13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ² And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1–3

“Love” in this chapter is agape love. Agape love is a sacrificial, unconditional, selfless love. One of the Greek definitions is “the highest form of love.” This is a divine love that comes from God—a love we cannot accomplish on our own. 

The church of Corinth had become fractured. They were a diverse congregation of Jews and Gentiles, which led to divisions over faith, spiritual gifts, what was considered clean and unclean, idol worship and what was morally acceptable. Paul’s letters responded to what he heard about the Corinthians and how far they had strayed from their faith, their love for God and their love for others. Broken people can lead to broken churches without a proper foundation—a foundation built on loving God and loving others. 

Love is not merely a feeling. It is a choice, an action and a decision we make. We can choose to love someone, even if we don’t like them. But if our choices, actions and decisions are always driven by our own pleasure and gain, then we have nothing, we are nothing and we gain nothing in the eyes of our heavenly Father. 

When spiritual gifts become greedy, prideful and selfish, they lose their meaning. God is not glorified when we are self-centered, self-seeking, self-gratifying or pursuing our own interests. If our spiritual gifts do not lead to reverence for God and an outpouring of genuine love for others, they are meaningless.  

Paul addresses the very issues the Corinthians struggled with: tongues, prophecy, knowledge and understanding and giving. Their desires were driving them—power and success within the church. But if we measure our worth by the gifts we receive rather than the Giver of those gifts, they amount to nothing. 

Paul delivers three powerful principles in these three verses:

1. Our gifts require love. Without love, our gifts are just noise. No amount of talent or gifting can substitute for loving others. Love is the driving force through which we receive the gifts of the Spirit from the Father. Without God’s love, we have no true gifts—only self-made versions that may look good on the outside but have no value within. Our words are nothing without the love of the Father and love for others.
2. Power without love is meaningless. Verse 2 refers to prophecy or knowing beyond human ability—divine knowledge versus human knowledge. This kind of wisdom only comes from God. Paul says, “I am nothing” if I do not first love. Without love, I am powerless and ineffective. If I fuel my gifts with selfishness and pride instead of love, my lust for power can destroy both myself and others. 
3. Sacrifice without love is worthless. In verse 3 Paul gets serious talking about sacrificing everything—even our own bodies. He uses martyrdom as the ultimate example of sacrifice. There is no greater sacrifice than that. Yet Paul is trying to drive this point home. He says even if I give all of that, if I do not love, “I gain nothing.”

We can give and give and still be self-centered. We can sacrifice so much without actually loving the people we are being generous to. Many people give for recognition. Others give out of obligation or guilt. Both are empty. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” And Acts 20:35 reminds us, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Giving in order to receive something back is not sacrificial giving. It is not driven by a love for God, but by love for self. 

How can love be received if isn’t truly given? It is impossible to show love without sacrifice, and it is impossible to receive love without someone giving it. Love is serving others. Love is thinking of others as greater than ourselves. Love is a kind word. Love is going last instead of expecting to be first. And to do all of those things, we must have faith in the One who first showed us how to love—by sacrificing everything for us. Because of Jesus Christ, the ultimate act of love, we have received the gift of eternal life and the agape love of the Father. Love always requires action.

James 2:14–16 (NLT) says:

¹⁴ What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? ¹⁵ Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, ¹⁶ and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

Faith produces love. Love produces action. Faith and love go hand in hand. One cannot exist without the other. Faith without love is not faith. 

As you spend time with the Lord today, think about these questions:

• Do my words matter—or are they just meaningless noise because I am not speaking from love? 
• Do I display biblical knowledge and spiritual gifts because for recognition or do I study the Word and use my gifts because I love people so deeply that I long for them to know Christ?
• Do I care more about my own comfort or the needs of others? 
• Do I care about what people think of my generosity or about the heart and salvation of those I give to? 

Jesus, You have shown us the most sacrificial and perfect love there is. I pray for faith so strong that our love overflows into every aspect of our lives. Give us a tangible, real and unwavering faith, so that we can love as You have loved us. Grant us faith that moves mountains and love that breaks boundaries, restores relationships and heals brokenness. Amen