1 Co 13:1-13 J. Vernon McGee

Now I am going to give you an outline of the chapter. Again, this seems like a violation of the chapter, but the mechanics will help us understand it.

The preeminence of love—its value (vv. 1–3)

The prerogative of love—its virtue (vv. 4–7)

The permanence of love—its victory (vv. 8–13)

Remember how this chapter follows the thought in chapter 12, which was the endowment of gifts. Chapter 13 tells of the energy of the gifts. All gifts of the Spirit are to be exercised in love.

I am sure the tongues of angels means eloquence. I have never heard an angel speak, but I think Paul had heard them.

The most marvelous eloquence without love is nothing in the world but a noisy bell. Dr. Scroggie says it like this: "Language without love is noise without melody." McGee says it like this: "Chatter without charity is sound without soul." You can sing like a seraph, but without love it is nothing but the hiss of hell. Love gives meaning and depth and reality, and it makes eloquence meaningful.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing [1 Cor. 13:2].

The first verse was speaking of love as it comes from the heart. This is from the mind, love as an act of the intellect. Knowledge alone is not sufficient. Love must be added to that knowledge. Understanding alone is not enough. Love must be added to that understanding. I feel this is the sad plight of Bible–believing churches in our day. There is a knowledge of the Bible and an understanding of the truths of the Bible but a lack of love. How terrible to find churches filled with gossip, bitterness, and hatred! Along with knowledge there must be love.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing [1 Cor. 13:3].

This love is an act of the will. Love involves the heart (v. 1), the mind (v. 2), and the will (v. 3). Love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Although we are to covet earnestly the best gifts, they are to be exercised in love—and only the Spirit of God can do that.

Look at it this way: Write down a string of zeros—eloquence alone is zero, prophecy alone is zero, knowledge alone is zero, faith alone is zero, sacrifice alone is zero, martyrdom alone is zero. Six zeros still add up to nothing. But you put the numeral 1 to the left of that string of zeros, and every zero amounts to something. And, friend, love is the thing that needs to be added to every gift of the Spirit. Without love your gift is worthless.

"Love suffers long," which means it is patient and kind. Love is impossible without kindness. Love without kindness is like springtime without flowers, like fire without heat. Remember how Paul admonished, "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you" (Eph. 4:32). This is the positive side. Now notice the negative side.

"Love envieth not." Love does not envy, which means that love is content with its lot. We all know that life is filled with inequality. Some men are rich, and I hear Christians say, "Why did God bless that man with so much wealth and not give me some?" Love recognizes that there are inequalities, and love is satisfied with its lot. Remember that the very first murder, when Cain slew Abel, was prompted by envy.

We do well to ponder the example of John the Baptist who showed no envy when the ministry of Jesus was growing in popularity with the people. John said, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). When we consider that we each have a different lot in life and each have a different ministry for the Lord, we should consider the words of our Lord Himself when He talked to Peter: "… If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me" (John 21:22). Bacon said that envy "is a vile affection and it’s most depraved of any thing."

An example of a man who loved another man without envy is Jonathan. Although he was the crown prince, he did not envy David even though he knew that David would occupy the throne in his stead.

"Love vaunteth not itself." Moffitt translates this "makes no parade." It is not boastful or ostentatious. You know, there is a vulgarity about boasting.

A young preacher stood up in a conference in Tennessee and said, "I want you to know that I’m not a trained minister. I am an ignorant minister, and I’m proud of it." The bishop answered him, "I can see you have a lot to be proud of, and, young man, it is dangerous to boast even about ignorance."

Love is "not puffed up." That means it does not travel on air—it is not inflated. You know what it is like to be traveling on a tire filled with air, then suddenly have a flat tire. There is many a flat tire even among Christians because there are so many who are puffed up. When the air is gone, there is nothing there!

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil [1 Cor. 13:5].

Love does not behave itself unseemly; that is, it doesn’t act peculiar. It is true that in 1 Peter the believers are called a peculiar people, but they shouldn’t act peculiar. It literally means a people for His possession. We are to exercise courtesy. We are not to be rude. We are not to act like strange people. We ought to be polite. Unfortunately, there is so much today that can be called unlovely religion. But love does not behave itself unseemly.

Love "seeketh not her own." Love inquires into the motives for action; that is, it asks, "Why am I doing this?" Since I have been retired, I have examined my own heart as I never did before. I have searched out my own motives. Am I doing it out of love for Christ? That is so important. Love is the secret of service.

Love "is not easily provoked." It doesn’t have a bad temper. Being provoked is the vice of the virtuous. I’m afraid it is the vice of many of us.

Love "thinketh no evil." How sad it is to see people thrive on gossip. There are Christians who ladle up dirt. They are suggestive in what they have to say.

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth [1 Cor. 13:6].

Love does not rejoice in iniquity, but love rejoices in the truth. What brings joy to your heart? Bad or good? Which is it? If you hear something bad about someone who is your enemy or whom you do not like, do you rejoice? Or does it make you sad to see your enemy suffer?

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things [1 Cor. 13:7].

Love bears all things. "Bears" has the thought of protection. Love puts up an umbrella for others.

Love "believeth all things." That does not mean that love is foolishly credulous. It does mean that love does not regard people with suspicion.

Love "hopeth all things." Oh, the optimism of love!

It "endureth all things." Love remains strong through testing.

We learn from all this that love is an abstract noun, but it is not to remain abstract. It is to be translated into life and action. It is to express itself in action through patience, through kindness, without envy, without boastfulness.

Love never fails. That is why at the end of the chapter it says, "Now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." Love abides. It is permanent.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote a poem entitled "I Loved Once," in which she writes, "They never loved who dreamed that they loved once," and "Love looks beyond the bounds of time and space, Love takes eternity in its embrace." Love is deathless. It is never defeated, never disillusioned, never disappointed. Love that is a passion burns like a straw stack and is soon consumed. That is the reason there are so many divorces today. It was not the kind of love that holds two hearts together. Love is eternal. It is permanent. God’s love is that kind of love. How wonderful that is! His love looks beyond the bounds of time and space and takes eternity in its embrace. Christ never ceased loving. You can’t do anything to keep Him from loving. No sinner has committed an unpardonable sin. You may be in the state of unbelief, but He still loves you. You may have committed ever so great a sin, but He still loves you. You cannot keep Him from loving you. You can put up an umbrella to keep yourself out of the rain, but you cannot stop the rain from falling. Neither can you stop God from loving you—regardless of the umbrella of sin or unbelief that you are under.

It is so wrong to tell children that God won’t love them. I used to be in a Sunday school class of little fellows. They were a bunch of mean brats—I was the only good boy in the class! The teacher would say to us, "God won’t love you boys if you keep acting that way." I used to think, God surely can’t love me very much. But He did in spite of my meanness. How wonderful it is to know that God loves us!

Prophecies shall fail—that is, they will be fulfilled. They will then be history, not prophecy. Tongues are going to stop. Knowledge will vanish away. For example, the science that I learned in college is already out of date. The science of today will be replaced by the science of tomorrow. Knowledge is progressive. It vanishes away.

For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away [1 Cor. 13:9–10].

Paul says this:

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known [1 Cor. 13:11–12].

A great many people ask, "Will I know my loved ones in heaven?" You surely will. What is the scriptural proof? "Now we see through a glass, darkly." You have never seen me. It is possible you may think you have seen me, but what you saw was a suit of clothes with a head and two hands sticking out of it. You didn’t really see me. And I have never really seen you because we just see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face. Now I know only in part, but then I shall know even as also I am known. Someone asked G. Campbell Morgan, "Do you think we will know our loved ones in heaven?" Dr. Morgan in his truly British manner answered, "I do not expect to be a bigger fool in heaven than I am here, and I know my loved ones here."

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity [1 Cor. 13:13].

The object of our faith will be fulfilled. All our hopes will be realized. There will be nothing left to hope for; so hope will disappear. There will be no need for faith. However, love is going to abide. The greatest of these is love. Faith, hope, and love are the high words of the Christian vocabulary.

In this chapter Paul is not describing an abstract term—love. He is writing a biography of Jesus Christ. Of Him it was written, "… having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end" (John 13:1). The love of Jesus is an eternal love. My friend, Jesus Christ will never cease loving you.