”If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:2New International Version (NIV)
1 Corinthians 13:2 Devotional (Daily Bible Verse)
Without love, I am nothing
In 1 Corinthians 13:2, Paul states that without love, we are nothing. That is, Jesus Christ died and rose again so that you and I might be grafted into the life of God, which is a life of self-giving love.
Therefore, prophetic powers, understanding of mysteries and all knowledge, and mountain-removing faith all matter, they are all good, and they make us something. But we need the love of God and neighbor in our hearts from the risen Christ through the Spirit for these things to make us something complete. Otherwise, we are actually nothing, without love.
Worth measurement
Remember, the one standard that the world uses to measure worth is how much money you make/have. Therefore, according to this measurement, the more money you make, the more important you are.
But this is obviously a skewed system. It places a higher value on monied personalities like sportsmen than on teachers, social workers, or parents.
Another way people try to measure their value in life is according to their status. Status is simply how people rank you compared to other people.
Consequently, a medical doctor by education and training has status. The leader of a political outfit by popularity has status. Celebrities too have status.
Therefore, status is often connected to money but not always. Sometimes a person’s value is measured according to a person’s productivity, education, talents, the impact for good on others, and others.
Love
But in verses 1-3, Paul introduces a different measure – the measure of love. Love is the true measure of all that we say, all that we have, and all that we do. Without love, even our best accomplishments are nothing in God’s eyes.
In verse 2, Paul takes this concept and applies it to a person’s gifts. It is very clear that the Corinthian church was enamored with spiritual gifts. God had blessed them with many gifts.
Chapter twelve lists wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, helping others, and administration as the gifts that God had endowed them with. And we find other gifts listed in other parts of Scripture.
Now there’s nothing wrong with spiritual gifts. They are God’s idea. And they are essential for building each other up and functioning as the church of Jesus Christ.
When used properly, spiritual gifts do exactly that. Therefore, spiritual gifts are good in themselves. The problem is not with spiritual gifts but with the misuse of spiritual gifts, the misunderstanding of spiritual gifts, and with an improper emphasis on some gifts to the exclusion of others.
Spiritual maturity
The Corinthians made a grave mistake when it came to spiritual gifts. It is a mistake that people still make today. They made the mistake of confusing spiritual gifts with spiritual maturity. And unfortunately, the two do not always go together.
Therefore, you cannot measure your spiritual maturity by the extent of your gifts. Spiritual gifts are not a sign of spiritual maturity but of God’s grace.
That’s why Paul says, you can prophesy, you can have great knowledge and great faith, and still, be nothing. Because spiritual maturity is not measured by your gifts, but by your love (1 Corinthians 13:2).
The gifts are important, and they are essential to the body of Christ, but love is the ultimate measure of your maturity in Christ. In fact, everything is nothing without love.
Prayer/Blessing
Father in Heaven, I pray that you would give me love. Your love in Christ Jesus, your love that your Holy Spirit brings to habit our hearts.
I pray that by your Holy Spirit, you would teach me to love Christ, to look to Him in faith, to depend upon Him and not my giftings but Him alone for affirmation. May You do all of this for Christ’s glory and for my good.
This is my prayer in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading
2 Chronicles 1-3 (see How to Read the Bible in One Year or How to Read the Bible (for Beginners))
