46 Christian Stettler “upbuilding” is synonymous to “love” (ajgavph): “love builds up” (similarly Eph 4,16). Therefore for Paul “building one another up” is synonymous with serving one another in love (20). This argument is supported by 1 Corinthians 13, the chapter that inter- rupts the treatment of spiritual gifts in chapters 12 and 14. In chapter 13 Paul takes up 12,7.25 and prepares the ground for his argument in chapter 14. In chapter 14 he then applies to the special case of spiritual gifts what he has said generally about love in chapter 13 (cf. also the explicit connection of love and spiritual gifts in 12,31–13,3 and 14,1). By his excursus on love in chapter 13 Paul emphasises that love is the purpose and criterion of spiritual gifts. The gifts are but instruments of love, of the mutual upbuilding of the church (21). Exercising different spiritual gifts is the specific, individual way in which different Christians serve one another in love. Also in Romans 12 Paul’s teaching about spriritual gifts is framed by references to love. Verses 1-2 speak of the “will of God”, namely “what is good and acceptable and perfect”, living a life which is “holy and pleasing to God”, and vv. 9-21 speak of a love that holds fast to what is good, honours others above oneself, serves others in practical ways and even does good to one’s enemies. Love is the centre of Pauline ethics, it characterises Christian behaviour as a whole (Rom 13,8-10; Gal 5,6.13-14; 1 Cor 13,13) (22). Therefore Paul’s teaching about spiritual gifts is part of his ethical teaching; it is about the individual shape love takes on as determined by individual God-given abilities (23). We can conclude that in 1 Cor 14,37 Paul has in mind the whole argu- ment of chapters 12–14. He refers to the mutual “upbuilding” of the church — which is the same as mutual love — as the principle of his ethics which should also govern a healthy exercise of spiritual gifts. 3. The Background of 1 Cor 14,37 a) Jesus’ Teaching about Love and Mutual Service in General If in 1 Cor 14,37 Paul is referring to mutual “upbuilding” and mutual love as the main issues dealt with in chapters 12–14, then “command of the Lord” might refer in a summarising way to the teaching of Jesus about the need for love and mutual service (24). Paul’s own teaching on love and mutual service is close to Jesus’ in many respects as is shown by the following examples (25): love as the summary and fulfilment of the whole law (Rom 13,8-10 and Gal 5,13-14, cf. Matt 7,12; 22,39-40 par.); loving Christian brothers and sisters in (20) Cf. KITZBERGER, Bau, 288. (21) BROCKHAUS, Charisma, 185, 189, 216; SCHRAGE, 1 Korinther, III, 276. (22) In 1 Cor 13,13 love occupies a special place in the the triad “faith, love and hope” which characterises the whole of Christian existence (for the triad see further Gal 5,5-6; 1 Thess 1,3; 5,8; Rom 5,1-5; Eph 4,2-5; Col 1,4-5). (23) BROCKHAUS, Charisma, 221, 226. (24) N. JOHANSSON, “I Cor. XIII and I Cor. XIV”, NTS 10 (1963-1964) 392, also thinks that 1 Cor 14,37 refers to love, not because Paul alludes to Jesus’ teaching on the subject, but because for Paul the figure of Jesus is “Agape”. Thus the “command of the Lord” is the “commands [sic] of Agape”, i.e. what love expects concerning “the so-called virgins” (cf. vv. 34-35) and spiritual gifts. (25) For a detailed and balanced analysis of this, see WENHAM, Paul, 234-240, 255-271.