I Corinthians 13

• I Corinthians 12-14 governs the use of spiritual gifts.
• I Corinthians 13:1-3
  • What are the tongues of angels? We don’t know, but we know angels could easily speak to men and be understood. This is likely hyperbole anyway – the emphasis here is speaking in love.
  • No matter what extreme thing we may do in order to serve God, if we do it without love, it is nothing.
• I Corinthians 13:4-8
  • See I Corinthians 14:26-33. This seems to give us an idea of what behavior Paul is correcting here.
  • “is not jealous” – See I Corinthians 3:2-4.
  • “does not seek its own” – See I Corinthians 8:13.
  • “is not provoked” – Love does not go around with a chip on its shoulder.
  • “believes all things” – Love tries to believe the best about a person until it’s no longer possible.
• I Corinthians 13:8-13
  • I Corinthians 13:9 – The partial here is knowledge of the will of God. When that knowledge was available in its completed form (I Corinthians 13:10), the spiritual gifts would be taken away, like scaffolding on a building that was no longer under construction.