The Greatest of These is Love

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13 is often called “the love chapter” – it is Paul’s final word on love. And while it is often common in pop culture to talk about love and inclusion, Paul’s words are actually very subversive of the world’s way of doing things.

The Necessity of Love

Paul begins by talking about some very impressive spiritual gifts. Speaking in tongues, prophetic powers, understanding mysteries, faith to remove mountains – these are the sort of powerful and charismatic gifts that leave us in awe even to think about! I certainly don’t have faith to remove mountains – and I sure don’t have prophetic powers. Paul is referencing “extreme” gifting for a reason: he wants us to know that no matter how powerful our spiritual gifts, they mean nothing without love. In fact, Paul even says that if he were to be martyred by burning, but lacked love, it would mean nothing!

The Character of Love

Paul makes love sound really, really important. It makes sense, then, to ask “what is this all-important thing called love?” Paul’s answer is profound. Love is the following:

Patient

Kind

Does not envy

Does not boast

Is not arrogant

Is not rude

Does not insist on its own way

Is not irritable

Is not resentful

Does not rejoice in wrongdoing

Rejoices in the truth

Bears all thing

Believes all things

Hopes all things

Endures all things

Love never ends

If that list looks intimidating, it should. Paul’s description of love is deep and wide. In fact, measured against this list, I don’t think I’ve done a loving thing in my life! But Paul’s intent is not to beat us over the head with this, but rather to encourage us to be pursuing love in all we do.

The Insurrection of Love

The fact is, love as Paul describes it goes against every power structure of the world. Patience is only seen as a virtue because it is seen as waiting for something that improves our life. Kindness is taught as a means of getting what we want. Envy is encouraged in commercials and lifestyle to the point that economists everywhere declare “greed is good.” Boasting is part and parcel of everything from corporate earnings reports to sporting events to business networking events and job fairs. We are irritable when someone else grabs the last Black Friday sale – to the point of fisticuffs and stun guns. We are taught to resent the success of the one percent. Cynicism and conditional favor rule the public sphere and the halls of justice.

Paul’s teaching flies in the face of all of this. God has loved us in this manner, and by faith gifts us with this same love. This is counter-cultural! It is Christ-cultural.

Closing Challenge

Here is my challenge to you today: read and meditate on this passage every day for a month. Think about one specific action you can take each day to display love to others. Pray for God’s grace, and put love into action! You may even wish to journal your journey. May the God of love lead us into all fruitfulness and love. Amen.

~John