Benny Nalkara, CMI

1 Cor 13 is one of the mostly celebrated passages of the entire New Testament. Paul the letter writer and theologian adopted and adapted this already existing hymn to prove his point that agape is the greatest of all virtues and Charisms in Christian community by inserting it into the long discussion on gifts in the Christian life (12:1-14:40). In the early Christian communities, the dispute over the superiority of different charisms was very strong and sometime detrimental to the unity and wellbeing of the churches. 1 Cor 12-14 presents such a case. Paul addresses the Church of Corinth, who was more captivated by the spectacular manifestations of spiritual life: speaking in tongues, trading in words of knowledge, engaging in prophecy etc. This letter’s purpose was to bring them back to the fundamentals, so he insists on the superiority of love. By presenting love (agape) as the greatest of all virtues and as the most excellent one among all the charisms, Paul wanted to underscore that love of Christ is the source and means of Christian life.

In fact, 1 Cor 12:31 stands as an introduction to the hymn we find in chapter 13. “But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.” And as a continuation of this, we have the hymn of love. In 13:1-13 Paul analyses the charism of agape. 13:1-3 presents that all charisms without agape is useless; verses 13:4-7 narrate the different and unique qualities of agape; and in the final part, 13:8-13 the virtue agape is presented as having its excellence over all other virtues and charisms.

This hymn starts by making it clear that without love, no gifts are worth a thing. Since the Corinthians gave utmost importance to the glossolalia, the gift of tongue, the author starts with the question of talking in the language of humans and of angels. Without love ‘I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal’ (13:1). This gives the impression of someone loudly pushing themselves forward, but having no good influence. This may be an allusion to the show-off devotional practices or ecstatic style of worship of the gentiles. Even willingly going to a martyr’s death is worth nothing without love. Perhaps what Paul is saying is that heroic actions without love are meaningless. That love is not about heroic acts, grand demonstrations, big gifts. Instead, love is about practicing common courtesies and kindnesses with everyone.

What follows is the attributes of love as other-centeredness. And as the passage progress it is clear that love is not self-seeking (‘envious, boastful, arrogant or rude’ (13:4-5), but look to the good of others and attentive to the needs of others (‘patient, kind and doesn’t seek its own way’ (13:4-5). Christian maturity is best demonstrated by an increase in love. Thus agapeic love is based on other-centeredness. 13:4-7, tell us what love is or what love is not. Though they are given in the form of nouns what they represent is the action-packed praxis of love. Love is patient- doesn’t get angry, merciful- shows compassionate love, doesn’t show jealousy, doesn’t do any self-praise, doesn’t take pride. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Greater than all the gifts of the Spirit, love is the better way (1Cor 12:31) and the greatest of all virtues (13:13). All the other virtues in life are worth nothing if not carried out in a spirit of love. Love of others is so vital in the Christian life that it encompasses and almost eclipses all other virtues.

Agapeic love is not a cold, dutiful love. It is practical and committed. According to Paul, everything that one does should be an expression of love – “Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Cor 16:14). He regards love as the summing up and essence of the Torah- the one great debt Christians owe to one another. It is a matter of bearing one another’s burdens, caring for the weak and building one another up in faith. Love always practical and personal shown in the acts of kindness, in patience and generosity. Christian faith is not a means for self- development, self-fulfilment or self-promotion. Real love therefore involves self-denial, sacrifice and inclusiveness.

This hymn is to be read not merely as a spiritual passage for reflection or for meditative reading. One should not be stopped by the marvel and beauty of the narrative of love. This passage or hymn is to be read in the context of the unhealthy approaches toward the charisms and gifts in the Christian life and create a wrong notion of spirituality. It should be read as a key to understand the reality of “faith working through love” (Gal 5:6). Paul tells us that love is more of a practiced art, a daily habit needing to be grown in us, a way in which we need to be trained together. It is the practice of learning compromise and cooperation and reconciliation.