By Jon Courson
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not charity, I have become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.
1 Corinthians 13:1
Without love, whatever I say is just noise. The word ‘charity’ appears here rather than the word ‘love’ because the Greek word ‘agape’ was translated ‘charitas’ in the Latin Vulgate, the first translation of the original Greek manuscripts. John Wycliffe, the man responsible for translating the Latin Vulgate into English, used a similar-sounding English word for ‘charitas’ when he used ‘charity’ — a word which spoke of giving simply for the sake of giving. Unfortunately, however, in our day charity has come to be associated with pity. So modern translators have rightly chosen the word ‘love’ rather than the maligned ‘charity’. Yet even the word ‘love’ is not without its problems.
I love my wife. I love my kids. I love Big Macs. I love walks in the park on summer evenings. We use the word ‘love’ so freely that we diminish its meaning. The Greeks circumvented this problem by employing four words for love in their vocabulary …
‘Storgé’ means affection. It’s the kind of love one feels towards his cat or dog. ‘Eros’ refers to sexual, physical love. ‘Phileo’, from which we get the name ‘Philadelphia’, speaks of brotherly love. Phileo says, ‘If you’re nice to me, I’ll be nice to you.’
It wasn’t until the New Testament apostles introduced the concept of unconditional love that the Greeks added ‘agape’ to their vocabulary. Agape is a love which gives simply for the sake of giving, never expecting anything in return. Agape gives anonymously — and it doesn’t leave the price tag on. People who don’t know the Lord can experience all of the other kinds of love. But for them, agape is impossible, for it is found only in God. Agape is the love of which Paul speaks when he says, ‘If I don’t have love, I’m just making noise even if I speak in tongues fluently.’
In the year 1647, during England’s Civil War, a deserter in Cromwell’s army was captured and brought before him.
‘When the curfew bell sounds tonight, he shall be executed,’ ordered the General.
But that night, the curfew bell was not heard. Upon investigation, it was discovered that receiving news of her fiancé’s sentence, his betrothed made her way quickly to the camp and hid in the bell tower. As curfew neared, she positioned herself within the bell in such a way that when the rope was pulled, the clapper hit her body rather than the inside of the bell. Seeing the bruised and battered lady standing before him, Cromwell was so deeply touched by her love that the soldier’s life was spared.
Jesus Christ climbed not a bell tower, but the hill of Calvary in order that you and I would be spared the execution we so rightfully deserve. Whether the word is charity, love, or agape, the love Jesus showed us, the love we are to extend to each other is spelled one way:
S-a-c-r-i-f-i-c-e.
This devotional by Jon Courson reminds us that we must as believers walk in love and what that looks like.
By His Spirit,
Pastor Bill