the greatest is love

I wonder how any people know the Bible only by 1 Corinthians 13. This is the famous love chapter, and it’s one we grab onto for romantic purposes, like weddings. After all, what could be better for a couple than verse 13?

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

As simple as it is, this is one of my favorite passages, but not for romantic reasons. To me, this is a verse about missions, and about life.

Paul wrote this to a bickering church, one where certain puffed-up leaders made a big deal out of their gifts and their status. So verses 1-3 of this “love chapter” talk about those gifts - speaking in tongues, prophecy, giving money - and how they all need to be done in love. Without love, instead of those beautiful helps to the church, what you have is resounding gongs, clanging cymbals, and gifted people who are nothing and gain nothing. That doesn’t sound like much of a worship service, or a church!

So, Paul challenges us, get rid of all that envy, boastfulness, and pride. Stop dishonoring others and promoting yourselves. Don’t get mad; in fact, don’t even think about or dwell on the things others do that frustrate you. 

Here’s a more excellent way, as Paul puts it: Love. Because then you’ll be patient and kind; you’ll protect other people instead of put them down. You’ll trust each other and God, you’ll have hope, and that hope will allow you to keep on in your love. Because love never fails.

That’s the Greg version - a little ragged, maybe, and not word for word or verse for verse, but it’s how I understand the first seven verses.

That’s why, of the three great gifts that will never pass away, love is the greatest. Faith can ebb and flow, hope can flicker or burn bright, but love never fails. And love - especially the capital L love that is God - will always pull us back to faith and hope. 

Love is the thing we do that makes us most like God. It’s at the core of what it means to be made in his image. I think that’s why it’s the greatest gift. And, unlike many others, he gave his greatest gift to everyone.