1 Corinthians 13

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (Love)

The spiritual gifts are nothing without love. This is why Paul interrupts his discussion of gifts with this powerful chapter on love. The Corinthians were obsessed with their gifts, but Paul was obsessed with love.

Modern culture often portrays love as including nearly everything. Paul, however, goes to great lengths to explain what love is, and by antithesis, what love is not. He uses sixteen verbs to define the nature and actions of love.[]

Gifts are useless without love

(13:1) “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”

The primary interpretation of “tongues” is most likely charismatic tongues, but it might refer to all speaking in general. The “noisy gong” and “clanging symbol” are loud, but they have no melody.[] We’ve all met the Christian who shares their thoughts and experiences at a Bible study, and maybe even has deep things to say. But when we know that this person is unloving, it sounds like they are a symphony of pots and pans clanging together! If you are an unloving person, you sound like a clanging symbol or gong banging in the middle of a small group: loud, obnoxious, and downright annoying.

(13:2) “If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

“Know all mysteries and all knowledge.” The Corinthians thought that they were wise and understood the mysteries of God (see chapters 1-2). Yet they were unloving. These gifts are good, but they are not ultimate. Johnson writes, “It is not that the gifts are unimportant, but they bear fruit only where love attends them and is their driving force.”[]

(13:3) “And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.”

Paul is saying that it is possible to have outward actions that are sacrificial, while not having an inner heart filled with love. Morris writes, “It is sobering to reflect that one may be generous to the point of beggary, and yet completely lacking in love.”[]

Burn or boast? Johnson writes, “Modern commentators are divided as to whether they prefer the reading ‘burn’ (Bruce, Barrett, Snyder) or ‘boast’ (Thiselton, Fee).”[] Indeed, this is “one of the most difficult textual variants in the New Testament.”[] The term “boast” (kauchēsōmai) appears in many early manuscripts, whereas the term “burn” (kauthēsomai) is only attested later.

What is love?

(13:4-6) “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, ⁵ does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, ⁶ does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth.”

Paul gives seven examples of what love does and eight examples of what love refuses to do.[] For each of these qualities, imagine your name being replaced with the word “love.” For instance, “James is patient… James is kind…” Do you think that anyone could say these things about you in this way? This reveals just how far each of us can grow in the area of love.

“Patience” (makrothymia) can be defined as “state of remaining tranquil while awaiting an outcome, patience, steadfastness, endurance” (BDAG). It can refer to the preparation of battle. Brown writes, “Being strictly military terms, the various words are readily used as metaphors in connection with the battles of life.”[] This is the ability to wait on God before the battle and not hit the panic button. This refers to waiting on God “in season or out of season” (2 Tim. 4:2).

“Kindness” (crestotes) refers to “uprightness in one’s relations with others” or “the quality of being helpful or beneficial, goodness, kindness, generosity” (BDAG). Brown defines this as “a friendly nature.”[] Jesus was strong and fierce, but when kids saw him, they wanted to crawl all over him like a jungle gym. It is sometimes combined with compassion (Eph. 4:32).

“Not jealous” (ou zeloi) is the root for “zealous” in English. It means to “be positively and intensely interested in something, strive, desire, exert oneself earnestly, be dedicated” (BDAG). As you can see, this term can have a positive connotation. Paul says that there is a “godly jealousy” (2 Cor. 11:2; cf. Gal. 4:17; Rev. 3:19). In its negative form, it refers to “intense negative feelings over another’s achievements or success” and to “be filled with jealousy, envy” (BDAG). It is sometimes paired with quarrelling (1 Cor. 3:1-3; Gal. 5:20).

Am I the sort of person that envies what others have? Do I grumble over my situation and circumstances as if I’ve been unfairly treated by God?

“Does not brag” (ou perpereuetai) means “to heap praise on oneself” or “to be a braggart or windbag” (BDAG).

Am I the person who needs to boast about my successes? Do I need to add or omit key details of a story in order to paint myself in a favorable light?

“Not arrogant” (ou physioutai) literally means to “blow up or inflate” or “to cause to have an exaggerated self-conception, puff up, make proud” (BDAG). Paul already used this in 1 Corinthians 8:1 to describe the person who uses knowledge to be “puffed up.” Johnson writes, “The first (perpereuetai) is a bragging action (“I don’t need you!” 12:21). The second (physioutai) involves having inflated thoughts of one’s self-importance and seeking attention in the manner of children who, untouched by life’s sufferings, lack humility”[]

“Not unbecomingly” (ouk ashemonei) means to “behave disgracefully, dishonorably, indecently” (BDAG). Do people generally trust my character? Would they trust me in serious circumstances to come through? Or do I lack integrity?

“Does not seek its own” refers to the sort of person that is focused on others—not themselves.

“Not provoked” (ou paroxyntai) is the root word for a “paroxysm,” which in modern medicine refers to a spasm or seizure. This is the sort of person who doesn’t easily lose their cool, get offended, or lash out at others.

“Does not take into account a wrong suffered” uses an accounting term (logizomai). Thus, this is a forgiving person. Either they confront you on the issue, or they don’t keep a record of it. Johnson writes, “Love does not condone the wrong or harm done but names it as evil; then, however, shows willingness to forgive the wrong by not keeping an account of each harm with a view to future retaliation.”[]

“Does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth.” Biblical love is not a fuzzy, vague love. It is based on truth. The Corinthians rejoiced over adultery (ch.5), litigation (ch.6), fornication (ch.6), and drunkenness (ch.11). These are all outside the boundaries of love.

(13:7) “Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

This describes sacrificial love. When it says “believes all things,” this doesn’t mean that we are naïve. This is based on the previous verse, where it “rejoices with the truth.” There is nothing loving about ignoring the truth. Instead, this means that we believe in what people can become, including having a vision for others. It means being willing to give others the “benefit of the doubt.”[]

Love outlasts our gifts

(13:8-10) “Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part; ¹⁰ but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.”

It doesn’t seem to be the case that God will revoke our gifts when we get to heaven. Referring to God’s promises to national Israel, Paul writes, “The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom. 11:29). In our view, Paul states that these particular gifts (e.g. prophecy, tongues, knowledge) will cease because they are “partial.”[] In heaven, we will have no need to prophesy or speak in tongues, because we will be in the direct presence of God. Likewise, while we will continue to learn in heaven, we will not need a gift of knowledge because we will have perfect access to God and endless time to understand.

(13:11-12) “When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. ¹² For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.”

The purpose of this illustration is to show just how much can change in the passage of time. When we grow just a couple of decades older, we think completely differently. Similarly, when we meet God, this will radically change our thoughts on this life.

“Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.” Regarding Paul’s imagery of the mirror, Morris writes, “Mirrors in the first century were of polished metal. Corinth was famous for its mirrors, but few Christians would have been able to afford a mirror of good quality. In the nature of the case the reflection would not be very clear.”[] The use of a mirror further shows our partial knowledge, and this is “contrasted with seeing ‘face to face’ and having full knowledge.”[]

(13:13) “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Love is the goal of the Christian life. While faith and hope generate love, they are means to an end. If we lack love, we are missing the point.