1 Corinthians 13:4

F.B. Meyer's 'Through the Bible' Commentary - 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

the One Essential for All 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 With what wonder his amanuensis must have looked up, as the Apostle broke into this exquisite sonnet on love! His radiant spirit had caught a glimpse of the living Savior. Jesus sits for His portrait in these glowing sentences, and of Him every clause is true. Substitute His name for love throughout the chapter, and say whether it is not an exact likeness. With Paul love stands for that strong, sustained, and holy subordination of self for... read more

G. Campbell Morgan

G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible - 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

The apostle dealt with love, its values (verses 1Co 13:1-3 ), its virtues (verses 1Co 13:4-7 ), and its victory (verses 1Co 13:8-13 ). The values of love are discovered in the fact that, apart from it, all the best things are worthless. Its virtues are shown with force and beauty. Every sentence is simple and sublime, and the whole contains a perfect analysis of love. Passing from this description of the virtues of love, the apostle now showed how it is supreme because of its victory. The... read more

Robert Neighbour

Wells of Living Water Commentary - 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

The More Excellent Way 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 INTRODUCTORY WORDS 1. The love of God. The great love of God verse is John 3:16 . Another great love verse is Romans 5:8 . The whole Bible is, however, one story of love. The love of God to man. is inseparable from the story of salvation. To be sure, the Bible displays the wrath of God toward them who reject His love, and walk in unrighteousness. However, the love of God in grace, found a way to save even the believing sinner from wrath. The love... read more

James Nisbet

James Nisbet's Church Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

CHRISTIAN LOVE‘Charity suffereth long … endureth all things.’ 1 Corinthians 13:4-Judges : It is indeed the occasion of astonishment that in the face of this chapter theology should ever have imagined that there was antagonism between St. Paul and the other sacred writer who teaches that ‘faith is dead apart from works.’In the early verses, 1–3, the Apostle contrasts love with various other attributes which combine to form character. And then in these he proceeds to analyse the quality itself... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Spiritual Gifts For The Well-being of Christ and His Body (12:1-14:33). Paul now begins his reply to their question about spiritual gifts ('concerning spiritual things') and immediately gives an initial warning that such gifts can easily be perverted by the subtlety of evil spiritual forces. It is in the nature of spiritual gifts that they will be imitated and distorted by such evil forces with ill intent, for they are ever out to deceive, and will seek to mimic spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

How True Love Is Revealed (13:4-8a). This definition of love covers all angles. Because it portrays the essentials of love looking from our point of view, it gives us a totally rounded view of what true love is. It thus covers what God's love to us is like. It covers in depth precisely what Jesus' love was like. It covers what our response to Him should be like. It covers how we should behave towards those we love, and especially to our fellow believers. And finally it covers what our... read more

Arthur Peake

Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

1 Corinthians 13. All Gifts and Sacrifices are Worthless without Love, which is Supreme and Incomparable.— The chapter falls into three divisions: ( a) superlative gifts and costliest surrenders are valueless in the absence of love ( 1 Corinthians 13:1-Leviticus :); ( b) description of love’ s manifold excellences ( 1 Corinthians 13:4-Judges :); ( c) love is imperishable ( 1 Corinthians 13:8-1 Chronicles :). It is linked to chs. 12 and 14 by the mention in 1 Corinthians 13:1 f., 1... read more

Matthew Poole

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible - 1 Corinthians 13:4

Lest the Corinthians should say to the apostle: What is this love you discourse of? Or how shall we know if we have it? The apostle here gives thirteen notes of a charitable person. Charity suffereth long: by love or charity he either meaneth a charitable person, a soul possessed of that love, which he had been commending; or if we take the term plainly, to signify the habit itself, the meaning is, it is a habit or power in the soul, enabling and inclining it to do these things: to suffer long,... read more

Joseph Exell

Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary - 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

CRITICAL NOTES1. These need be very few; the language of the chapter is of the simplest, the thought inexhaustibly full. 2. Note, Paul, not John, writes this chapter on Love. 3. The “I” is not so much personal, as the ideal of a Christian life personified. 4. Connect closely with, begin reading at, 1 Corinthians 12:31. Also, go on from 1 Corinthians 13:13 to 1 Corinthians 14:1. Thus, then, the whole scheme of thought is: “Desire earnestly the greater gifts. Yet I show you something still... read more

William Nicoll

Sermon Bible Commentary - 1 Corinthians 13:4-5

1 Corinthians 13:4-5 I. "Love envieth not." Envy is the shadow of jealousy, apes its form and mimics its movements, but is constructed out of more airy material and clothed in darker garb. The jealous man grudges another advantages which he claims for his own; the envious man, advantages which he never dreams of as his own. Jealousy would do harm for self's sake; envy, for mere harm's sake. So the jealousy is the more selfish and human; envy, the more abandoned and diabolical. Christian love... read more

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