# 1 Corinthians 13 ๐: The Way of Love
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> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#๐ Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#๐ Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#๐ค Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#๐ง Chapter Summary]]
> [[#โ๏ธ Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#๐ Key Observations / ๐ Life Application]]
> [[#๐ฌ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#โ๏ธ Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#๐ Related Passages]]
> [[#๐ Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#๐ Internal Notes]]
## ๐ Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
[[#Overall.]]
#### The Way of Love
**Principle**: Explanation of God's character and how to define love.
[[#Verse 01.]]ย If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.ย
[[#Verse 02.]]ย And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.ย
[[#Verse 03.]]ย If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast,ย but do not have love, I receive no benefit.
[[#Verse 04.]]ย Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up.ย
[[#Verse 05.]]ย It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful.ย
[[#Verse 06.]]ย It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth.ย
[[#Verse 07.]]ย It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
[[#Verse 08.]]ย Love never ends. But if there are prophecies, they will be set aside; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be set aside.ย
[[#Verse 09.]]ย For we know in part, and we prophesy in part,
[[#Verse 10.]]ย but when what is perfectย comes, the partial will be set aside.ย
[[#Verse 11.]]ย When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. But when I became an adult,ย I set aside childish ways.ย
[[#Verse 12.]]ย For now we see in a mirror indirectly,ย but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known.ย
[[#Verse 13.]]ย And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
## ๐ Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
- Paul spends chapter 12 explaining the gifts and chapter 14 explaining how to use them to edify others in a group setting. Chapter 13 explains the fuel for why. It's all about showing the nature of Christ, love.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
## ๐ค Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. The word for love throughout the chapter is *agapฤ*, a word rare in classical Greek but central in the New Testament.
2. Chapter 13 sits between two chapters on spiritual gifts, showing that love is the way every gift must be used.
3. Ancient mirrors were made of polished metal and gave a dim reflection. Corinth was famous for its bronze work.
4. "Noisy gong" and "clanging cymbal" (13:1) were associated with the loud worship of pagan cults.
5. Paul describes love with fifteen verbs in 13:4-7, focusing on what love does rather than how it feels.
6. "Keeps no record of wrongs" uses *logizomai*, an accounting word for keeping a ledger.
7. In 13:3 some early manuscripts read "give my body to be burned" and others read "give my body so that I may boast."
8. "Face to face" (13:12) echoes God speaking with Moses face to face (Numbers 12:8).
9. Though often read at weddings, 1 Corinthians 13 was first written to a divided church.
10. "Love never ends" (13:8) is contrasted with prophecy, tongues, and knowledge, which will pass away.
## ๐ง Chapter Summary
> [!note] ๐ฑ Still growing. This section is on its way.
## โ๏ธ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is love in human form, the One who perfectly lived every line of this chapter (13:4-7). God showed His love by sending His Son (1 John 4:9-10), and one day we will see Him face to face (13:12).
## ๐ Key Observations / ๐ Life Application
> [!note] ๐ฑ Still growing. This section is on its way.
## ๐ฌ Discussion Questions
1. Gifts without love are like a noisy gong (13:1-3). Why does love matter more than ability?
2. Read 13:4-7 and put your name in place of "love." Which line challenges you most?
3. Faith, hope, and love remain, but the greatest is love (13:13). Why do you think love is the greatest?
## โ๏ธ Key Verses to Remember
- ๐ verses 1-3: Without love, even great gifts and sacrifices amount to nothing.
- ๐ verses 4-7: Love is patient and kind, not envious or proud, and it bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things.
- ๐ verse 8: Love never ends.
- ๐ verse 12: Now we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face.
- ๐ verse 13: Faith, hope, and love remain, and the greatest of these is love.
## ๐ Related Passages
- ๐ [[John 13#Verse 34.|John 13:34-35]] - They will know you are My disciples by your love (13:1-3).
- ๐ [[Matthew 07#Verse 22.|Matthew 7:22-23 and 17:20]] - Mighty works without relationship; faith that moves mountains (13:2).
- ๐ [[Matthew 06#Verse 02.|Matthew 6:2]] - Giving to be seen by others (13:3).
- ๐ [[Galatians 05#Verse 22.|Galatians 5:22]] - Love, patience, and kindness as the fruit of the Spirit (13:4).
- ๐ [[Philippians 02#Verse 04.|Philippians 2:4]] - Look to the interests of others (13:5).
- ๐ [[Proverbs 10#Verse 12.|Proverbs 10:12]] - Love covers all offenses (13:7).
- ๐ [[1 Peter 04#Verse 08.|1 Peter 4:8]] - Love covers all offenses (13:7).
- ๐ [[1 John 04#Verse 08.|1 John 4:8, 16]] - God is love (13:8).
- ๐ [[Numbers 12#Verse 08.|Numbers 12:8]] - God speaks with Moses face to face (13:12).
- ๐ [[2 Corinthians 03#Verse 18.|2 Corinthians 3:18]] - We shall see Him as He is (13:12).
- ๐ [[1 John 03#Verse 02.|1 John 3:2]] - We shall see Him as He is (13:12).
- ๐ [[Colossians 01#Verse 04.|Colossians 1:4-5]] - Faith, hope, and love together (13:13).
- ๐ [[1 Thessalonians 01#Verse 03.|1 Thessalonians 1:3]] - Faith, hope, and love together (13:13).
## ๐ Devotional Reflection
๐ SOAP: [[1 Corinthians 13 - SOAP|A Definition of God]]
## ๐ Internal Notes