1 Corinthians 13:1–13

Bible Studies for Life
Chair of Philosophy, Samford University; Southwestern Seminary graduate

Love That Lasts
1 Corinthians 13:1–13
Though this chapter is often used in wedding ceremonies, its scope includes all relationships. Christian love has no boundaries and conclusion. Because of it, as Christians, we remain in debt to all people to love them.

For the vengeful and hateful, this chapter is an offense. If we love, then we cannot seek the harm of others, and if we must love, then we cannot in any form justify dehumanizing others — our enemies as well as our neighbors.

Love’s Pre-eminent Value (1–3)
The apostle Paul contrasts love’s value with other highly esteemed activities, and in each case, love brings more fulfillment to our desires and goals. Each of the activities that Paul mentions has lofty aims — human and angelic speech, prophetic knowledge and understanding, faith in God and personal sacrifice to God. They orient our purposes toward God and, for that reason, are indispensable for a more deliberate and fully felt spiritual life. For example, for us to know and experience God’s presence more vividly in the world and in our spirits, we need to cultivate greater clarity in our speech, understanding, faith and discipleship.

However, these activities take us only part of the way to God because they spring from our will and strength. If our spiritual life depends only on our efforts, then we will grow only as much as our power allows, and, as Paul says, in the end, this will amount to nothing. Our hearts are weak and fragile, fraught with profound conflicts and temptations. But love’s power completes what we seek.

Love’s Moral Characteristics (4–7)
Love is work. Love is not just a sentiment or intention. It is a particular way of relating to others. We can possess all the possible good feelings and thoughts we can muster toward others, but if they do not become actions, then we cannot truthfully say we love them. Yet love expresses a pure will, too. It would not make any sense to say we love others in our actions but hate them in our hearts. Love requires the union of heart and action. More than any human behavior, when we love others, our inner motivations become interchangeable in significance and meaning with our outward behavior.

Notice love’s moral characteristics in verses 4–7 — patient, kind, not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude, not selfish or irritable or resentful and so on. They describe the heart and hands, the will and behavior. Consequently we become more honest and genuine when we love others because we act in the same way we intend and we wish in the same way we behave. In love, our benevolence becomes actual beneficence to others.

Love Never Ends (8–13)
Paul says love is greater than faith and hope. St. Augustine of Hippo, who died in 430, said that love is superior because God has love. It does not make sense to say God has faith and hope, but in light of what we know of God’s intentions and actions in the death and resurrection of Christ, it does make sense to say God is love. When we experience God’s love, we experience God’s nature, and when we love as God loves, we share in God’s power to fulfill the soul and the world’s purposes.

All human endeavors will someday come to an end because of decay or destruction. We handcuff our deepest longings for fulfillment by putting our faith and hope upon our individual and collective accomplishments to make us truly happy in our souls. If we desire ultimate fulfillment, then it makes good sense to seek what can bring it. Since we cannot fulfill ourselves from our own strength and ideas, then we should aim toward what can — the love of God. It would be childish not to do it.

Love represents a power and plan bigger than all our deeds and wishes. Love represents God in the world. Though we may see dimly in a mirror, not able fully to understand God’s place and will in the world, we can act as though we know the final outcome of the world. By loving others the way God loves us, we get a foretaste of what it must be like when we see God face to face.