Gifts of the Spirit, which are intended to strengthen the church body, often divide the body because members of the church elevate those who possess the more visible gifts over those whose gifts function in the background. In 1 Cor 12 & 14, Paul gives practical teaching about the gifts of the Spirit, but in 1 Cor 13, he shifts his focus to the central role love plays in a believer’s life. Love is essential for the body to be unified and for members to work together. Members of the body who are very different, with little in common, are able to appreciate the diversity of the body because of the love that comes when a life is submitted to God.

In the 1980s, there was a comic strip which started with the words ‘Love is…’ and gave us insights into different aspects of love.

love is caring for otherslove is like a warm blanketlove is feeling richer than RockefellerPaul gives us a vivid portrait of love in 1 Cor 13:4-8, showing us clearly that love is far more than an emotion or warm, fuzzy feeling; love in action is what counts (see 1 Jn 3:18). No amount of spiritual gifts (speaking in tongues, prophecy, miraculous powers, generous giving or even martyrdom) can compensate for a lack of love (1 Cor 13:1-3), and Paul is unequivocal in placing love at the top of the pyramid (‘And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.’ 1 Cor 13:13) Love must always be focussed outwards and be a reflection of God’s own nature (we could substitute ‘God is…’ or ‘Jesus is…’ before each of the descriptions of love in this passage without changing the meaning at all!) Ultimately, we need to understand the eternal nature of love, because all other things will pass away, but love will remain. Only when we minister in love can we hope to leave a legacy that will stand the test of time.

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