1 Corinthians 13 - Introduction

All gifts, how excellent soever, are nothing worth without love; the praises thereof, and preference to faith and hope.

Anno Domini 57.

THAT the Corinthians might be persuaded to lay aside their emulations and strifes, and be contented each with his own gifts and office in the church, the Apostle, after discoursing concerning the spiritual men and their gifts, told the brethren, that no doubt they all earnestly desired to possess the best gifts. Yet he would shew them a more excellent way of attaining eminence in the church; namely, by acquiring a greater measure of that love, which ought tosubsist among the members of Christ's body, ch. 1 Corinthians 12:31.—That verse, therefore, being an introduction to the Apostle's beautiful discourse concerning love, contained in the present chapter, it ought to have been placed at the beginning of it.

The more excellent way of attaining eminence in the church being that of love, the Apostle, by personifying this divine virtue, and by ascribing to it the qualities and actions of a person, has set forth its beauties and excellencies in the brightest colours, that the contentious among the Corinthians, by comparing themselves with his description, might be sensible of the deformity of their own temper, as it appeared in their divisions, emulations, and strifes.—His accountof love he began with affirming that it is a quality more excellent than the faculty of speaking all kinds of languages, of foretelling future events, of understanding the mysteries contained in the ancient revelations,andofworkingmiracles;inshort,moreexcellentthan all the endowments which men covet most. The reason is, none of these endowments are of any value, if love be wanting in the persons who possess them, to direct them in the use of them. It is a more excellent virtue, than even the giving of all one's goods to feed the poor; nay, than the giving of one's body to be burned for his religion, if these things are done not from love to God and man, but from vain-glory; or, rather, alms-giving and zeal, without this principle of love, are no virtues at all: for, however beneficial these actions may be to mankind, they will be of no real advantage to the vain-glorious hypocrite himself, 1 Corinthians 13:1.

Farther, still more effectually to display the excellence of this noble grace, the Apostle described its influence upon the temper and conduct of the person who possesses it, 1 Corinthians 13:4.—and by comparing it with the gifts of tongues, of prophesy, and of knowledge, and even with its sister graces, faith and hope, he has shewn it to be more excellent than them all; chiefly because their existence and usefulness take place in the present life only, whereas love will subsist in Heaven, 1 Corinthians 13:8.

In this eulogium, it is observable that all the properties of love mentioned by the Apostle, belong more especially to the love of our neighbour; unless we suppose, with some, that the three properties mentioned, 1 Corinthians 13:7 belong also to the love of God. However, although the whole were confined to the love of our neighbour, it would not follow, that the Apostle has excluded the love of God from his idea of love: on the contrary, all the exercises of love which he has so beautifully described, pre-suppose the love of God as their true principle; for it is well known, that we cannot love man aright, unless we love God also, 1 John 4:20.