1 Corinthians 13

     The Superiority of Christian Love over all other Spiritual Gifts.  Cf.1 John 4:7-21.

     13:1-3.  Any spiritual gifts we may have are unprofitable without love.  They will become a source of vanity and pride to us, and of irritation and trouble to others.  “Oh no, here she comes to share her spiritual gift,” say all those with the gift of discernment.

     Gongs and cymbals, authorities say, were used in the temples of Dionysus and Cybele.

     13:4-7.  These verses not only define love, but are aimed at the faults of the Corinthian church.  This is agape, the love given in grace to the unlovely (Eph.2:4-5).

     13:4.  Patience is the longsuffering that puts up with the other person’s flaws.

     Jealous; the KJV uses the more accurate word, envious.  Unfortunately, the meaning of these two words has become blurred.  Strictly speaking, envy desires and is resentful about what belongs to another.  Envy is always bad.   Jealousy resents the rival attentions of another over what is (or one feels should be) one’s exclusive possession.  This can be either good or bad.

     God is righteously jealous over his Israel, because he loves her and will not tolerate a rival.  The sanctified Bride says to her true Husband, “Put me like a seal over your heart, Like a seal on your arm.  For love is as strong as death, Jealousy is as severe as Sheol; Its flashes are flashes of fire, The very flame of the LORD” (Song 8:6).

     13:5.  Notice the accounting term.  Love doesn’t keep books on debts (“and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” Mt.6:12).

     13:6.  Truth is central to love.   Love doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness.  It neither gleefully passes over sins, nor celebrates their discovery.  Love rejoices and flourishes with the truth.

     13:7.  Love believes all things; but not imprudently.  “But it is apt to believe well of all….  And, when in spite of inclination, it cannot believe well of others, it will yet hope well”  (Matthew Henry’s Commentary).

     13:8-13.  Love is the one gift that will never fail (8).  The temporal gifts are meant for our help only in our immaturity, the things of childhood meant to pass away (10-11).

     Even the NT revelation is dim compared to what we shall have at his coming.  It is like an ancient dull mirror image compared to the reality by which we shall be known 

(12).  How little we know of ourselves, let alone of others, or the Lord himself, even with the gospel mirror.

     13:13.  But in the meantime, three needful spiritual gifts abide with us: faith, hope, and love (cf. Gal.5:5-6).  Though the lesser but more spectacular gifts cease, these remain until the Lord comes.  Love, is the greatest gift, for God is love (1 John 4:8), and by his love he saved us.  When what is unseen is seen, and what is hoped for comes, even faith and hope will not be needed (Ro.8:24-25; Heb.11:1).  When we see him just as he is (1 John 3:2), faith and hope will be unnecessary.  But love will be an overwhelming enduring joy forever.  Love never fails (8).