1 Corinthians 12-14 contains the most extensive teaching in Scripture about miraculous spiritual gifts Christians had prior to the completion of God’s written Word. Among the carnal views the Corinthian brethren had of these miraculous gifts was an exaltation of the gifts themselves above the attitude of love with which the gifts were to be exercised.
This provides the setting for the beloved chapter, 1 Corinthians 13. The chapter shows that walking in love is more important than how many gifts one had, or how “impressive” one’s gifts were.
One of the ways this point is shown is by comparing the duration of the age of miraculous gifts to that of love. Verse 10 of the chapter says, “when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away.” Verses 8-9 show that “that which is in part” refers to miraculous gifts, like prophesying, speaking in tongues, and miraculous knowledge. These gifts would no longer be needed when the written Word (“that which is perfect”) was completed. Thus, these gifts would be “done away” with. On the other hand, verse 13 says, “faith, hope, and love remain – these three.” The Holy Spirit through Paul foretold of a time that miraculous gifts would no longer be possessed by Christians, but faith, hope, and love would be.
This time has been realized for many centuries now, and thus we can perhaps appreciate 1 Corinthians 13:13 in a way that would have been difficult for the Corinthian brethren. None of us can speak in tongues, miraculously heal people, etc., but faith, hope, and love continue to be of utmost importance.
Faith, for instance, continues to be the foundation of the faithful Christian’s life, as it was in the first century.
As the apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “for we walk by faith, not by sight.” The Christian sees by faith what cannot be literally seen with the eyes. This “spiritual sight” comes from the Word of God, which produces faith in the hearts of sincere hearers (John 20:29-31; Rom. 10:17).
Hope continues to be the anchor of the faithful Christian’s soul, as it was in the first century. As the writer said in Hebrews 6:19, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and entering into that which is within the veil;” The faithful Christian lays up “treasures in heaven” (Matt. 6:20) and has assurance, by faith (Heb. 11:1), that God will grant to the righteous exactly what He has promised.
Love continues to be the proper motivation for the faithful Christian’s obedience, as it was in the first century.
As the Holy Spirit through John said, “this is loving God, that we keep His commandments” (1 John 5:3). The first seven verses of 1 Corinthians 13 show how love for others is at the root of treating others rightly (also see Rom. 13:9-10).
While miraculous spiritual gifts had an important purpose, the Holy Spirit through Paul made clear that their role should not be made into something more than it was. At the same time, faith, hope, and love should not be under-valued, but appreciated and pursued, as they are at the core of the Christian’s life, both then and now.
– Michael Hickox