Commentary - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Bird's-eye view

In this celebrated passage, the Apostle Paul provides us with a detailed anatomy of true Christian love, or agape. This is not a sentimental detour from his argument about spiritual gifts but is rather the very heart of it. The Corinthian church was gifted, flashy, and carnal. They were chasing after the most spectacular manifestations of the Spirit, but in their pride and factionalism, they were missing the whole point. Paul places this chapter in the middle of his discussion on gifts to show them that love is the "more excellent way." Love is the stage upon which all the gifts must be performed, the standard by which they are measured, and the motive that must animate them. Without love, spiritual power is just noise, knowledge is just arrogance, and sacrifice is just self-aggrandizement.

In these four verses, Paul gives us a series of fifteen verbs that describe what love does and does not do. This is intensely practical. This is not an abstract definition of a feeling but a concrete description of a way of life. It is a portrait of Christ, for He is the perfect embodiment of this love. It is also, therefore, a portrait of the mature Christian who is being conformed to His image. This passage serves as a diagnostic tool for our own hearts and a blueprint for sanctification. It shows us what we are to aim for, and in so doing, it drives us back to the cross, where we see this love most clearly demonstrated and where we find the grace to practice it ourselves.

Outline

Context In 1 Corinthians

First Corinthians 13 is strategically placed between chapter 12, which discusses the diversity of spiritual gifts in the body of Christ, and chapter 14, which gives practical instructions for the orderly use of those gifts, particularly prophecy and tongues, in corporate worship. The Corinthians were enamored with the more spectacular gifts and were exercising them in a disorderly and prideful way, creating division and chaos. Paul interrupts his line of argument to insert this magnificent ode to love. His point is that the entire discussion of gifts is meaningless apart from love. Love is the governing principle. You can have all the gifts in the world, but if you do not have love, you are spiritually bankrupt. This chapter is the theological and ethical center of gravity for the entire section. It corrects their childish pursuit of status and redirects them to the pursuit of maturity, which is measured not by spiritual power but by Christ-like love.

Key Issues

The Grammar of the Gospel

It is crucial that we read this chapter not as an impossible list of commands designed to crush us, but as a description of the fruit of the Spirit. This is not a ladder we climb to get to God; it is a portrait of the life God works in us once He has saved us by grace. This kind of love is not something we can gin up through sheer willpower. It is supernatural. The fruit of the Spirit is love (Gal. 5:22). This love is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5). So, this passage functions in two ways. First, it shows us our sin. As we read this list, we should be driven to our knees in repentance, saying, "Lord, I do not love this way. Have mercy on me." Second, it shows us our Savior. Jesus Christ is the only one who has ever loved perfectly like this. He is patient and kind, He is not jealous or arrogant. He endured all things for the joy set before Him. This passage describes Him. The good news is that when we are united to Christ by faith, His righteous life is imputed to us. And not only that, the Holy Spirit begins the work of conforming us to that same image. God gives what He commands. He commands us to love like this, and then He gives us the Holy Spirit to produce this very love in us.

Verse by Verse Commentary

4a Love is patient, love is kind,

Paul begins with two foundational positive characteristics. First, love is patient. The Greek word is makrothumeo, which means to be "long-tempered." It is the opposite of being quick to anger. This is a characteristic of God Himself, who is long-suffering with sinners (Rom. 2:4). This kind of patience is not passive resignation; it is the active restraint of a strength that could retaliate but chooses not to. It endures injury and insult without lashing out. Second, love is kind. This is not just a matter of being nice. The word suggests a practical, active goodness. It looks for ways to be useful and to serve. Patience endures the negative, while kindness initiates the positive. The two are the foundational pillars of love in action. One bears with the faults of others, and the other actively seeks their good. This is the character of God toward us in the gospel.

4b is not jealous, does not brag, is not puffed up;

Now Paul turns to a series of negatives, describing what love is not. Love is not jealous or envious. It does not resent the success, gifts, or blessings of others. Because the Corinthians were deeply envious of one another's spiritual gifts, this strikes right at the heart of their problem. Envy cannot celebrate when another is honored. Love, because it seeks the good of the other, can. Love also does not brag. It is not a windbag. It does not parade its own accomplishments. Closely related to this, love is not puffed up. This word means to be arrogant or inflated with pride. Bragging is the outward speech of pride; being puffed up is the inward disposition. Love has a humble assessment of itself. It is not obsessed with its own importance. These three sins, jealousy, boasting, and arrogance, were running rampant in Corinth, and Paul identifies them as the antithesis of love.

5a it does not act unbecomingly, does not seek its own,

Love does not act unbecomingly. This means it is not rude or ill-mannered. It has a certain decorum. It does not behave in a way that brings shame. In the context of Corinthian worship, which was chaotic and disorderly, this was a sharp rebuke. Love is not a boor. It is considerate. Then, Paul gives one of the central descriptions: love does not seek its own. This is the very definition of selfishness. The natural human heart is curved in on itself. Our default setting is to ask, "What's in it for me?" Love reverses this. It is oriented toward the other. This is the heart of the gospel. Christ did not seek His own, but left the glory of heaven for a cross (Phil. 2:4-8). A loveless church is a collection of self-seeking individuals; a loving church is a community of self-giving servants.

5b is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered;

Love is not provoked. The word means to be easily angered or irritable. Love is not touchy or thin-skinned. It has a high boiling point. It is not flying off the handle at every slight, real or imagined. This flows from patience. Then, Paul adds that love does not take into account a wrong suffered. This is an accounting term. It means love does not keep a ledger of grievances. It doesn't write down every offense in a little black book to be brought up later. It forgives. It lets things go. This is, again, a reflection of God's love for us in Christ. He does not count our trespasses against us (2 Cor. 5:19). To refuse to forgive, to nurse a grudge, is to act as if the gospel is not true for you, or at least not for the person who wronged you.

6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;

This is a crucial clarifier. The love Paul is describing is not a sentimental, squishy tolerance of sin. Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness. It takes no pleasure when someone falls into sin, even an enemy. It does not gossip about moral failures. It does not have a secret glee when a brother stumbles. Its loyalty is not to a person over and against God's standards. Rather, love rejoices with the truth. Love and truth are inseparable allies, not competitors. Love delights when the truth is spoken, when righteousness prevails, and when people walk in accordance with God's Word. A love that compromises truth is not biblical love at all; it is treason. A truth that is not spoken in love is not biblical truth-telling; it is just brutality.

7 it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Paul concludes this section with four sweeping positive statements. Love bears all things. This can mean either "to cover" or "to bear up under." It likely carries both senses. Love protects others from exposure and shame, and it has a great capacity to bear up under pressure and hardship without collapsing. Love believes all things. This does not mean love is gullible or naive. It is not a command to be a fool. In the context of personal relationships, it means love is not cynical or suspicious. It chooses to believe the best about another person until proven otherwise. It gives the benefit of the doubt. Love hopes all things. Even when things look bleak, love does not give up on a person. It hopes for their repentance, their growth, their restoration. It is anchored in the future and the power of God to change people. Finally, love endures all things. This is a military term for holding a position under attack. It is a stubborn perseverance. It hangs in there for the long haul. It does not quit when the relationship becomes difficult. These four qualities show the rugged, resilient, and robust nature of true Christian love.

Application

This passage should function like a spiritual MRI for our souls. As we read through this list, we are confronted with the massive gap between God's standard of love and our pathetic performance of it. The proper response is not to despair, nor is it to try harder in our own strength. The proper response is to repent and believe the gospel all over again.

First, we must confess our lovelessness. We are impatient. We are unkind. We are riddled with envy, pride, and selfishness. We keep meticulous records of wrongs. We must own this and bring it to the cross. Second, we must look to Christ. He is the perfect embodiment of this love. He endured the cross, despising the shame, for the joy of winning us. His entire life was a demonstration of this chapter. His righteousness is our only hope. Third, we must depend on the Holy Spirit. This kind of love is a fruit of the Spirit. We must ask God to work this in us, to mortify our selfishness and to cultivate this supernatural love in our hearts. This means we must be intentional. In our marriages, in our parenting, in our church life, in our dealings with our neighbors, we must consciously aim to put on this love. When we fail, and we will, we get up, confess it, receive grace, and get back to the task of learning to love as we have been loved.