1 Corinthians 13:13

Context

This is the final verse of the "Love Chapter" (1 Corinthians 13). In verses 8–12, Paul states that prophecy, tongues, and knowledge are partial and will cease, but that when "that which is perfect is come," believers will see "face to face." Verse 13 concludes this contrast by naming faith, hope, and love as what remains, in distinction from the gifts that cease. Elsewhere in the Pauline epistles these three words also appear together, as in 1 Thessalonians 1:3 and 5:8 and Colossians 1:4–5.

Interpretation

• The reading that all three are eternal: This view takes "abideth" (Greek menei, "remains") to mean that all three endure forever. It holds that even in heaven, faith that trusts in God and hope that looks forward to Him will continue.
• The reading that love alone is eternal: Because faith gives way to sight and hope to fulfillment (Romans 8:24; 2 Corinthians 5:7), this interpretation holds that love alone remains to the end. It reads "now" as meaning "in the present life." This interpretation has been widely known in Western theology since Augustine.
• Why love is the greatest: Two explanations are commonly offered together: that God Himself is love (1 John 4:8), and that faith and hope bear fruit in love (Galatians 5:6).

Questions of Application

In the Catholic Church, faith, hope, and love are called the "theological virtues" (virtues directed toward God) and serve as a framework for catechesis. In Protestantism, a question that requires explanation is how the Reformation principle of "faith alone" can stand alongside this verse's statement that "the greatest of these is charity." The common answer is that faith is the ground of salvation and that this faith works through love.

In the Korean Church

The verse is frequently used in wedding addresses, church slogans, the mottos of churches and Christian schools, and the names of various institutions.

Related Passages

• 1 Thessalonians 1:3
• Galatians 5:6
• 1 John 4:16
• Colossians 3:14