Read the full chapter of 1 Corinthians 13

The underlying principle pulsing through everything that God grants His children is love. Love supersedes all, and love is never selfish. The gifts of God are therefore also not granted for selfish purposes, but are granted to benefit others. Of course, benefiting others is a doubled-edged sword, because if we seek to benefit others, we will be filled ourselves also. This principle of love will lead to humility:

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil (1 Corinthians 13:1-5 NKJV).

To summarize the principles in 1 Corinthians, we can thus say this:

1. Worship is not mindless (1 Corinthians 12:1-3).

2. There is the principle of usefulness to the whole body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:7).


3. There is unity amidst diversity (1 Corinthians 12:10).

4. God distributes gifts (1 Corinthians 12:11).

5. There is equality and co-dependence (1 Corinthians 12:12-23).

6. The principle of selfless love applies to all gifts (1 Corinthians 13).

We must always remember that the gifts are given for God’s work. His power gives us the ability to spread the Gospel (Romans 1:16). In this context, we can now understand Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 14 that deal with speaking in tongues, which we discuss in the next article

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