Scripture
Love Is the Greatest
1If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;[1] but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
4Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
8Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages[2] and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 9Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! 10But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.
11When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.[3] All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
13Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
Translation notes (3)
- 13:3 Some manuscripts read sacrificed my body to be burned.
- 13:8 Or in tongues.
- 13:12 Greek see face to face.
Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
One of the most incredible attributes of love found in 1 Corinthians 13 is that it "never gives up" (verse 7). In a world where many "give up" on people with whom they disagree or argue, genuine love does not give up. God is the greatest example of this kind of never-giving-up love, who never gives up on us no matter how far we have roamed.
Paul writes about God's never-giving-up love in Romans 8. In this chapter, he tells readers, "And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love" (verse 38). Next, He lists many things that could not stop His love, such as life, death, angels, demons, fears, or worries (verses 38-39). In listing all these things, Paul illustrates that nothing can stop His love. He pursued us when sin and death threatened to overcome us and permanently separate us from Him. His pursuit of our hearts proves that His love never gives up. He did whatever He could to bring us back to Him, even when it cost Him His very life. God's love never gives up.
Maybe it is hard for you to imagine this kind of never-giving-up love because you have been let down by people you loved in your life. Maybe you feel like you do not deserve this kind of love. But, friends, God loves you no matter what you have done and what you will do. He will never give up on you. There is nothing that could make Him love you more or less. He simply loves you. After all, His love for you is deep, wide, and greater than anything else in this world. So, when the world fails you, you can have confidence that He never will. His love will never end.
Moving toward action
The appropriate response to this kind of love from God, that never gives up, is worship. Our worship is a way of showing gratitude for God's love and a way to show our love to Him in response. So plan to worship with us at one of our Easter services this weekend and express your love and gratitude to Him. We can't wait to see you there!
Going Deeper
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (NLT)
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