Bullet Point Bible - 1 Corinthians 13

The Necessity of Love Over Gifts

¹ If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.² And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.³ If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast, but do not have love, I receive no benefit.

This chapter, often called the "love chapter," is situated within Paul's discussion of spiritual gifts (chapters 12-14), providing the crucial context for their proper use.
Paul uses hyperbole (speaking angelic tongues, knowing all mysteries, faith to move mountains, extreme sacrifice) to emphasize love's absolute necessity.
The Greek word for love used here is *agape*, signifying selfless, sacrificial, God-like love, distinct from mere affection (*philia*) or romantic love (*eros*).
Without *agape* love, even the most impressive spiritual manifestations (like tongues, valued highly in Corinth) are merely disruptive noise ("noisy gong," "clanging cymbal").
Possessing profound spiritual insight (prophecy, knowledge of mysteries) or miracle-working faith is rendered personally valueless ("I am nothing") without love as the foundation.
Extreme acts of charity or self-sacrifice, if motivated by pride ("in order to boast") rather than love, yield no spiritual profit ("I receive no benefit"). Some manuscripts read "that I may be burned," suggesting even martyrdom is empty without love.
This section serves as a corrective to the Corinthian church's overemphasis on spectacular gifts and potential pride associated with them.
Love is established not merely as a desirable quality but as the indispensable element that gives meaning and value to all Christian expression and service.
The ultimate measure of spiritual worth is not the giftedness displayed but the love motivating it.

The Defining Characteristics of Love

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up.⁵ It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful.⁶ It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth.⁷ It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Paul personifies *agape* love, describing its character through a series of 15 verbs (in Greek), outlining what love does and does not do.
"Patient" (*makrothumei*) implies long-suffering, especially towards difficult people, slow to anger or seek retaliation.
"Kind" (*chrēsteuetai*) denotes active goodness, gentleness, and helpfulness in behavior towards others.
Love actively opposes common human failings: envy, boasting, pride ("puffed up" - a recurring issue in Corinth, cf. 1 Cor 4:6, 18; 5:2; 8:1).
"Not rude" (*ouk aschēmonei*) means it doesn't act unbecomingly, indecently, or dishonorably.
"Not self-serving" (*ou zētei ta heautēs*) directly counters the self-seeking attitude Paul addresses elsewhere (1 Cor 10:24, 33). Love prioritizes others' welfare.
"Not easily angered" (*ou paroxunetai*) indicates it is not quickly provoked or irritable. "Not resentful" (*ou logizetai to kakon*) literally means "does not keep a record of wrongs."
Love aligns itself ethically: it finds no joy in wrongdoing but celebrates and aligns with truth.
The fourfold repetition in verse 7 emphasizes love's resilience: "bears all things" (protects, covers), "believes all things" (trusts, gives the benefit of the doubt), "hopes all things" (maintains positive expectation), "endures all things" (perseveres through hardship without giving up). This doesn't imply gullibility but a persistent positive orientation.
These characteristics provide a practical checklist for evaluating the presence and quality of love in relationships and community life, directly applicable to the conflicts within the Corinthian church.

The Enduring Nature and Supremacy of Love

⁸ Love never ends. But if there are prophecies, they will be set aside; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be set aside.⁹ For we know in part, and we prophesy in part,¹⁰ but when what is perfect comes, the partial will be set aside.¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. But when I became an adult, I set aside childish ways.¹² For now we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known.¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Love's permanence ("never ends" or "never fails") is contrasted with the temporary nature of spiritual gifts like prophecy, tongues, and special knowledge.
These gifts, while valuable for the present church age, are described as "partial" and destined to become obsolete ("be set aside," "cease").
"What is perfect" (*to teleion*) refers to the future state of completion and maturity, associated with Christ's return and the believer's full communion with God.
The arrival of the "perfect" renders the partial gifts unnecessary, like scaffolding removed once a building is complete.
Paul uses the analogy of maturing from childhood to adulthood to illustrate the transition from the current limited spiritual understanding and experience to future fullness.
The "mirror indirectly" (or "dimly") refers to ancient polished metal mirrors that gave imperfect reflections, symbolizing our current limited perception of God and spiritual reality.
"Face to face" signifies the direct, unmediated, and complete knowledge and relationship with God that believers will experience in the future glory.
Our future knowing ("know fully") is compared to how God already knows us ("just as I have been fully known"), emphasizing intimacy and completeness.
Faith, hope, and love are identified as the three foundational Christian virtues that endure throughout the present age.
Love is declared the "greatest" because faith will give way to sight, and hope will be fulfilled, but love reflects God's eternal nature (1 John 4:8, 16) and is the very essence of the eternal relationship with God and others. It is both the means and the goal.

The Bullet Point Bible

1 Corinthians 13