By Dr Tamale Ssali
1 Corinthians 13
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul exposed the Corinthians’ lack of love in their use of spiritual gifts. In 1 Corinthians 13, he defines true love, and in chapter 14, he illustrates how love operates in practice. Love is more important than any spiritual gift exercised within the church body, it reflects the ultimate purpose of human existence. It is because of God’s love that the world exists, and he desires to spend eternity with us. We are given the remarkable opportunity to love him in return, and to love others, because we recognise how love transforms everything for the better. Great faith, sacrificial acts of devotion, and even miracle-working power accomplish very little without love. Love makes our actions and gifts meaningful. While spiritual gifts may differ among individuals, everyone is capable of possessing an abundance of love.
Love or lust?
Verses 4–7
Our society often confuses love with lust. Unlike lust, God’s love is directed outward, towards others, rather than inward towards ourselves. It is utterly unselfish. This divine love contradicts our natural tendencies and is impossible to cultivate without God’s help. We must set aside our own desires in order to love without expecting anything in return. This kind of love cannot be manufactured by sheer willpower when we donot feel it. It is a gift we receive through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). While we will never love perfectly, only Jesus can, our capacity to love grows as we become more like Christ.
Not easily angered
Verse 5
Paul writes that love “is not irritable.” At times, we find ourselves irritated or angered by others without understanding why. Not all irritation stems from sinful or selfish motives, though treating others with irritability is undoubtedly wrong. Often, such feelings arise from a desire for perfection, a longing for systems, meetings, and plans to run flawlessly. When that perfection is threatened, frustration may boil over. It is helpful to remember that perfection exists only in God. Our love should be directed toward Him and our fellow believers, not towards our own ideals of flawless execution.
Who God is
Verse 7
Before we trivialise Paul’s words about love by assuming they describe us, we must pause and reflect, they are, first and foremost, a description of God’s character. These are not sentimental or shallow claims. They are powerful and substantial illustrations of how God relates to us with perfect love. Through the Holy Spirit, Paul has given us a breathtaking portrait of divine nature. Only God can form his character within us and teach us to love in this way.
Hope when we fall short
Verses 9–12
What happens when we fall short in loving others? Paul offers us hope:
- For now, our knowledge is partial and incomplete; we are incapable of doing anything perfectly.
- We are still immature in how we love—like children learning to walk. As we draw nearer to Christ, we will grow in our ability to love others.
- Our understanding of love remains unclear. Like looking into a cloudy mirror, we do not yet reflect Jesus perfectly to those around us.
(See also 2 Corinthians 3:16–18 for more on how we are being transformed).
Instruments of love
Verses 10–12
When Paul writes about knowing “fully, even as I am fully known,” he refers to the time when we will see Jesus Christ face to face. God grants believers’ spiritual gifts to use during their lives on earth, to build up, serve, and strengthen one another so that we may better share God’s love with the world. These gifts are given exclusively to believers. In eternity, however, we shall be made perfect and dwell in God’s very presence. Spiritual gifts will no longer be necessary and will cease. In that state, we will have full understanding and will appreciate one another as unique expressions of God’s boundless creativity. With that future in mind, let us begin now to treat each other with the same love and unity we will one day share in eternity.
Greatest of all
Verse 13
Paul concludes by stating that love endures forever. In the morally confused society of Corinth, the concept of love had become distorted and nearly meaningless. Today, many people still misunderstand it. Yet love remains the greatest of all human qualities and is the very essence of God Himself (1 John 4:8). True love expresses itself through unselfish service to others. Faith is the foundation and message of God; hope is the attitude and focus; love is the action. When our faith and hope are rightly aligned, we are free to love fully, having come to understand how deeply God loves us.
Does your faith express itself in loving others?
