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1 Corinthians 13:4–10
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 (1 Cor. 13:8).
Most of us, as we apply the words of 1 Corinthians 13 to those we love the most, can easily imagine suffering long, resisting envy, refraining from rudeness, overlooking provocation, thinking no evil, enduring, believing, and hoping—at least for a time. But we know our beloved ones. We know there are things they are capable of doing that we simply cannot stand. Thus, we know there are limits to our love, deep though it may be.
It is not so with God, of course. His love for the other persons of the Trinity and for His beloved chosen people is eternal and unceasing. And this is the kind of love He calls us to manifest as well, for Paul declares here that “love never fails.”
Because Paul is teaching the Corinthians about the “more excellent way” of love as opposed to their wild misuse of spiritual gifts, he here compares the duration of love to the duration of gifts. While love never fails, he writes, prophecies will fail, tongues will cease, and knowledge will vanish away. This portion of 1 Corinthians 13 has been a focal point of controversy throughout church history. It is very difficult to understand what Paul means when he speaks of “knowledge,” and scholars are uncertain as to what “the perfect” is and as to when it will come. What is clear is that Paul wants the Corinthians to know that love will outlast these things that they prize so highly. He is instructing them on values, trying to help them see that they are emphasizing the wrong things. Love is more valuable than the spiritual gifts, Paul teaches, because it is more durable. The spiritual gifts are given to edify the church on earth, but love will forever be the mark of God and of His people, and will be found even in heaven, which Jonathan Edwards once described as “a kingdom of love.” As the cardinal Christian virtue, love must be the Corinthian Christians’ highest priority and the guiding principle in all of their relationships. And so it must be for us, as well.
Until the day when we are glorified by the Father, we not only “know in part and . . . prophesy in part,” we also love in part, imperfectly, though in increasing measure. As the Holy Spirit of God works within us, warming our hearts to love God and our brethren, we can truly say that, by His grace, our love will never fail.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Take time today to reflect on the Father’s love for you, especially through all your sins. Thank Him that His love never fails. And thank Him for sending His Spirit into your heart and giving you a newfound love for God, for your family, for other believers, and for lost people. Thank Him that His Spirit, and the love He brings, have come to stay.
For Further Study
- Romans 5:5
- 1 John 3:14, 16–17
- 1 John 4:7, 12