Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
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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, and have not charity, I am nothing.
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And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
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Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
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Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
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Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
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Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
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Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
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For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
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But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
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When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
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For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
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And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
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1 Corinthians 13 Study & Commentary
1 Corinthians 13, the "Love Chapter," establishes that even the most spectacular spiritual gifts are worthless without charity (love). Paul defines the characteristics of true love—it is patient, kind, and eternal—concluding that love is the greatest of all virtues.
CONTEMPORARY APPLICATIONS
1. The Supremacy of Love: Without love, eloquence, knowledge, and even great sacrifice are "nothing" (v. 1-3). Love is the essential ingredient that gives spiritual activity its value.2. The Character of Love: Love is not a feeling but a series of actions: it suffers long, envies not, and seeks not its own (v. 4-5). This is the standard by which we must measure our relationships and our character.
3. The Eternal Virtue: Gifts like prophecy and tongues will cease, but love never fails (v. 8). We should prioritize developing a loving character, as it is the only thing that will endure into eternity.
