New Testament deserving of a reality show, it would have been the church at Corinth.
You see, the relational culture of a church affects every aspect of that church’s ministry - including the ministry of spiritual gifts. Unhealthy people tend to use spiritual gifts as a prize, a way to find their identity, and as a means of drawing attention to themselves. This is why, before Paul lays down the process for orderly worship in a church service (in 1 Corinthians 14), we have 1 Corinthians 13.
You’ve probably heard 1 Corinthians 13 read before at a wedding. It’s…
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