“Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love — but the greatest of these is love.” (v. 13)

Did you catch that?

In the previous chapter ( 1Cor. 12), the apostle Paul was led to explicate a whole spectrum of spiritual gifts. There was prophecy and wisdom and healing and—yes—speaking in unlearned languages. And he was led to tell the church to desire the greater gifts, meaning the prophetic teaching gifts, which he will get into later. He lays all of this out for the body of many members, so that the many members can see the many ways the Spirit might work through them, for the good of the church and the glory of Christ.

And then he said, at the end of the chapter, “There’s an even better way.”

Which is what we find in 1 Cor. 13. The better way for the church.

Love.

The gifts matter. The church needs them. But they do not matter and are not needed to the extent that love becomes irrelevant. Love is our first, highest, and best calling. And it comprises so much: patience and grace and humility and forgiveness and generosity and compassion. You can long for all the other gifts—and you can every other kind of churchy activity—but love pervades it all.

This is the better way. Imagine if you and your church followed it!

— Tyler