And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13 NET
How important is love? When Jesus was asked which commandment was the greatest, he responded with love. To love the Lord our God with all our being, and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matt. 22:37-40). In the opening verses of this chapter, Paul described the nature of love. He then told us that, without love, nothing else we might do has any value.
Prophecy, tongues, and knowledge will cease. The Corinthian church highly valued these spiritual gifts. And they are good. But they are temporary. The Holy Spirit gives them as needed and for as long as they are needed. But not love. Love always has value and lasts beyond this finite life and into the future.
Faith, hope, and love remain. You find these three things when you strip the Christian life down to its core. Faith and trust as we walk with our Lord. Hope in the salvation and life that awaits us at the end of our journey of faith. And everything we do, tempered by love for God and those around us.
Love Never Ends
And the greatest of these three is love. When faith becomes sight, and hope is fulfilled, only love will remain. Love never ends.
Given the importance of love, should it not be a priority for me as a believer? The most important thing I can do as a believer is to love God with my whole being and to love those around me. Being spiritually gifted and serving in the church is secondary. Attending worship services, giving money to the church and other causes, reading my Bible, and even sharing my faith are all secondary. As good as all these things are, they have no value without love.
