1 CORINTHIANS 13: 1-13

THE MEN’S GROUP BIBLICAL EQUIPPING – July 7, 2004

1
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a
noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2And if I have prophetic powers, and
understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to
remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give away all I
have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain
nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; 5 it is not
arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or
resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. 7 Love
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8
Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues,
they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9For our knowledge is
imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; 10but when the perfect comes, the
imperfect will pass away. 11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I
thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave
up childish ways. 12For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.
Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully
understood. 13So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of
these is love.

Background
Writer: Paul, who helped found the church in Corinth on his second missional tour of
duty. The city of Corinth, a bustling port city, was known as a hotbed of
immorality. The church of Corinth was populated mostly by gentiles unfamiliar
with the Old Testament.
Date: About 55 AD.
What’s Going On: The strong church of Corinth was going through growing pains, and
needed direction from Paul as to how to deal with warring factions within the
church. Questions about church community, idol worship, the role of women,
divorce, the Lord’s supper, and the validity of Jesus’ resurrection were asked
of Paul, and 1 and 2 Corinthians are his responses, which serve as a
blueprint for church communities to this day.
St. Matthews Emmaus Groups
Facilitator’s Biblical Equipping:

1 CORINTHIANS 13:1-13
THE MEN’S GROUP BIBLICAL EQUIPPING – July 7, 2004

Explore:
1. What are some of the qualities of love? Define it.
2. Why is love more enduring than prophecy, tongue, knowledge,
faith?
3. What does verse 12 mean?

Connect
1. How can we incorporate love, as it is described here, into our lives
more?
2. What is your reaction to verse 10?
3. Is this just a nice poem (heard at countless weddings – maybe
even your own), or are these words to live by? Do you belive
them?

Prepare
Everyone writes down how they plan to apply the concepts discussed here to
their daily life in the ensuing week. We will discuss how that went during
Check In next week.