1 Corinthians 13
1 Corinthians 13, often referred to as the "Love Chapter," is one of the most cherished passages in the Bible, outlining the profound nature of true love. Written by the Apostle Paul, this chapter is part of his letter to the Corinthians, addressing issues related to spiritual gifts and their proper use in the Christian community. Paul emphasizes that love surpasses even the greatest spiritual gifts, and without it, every other action becomes meaningless.
1 Corinthians 13:1 (NKJV) Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
Paul begins by stating that the ability to speak in every human and angelic language is meaningless without love. Such speech without love is just noise, lacking depth or value.
1 Corinthians 13:2 (NKJV) 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.
Even possessing great spiritual gifts like prophecy, understanding, knowledge, and faith that can perform miracles like moving mountains, is ultimately worthless without love. Love is the essential element that gives value to all these gifts.
1 Corinthians 13:3 (NKJV) 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.
Paul underscores that sacrificial actions, like giving away all possessions to help others or enduring martyrdom, are of no benefit to oneself if not motivated by love. True altruism requires love; otherwise, it's just an empty gesture.
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (NKJV) Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
These verses describe the positive attributes of love: patience, kindness, and humility. Love is not jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. It is not selfish, easily angered, nor does it hold grudges. This sets the standard for how love behaves in every circumstance.
1 Corinthians 13:6-7 (NKJV) Does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love is genuine and moral; it does not delight in wrongdoing but celebrates the truth. It is resilient, trusting, hopeful, and enduring through all life's challenges and adversities.
1 Corinthians 13:8 (NKJV) Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
Paul asserts the everlasting nature of love. Unlike spiritual gifts like prophecy, speaking in tongues, and knowledge, which are temporary and will one day become obsolete, love is eternal and will never cease.
1 Corinthians 13:9 (NKJV)
For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
Paul acknowledges here that both knowledge and prophecy are partial. Though apostles and prophets receive divine revelations, those revelations are incomplete. An example of this is Paul’s belief that Christ might return during his lifetime. For instance, in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, Paul speaks as if Christ’s return could happen while he and other believers were still alive. See also 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 & Philippians 4:5. However, Christ has not yet returned, and it has now been over 2,000 years. This illustrates that even Paul’s understanding of certain future events was incomplete.
1 Corinthians 13:10 (NKJV)
But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
Paul contrasts the current, incomplete knowledge with the time when the "perfect" comes. "That which is perfect" refers to the full revelation of God's plan, likely in the eternal kingdom when all mysteries are made clear. When this perfect state arrives—whether at Christ's second coming or in the age to come—partial knowledge and prophecy will no longer be necessary because everything will be fully revealed.
1 Corinthians 13:11 (NKJV) 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.
Paul uses the analogy of growing up to describe how our spiritual understanding matures over time. Just as a child’s way of thinking is limited, our current spiritual knowledge is limited. As we mature spiritually and when we reach the fullness of God’s revelation in eternity, we will abandon our limited, “childish” understanding. Paul himself experienced this spiritual growth—while he may have believed Christ’s return was imminent, over time he realized that certain events had to occur first, as explained in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3.
1 Corinthians 13:12 (NKJV) 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.
Here, Paul compares our current knowledge of spiritual truths to seeing a reflection in a dim or imperfect mirror. Our understanding is incomplete and unclear. However, in the future—when we are in God’s presence—we will see Him "face to face," and our understanding will be full and clear. Just as God knows us completely now, we will fully understand His truth. This reflects Paul’s awareness that his knowledge, like that of all believers, is incomplete at present but will one day be made complete.
1 Corinthians 13:13 (NKJV) And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Paul concludes that faith, hope, and love are enduring virtues, but he elevates love as the greatest. It is the most important, powerful, and enduring of the three, underscoring its supreme importance in the Christian life.