1 Corinthians 13:1-13

1 Corinthians 13 reminds us that we are called to love the bride of Christ as Christ loves his bride, the church. The Corinthians were failing to love one another as they used their spiritual gifts. All they cared about was their reputation and how they could scheme to have a more prominent position in the church. Therefore, this chapter serves as a direct rebuke to their selfish use of the spiritual gifts. Paul is teaching us that if we’re going to love the bride of Christ, then the spiritual gifts must be motivated by love for the common good of the church.
But, as with our day, love is a slippery concept. Everyone wants to define it for themselves to meet their agenda; to serve their purposes. We often think of this as a modern problem, but it’s simply a human problem. Therefore, Paul spends this entire chapter helping us understand what biblical love is and why we should be motivated by it as we serve the local church. Paul gives us three truths about love:

• The necessity of love. (1-3)
• The definition of love. (4-7)
• The eternality of love. (8-13)