This article about love in marriage looks at 1 Corinthians 13:8 and love as a gift from God.

Source: Una Sancta, 1999. 2 pages.

Love Never Fails

As you enter the church building on a couple's wedding day, you are greeted at the door by ushers who kindly offer you a program of the wedding ceremony. Couples often choose a nice program cover from their local Christian bookstore that has a nice picture and a suitable text from Scripture. One of the favourite texts which are quoted is taken from 1 Corinthians 13:8 "Love never fails."

The word "fails" literally means "falls." It often refers to death (cf. Luke 21:28; 1 Corinthians 10:18). So we could also translate this as "Love never dies."

Paul wrote these words to the church in Corinth in order to show them the greater excellence of love which he found lacking in that congregation. The Corinthians were boasting about the great spiritual gifts which they possessed, such as speaking in tongues, words of knowledge and the gift of healing (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:8-10).

Paul did not deny or minimise these gifts, but he wanted to put them in their proper perspective. All those gifts were to be used in love, for the edification of the congregation. But without love, all those gifts were valueless. Love was by far the more excellent gift.

Paul proved the greater excellence of love by pointing out to the Corinthians that love never fails. The other gifts, such as prophecy, tongues and knowledge, will "vanish away." Paul is speaking about the end of the age. He refers to the destruction of this world, which will make way for the new world. Prophecy, tongues and knowledge belong to the present age. They are temporary, transitory. But love belongs both to this age, and to the age to come. Love is eternal.

The greatest gift of the Holy Spirit is the gift of love. Love is even greater than faith or hope (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:13), for faith and hope belong to a sinful world. Faith and hope had no place in paradise, nor will they have any place in paradise restored. But love always has a place. Love was intrinsic to God's work of creation, and love is intrinsic to God's work of re-creation. Love had a place in paradise; it still has a place in this fallen world; and it will have a place in paradise restored. All that God has ever desired and ever will desire from man can be summarised in one word – love – love for God (cf. Deuteronomy 6:5) and love for fellow man (Leviticus 19:18).

Love is eternal, like the eternal God who is love. This is true, not only in the great cosmic sense of world history, but also true in our own personal history. That is, love will not only survive the destruction of this dark world at the end of this age; love will also survive the destructive forces that are at work in our personal lives.

We can apply this truth to the love between God and us. God's love for us will never die, nor will our love for God – in this age or in the age to come. There is nothing in all of creation that can sever the bond of love between God and us. Because of our sinfulness, the expression and communion of our love for God might be suspended at times. But God will not allow us to remain in sin, and to eternally be cut off from His love. He will renew us to repentance, and thereby reactivate the expression and communion of love between Him and us. "Love does not fail." Now Paul is not speaking specifically about the love that exists between God and us. He is speaking about love in general – also about the love between husband and wife. This has our immediate concern. In marriage, "love does not fail." That is quite a statement to make in a society where one out of every three marriages ends in divorce. Don't the statistics prove that love does fail or die?

When Paul speaks of love in this chapter, then clearly he is not talking about the counterfeit love which arises from the corrupt hearts of the natural man. Rather, he speaks about true love – love that is of God – love that the Holy Spirit works in the hearts of all those who are spiritually reborn. This true love that comes from God never fails or dies. Though this love is constantly attacked by demons above us, by a sinful world all around us, and especially by the remnants of the old nature within us, it will not fail. This true love is the work of the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit will not permit His work to come to naught.

Does this mean that it will always be clear sailing for the marriages of the children of God? No. Just as sin can suspend the expression and communion of love between God and us, so also between a husband and a wife. Sometimes this suspension of love is only brief. Many godly couples heed the exhortation of Paul:

Do not let the sun go down on your wrath. Ephesians 4:26

At other times there is stubbornness and hardening of hearts, and the suspension of love is painfully prolonged. But happily Scripture tells us that the children of God will not remain in sin (cf. 1 John 3:9). Those whose hearts have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit will be moved by that same Spirit to repentance and reconciliation.

Through repentance, the expression and communion of love between husband and wife are re-activated. This expression and communion of love may not be perfect, inasmuch as the love between husband and wife is imperfect. Furthermore, the feelings of love may not be immediately restored. If the exercise of love has been suspended for a long time, much time may be required to restore these feelings. But where there is genuine repentance – and there will be for the genuine children of God – there will be a renewed commitment to seek the happiness and well being of the other. In the rich soil of this wholesome attitude, feelings of love are sure to grow again.

"Love never fails." What an encouragement for couples who contemplate marriage in this world where marriage breakdown is so prevalent!

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