The Love Chapter
Love is patient, love is kind
This passage is sometimes used to pressure people to stay in harmful relationships. Enduring all things does not mean staying when someone hurts you.
Two things you can tap
- A verse number shows the Bible’s exact words.
- An underlined word shows what it means.
Story
What happened?
Tap a verse number, like , to read the Bible’s exact words.
Who’s who and what came beforePeople, places, and the story so far. Open it anytime.
Scene Card
Cast
- Paul: A follower of Jesus who once attacked the church. Jesus met him on the road to Damascus. Paul started the church in Corinth.
- Sosthenes: A fellow believer Paul calls "our brother Sosthenes" (1:1). His name is on the letter with Paul's.
- The church in Corinth: The believers who received this letter. They met in people's homes.
Setting
- Paul wrote from the city of Ephesus (16:8). The letter went across the sea to Corinth, a busy port city in Greece.
When
- About 20 to 25 years after Jesus died and rose. Many scholars date the letter to about AD 53 to 55.
Before the Story
This is a letter, not a story. Paul wrote it to a church he started. He had lived in Corinth for a year and a half (Acts 18:11).
The church was fighting. People were taking sides. Some said, "I follow Paul." Others said, "I follow Apollos" (1:11-12).
They argued about spiritual gifts. These are abilities the Holy Spirit gives, like wisdom, healing, prophecy, or speaking in tongues (12:4-10). The church was eager for spiritual gifts (14:12).
A safety word before you start. This chapter says love "bears all things" (13:7). That never means staying where someone is hurting you. Read the Literal Reader Alert below. It matters.
Map of the Story
| Scene | Verses | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Without love, nothing | 13:1-3 | Great gifts mean nothing without love |
| 2. What love is | 13:4 | Love is patient and kind |
| 3. What love is not | 13:4-7 | Love does not brag or keep score |
| 4. Love never ends | 13:8-10 | Gifts will stop, but love lasts |
| 5. Now we see dimly | 13:11-12 | We see God dimly now, and clearly later |
| 6. Faith, hope, and love | 13:13 | The greatest of these is love |
Plain Retelling
Scene 1 of 6Without Love, Nothing
Ships sailed in and out of Corinth. It was a busy port city in Greece. The church there was young.
Paul was far away in Ephesus. News reached him from Corinth. The church was full of quarrels.
The believers were eager for spiritual gifts. So Paul wrote that every gift comes from the same Spirit (12:4). Then Paul compared the church to a body. No part of a body can say to another part, "I do not need you" (12:21).
Then Paul wrote, "And now I will show you the most excellent way" (12:31).
Paul used himself as the example. He described some "what if" cases. Suppose he could speak every human language, and even the language of angels. Without love, he said, "I am only a ringing gong or a clanging cymbal" (13:1).
This is a comparison. A gong and a cymbal are very loud. But noise alone helps no one.
Suppose he could speak God's messages and understand every mystery. Suppose his faith could move mountains. Without love, "I am nothing" (13:2).
Moving mountains is an exaggeration. It means the strongest faith anyone could have.
Suppose he gave everything he owned to the poor. Suppose he even gave up his own body. Without love, "I gain nothing" (13:3).
Scene 2 of 6What Love Is
Then Paul described love. "Love is patient, love is kind" (13:4).
Patient means not giving up on someone, even when you have to wait. Kind means doing good to them.
The Greek word Paul used for love is agape. Here it means a love that gives. It looks for the other person's good.
In this chapter, love is something you do. It is more than a feeling.
Many couples choose this chapter for their wedding. The chapter fits weddings well. But Paul first wrote it to a whole church. He wrote about how people live together.
Scene 3 of 6What Love Is Not
Next Paul listed what love does not do. Love "does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud" (13:4). Envy is being upset that someone else has something good. To boast is to brag.
Love "is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs" (13:5).
Self-seeking means always putting yourself first. Keeping an account of wrongs means keeping a list of every wrong, to throw back at someone.
"Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth" (13:6).
This list fits the problems Paul named earlier in the letter. Some of the believers had become proud, and they quarreled (4:18, 1:11).
Then Paul said love "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (13:7).
This line means love does not give up on people. It does not mean staying where someone hurts you. Love still rejoices in the truth, as verse 6 says.
Scene 4 of 6Love Never Ends
"Love never fails" (13:8), Paul wrote.
Then he compared love with the gifts the Corinthians prized. Prophecy will stop someday. Speaking in tongues will stop. Knowledge will pass away.
These gifts are good. God gives them. But the gifts are for this life only. Love is different. Love never ends.
Paul gave the reason. "For we know in part and we prophesy in part" (13:9). Even the best gifts show only part of the truth.
Someday what is perfect and complete will come. Then the partial things will not be needed.
Many Christians read this as the day Jesus comes again. Gifts are for now. Love lasts forever.
Scene 5 of 6Now We See Dimly
Paul gave an example from his own life. As a child, he talked, thought, and reasoned like a child. When he grew up, he set childish ways aside.
One likely meaning: our gifts now are like a child's talk. They are good. But they are not the finished thing.
Then Paul gave another comparison. "Now we see but a dim reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face" (13:12).
Mirrors back then were made of polished metal. Paul says what we see in a mirror is a dim reflection. We know God now in a dim way, like that reflection. We see some things, but not clearly. Someday we will see God face to face.
Then Paul wrote, "Then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known" (13:12). God already knows us completely.
Scene 6 of 6Faith, Hope, and Love
Paul ended with three things. "And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love" (13:13).
Faith trusts God. Hope waits for what God has promised.
One likely reason love is the greatest: someday we will see God face to face. Then we will see what we now trust by faith. What we hope for will come true. But love will go on forever.
In the very next line, Paul wrote, "Earnestly pursue love" (14:1). In the same verse, he told them to still desire spiritual gifts.
The Corinthians were eager for spiritual gifts. Paul had promised to show them the most excellent way. Now he had shown them. The most excellent way is love.
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "The tongues of men and of angels" (13:1) | Every kind of language, even heavenly speech. Speaking in tongues is a gift some Christians have (12:10). |
| "A ringing gong or a clanging cymbal" (13:1) | This is a comparison. Loud noise with no love in it helps no one. |
| "Absolute faith so as to move mountains" (13:2) | This is an exaggeration. It means the strongest faith anyone could have. |
| "Love is patient, love is kind" (13:4) | Love does not give up on people, and it does good to them. |
| "It keeps no account of wrongs" (13:5) | Love does not keep a list of wrongs to throw back at someone. It does not mean pretending harm didn't happen. |
| "It bears all things... endures all things" (13:7) | Love does not give up on people. It never means you must stay where someone hurts you. See the alert below. |
| "When the perfect comes" (13:10) | When everything is complete. Many Christians read this as the day Jesus comes again. |
| "A dim reflection as in a mirror" (13:12) | This is a comparison. We know God now, but not clearly. Later we will see God face to face. |
| "Even as I am fully known" (13:12) | God already knows you completely, and God still loves you. |
| "The greatest of these is love" (13:13) | All three remain. Love is the greatest. Many Christians say this is because love will last forever, even after faith becomes sight. |
Back Then
Corinth was a rich, mixed city. The Romans destroyed the old city in 146 BC. About a century later, it was rebuilt as a new city. Romans, Greeks, and Jewish people lived there, and it was known for its wealth. (Easton's Bible Dictionary, "Corinth")
Corinth had two harbors. The city sat on a narrow strip of land between two seas. It had a harbor on each side, Cenchrea in the east and Lechaeum in the west. Paul sailed from Cenchrea (Acts 18:18). (Smith's Bible Dictionary, "Corinth")
Paul arrived about AD 51 or 52. Gallio was the Roman governor then (Acts 18:12). (Easton's Bible Dictionary, "Corinth")
When the letter was written. Paul wrote from Ephesus (16:8). Easton's Bible Dictionary says probably AD 57 ("Corinthians, First Epistle to the"). Many scholars today date it a little earlier, to about AD 53 to 55.
Mirrors were made of metal. They were a mix of metals, mostly copper, polished until they shone. (Smith's Bible Dictionary, "Mirror") Paul still calls what we see in one a "dim reflection" (13:12).
Old Bibles said "charity." The King James Version calls love "charity" in this chapter. The word really means love, and newer versions say love. (Easton's Bible Dictionary, "Charity")
Agape. Greek had several words for love, and their meanings overlapped. Agape is the word Paul uses here. It is not always a special holy word. But Christians came to use it for God's giving love, as in "God is love" (1 John 4:8). (Strong's Concordance)
Literal Reader Alert
Does "love bears all things" mean I have to put up with someone hurting me? No. Paul is teaching a church how to be patient and kind with each other. He is not telling anyone to stay in danger or to keep abuse secret. The same passage says love "takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth" (13:6). Love tells the truth about harm. Getting away from someone who hurts you is not a sin. Telling someone is not a sin. This is true even when the person is family, a husband or wife, a boyfriend or girlfriend, or a church leader. You do not have to forgive first, or feel loving first, before you get safe. If someone is hurting you, tell someone you trust today, like a parent, pastor, teacher, or friend. If you are in danger, call 911 or your local emergency number. In the United States, you can call or text 988 any time. Outside the United States, findahelpline.com lists free helplines. If this story brings up big feelings, talk with a parent, pastor, or trusted adult.
Does "believes all things" mean I should believe everything people tell me? No. Love does not mean believing lies. Love "rejoices in the truth" (13:6). The phrase means love is ready to hope the best about people, without ignoring what is true.
Is Paul saying speaking in tongues is bad? No. Paul wrote, "I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you" (14:18). His point is that any gift, even a great one, is empty without love. Many Pentecostal and charismatic Christians speak in tongues today. Lutherans teach that every baptized believer has the Holy Spirit, with or without this gift. Paul asked, "Do all speak in tongues?" (12:30). The answer Paul expected is no. No Christian is second-class. No one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit (12:3).
Did these gifts stop? Christians disagree about whether some gifts stopped long ago. Paul's main point is clear. Gifts are for now. Love lasts forever.
Is Paul putting down children? No. He uses growing up as a comparison. He is talking about everyone, himself too. Jesus welcomed children and said the kingdom belongs to people like them (Mark 10:14).
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Paul | Caring, like a parent | He wrote "to warn you as my beloved children" (4:14) |
| Some in the church | Proud | Paul wrote, "Some of you have become arrogant" (4:18) |
| The church | Divided | People were taking sides (1:11-12) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
Where are you with love today? Tap one.
I feel unloved
That is a lonely feeling, and it is real. God knows you fully and still loves you (13:12). Jesus is the patient, kind love this chapter describes. Jesus gave himself for you.
I'm not patient
Nobody loves like this all the time. This chapter shows us that. God forgives you in Jesus. The Holy Spirit grows love in you, a little at a time.
Someone is hurting me
"Love bears all things" does not mean you have to take it. Please tell someone you trust today. Getting safe is not a lack of love.
I'm thankful for someone
Thank God for them. Maybe tell them too. Their patience and kindness are gifts from God.
It's really bad right now
Please tell someone you trust today. In the U.S., call or text 988. If you are in danger, call 911 or your local emergency number. Outside the U.S., findahelpline.com lists free helplines.
You Might Have Heard
"1 Corinthians 13 is the wedding chapter. It's about romantic love."
What's true: It is read at many weddings, and it fits them beautifully. Love in a marriage should look like this.
What the passage is mainly about: Paul wrote it to a church that was divided and arguing about spiritual gifts. It is about life together in the church. It is for friends, families, and neighbors too. And it never means staying with someone who hurts you.
Where Jesus is: Jesus fits every line. He was patient and kind. He did not seek his own good. He gave his life for his friends (John 15:13).
Good News
Some people try reading this chapter with their own name in place of love. "Sam is patient. Sam is kind. Sam keeps no account of wrongs." Before long, the sentences are no longer true. Nobody loves like this all the time. This chapter shows us that we do not love this way.
Now put Jesus's name there. "Jesus is patient. Jesus is kind. Jesus bears all things." Jesus's name fits every line.
Jesus's love is not only an example. It is a gift to you. "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). "We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).
In Baptism, God makes you his child. God pours his love into your heart, your inner self, through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). The Spirit grows that love in you, slowly, like fruit (Galatians 5:22).
You are not loved because you love well. You are loved because Jesus is this love, and he gives himself to you.
Big Idea
God loves us with the patient, never-ending love of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit grows that love in us.
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
In The Freedom of a Christian (1520), Luther began with two sentences. A Christian is a free lord of all, subject to no one. A Christian is a servant of all, subject to everyone. At the end he explained how both are true. A Christian lives in Christ through faith, and in his neighbor through love. In plain words: faith receives God's love in Christ, and love passes it on to our neighbor.
In Church
Many churches follow a reading plan called the Revised Common Lectionary. It reads 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 on the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany in Year C, with Jeremiah 1:4-10 and Luke 4:21-30. It is also one of the most often chosen readings at weddings.
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
Love is patient, love is kind.
How did that feel?