Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-13

Scripture Notes

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We have already discussed the action of love in our study of God’s unfailing love. Here we will dig into the misconception about 1 Corinthians 13.  Many use the verse about love, especially when it comes to marriage and relationships.  Oh, how wedding vows would alter if people expressed the true meaning of the verse!  Vows would contain a recognition of one another’s spiritual gifts while simultaneously making a pledge of maturity, discarding old childish things with a complete reverence to God, who is love at the center. 

Selfless love never fails, but spiritual gifts are only partial in their effectiveness.  Anyone who sees the future, speaks of the future, has knowledge of the future, may only know a small sliver of the actual picture.  Only when Christ returns, the one who was perfect on earth, will there be no need for prophecies because they will all be fulfilled; tongues will no longer be needed, and knowledge will be secondary to the true magnificence of the Lord’s coming.  Christ will reveal everything at his return, but when would that time be? Even Jesus claimed he did not know.

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
    How unsearchable his judgments,
    and his paths beyond tracing out!
“Who has known the mind of the Lord?
    Or who has been his counselor?”

Romans 11:33-34

An important realization is that, at this moment, we are more like children, still growing and not fully aware of the complete implications of the unseen spiritual battle. What we perceive now is like looking through fog; we see shadows and get a sense of what is happening, but we cannot see what lies ahead. However, when Jesus faces us directly and we are free from the limitations of the body, standing in the presence of the Creator, only then will the full picture become clear and no longer distorted. We will know the Lord as thoroughly as he knows us, or as nearly as we can ever know him. 

Now we come to one of the most frequently quoted verses about faith, hope, and love. Again, this verse is often used in the context of relationships as the foundation of marriage, but what Paul is trying to convey is that these virtues stand together as a foundation of the Christian faith and to pursue a desire to follow and love God. He is not talking about marriage, but about knowing God and the need for determined faith, resilient hope, and sacrificial love. Faith is the cornerstone for believers, trusting in what is unseen, while hope is the conviction that God will keep His promises about the future. Once faith has been succeeded when we are face to face with God and hope is reached because God has fulfilled his promises, love will continue to expand and grow beyond faith and hope, proving the excellence of agape love. 

Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.

1 Peter 1:21-22

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MEMORY VERse

Design for a Statue of Prudence with Sketches at Upper Left Corner. Giuseppe Bernardino Bison, No Date. The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Related Verses

More verses about faith, hope and love:

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Prayer Invitation

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Application Questions

• How does the contrast between our current partial understanding and future completeness influence your perspective on spiritual growth and maturity?
• How does understanding love’s nature inform your approach to conflict or reconciliation?
• What practical steps can you take to cultivate and manifest sacrificial love?
• How can the description of love guide your engagement with broader societal issues such as justice, poverty, and inequality?

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Cover Image: Unknown Artist from India. Poppy Blossom, c. 1650. The Minneapolis Institute of Art