But earnestly desire the best gifts.  And yet I show you a more excellent way.  (13:1)  Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or clanging cymbal.  (2) And though i have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  (3) And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

(4) Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; (5)  does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;  (6) does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;  (7) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

(8) Love never fails.  But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.  (9) For we know in part and we prophesy in part.  (10)  But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

(11)  When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when i became a man, I put away childish things.  (12) For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face.  Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

(13) And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

The Apostle Paul wrote this first letter to the Corinthians as an occasional letter – in response to news that the Church in Corinth was rife with dissension, jealousy and envy.  Paul had written earlier in this letter that the gifts of the Holy Spirit received by the Corinthians were meant to be used for each other and the glory of God. Instead, these gifts were such a source of such contention that the unity of the Church was almost destroyed.  Paul wrote to correct abuses and in in Chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians he addresses the spirit and manner in which the Corinthian Christians must observe to please God.  This chapter on the superiority of love may be the most quoted chapter of Scripture in the New Testament.

Love is permanent in contrast with the gift of prophecy, tongues and knowledge.  These all will cease to exist because they will not be needed.  We will have perfect knowledge and understanding.  Without a “heart” of love we are worth no more to God than the sounds of a brass trumpet or the inharmonious sound of a cymbal.   Prophecy and knowledge and faith all must spring from love for God and man or they are worthless and we are nothing.  The things described by the Apostle Paul are the gifts which were in the highest repute not only to the Jews but also amount the Christians and Gentiles.  Paul says that these gifts, without love, are of no use to the man who has and enjoys them..   He follows with a description of the love God recommends.

Love never fails as it is our bridge to God Who never fails.  It supports all graces and is essential to our religious and social life.  Hope shall be answered;, prophecies shall be rendered useless; tongues unnecessary and human knowledge useless.  We know in part – we know so little of earthly things and even less of heavenly things – how deficient we would be without love.

Our future state of blessedness is as far beyond any perfection we can attain in this life as our initial state of being a child and then reaching  maturity .  In our present state we see only as through a glass darkly.  (In ancient times people would see images of themselves through a reflector made of polished metal – an obscure image.)  But, in the eternal unseen world we will see face to face – and be seen.  We now know only in part but God’s great design has length, breadth and heights that we cannot know or imagine in our present imperfect state.

So, we have faith, hope and charity,  We have faith to keep us walking with God; hope that we can expect future blessedness and endure.  Both of these are necessary and useful but the fulfilling of the law is love.  God is love and by love we resemble Him.  Faith and hope respect ourselves but love takes in God and man.  Love remains through eternity.