1 Corinthians 13 is one of the best known, and motivationally misunderstood love passages in the Bible. People often look at this passage and get a warm, fuzzy feeling while imagining Paul waxing eloquently about true love. This could not be further from the truth! The Apostle Paul was fussing at the Corinthians because of their childish misunderstanding of what was truly important. These people were focusing on the importance of the spiritual gifts they had received. Paul says apart from love, these gifts mean nothing even going so far as to compare them to a noisy gong or clanging cymbal. Paul then gives the characteristics of what agape (unconditional) love entails.
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails;
-1 Corinthians 13:4-8
After this, the apostle circles back to the topic of spiritual gifts in order to reinforce the importance of love over all else. He tells the Corinthians in verses 8-12 that these beloved gifts of prophecy and speaking in tongues will be done away when the “perfect” or “complete” comes. These gifts were used as a way to confirm what the speaker was saying and to enlighten the people about what God’s Will was since they did not have the luxury of the completed Bible. As a result, we understand this “perfect” or “complete” to be the recorded Word of God.
Paul closes out this chapter with a simple yet powerful statement about three things Christians hold dear-faith, hope and love. He comes to a very important conclusion concerning these while reiterating his point once more on the importance of love.
But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.
-1 Corinthians 13:13
Today, we have been given many gifts, talents and abilities within the Body of Christ. These can be very useful in service to God as well as the building up of the Body. However, we must be careful to remember what is most important to God. Just as Paul told the Corinthians, without love we are simply noise-making nothings. We need to learn to love like our Savior because love is the only thing that will last.