In the previous chapter Paul has admonished the Corinthians for being competitive about the operation of the grits of the Spirit, not realizing that these gifts are given very specifically to people according as to how he has created us as people with different ‘types’ of temperament and personality. In this way God has in a master minded approach, made us all dependent upon one another, being ‘forced’ into a functional unity. Paul writes that this has been done so that ‘there be no schism in the body’. Now he is about to show them ‘a more excellent way’ of achieving unity, and this more excellent way is of course, love.

He tells them that without love the gifts are useless as they do not put the loving nature of God on display but rather put the reputations and egos of people on display. He gives beautiful and profoundly simple examples of the attitudes of godly love in our day to day treatment of one another. A typical comment is from verse which says, ‘People with love put up with criticisms and misunderstandings to any length. They cover the mistakes of others, and don’t resent other people having more than they do, they don’t have to make a reputation for themselves and are not full of themselves.’

He finishes the chapter by reminding us that one day all these gifts and spiritual enablings will be redundant (verses 9 and 10) -  ‘9. Because in this present age we only comprehend  part of the full scope of truth and revelation, and we prophesy out of that limitation

10. But when the time comes for all the fullness of truth to be revealed then the limited knowledge we have in this life will be done away with.’

Then we will come face to face with the reality of Jesus himself and ‘know as we are known’. 

Paul finishes with the treasure statement of ‘eternal things’ – verse 13. But what we can live in now that will last forever is love and hope and faith, and the most wonderful of these is love.

1 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 13 - CONTEMPORARY ALIGNED VERSION (SPIRITCODE)

SPIRITCODE

1. Even if I speak in the mystical tongues of men and angels and I don’t do it with love I am just making a hollow noise and a clanging sound.

2. If I have the gift of prophecy and deep understanding of God’s Word and spiritual principles, and possess faith great enough to move mountains and don’t have love, I am useless.

3. Even if I give everything I own to feed the poor, and offer my body to be burned, but do this for my own cause and not for love, then it gets me nowhere.

4. People with love put up with criticisms and misunderstandings to any length. They cover the mistakes of others, and don’t resent other people having more than they do, They don’t have to make a reputation for themselves and are not full of themselves.

5. People with love are aware of not offending others by their behavior and don’t push for their own way. They don’t defend their rights, and they think the best of others, not suspecting their motives

6. They are sad to see sin and failure in others but are happy to see them bravely facing the truth about themselves.

7. People who love are willing to carry the problems of others on their own shoulders, believe in the best,  and expect for the best from God for their lives, and are willing to wait patiently for God’s timing

8. Love has faith for the impossible to happen because of God’s goodness. There will come a time when prophecy will be unnecessary, and so will speaking in mystical forms of communication. There will be no need to remember facts and accumulate head knowledge.

9. Because in this present age we only comprehend  part of the full scope of truth and revelation, and we prophesy out of that limitation

10. But when the time comes for all the fullness of truth to be revealed then the limited knowledge we have in this life will be done away with.

When you are a child you speak and think and understand like a child, but when you become an adult you can put away the things of childhood

12. In this life we think we see it all but we don’t yet see what there really is to see. But one day we will see it all clearly, face to face with Jesus who is truth. Now we can only know the limited amount of what we can comprehend about God, but then we shall know everything God wants us to know about him, just as he knows everything about us

13 But what we can live in now that will last forever is love and hope and faith, and the most wonderful of these is love.