¹² For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. ¹³ So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:12–13

Verse 12 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. I think it reminds me that we don’t have all the answers—by design. And for some reason, I find that comforting. It’s okay that I don’t know why bad things happen. It’s okay that I don’t always understand God’s plan for my life. It’s okay that I am a broken, wretched, black-hearted sinner constantly in need of a Savior. Why is it okay? Because the day is coming when I will see clearly, I will understand and I will have the answers. That is a promise that no one can take away from me. 

Have you ever looked through an old piece of glass? I went through an antique phase years ago and loved visiting antique stores and auctions. Old doors and windows were my favorites. I don’t know why I loved them so much, but I did. I used them as headboards, picture frames, desks—whatever I could think of! When you look through the pieces of glass in these old doors and windows, you see things differently. Objects appear blurry, distorted and sometimes even discolored.

When Paul wrote this letter, mirrors weren’t made of glass like they are today. They were formed by polishing metal—bronze, copper, silver or tin. Reflections were dim and distorted at best. If you’ve ever seen your reflection in a piece of metal, you can understand why this illustration made sense. 

We will see clearly when Jesus returns because our imperfect sight and knowledge of God will become perfect: “We will know, even as we are fully known” (v. 12). Paul encourages the Corinthians to look to heaven in anticipation of that beautiful day when Jesus returns—instead of placing hope in earthly things, which are fleeting and filled with lies and deception from the Enemy. The promise of hope remains for those who have surrendered to Jesus.

The promise we can cling to from Matthew 5:8 is this: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” We know this promise will be fulfilled when Jesus Christ returns, and all that is dim will become crystal clear. 

This chapter concludes with a profound statement from Paul in verse 13, declaring that love is greater than hope and even faith. How can love be greater than faith? As we saw on day one of this week’s devotionals, love is the only virtue that crosses the boundaries of this world. We won’t need faith anymore when we are face-to-face with our Lord and our Creator. We won’t need hope either, because our hope will be fulfilled. We will no longer be hopeless—we will have the newness of eternal life, completely restored and whole. 

But as we live and breathe on this earth, relying on faith and hope in what’s to come, we must remember that faith, hope and love were designed by God to work together like the ingredients of a cake. Every cake needs the right ingredients for a reason. You need flour, eggs, water, baking powder, sugar, salt, vanilla and other ingredients, depending on the recipe. If you leave out the sugar, the cake won’t be sweet. If you leave out the salt, it will be bland. If you leave out the eggs, it will fall apart.

Faith, hope and love are the same way. Without faith, we cannot love. Without hope, we cannot have faith. Without love, faith is meaningless. These three ingredients form the foundation of our faith. And like a cake, if we leave one out, what’s left will be tasteless and unusable.

As Christ followers, we have faith that Jesus Christ is Who He claims to be—the Savior of the world. We have hope that He will return someday, and for eternity we will dwell in the house of the Lord and finally see clearly the fullness and glory of God. And we have love that transcends this world—love for people and love for God. 

Love is the reason we got a second chance in the Garden of Eden. Love is the reason God gave His only Son to die for our sins so that we could live with Him eternally. Love is the reason He picks us up over and over again when we fall on our faces in fear, doubt and shame. So, of course, love is the greatest of these. It doesn’t say love is the most important of these—they are all important—but love never ends. Love never fails.

May we love others as God has loved us. May we turn from this world and all the shiny objects that distract us and turn us against each other, and love others as Christ loves us. 

I came across a beautiful quote while studying this chapter: 

“What is it that propels the heart of God to save sinners? And the answer to that is love—a love that will not let us go.” 

God help us to remember what propels Your heart for us. And may we love others with a love that never let’s go. Amen