Love
2 I may have the gift to speak what God has revealed, and I may understand all mysteries and have all knowledge. I may even have enough faith to move mountains. But if I don't have love, I am nothing.
3 I may even give away all that I have and give up my body to be burned.[1]Some manuscripts read "give up my body so that I may brag." But if I don't have love, none of these things will help me.
4 Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn't jealous. It doesn't sing its own praises. It isn't arrogant.
5 It isn't rude. It doesn't think about itself. It isn't irritable. It doesn't keep track of wrongs.
6 It isn't happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth.
7 Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up.
8 Love never comes to an end. There is the gift of speaking what God has revealed, but it will no longer be used. There is the gift of speaking in other languages, but it will stop by itself. There is the gift of knowledge, but it will no longer be used.
9 Our knowledge is incomplete and our ability to speak what God has revealed is incomplete.
10 But when what is complete comes, then what is incomplete will no longer be used.
11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I no longer used childish ways.
12 Now we see a blurred image in a mirror. Then we will see very clearly. Now my knowledge is incomplete. Then I will have complete knowledge as God has complete knowledge of me.
13 So these three things remain: faith, hope, and love. But the best one of these is love. ____________________________________________________________
THE NECESSITY AND ADVANTAGE OF THE GRACE OF LOVE. 13:1-3
The excellent way had in view in the close of the former chapter, is not what is meant by charity in our common use of the word, almsgiving, but love in its fullest meaning; true love to God and man. Without this, the most glorious gifts are of no account to us, of no esteem in the sight of God. A clear head and a deep understanding, are of no value without a benevolent and charitable heart. There may be an open and lavish hand, where there is not a liberal and charitable heart. Doing good to others will do none to us, if it be not done from love to God, and good-will to men. If we give away all we have, while we withhold the heart from God, it will not profit. Nor even the most painful sufferings. How are those deluded who look for acceptance and reward for their good works, which are as scanty and defective as they are corrupt and selfish!
ITS EXCELLENCY REPRESENTED BY ITS PROPERTIES AND EFFECTS; 13:4-7
Some of the effects of charity are stated, that we may know whether we have this grace; and that if we have not, we may not rest till we have it. This love is a clear proof of regeneration, and is a touchstone of our professed faith in Christ. In this beautiful description of the nature and effects of love, it is meant to show the Corinthians that their conduct had, in many respects, been a contrast to it. Charity is an utter enemy to selfishness; it does not desire or seek its own praise, or honour, or profit, or pleasure. Not that charity destroys all regard to ourselves, or that the charitable man should neglect himself and all his interests. But charity never seeks its own to the hurt of others, or to neglect others. It ever prefers the welfare of others to its private advantage. How good-natured and amiable is Christian charity! How excellent would Christianity appear to the world, if those who profess it were more under this Divine principle, and paid due regard to the command on which its blessed Author laid the chief stress! Let us ask whether this Divine love dwells in our hearts. Has this principle guided us into becoming behaviour to all men? Are we willing to lay aside selfish objects and aims? Here is a call to watchfulness, diligence, and prayer.
AND BY ITS ABIDING, AND ITS SUPERIORITY. 13:8-13
Charity is much to be preferred to the gifts on which the Corinthians prided themselves. From its longer continuance. It is a grace, lasting as eternity. The present state is a state of childhood, the future that of manhood. Such is the difference between earth and heaven. What narrow views, what confused notions of things, have children when compared with grown men! Thus shall we think of our most valued gifts of this world, when we come to heaven. All things are dark and confused now, compared with what they will be hereafter. They can only be seen as by the reflection in a mirror, or in the description of a riddle; but hereafter our knowledge will be free from all obscurity and error. It is the light of heaven only, that will remove all clouds and darkness that hide the face of God from us. To sum up the excellences of charity, it is preferred not only to gifts, but to other graces, to faith and hope. Faith fixes on the Divine revelation, and assents thereto, relying on the Divine Redeemer. Hope fastens on future happiness, and waits for that; but in heaven, faith will be swallowed up in actual sight, and hope in enjoyment. There is no room to believe and hope, when we see and enjoy. But there, love will be made perfect. There we shall perfectly love God. And there we shall perfectly love one another. Blessed state! how much surpassing the best below! God is love, 1Jn 4:8, 16. Where God is to be seen as he is, and face to face, there charity is in its greatest height; there only will it be perfected. _____________________________________________________________
The Bottomline: Just as the Apostle warned the Corinthians earlier that the discipline would be forth coming if the people didn't face there personal and interpersonal sins. Here he gave then an additional "Warnings" because the Apostle Paul had been away from Cornith, for much longer than He had attended too. He just wanted to make sure that all the people knew of his "Warning" wasn't a hollow one. The Apostle Paul would indeed follow through forcefully and hold those Corinthian believer's accountable to their committments to God . We believer's needs people like the Apostle Paul in our lives today. The Apostle Paul urged the Corinthian believers to be very serious in examine themselves. He wanted them to assess the nature of thier committment to God by looking very closely at thier own lives as individuals, and be very honest with as person as a believer of God and to be tearing down all of our emotional and Interpersonal relationships,personal, in uncovering sins that burried deeply within us as a believer. so that every single areas od our lives will be driven out of us and in doing this we will be driving all of those out that will and can damages that keeps driving us out in the opened for the Lord God will help us with His powerful truth abiding love for all of His believers. This will be a life challenging goals to pursure. He admonishes us with an opened mind and hearts in reaching our personal, interpersonal goals and in healing relationships in producing harmony is fueled by having Faith In God, which in all assence will benefit in God's healing Power in love, and peace._____________________________________________________________
