Love: The Greatest of These
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (Amplified Version)
Love is Patient and Kind
4 **Love endures with patience and serenity; love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous; love does not boast and is not arrogant,
Love Is Not Self-Seeking
5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own interest, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
Love Rejoices in the Truth
6 does not rejoice at injustice, but rejoices with the truth;
Love Bears All Things
7 bears all things [covers all sins], believes all things [has faith in all], hopes all things [endures all], endures all things.
Love Never Fails
8 Love never fails; but whether there are prophecies, they will fade away; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will pass away.
In this passage, Paul highlights the extraordinary nature of love, which is the greatest of the three virtues: faith, hope, and love. Love is not just a feeling, but an action that is characterized by patience, kindness, humility, and selflessness. It rejoices in the truth and bears all things, believing and hoping in the best for others. Ultimately, love never fails, while other gifts may fade away.
