Paul explains why he does not lose heart in ministry: God has given him the mercy of serving the new covenant, so he refuses to twist or dilute God’s Word to please people, but sets the truth out plainly before God and others (vv. 1–2). If the gospel seems “veiled,” it is because unbelievers are blinded by “the god of this world” and cannot see “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (vv. 3–4). Paul doesn’t preach himself, but “Jesus Christ as Lord,” and himself as the Corinthians’ servant for Jesus’ sake (v. 5). The same God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in believers’ hearts to give “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (v. 6).
This glorious gospel is a treasure carried in “jars of clay”—weak, ordinary people—so that it is clear the power belongs to God and not to us (v. 7). Paul is “afflicted … but not crushed,” “perplexed, but not driven to despair,” continually carrying in his body the death of Jesus so that Jesus’ life may also be seen in him (vv. 8–11). He believes and therefore speaks, knowing that the God who raised Jesus will also raise him and present him with the Corinthians (vv. 13–14). So he still does not lose heart: even though his “outer self” is wasting away, his “inner self” is being renewed every day (v. 16). Present troubles are “light” and “momentary” compared to the “eternal weight of glory” God is preparing, so believers fix their eyes not on what is seen and temporary, but on what is unseen and eternal (vv. 17–18).
🌀 Reflection: Where do you most feel like a “jar of clay” right now—fragile, tired, or limited (vv. 7–9, 16)? Instead of seeing those weaknesses as proof that God is far away, ask Him to help you see them as places where His resurrection power can shine through, teaching you to look beyond what is seen today to the unseen glory He is preparing (vv. 14, 17–18).
💬 Mission Challenge: Share a brief word of hope with someone who is discouraged—maybe a text, call, or quick conversation—reminding them that present troubles are “momentary” compared to the eternal glory in Christ, and include 2 Corinthians 4:16–18 to point them to what is unseen and lasting.
Paul pushes back against the idea that he needs letters of recommendation by pointing to the Corinthians themselves—their changed lives are his “letter,” written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God on human hearts (vv. 1–3). His confidence in ministry doesn’t come from his own ability but from God, who has made him a minister of the new covenant, “not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (vv. 4–6). The old covenant, written on stone, was a real “ministry of death” and “condemnation” because it showed God’s holy standard without giving the power to obey, yet even it came with glory on Moses’ shining face (vv. 7–9). If that fading glory was real, Paul says, how much greater is the glory of the new covenant, which brings righteousness and is permanent (vv. 9–11).
Because this new covenant is so glorious, Paul speaks with boldness, not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so Israel wouldn’t see that the glory was fading (vv. 12–13). To this day, many in Israel still read Moses with a “veil” over their hearts, unable to see how the law points to Christ—but when one turns to the Lord, that veil is removed (vv. 14–16). Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom—freedom from condemnation, from a hard heart, and from trying to earn righteousness by the law (v. 17). Now all believers, with unveiled faces, behold the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into His image “from one degree of glory to another” by the Spirit (v. 18). The Christian life is not self-improvement; it is the Spirit slowly making us look more like Jesus as we keep looking to Him.
🌀 Reflection: Are you living like someone who still has a veil over your heart—trying to be “good enough” by your own effort—or like someone set free by the Spirit to trust Christ and be changed from the inside out (vv. 6, 14–18)? Bring your failures and self-reliance to the Lord today and ask Him to help you behold His glory in Christ, trusting the Spirit to do the slow, deep work of transformation.
💬 Mission Challenge: Encourage a fellow believer who is discouraged about their growth. Remind them that transformation is a process—“from one degree of glory to another”—and share 2 Corinthians 3:18 with them, pointing them back to Jesus and the Spirit’s ongoing work.
Paul explains why he chose not to make another painful visit to Corinth—he didn’t want to come only to cause them sorrow again, but wanted his next visit to be marked by mutual joy (vv. 1–3). Instead, he wrote a “severe” letter with many tears, not to crush them, but to show how deeply he loved them and to call them to repentance (v. 4, 7:8–9). True love sometimes wounds in order to heal, and Paul wants them to see even his hard words as an expression of Christlike care.
He then turns to the man who had caused grief in the church and likely opposed Paul publicly (vv. 5–6). Discipline from “the majority” had done its work; now it was time to forgive, comfort, and reaffirm love so that the brother would not be swallowed up by excessive sorrow (vv. 7–8). Paul reminds them that refusing to forgive gives Satan an opportunity to divide and devour the church (vv. 10–11). From there, Paul describes how even in his anxiety in Troas over not finding Titus, God still leads him in “triumphal procession” in Christ and uses him to spread “the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere” (vv. 12–14). The gospel is like an aroma—life to those who receive it and death to those who reject it (vv. 15–16). Knowing how weighty this is, Paul insists he is no peddler of God’s word, but speaks with sincerity, “as commissioned by God, in the sight of God in Christ” (v. 17).
🌀 Reflection: Where have you been more ready to punish than to restore? Ask the Lord to show you if there’s someone you’re holding at a distance even though they’ve repented. God comforted you in your sin and sorrow; His grace now calls you to reflect that same forgiving, restoring heart to others (vv. 6–8)
💬 Mission Challenge: Extend concrete grace this week. Reach out to someone who has failed or who feels on the outside—send a text, make a call, or have a face-to-face conversation that communicates forgiveness, comfort, and renewed love in Christ (vv. 7–8, 10–11).
Paul opens this letter by praising “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (v. 3). He explains that God meets him in his sufferings so that he can then comfort others with the same comfort he has received (vv. 4–5). Paul’s hardships are not a sign that God has abandoned him; instead, they become a channel of grace for the church. As he suffers for Christ and is comforted by Christ, the Corinthians share both in the sufferings and in the comfort, and their endurance is strengthened (vv. 6–7).
Paul then tells them about a severe trial he faced in Asia, where he was “so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself” (v. 8). God allowed him to feel like he had received a “sentence of death” so that he would not rely on himself but on “God who raises the dead” (v. 9). God delivered him, and Paul is confident He will continue to deliver, especially as the Corinthians help through their prayers (vv. 10–11). From there, Paul begins to defend his integrity: his conscience is clear that he has behaved toward them with holiness and sincerity from God, not with worldly wisdom (vv. 12–14). His change of travel plans was not because he is fickle, but because he wanted to spare them and act in line with God’s faithfulness (vv. 15–18).
To anchor this, Paul reminds them that all of God’s promises are “Yes” in Jesus (vv. 19–20). God is the One who establishes them in Christ, has anointed them, has put His seal on them, and has given His Spirit in their hearts as a guarantee of what is to come (vv. 21–22). That means their future with Him is secure, even when circumstances are hard. Finally, Paul calls God as his witness that he delayed his visit “to spare you,” because he does not want to lord it over their faith but to work with them for their joy, since they stand firm by faith (vv. 23–24). This is the heart of a true pastor: willing to suffer, eager to be misunderstood if needed, so that Christ’s people might be comforted, strengthened, and helped to stand.
🌀 Reflection: Where have you felt “burdened beyond your strength” lately (v. 8)? Bring that specific place of weakness to the Lord and ask Him to use it to loosen your grip on self-reliance and deepen your trust in “God who raises the dead” (v. 9). Then ask Him to show you one way He might use your story of His comfort to encourage someone else who is hurting.
💬 Mission Challenge: Reach out today to someone you know who is walking through a hard season. Let them know you are praying for them, share a verse from this chapter (such as vv. 3–4 or 10), and ask how you can keep praying specifically—be a living channel of the comfort you have received.
Tomorrow is the Lord’s day, and I’m excited! I’m also grateful for another week in this Advent season, remembering Jesus’s first coming and longing with hope for His return!
Last week, we lit the candle of hope and remembered that our confidence in Jesus isn’t vague, wishful thinking — it’s anchored in the character of our faithful God (Hebrews 10:23). This week, we move to the second candle: peace. And just like hope, the peace we find in Advent isn’t shallow or sentimental. It’s not the temporary ease the world (falsely) offers. It’s a deep, steady peace secured by Jesus Himself (John 14:27).
We light this second candle to remind us that true peace came to us through the humility of Jesus. Hebrews tells us that the eternal Son took on flesh and blood “so that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Hebrews 2:14-15). He didn’t stand at a distance. He entered our weakness, stepped into our struggles, and became like us “in every respect” so that He could be a merciful and faithful High Priest — able to reconcile us to God and bring lasting peace (Hebrews 2:17).
The peace that Jesus brings isn’t weak or merely sentimental. It is the victory-won peace that came “by the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:20). Hebrews tells us He destroyed” the one who has the power of death” (Hebrews 2:14) — and He did it not by mounting a worldly assault but by humbling Himself (Philippians 2:6-8). The world wins peace by force (unpeacefully), but Jesus wins peace by laying His life down. His strength is not seen in crushing armies or empires but in crushing sin, Satan, and death through His own suffering and resurrection. And because Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25), His peace means we no longer fear death at all — He has already passed through it and triumphed over it for us. It’s the beautiful paradox of salvation: the humility of Christ is stronger than all the strength of the world, and His finished work is more than enough (Philippians 2:9-11).
Bethlehem shows us this and more. In Bethlehem, we see that God came near — not in power but humility, not with fanfare but quiet mercy (Micah 5:2, Luke 2:7). And the same Jesus who put on flesh and dwelt among us in the manger in Bethlehem now reigns in glory (Philippians 2:9-11). Because He lived, suffered, died, and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3-4), we can draw near to His throne of grace with confidence, sure that we can and will receive the mercy and help we need in every moment (Hebrews 4:14-16). As this candle of peace shines, we rest in the peace Jesus secured for us, and we pray that His peace would shine through our lives into a world that needs Him desperately (Matthew 5:9).
But Advent isn’t some mere set of religious exercises inviting us to remember theological ideas — it invites us to come to the One who is our peace (Ephesians 2:14). If you find yourself anxious, restless, or burdened, hear the good news: Jesus came near to save people just like us, and “He is not ashamed to call them brothers” (Hebrews 2:11). He welcomes you. So, come to Him. Bring your fears, your wounds, your weariness. His peace is real, and His mercy is sure (1 Peter 5:7).
Tomorrow at Christ Community, we also have the joy of celebrating the peace and salvation of Jesus through baptism — a visible picture of the gospel and a reminder of what Jesus has done for us. When someone goes beneath the water and rises out of it, we’re seeing Romans 6:4 lived out before our eyes: “We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” Baptism tells the story of Advent’s promise fulfilled — Jesus came to save sinners (Matthew 1:21), to make us new (2 Corinthians 5:17), and to bring us into His peace forever (John 16:33).
This is also why we take the time to share these “Songs for Sunday” posts each week (or at least as often as we can). We want to help you prepare your heart for corporate worship—that time each week when we come together as a church family to sing, pray, and hear God’s Word—to let the Scriptures and songs we’ll share this week begin settling in your soul before Sunday ever arrives. When we come ready, familiar with the Word and expectant to sing, our hearts are strengthened and our worship deepens (Colossians 3:16).
Take a few moments to read through the passages and listen to the songs we’ll be singing. Let them draw your thoughts and hearts to Jesus — our merciful High Priest, our Prince of Peace, and our soon-coming King.
We would love to invite you to gather with us as we sing and John opens God’s Word and points us to Jesus.
Everyone is welcome!
Here are our Scriptures, songs, and Advent readings:
Advent Reading | Peace —
The second candle reminds us that true peace came to us through the humility of Jesus Christ. Hebrews tells us that the eternal Son took on flesh and blood so that He might break the power of death and free us from fear (Hebrews 2:14–15). He was made like us “in every respect,” entering our weakness and our struggles, so that He could become a merciful and faithful High Priest—able to reconcile us to God and bring us lasting peace (Hebrews 2:17).
Bethlehem shows us that God came near—not in power, but in humility; not with fanfare, but in quiet mercy. Because Jesus came, lived, suffered, and rose again, we can now draw near to the throne of grace with confidence, finding the mercy and help we need in every moment (Hebrews 4:14–16). As this candle of peace shines, let us rest in the peace Christ secured for us and pray that His peace would shine through our lives into a world that desperately needs Him.
14Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
14Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Sunday’s coming, and I’m excited — really, it’s the season that has me excited this week, thinking back on Jesus’s first coming and longing for His return.
Some call this the holiday season, referencing the ever growing plethora of holidays ranging from late November to early January. Others call it the Christmas season, stemming from their clear desire to make sure folks know that Jesus is the reason for the season. The older I get, the more I think of the season leading up to the celebration of Jesus’s birth at Christmas as Advent.
The Church has called this season Advent for centuries (stemming from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming” or “arriving”), meditating on the coming and arrival of Jesus. And that’s the heartbeat of these weeks leading up to Christmas: Jesus has come, and He will come again.
Advent has a way of slowing us down just enough to remember what matters most. It invites us to look back with gratitude and forward with expectation — back to God becoming flesh and dwelling among us, back to when God kept His promise and sent His Son, and forward to the day when the very same Jesus will come again in glory.
In recent years, we’ve marked these weeks with the lighting of candles to help us focus on Jesus’s past and future advents. The first one — the candle of hope — reminds us that the hope with have in Jesus isn’t some vague wish but an expectation anchored in God’s faithfulness and eternal nature.
All of our readings this year will be based out of the book of Hebrews that we’ve been studying together this year. Hebrews tells us that God confirmed His promise with an oath “so that we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:18). The hope He gives is “a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul” (Hebrews 6:19) because it doesn’t rest on us at all but entirely on God’s strength and faithfulness.
As we ponder on the hope we have in Jesus in this Advent season, we are reminded that God keeps His promises. Every prophecy, every shadow, every longing of the Old Testament finds “yes and amen” in the first coming of Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20). And because God proved Himself faithful in that first coming, we can trust Him with every promise whose fulfillment still lays ahead.
Earlier, I remarked about the differences in the way some people refer to the season; a lot of that is driven by sentimentality. The hope we celebrate in Advent isn’t sentimental. It’s not rooted in changing seasons or circumstances but in the unchanging character of our promise-keeping God. Because He sent His Son just as He promised for millennia, we can “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).
This is the good, gospel news Advent holds out to weary people: Emmanuel (God with us) has come. And Emmanuel will come again. The One who fulfilled every word of prophecy in HIs first coming will do the same at His return. That’s why our hearts can sing with confidence the longing woven into “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”:
“Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel…shall come again with us to dwell!”
What began in Bethlehem will end in glory. The God who came near has promised to come again and make all things new. And in these early weeks of Advent at Christ Community, as we worship, pray, and sing together, we do so with the steady, joyful hope that the King who came once will surely come again — because He who promised is faithful.
Since this is true — and it is — we need to understand that Advent isn’t just a season to observe but a season pointing to the Savior we can come to ourselves. The same Jesus who came once in humility and will come again in glory invites you now to draw near to Him in faith.
If you are weary, come to Him.
If you feel the weight of sin or sorrow, come to Him.
If you’re longing for something more solid than the shifting foundations of this world, come to Him.
The anchor of hope that Hebrews tells about is not an idea but a Person, and His name is Jesus. He’s strong enough, faithful enough, and near enough to hold you fast. I want to invite you to seek Him this Advent season. Bring your questions, your needs, your joys, your burdens. He’s a truer hope than anything this world can offer, and He delights to meet His people when they come to Him.
And I also want to invite you to gather with us this Sunday at Christ Community. There’s something uniquely beautiful about joining our voices together, singing the hope of the gospel, praying with expectation, and sitting under John’s faithful preaching when He opens the Scriptures and points us to Jesus — our living hope, our faithful High Priest, our soon-coming King.
So, come.
Come behold the One who came for us, who is with us, and who will come again for His people.
Here are our Scriptures, songs, and Advent readings:
Advent Reading | Hope —
Lighting the first candle of Advent reminds us that our hope is not a vague wish or a fragile feeling—it is anchored in the unchanging promises of God. Hebrews tells us that God “guaranteed” His promise with an oath so that we might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us (Hebrews 6:17–18). This hope is “a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul,” firm because it rests on who God is and what He has already done for us in Jesus Christ.
Advent reminds us that God kept His promises in sending His Son. Everything He foretold in Scripture—every shadow, every prophecy, every longing—was fulfilled in Christ. Because God proved Himself faithful in Christ’s first coming, we can trust Him with every promise still ahead. As we enter this season, let us cling to the confession of our hope without wavering, for “He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).
17So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
As Paul closes his letter, he moves from big doctrines to very practical details. He gives instructions about a collection for believers in Jerusalem who are in need, asking each person to set something aside on “the first day of every week”—the day believers gathered in honor of Jesus’s resurrection (vv. 1–2). Giving is to be regular, intentional, and proportionate, not random or forced (v. 2). Paul also shares his travel plans and explains why he is staying in Ephesus for a while longer: “a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (vv. 5–9). Even in opposition, God is at work. He also urges the church to receive Timothy without fear and notes that Apollos will come when he has opportunity (vv. 10–12).
Then Paul gives a series of short but powerful commands: “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love” (vv. 13–14). The church is to live alert and courageous, but always with a heart of love. He commends the household of Stephanas, “the first converts in Achaia,” as faithful servants and urges the church to be subject to such godly leaders and to honor those who labor among them (vv. 15–18). The letter closes with warm greetings from the churches in Asia, including Aquila and Prisca and the church that meets in their house, and with the reminder that believers should greet one another with a “holy kiss”—a sign of genuine family love in Christ (vv. 19–20).
Paul signs the ending with his own hand and gives both a sober warning and a hopeful cry: “If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come!” (vv. 21–22). Love for Jesus is not optional—it marks those who truly belong to Him. Yet even as he warns, Paul ends on grace and love: “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus” (vv. 23–24). Truth, warning, grace, and affection all come together in this closing, showing a pastor’s heart that longs for his people to stand firm in the gospel and live in love until Jesus returns.
🌀 Reflection: Where do you most need these closing commands today—to stay alert, stand firm, be courageous and strong, and do everything in love (vv. 13–14)? Ask the Lord to help you hold onto truth without losing tenderness, and to shape your giving, your serving, and your relationships so that they clearly flow from love for Jesus and His people.
💬 Mission Challenge: Set aside a specific gift or act of generosity this week—financial or otherwise—to bless a believer or ministry in need, and let them know you are doing it “in love” because of Jesus (vv. 2, 14).
Paul turns to the heart of the gospel—the resurrection of Jesus—and shows why everything we believe depends on it. He reminds the Corinthians of the message they “received” and on which they “stand”: that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised on the third day “in accordance with the Scriptures” (vv. 1–4; cf. Isa. 53:5–12; Ps. 16:10; Hos. 6:2). This isn’t myth or rumor—Jesus appeared to Peter, the Twelve, more than 500 at once, James, all the apostles, and finally to Paul himself (vv. 5–8). These eyewitnesses were living proof that the tomb was empty and Christ is alive. By God’s grace, this risen Christ transformed Paul from a persecutor into an apostle, and this same gospel is what all the apostles proclaim together (vv. 9–11).
Some in Corinth believed Jesus rose but denied that believers will be raised (v. 12). Paul shows that you cannot separate the two: if there is no resurrection for us, then Christ Himself has not been raised (vv. 13, 16). And if Christ is not raised, the consequences are devastating—our preaching is empty, our faith is useless, we remain in our sins, and those who have died in Christ are gone forever (vv. 14–18). But Christ has been raised—the “firstfruits” of a harvest that guarantees our own resurrection when He returns (vv. 20–23). In Adam, death spread to all, but in Christ all His people will be made alive (v. 22; cf. Rom. 5:12–21). When Jesus finally destroys every enemy—finishing with death itself—He will hand the kingdom to the Father, bringing God’s plan to its perfect completion (vv. 24–28).
To those who question how resurrection could work, Paul uses pictures from creation. A seed must die to be raised in a new, glorious form (vv. 35–38). In the same way, our earthly bodies are perishable, weak, and natural, but the resurrection body will be imperishable, glorious, powerful, and fully animated by the Spirit (vv. 42–44). Adam was the first man, made from the dust; Christ is the last Adam, the life-giving Spirit from heaven (vv. 45–49). What is sown mortal will be raised immortal (vv. 50–53). When Christ returns, death will be swallowed up in victory, fulfilling God’s promises (vv. 54–55; cf. Isa. 25:8; Hos. 13:14). Through Jesus, God has removed sin’s sting and broken death’s power forever (vv. 56–57). Therefore, because resurrection is certain, our labor for Christ is never wasted or forgotten (v. 58).
🌀 Reflection: Where does the hope of resurrection shape the way you live today? Ask the Lord to help you see your body, your work, and your daily struggles in light of the victory Christ has already won—and the glory He has promised at His return.
💬 Mission Challenge: Encourage someone today who is grieving, suffering, or weary by sharing a verse or truth from this chapter. Remind them that in Christ, death is defeated and their labor is not in vain.
After lifting our eyes to the beauty of love, Paul brings that “more excellent way” (13:1, 13) right into the worship gathering. He urges the church to pursue love and still be eager for the gifts of the Spirit—especially prophecy, because it clearly builds up the church (vv. 1–5). Speaking in tongues is real prayer and praise to God, but when no one understands or interprets, it only benefits the one speaking (vv. 2, 4, 14–17). Prophecy, however, is intelligible speech that strengthens, encourages, and comforts others (vv. 3–5). The repeated question is: does this help other people understand and grow? Edification and clarity are the main tests for what should happen in the gathering (vv. 6–12, 19).
Paul also shows how these gifts affect unbelievers who visit the church. Uninterpreted tongues can make outsiders think Christians are out of their minds, which becomes a kind of judgment on their unbelief (vv. 21–23). But when God’s Word is clearly spoken, prophecy can expose the secrets of the heart, bring conviction, and lead someone to fall on their face, worship God, and confess that “God is really among you” (vv. 24–25). Because of this, Paul gives practical instructions: only a few should speak in tongues, and only if there is an interpreter; otherwise, they should be silent and pray quietly (vv. 27–28). Likewise, only a few should prophesy while the others carefully weigh what is said (vv. 29–31). Everything must be self-controlled, peaceful, and orderly because God is not a God of confusion but of peace (vv. 32–33). In that same spirit, Paul calls married women in Corinth to honor their husbands and not disrupt the weighing of prophecies in a way that overturns God’s good order in the church (vv. 34–35).
Paul closes by reminding them that his words are a command of the Lord, not just personal advice (v. 37). So the church should be eager for prophecy, should not forbid tongues when used rightly, and must make sure that “all things should be done decently and in order” (vv. 39–40). Love, clarity, and building up the body are to shape everything we do when we gather in Jesus’s name.
🌀 Reflection: When you think about Sunday worship, do you primarily ask, “What will I get out of it?” or, “How can I help build others up today?” Ask the Lord to reshape your heart so that your prayers, words, and service—whether seen or unseen—aim at helping others understand God’s Word and experience His presence.
💬 Mission Challenge: Before your next church gathering, pray intentionally for one way you can build up someone else—through a clear word of encouragement, a Scripture shared at the right time, or a quiet act of service—and then do it for Jesus’s sake and the good of His body.
After talking about spiritual gifts, Paul pauses to show the “more excellent way” that must shape everything: love (v. 1; 12:31). He says even the most impressive gifts—speaking in tongues, powerful preaching, knowing “all mysteries,” mountain-moving faith, radical generosity, or even dying for Jesus—amount to nothing without love (vv. 1–3). God cares not just about what we do, but why we do it. Ministry without love is just religious noise.
Paul then paints a beautiful picture of what real, Christlike love looks like. Love is patient and kind; it does not envy, boast, or puff itself up (v. 4). Love doesn’t insist on its own way, fly off the handle, or keep a running record of how others have hurt us (v. 5). Instead, it rejoices in the truth and “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (vv. 6–7). This is the love Jesus has shown us, and it is the love He calls us to show one another (John 13:34–35).
Finally, Paul reminds the Corinthians that spiritual gifts are temporary, but love is forever. Prophecy, tongues, and special knowledge all belong to this present, “in part” age; they will pass away when “the perfect” comes and we see the Lord “face to face” (vv. 8–12). But faith, hope, and love remain—and “the greatest of these is love” (v. 13). Gifts are good and needed, but love is essential. In eternity, no one will be impressed with how gifted we were—but our love will still matter.
🌀 Reflection: Where do you see yourself using your gifts without much love—maybe in your church, home, or online? Ask the Lord to show you any pride, impatience, or scorekeeping that has crept into your heart. Pray for His Spirit to help you move toward others with the patience, kindness, and endurance described in this chapter.
💬 Mission Challenge: Practice one concrete act of love today that costs you something—time, attention, comfort, or preference—for the good of another person, and do it quietly, without drawing attention to yourself.
Just Keith Harris 