{"id":9201,"date":"2024-02-10T17:57:53","date_gmt":"2024-02-10T12:27:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/10\/why-is-love-called-the-greatest-of-these-1-corinthians-13\/"},"modified":"2024-02-10T17:57:53","modified_gmt":"2024-02-10T12:27:53","slug":"why-is-love-called-the-greatest-of-these-1-corinthians-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/10\/why-is-love-called-the-greatest-of-these-1-corinthians-13\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Is Love Called the Greatest of These? (1 Corinthians 13)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>\n          <em>This article is part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crossway.org\/articles\/series\/tough-passages\/\">Tough Passages<\/a> series.<\/em>\n        <\/p>\n<h2>Listen to the Passage<\/h2>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.esv.org\/audio-player\/1+corinthians+13\/\" style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 109px;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Read the Passage<\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p><sup>1<\/sup>If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. <sup>2<\/sup>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. <sup>3<\/sup> If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. <sup>4<\/sup>Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant <sup>5<\/sup> or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; <sup>6<\/sup> it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. <sup>7<\/sup>Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. <sup>8<\/sup>Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. <sup>9<\/sup>For we know in part and we prophesy in part, <sup>10<\/sup>but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. <sup>11<\/sup>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. <sup>12<\/sup>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. <sup>13<\/sup> So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.<br \/>\u20141 Corinthians 13<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>The Way of Love<\/h2>\n<p>What Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12 on spiritual gifts prepares the Corinthians for what follows. Paul directly addresses the specific problem in chapter 14: some Corinthians desire the gift of tongues more than the gift of prophecy. Prophecy is what Paul has in mind when he commands, \u201cEarnestly desire the higher gifts,\u201d that is, \u201cthe greater gifts\u201d (NASB, NIV, CSB, NET), the gifts that most build up the church when the church meets together. To paraphrase: \u201cYou are earnestly desiring the gift of tongues, but you should earnestly desire more edifying gifts instead\u2014like prophecy.\u201d But before Paul directly addresses that problem, he shows the Corinthians \u201ca still more excellent way\u201d\u2014namely, the way of love (ch. 13).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLove\u201d translates the Greek word <em>agap\u0113<\/em>, \u201cthe quality of warm regard for and interest in another, esteem, affection, regard, love.\u201d<sup>1<\/sup> Paul begins with three illustrations of how superlatives without love equal nothing (1 Cor.13:1\u20133). Then he describes this essential love (1 Cor. 13:4\u20138a) and compares it to other gifts (1 Cor. 13:8b\u201313). Love is not a spiritual gift. It is essential for using spiritual gifts, and it is more important than spiritual gifts. <\/p>\n<p>It is important to understand chapter 13 in its literary context. This passage is one of Paul\u2019s most well known, especially verses 4\u20137 (\u201cLove is patient and kind . . .\u201d). If one looked at only some of Paul\u2019s words in chapter 13, one might think this passage applies primarily to a marriage, an intimate relationship that requires love in order for it to function well. Because so many people have chosen to have this passage read during wedding ceremonies, a lot of people think this passage is referring to love between a husband and wife. While it applies indirectly to a marriage relationship, it applies most directly to the issue in chapters 1 Cor. 12\u201314. When the Corinthians first heard these words, they would not have thought, \u201cAww, how sweet. What beautiful, inspiring words!\u201d They would have received Paul\u2019s words as a verbal spanking: \u201cOuch!\u201d The repentant might pray, \u201cGod, forgive us for being so unloving. The way we are acting is ugly, but the way of love is beautiful.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The Corinthians were abusing the gift of tongues by wrongly elevating it as more important than other gifts. They were not using it to edify others. So Paul argues in chapter 12 that all of the diverse members of the unified body of Christ are important and that it is foolish to elevate certain gifts, such as speaking in tongues, over other gifts in importance. Paul argues in chapter 14 that prophesying is greater than speaking in tongues because it edifies the whole church; the higher gifts edify the whole church because they are intelligible. In between these passages, Paul argues in chapter 13 that no matter what gift the Spirit enables someone to use, the gift does not profit that person unless he uses it in love. Love is indispensable for using spiritual gifts, whether the Spirit empowers one to speak in tongues or prophesy or teach or whatever.<\/p>\n<p>Paul illustrates that love is essential for Christ-followers by stating three equations that begin with superlatives:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1 Cor. 13:1: the most impressive speech \u2013 love = nothing <\/li>\n<li>1 Cor. 13:2: the most impressive gifts \u2013 love = nothing <\/li>\n<li>1 Cor. 13:3: the most impressive personal sacrifices \u2013 love = nothing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cTongues of men and of angels\u201d is probably a poetic way of referring to impressive, aesthetically pleasing speech in every kind of language\u2014including speaking in tongues.<sup>2<\/sup> For the comical opposite of an aesthetically pleasing sound, imagine someone repeatedly, chaotically, and loudly clanging a cymbal.<sup>3<\/sup> That is what the most impressive speaker is like without love.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProphetic powers\u201d refers to the gift of prophecy. To understand \u201call mysteries and all knowledge\u201d is to be omniscient like God. Having \u201call faith\u201d refers to the most remarkable degree possible.<sup>4<\/sup> But even if we have all of these most impressive gifts, we are nothing without love.<\/p>\n<p>Paul writes \u201cbut have not love\u201d three times in verses 1\u20133. Love is not an object we can buy. To \u201chave\u201d love is to behave in a loving way, which Paul describes here by personifying love with sixteen action verbs, seven positive (descriptions 1\u20132, 11\u201315) and nine negative (3\u201310, 16).<sup>5<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Descriptions 1\u20132 (v.  4a) passively and actively explain how love responds to sinful people. <\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Love is \u201cpatient,\u201d<\/strong> that is, forbearing, long-suffering. It does not retaliate (cf. Rom. 12:14, 17\u201319).<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Love is \u201ckind,\u201d<\/strong> that is, merciful, compassionate. It overcomes evil with good (cf. Rom. 12:20\u201321).<\/p>\n<p>Descriptions 3\u20139 (1 Cor. 13:4b\u20135) explain how love does not behave. A person cannot simultaneously do these actions and yet claim to love.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Love \u201cdoes not envy.\u201d<\/strong> \u201cCovetousness wants what the other guy has; envy is angry that the other guy has it.\u201d<sup>6<\/sup> \u201cThere is jealousy and strife among\u201d the Corinthians (3:3), but love rejoices with those who rejoice and weeps with those who weep (cf. Rom. 12:15). <\/p>\n<p><strong>4. Love does not \u201cboast,\u201d<\/strong> which translates a word that means \u201cto heap praise on oneself, behave as a . . . \u2018braggart, windbag.\u2019\u201d<sup>7<\/sup> <\/p>\n<p><strong>5. Love is not \u201carrogant,\u201d<\/strong> which translates a word that means \u201cto cause to have an exaggerated self-conception, puff up, make proud.\u201d<sup>8<\/sup> This describes some of the Corinthians (cf. 1 Cor. 4:6, 18, 19; 5:2). Love associates with the lowly and is not wise in its own sight (cf. Rom. 12:16). <\/p>\n<p><strong>6. Love is not \u201crude,\u201d<\/strong> or indecent. It outdoes others in showing honor (cf. Rom. 12:10). <\/p>\n<p><strong>7. Love \u201cdoes not insist on its own way.\u201d<\/strong> It looks to the interests of others (cf. 1 Cor. 10:33; Rom. 15:3; Phil. 2:4, 20\u201321). It lives in harmony with others (cf. Rom. 12:16). As much as possible, it lives peaceably with all (cf. Rom. 12:18). <\/p>\n<p><strong>8. Love is not \u201cirritable.\u201d<\/strong> A minor (perceived) offense does not trigger an explosive temper. <\/p>\n<p><strong>9. Love is not \u201cresentful.\u201d<\/strong> In the Greek it \u201cdoes not count the evil.\u201d Love does not strive to get even with others. This is the negative way of stating the first description on the list: \u201cLove is patient.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Descriptions 10\u201311 (1 Cor. 13:6) explain love\u2019s posture toward evil and truth. It hates what God hates and loves what God loves. <\/p>\n<p><strong>10. Love \u201cdoes not rejoice at wrongdoing.\u201d<\/strong> It \u201cabhor[s] what is evil\u201d (Rom. 12:9).<sup>9<\/sup><\/p>\n<p><strong>11. Love \u201crejoices with the truth.\u201d<\/strong> It \u201chold[s] fast to what is good\u201d (Rom. 12:9).<\/p>\n<p>Descriptions 12\u201315 (1  Cor. 13:7) are a chiasm that explains how love relates to others in all circumstances.<sup>10<\/sup> It never stops (A + A&#8217;) but has the best interest of others in mind (B + B&#8217;). <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>(A) Love bears all things. <br \/>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 (B) Love believes all things.<br \/>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 (B&#8217;) Love hopes all things.<br \/>(A&#8217;) Love endures all things. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>12. Love \u201cbears all things.\u201d<\/strong> Love endures anything for the sake of the gospel (9:12). <\/p>\n<p><strong>13. Love \u201cbelieves all things.\u201d<\/strong> Paul does not mean that love is naively gullible. Rather, love generously believes the best about others rather than being sinfully cynical. <\/p>\n<p><strong>14. Love \u201chopes all things.\u201d<\/strong> It wants others to flourish (cf. 2 Cor. 1:7; 10:15). <\/p>\n<p><strong>15. Love \u201cendures all things.\u201d<\/strong> It never gives up. The final description (1 Cor. 13:8a) transitions to verses 8b\u201313.<\/p>\n<p>The final description (1 Cor. 13:8a) transitions to the rest of chapter 13.<\/p>\n<p><strong>16. Love \u201cnever ends.\u201d<\/strong> It is everlasting.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"pull-quote\">\n<p>Love is not a spiritual gift. It is essential for using spiritual gifts, and it is more important than spiritual gifts. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The ultimate example of love is the triune God. For example, \u201cGod\u2019s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. . . . God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us\u201d (Rom. 5:5, 8). <\/p>\n<p>It is impossible for a sinful human to embody love perfectly\u2014particularly when Christians use their spiritual gifts when the church meets together. But the gospel requires God\u2019s holy people to mature in purity and unity; that is, Christians must mature in love. Love for one another is the mark of Jesus\u2019 disciples (John 13:35). So Christians must grow to love others just as God unselfishly and sacrificially loves others (cf. John 3:16; 1 John 4:8\u201310, 19).<\/p>\n<h2>The Greatest of These Is Love<\/h2>\n<p>Paul frequently refers to the faith-hope-love triad in his letters (e.g., Col. 1:4\u20135; 1 Thess. 1:3; 5:8). He mentions it in the final verse of the chapter to demonstrate that love is superior. The qualities of faith (trusting God for what we cannot see) and hope (confidently expecting God to do what he has promised) are temporary: (1) Now we walk by faith, but then we will walk by sight (2 Cor. 5:7; cf. 4:18). (2) Now we hope for what we cannot see, but then we will no longer need to hope for what we see (Rom. 8:24\u201325). Faith and hope\u2014in these senses\u2014will be unnecessary \u201cwhen the perfect comes\u201d (1  Cor. 13:10) but \u201clove never ends\u201d (v. 8).<sup>11<\/sup> And this should not be surprising, since, among faith, hope, and love, \u201clove is the all-embracing virtue,\u201d and only love is an attribute of God.<sup>12<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>We must not repeat the Corinthians\u2019 error. Some of them valued speaking in tongues more than prophecy, but when the church meets together, intelligible words are more valuable for building up the church. When we think about spiritual gifts we would like to have, we ought earnestly to desire what is most edifying. This is the way of love.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0;\">\n    <strong>Notes:<\/strong>\n  <\/p>\n<ol style=\"font-size: smaller; line-height: 1.5rem;\">\n<li>BDAG, s.v. \u1f00\u03b3\u03ac\u03c0\u03b7, italics original.<\/li>\n<li>Jay E. Smith, \u201c1 Corinthians,\u201d in <em>The Bible Knowledge Word Study: Acts\u2013Ephesians<\/em>, ed. Darrell L. Bock, BKnS (Colorado Springs: Victor, 2006), 294: \u201cGiven the references to tongues in 12:28, 30; 13:8 and the fifteen occurrences in chapter 14, this expression is probably a reference to the supernatural gift of tongues. Yet, it is not entirely clear whether Paul or the Corinthians (or both) thought that the gift of tongues was the dialects of angels. . . . Several Jewish parallels, which mention the languages of angels, make this a definite possibility (<em>Ascension of Isaiah<\/em> 7:13\u201337; <em>b Bava Batra<\/em> 134a; <em>b Sukkah<\/em> 28a; esp. <em>Testament of Job<\/em>, 48\u201350, where one of Job\u2019s daughters \u2018spoke ecstatically in the angelic dialect\u2019 . . . ).\u201d For an exhaustive study of references to angelic languages from the second century BC to the Italian Renaissance, see John C. Poirier, <em>The Tongues of Angels: The Concept of Angelic Languages in Classical Jewish and Christian Texts<\/em>, WUNT 2.287 (T\u00fcbingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2010).<\/li>\n<li>\u201cA noisy gong\u201d may refer not to a musical instrument but instead to a large bronze vase that Greek theaters used to project actors\u2019 speech (cf. Schnabel, <em>Erster Korintherbrief<\/em>, 760\u2013761). If so, then Paul is arguing, \u201cSpeaking in tongues apart from love is a sound all right; but it is a mere echo, a reverberation, an empty sound coming out of a hollow lifeless vessel\u201d (William W. Klein, \u201cNoisy Gong or Acoustic Vase? A Note on 1 Corinthians 13.1,\u201d NTS 32 [1986]: 288). But the parallelism\u2014\u201ca noisy gong or a clanging cymbal\u201d\u2014makes it likely that the first item is also a musical instrument; thus every major English translation renders the first item as either \u201cgong\u201d or \u201cbrass.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Paul is probably not alluding to the mountain-moving faith that Jesus describes in Matthew 17:20 (cf. Matt. 21:21; Mark 11:23), because the mountain-moving faith to which Paul hyperbolically refers is massive while the mountain-moving faith to which Jesus refers is \u201clike a grain of mustard seed.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>English translations understandably render some of the sixteen verbs as adjectives; e.g., \u201clove is patient \u201d instead of \u201clove forbears.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Joe Rigney, \u201cEnvy,\u201d in <em>Killjoys: The Seven Deadly Sins<\/em>, ed. Marshall Segal (Minneapolis: Desiring God, 2015), 23.<\/li>\n<li>BDAG, s.v. \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03b5\u03cd\u03bf\u03bc\u03b1\u03b9, italics original.<\/li>\n<li>BDAG, s.v. \u03c6\u03c5\u03c3\u03b9\u03cc\u03c9, italics original.<\/li>\n<li>Craig Blomberg, 1  Corinthians, NIVAC (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994), 265: \u201cModern people \u2018delight in evil\u2019 in all kinds of ways .  .  . [including] in the sexual arena, as the media portrays as desirable virtually every conceivable form of homosexual and heterosexual sin, while regularly refusing to portray or even acknowledge the existence of positive married life and family relationships, particularly those based on Christian convictions.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cAll things\u201d translates panta, which likely functions here as an adverb, that is, always, \u201cin all respects, in every way, altogether\u201d (BDAG, s.v. \u03c0\u1fb6\u03c2 1d\u03b2, italics original). See J. William Johnston, <em>The Use of \u03a0\u1fb6\u03c2 in the New Testament<\/em>, SBG 11 (New York: Peter Lang, 2004), 157\u2013158. Some interpret \u201cbears all things\u201d and \u201cbelieves all things\u201d as being in reference to God rather than to humans, but Paul likely intends humans for at least two reasons: (1) The other fourteen items in the list specify how love behaves with reference to fellow humans. (2) Paul\u2019s point in the literary context is that Christians must use spiritual gifts with love in church meetings in a way that benefits fellow humans (i.e., edifies Christians and evangelizes non-Christians).<\/li>\n<li>I say \u201cin these senses\u201d because there is a sense in which faith and hope are eternal. God\u2019s people will eternally trust him and confidently expect him to do what he promises. This is why some interpret the opening words \u201cSo now\u201d logically rather than temporally and thus conclude that faith, hope, and love all remain eternally (e.g., see Carson, Showing the Spirit, 72\u201375). But a temporal reading makes better sense in the literary context, esp. 12:31 and 13:8\u201312 (cf. table 2.12); cf. Fee, <em>First Epistle to the Corinthians<\/em>, 720\u2013721.<\/li>\n<li>Carson, <em>Showing the Spirit<\/em>, 75.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>This article is by Andrew David Naselli and is adapted from the<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crossway.org\/books\/esv-expository-commentary-premiumhc-3\/\">ESV Expository Commentary Romans\u2013Galatians (Volume 10)<\/a> <em>edited by Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr class=\"clear\"\/>\n<div class=\"blog-post-author clear\">\n<p>          <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"left\" src=\"https:\/\/static.crossway.org\/authors\/small\/2322.jpg\" alt=\"Andrew David Naselli\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p><strong>Andrew David Naselli<\/strong> (PhD, Bob Jones University; PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is professor of systematic theology and New Testament at Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis and one of the\u00a0pastors\u00a0of the North Church in Mounds View, Minnesota.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<hr class=\"clear\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"left articles-section-header\">Popular Articles in This Series<\/h2>\n<hr class=\"clear\"\/>\n  <\/div>\n<p><script>\n        !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n        n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;\n        n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n        t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,\n        document,'script','https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n        fbq('init', '506435969522616');\n        fbq('track', 'PageView');\n      <\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crossway.org\/articles\/why-is-love-called-the-greatest-of-these-1-corinthians-13\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This article is part of the Tough Passages series. Listen to the Passage Read the Passage 1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9202,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[]},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9201"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9201"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9201\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}