I Cor. 13:13 ... "Now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."
When Paul preached the gospel in Corinth and founded a congregation there, he conferred by the laying on of hands the gift of the Holy Spirit to certain brethren. The purpose of these miraculous abilities was to confirm the spoken word as truth from God, (Heb. 2:3-4). Rather than use these wonderful abilities unto this exalted purpose, however, these people abused them by making vain displays of them and by competing with one another in using them. The problem was so serious that the apostle devoted a considerable portion of this epistle (chapters 12-14) to the effort to rectify it. He introduced the subject in 12:1 with the statement, "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant." After warning against the vain use of these gifts as a decisive factor in their fellowship, he said in v.31,"But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way." There is a gift available to all Christians that is "more excellent" than being able to speak in tongues, heal the sick, interpret mysteries, etc. It does not require the laying on of apostolic hands, but only a heart that is good because it has established open communion with God. It is the Gift of Love. Paul devotes the thirteenth chapter to love, comparing it to other valued abilities (1-3), analyzing it (4-7), and emphasizing its eternal nature (6-13).
The Corinthians esteemed the abilities to speak eloquently, understand mysteries, and perform miracles. In reality, however, without love to motivate and guide them, they became vain and useless. Even to give up one's life, if it were not an act of loving loyalty to God, is a waste of life. When light is passed through a prism, it separates it into its basic components: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. When the light of love is passed through the inspired intellect of Paul, it also is separated into its essential parts: patience, kindness, benevolence, humility, courtesy, unselfishness, self-control, pure-mindedness, compassion, resilience, optimism and endurance. The period of supernatural gifts was quickly drawing to an end, because "the perfect" (the full revelation of the gospel, confirmed and recorded in Scripture) was in progress of being completed. In fact, by the end of that century the twenty-seven books of the New Testament had been written and disseminated to the churches. The miraculous powers, so coveted and abused by the Corinthians, were then and forevermore no longer needed.
But love remains! In comparison to all other spiritual qualities and endowments it is far superior. It is greater than faith, which by many is exalted as the most basic element in man's relationship with God. Love is also greater than hope, the "anchor of the soul," (Heb. 6:19), by which "we have been saved," (Rom. 8:24). Faith and hope are indispensable factors in our journey toward God, but they are, after all, designed for the journey itself rather than the destination. Of hope we are told in Rom. 8:24, "But hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he sees?" Hope keeps the Christian moving along the right road toward heaven, but once heaven is seen, the hope is irrelevant. Of faith we read in Heb. 11:1, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." It also relates to the future, blessed state which we cannot now see. When we arrive at God's throne, the end goal of faith will be reached, and faith will no longer be needed. Love, however, will survive the transition from the material to the spiritual world. "God is love," (I Jno. 4:8), and He already inhabits heaven. Those who are allowed to enter in and dwell in His presence will both receive and return pure love.
