5.3: Paul’s Discourse on Love
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Paul’s Discourse on Love (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)
The following is from the section of the New Testament known as the Epistles, which is simply a fancy word for “letter”. It is written by a man named Paul, who was the most successful Christian missionary of the first century CE. Paul’s original name was Saul, and he was a Jewish man who hated and persecuted Christians after Jesus’ death when the new religion began. However, when he was about 30 years old (around 33-36CE) he had a vision of Jesus Christ that convinced him to join the Christian religion spread it to others around the Mediterranean. Saul changed his name to Paul to symbolize that he was a new person after converting to Christianity. Paul evangelized and set up many church communities all around Israel/Palestine and beyond. He traveled often and so would write letters to the various church communities he established when he was away from them. These letters usually follow a similar pattern: Paul starts by sending greetings and well wishes to everyone, and sometimes specific individuals. Then he either answers questions that they must have sent to him in a letter or responds to accusations of incorrect teachings or practices. So a major purpose of the letters is instructional – Paul has heard that there is some sort of issue in the church community – this could be disagreements among the members or teachings/practices that are not orthodox in Paul’s view. Paul uses the letter to correct the community and give them instructions on how they should treat each other and who Jesus is and what his death means.
Paul also gives general instructions to the church communities, which is what the following passage is doing. This passage was written to a church community in Corinth and is instructing the church members on how they should treat each other and how important it is that the congregation display love towards each other. It then ends by reminding the Corinthians that we cannot know everything about God and Jesus in this life because we are mere humans. Therefore, love is always more important than knowledge and Christians should strive to love perfectly, not know anything perfectly.
The Gift of Love
If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don't have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don't have love, I am nothing.
If I dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don't have love, it profits me nothing.
Love is patient and is kind; love doesn't envy. Love doesn't brag, is not proud,
doesn't behave itself inappropriately, doesn't seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil;
doesn't rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will be done away with. Where there are various languages, they will cease. Where there is knowledge, it will be done away with.
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part;
but when that which is complete has come, then that which is partial will be done away with.
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things.
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, even as I was also fully known.
But now faith, hope, and love remain--these three. The greatest of these is love.
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