1 Coríntios 14

1 Coríntios 14

1 CORINTHIANS - PROBLEMS OF A LOCAL CHURCH Charts from Jensen's Survey of the NT - used by permission FROM CHART: Note 2 major divisions: FIRST DIVISION - Chapters 1-6 = Problems of Congregation - Divisions & Depravities SECOND DIVISION - Chapters 7-16 = Personal Problems, Worship Problems 1 Corinthians 14:1 Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. ICC - What you have to do, therefore, is persistently to strive to make this love your own, while you continue to long to have the gifts of the Spirit, and especially to be inspired to preach. Amplified - EAGERLY PURSUE and seek to acquire [this] love [make it your aim, your great quest]; and earnestly desire and cultivate the spiritual endowments (gifts), especially that you may prophesy (interpret the divine will and purpose in inspired preaching and teaching). Pursue Pr 15:9 21:21 Isa 51:1 Ro 9:30 14:19 1Ti 5:10 6:11 Heb 12:14 1Pe 3:11-13 3Jn 1:11 love 1Co 13:1-8,13 2Ti 2:22 2Pe 1:7 desire earnestly 1Co 12:1,31 Eph 1:3 prophesy 1Co 14:3-5,24,25,37,39 13:2,9 Nu 11:25-29 Ro 12:6 1Th 5:20 1Ti 4:14 1 Corinthians 13 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries At the end of chapter 12 Paul exhorted the saints to "earnestly desire (zeloo) the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way." He then expounded eloquently on the more excellent way, ending chapter 13 with the statement that the greatest of these is love. If is now logical for him to command pursuit of the greatest which is love! He balances it with a command to desire earnestly spiritual gifts, which is interesting since we know it is only the Holy Spirit Who gives these gifts "distributing to each one individually just as He wills." (1 Cor 12:11) He does not say pursue the attaining of spiritual gifts but desire them. I would submit that inherent in his charge is that they become zealous to use the gifts which they had been given, for just as the body analogy had many members and they were all necessary from proper functioning, so too the Body of Christ needs all the members with their varied gifts actively engaged. While many commentators take Chapters 12-14 as a unit because it speaks to the issue of spiritual gifts, others include chapter 11 because of the Lord's Supper and see chapters 11-14 as a literary unit dealing with the assembly of believers in their worship service, an approach which certainly has merit. Brian Bell - Note: this chapter is set up by, “I show you a more excellent way”(1 Cor 12:31); all of chapter 13; & now 1 Cor 14:1 “Pursue love”. Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts -NIV = "Follow the way of love." MIT = "Go after love." NJB = "Make love your aim." Pursue is present imperative in the active voice calling for a definite choice of our will (a pursuit that our fallen flesh will fight "tooth and nail" and thus is only possible as we depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) The verb pursue means to chase after or run after and speaks of intensity, effort, diligence and focus, and was used of the hounds chasing after the fleeing fox and of authorities chasing criminals. Desire earnestly is also a command in the present imperative. In 1 Cor 12:31 Paul said "earnestly desire (present imperative but some take it as present tense but not a command - see comments) the greater gifts," and he ends this chapter commanding the saints to "desire earnestly (present imperative) to prophesy." So Paul basically "bookends" this chapter with identical commands to desire and strive to prophesy. Focus on prophecy instead of tongues, because prophecy is profitable for edification. Staton writes that "The Greek word for follow (Pursue) is a word that means to chase something diligently until you have caught it. Christians should never let love out of their sight. But just pursuing love is not enough. We need to have a channel through which that love can flow and benefit someone else’s life. That channel is the gifts that God gives to His children. So Paul connects pursuing love with “eagerly desire spiritual gifts.” The word gifts is not in the Greek text, but the context infers that this is Paul’s topic. Paul is not opposed to people desiring spiritual gifts. In fact, as children of God, we ought to desire what God has to share with us. While the Corinthians had been desiring what they considered to be the greater gifts (1 Corinthians 12:31), Paul suggests that they desire the most profitable gift—prophecy. The person who is gifted with prophecy is the person whom God has inspired to speak His words to people in their own language. (1 Corinthians)