If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1–3). If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. Paul wanted to emphasize and remind the Corinthians that everything they did must be accompanied by love.Įarlier in his letter, Paul pointed out the “the most excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:31–13:13), teaching that love is the most valuable of all the gifts of the Spirit: “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. Among other things, He had dealt with divisions and quarreling among members (1 Corinthians 3), lawsuits between believers (1 Corinthians 6:1–8), selfishness at the Lord’s communion table (1 Corinthians 11:17–34), jealousy over spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12-14), and disorderly worship (1 Corinthians 14:26–40). In his command to let all be done with love, it was as if Paul glanced back to consider everything he had addressed in his letter to the Corinthian church. Love requires an unconditional commitment to the loved one. When Paul stated, “Let all that you do be done with love,” he had in mind the goodwill and benevolence that shows itself in self-sacrifice. Love for God and fellow humans is to inspire and govern everything we do. Paul had repeatedly underscored this principle to the Corinthians so that they would always remember to let love be their highest goal (1 Corinthians 14:1). In the closing verses of his first epistle to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul returned to the theme of loving God and loving others as the believer’s ultimate ambition: “Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14, ESV).
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