Overview

1 Corinthians 13: Now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love!

This chapter is often referred to as the "Love Chapter," and it explores the paramount importance of love in the life of a believer.

In this chapter, Paul describes the characteristics of love and its eternal nature, and asserts its superiority over all spiritual gifts.

Bible Study/Commentary

Verses 1-3: Superiority of Love Over Spiritual Gifts

Paul opens the chapter by stating that even the most impressive spiritual gifts are worthless without love.

Speaking in tongues, prophetic powers, understanding all mysteries and knowledge, having faith that could move mountains, or giving away all one has, if it is without love, it profits nothing.

Verses 4-7: The Characteristics of Love

In these verses, Paul provides a detailed description of what love is, and what it is not.

Love is patient, kind, does not envy or boast, is not arrogant or rude, does not insist on its own way, is not irritable or resentful, does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

Love bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things.

Verses 8-12: The Permanence of Love

Paul compares love with spiritual gifts such as prophecy, tongues, and knowledge, stating that these will pass away, but love never ends.

He uses the analogy of a child's understanding, versus that of an adult, to illustrate the temporary nature of spiritual gifts compared to the eternal nature of love.

He also emphasizes that our knowledge and prophecy are temporary, but when the perfect comes, the temporary will pass away.

Verse 13: Love is The Greatest Virtue

In the final verse, Paul mentions three enduring virtues: faith, hope, and love.

However, he states that the greatest of these is love, emphasizing the supreme importance of love in the life of a believer.

Overall Summary

1 Corinthians 13 is a profound description of love, which Paul asserts to be the greatest virtue and more important than any spiritual gift.

He describes the characteristics of love, emphasizing its patience, kindness, and endurance, while contrasting it with envy, boastfulness, arrogance, or rudeness.

The chapter also highlights the permanence of love, in contrast to spiritual gifts that are partial and temporary.

Ultimately, this chapter calls believers to prioritize and practice love, as it is the most enduring and essential element of a believers' life.

Q&A

1. a. If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, what will I become? 13:1
   b. If I have all these gifts, but do not have love, what am I? 13:2
   
   • ¹ Though I speak
     with the tongues of men
     and of angels,
     but have not love,
     I have become
     sounding brass
     or a
     clanging cymbal.
   • ² And though I have
     the gift of prophecy,
     and understand all mysteries
     and all knowledge,
     and though I have
     all faith,
     so that
     I could remove mountains,
     but have not love,
     I am nothing.
2. If I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, what does it profit me? 13:3
   
   • ³ And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
3.  What does love do? 13:4, 7, 8
   b. What does love not do? 13:5-6
   • ⁴ Love
     suffers long
     and is kind;
     love does not envy;
     love does not parade itself,
     is not puffed up;
   • ⁵ does not behave rudely,
     does not seek its own,
     is not provoked,
     thinks no evil;
   • ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity,
     but rejoices in the truth;
   • ⁷ bears all things,
     believes all things,
     hopes all things,
     endures all things.
   • ⁸ Love never fails.
4. What will fail or vanish away? 13:8
   
   • ⁸ But whether there are prophecies, they will fail;
     whether there are tongues, they will cease;
     whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
5. a. Do we now know in part, and prophesy in part? 13:9
   b. When the perfect has come, what will be done away with? 13:10
   
   • ⁹ For
     we know in part
     and
     we prophesy in part.
   • ¹⁰ But when that which is perfect has come,
     then that which is in part
     will be done away.
6. a. When we were children, how did we speak, understand, and think?11
   b. When we becom a man (adult), what should we put away?11
   
   • ¹¹ When I was a child,
     I spoke
     as a child,
     I understood
     as a child,
     I thought
     as a child;
     but when I became a man,
     I put away
     childish things.
7. a. How do we see now, and how will we see later? 13:12
   b. How do we know now, and how will we know later? 13:12
   
   • ¹² For now we see in a mirror,
     dimly, but then face to face.
     Now I know in part,
     but then I shall know
     just as I also am known.
8. a. What three things abide? 13:13
   b. Which of these three things is the most important? 13:13
   
   • ¹³ And now abide
     faith,
     hope,
     love,
     these three;
     but the greatest of these
     is love.