If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 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 have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

(1 Corinthians 13:1-13)

The famous ode to "love" of 1 Corinthians 13 has been honored with a starring role in many a wedding, but this distinction has extracted a tremendous price. Paul’s tribute to agape love has been transformed into an innocuous and syrupy siren song for eros. A passage designed to critique the Corinthians’ journeys has devolved into emotional mush. Let’s spend some time and effort in order to recapture its original import.

The interpretive key to chapter 13 is actually found at the end of the twelfth chapter: "And now I will show you the most excellent way" (12:31b). The term "way" (Gk. odos) has a long history and refers metaphorically to spiritual journeying. Therefore, a proper paraphrase of 12:31b would be: "And now I want to show you the best way to journey." Paul’s demonstration is in contrast to how the Corinthians have actually lived out their journeys; for 12 chapters Paul has critiqued their lack of cooperation and their lack of understanding of Christian journeying.

Jesus used odos in John 14:6 when he referred to himself as the "way" - indicating that the Christian journey is both animated by Jesus and has Jesus as its ultimate goal. Similarly, Paul in 13:1-3 states that love animates our spiritual journeys, and then in 13:8-13 he affirms that love is the goal toward which we journey. Sandwiched in between is a short affirmation that love is manifested as we journey through cooperation (13:4-7).

Love is the basis for spiritual journeying, for without love, there can be no authentic Christian journey experience. As John says, "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love" (1 John 4:8).

Love expresses itself in each phase of the spiritual journey. In phases 1 and 2, God’s love initiates our journey toward God. In love, God creates us, reaches out to us, prepares us through life experiences, forgives us, calls us to journey, and provides the means by which the call may be accepted:

Paul places God’s love in a journey context in Ephesians 1:4-5—"In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will."

In phase 3 of the spiritual journey, the love we have received through Christ from God becomes the basis for our journey progress (13:1). Neither spiritual gifts (13:2) or sacrificial acts (13:3) can make up for a lack of love. If love is not the motivation for our journeys, then they cannot produce eternal results.

If love is the basis for our journeys, how then do we manifest that love in concrete ways? Love’s definition in 13:4-7 provides us with some insights:

1. Love promotes relationships. Our relational ties to other Christians play a decisive role in our ability to faithfully live out our individual journeys. We need the experience, wisdom and guidance of others in order to reach journey goals. Love creates, strengthens and enlivens the links we feel toward others. It encourages unity and reconciliation when we fall short of journey ideals.

2. Love is cooperation. Everything said about love in 13:4-7 applies just as nicely to cooperation. People who are cooperative in phase 3 are, for example, patient, kind, trusting, protective, etc. We express love toward one another in phase 3 not through the sharing of romantic feelings, but by working together in harmony, peace and unselfish regard for one another so that all of our journeys may be accomplished.

Cooperative love expressing itself in and through our journey links is the means by which the "most excellent way" of 12:31b may be experienced. It alone has the power to enable us to "persevere" (13:7) to our journey’s end.

In Christian theology, love is not merely a means—it is also an end or a goal of the spiritual life. In the Classical Spiritual Journey model, union with God in heavenly love represented the third and final stage of the soul’s ascent to God (following earthly death). Similarly, in the Endless Possibilities model, love is the eternal reward for the faithful journeyer in Christ.

This is why love never ceases; it continues into eternity (13:8). Spiritual gifts (such as tongues and prophecy) exist for the sake of phase 3 of our journeys (13:8-9). They further the journey by offering divine assistance in light of our journey needs. But once we reach phase 4 of the journey—represented by the phrase "when perfection comes" (13:10), such gifts are no longer necessary. Love, in contrast, continues to be part of the journey after phase 3 concludes—and, in fact, it grows deeper as phases progress, journeys end, and new journeys begin.

In 13:8-13, Paul specifically reflects on the culmination of all of our earthly journeys and our entry into eternal perfection. In heaven, love as a gift from God leads to:

How do we "follow the way of love" (14:1)? In chapter 13, Paul affirms that love must permeate our spiritual journeys. Love draws us into the Christian life, and manifests itself in various ways in the different phases of our journeys. In phase 1, love is represented by the work of the Spirit in making our heart receptive to Christ’s call. In phase 2, love is manifest in the revelation of Christ’s forgiveness and in the call to journey toward a God-ordained goal. In phase 3, love is actualized as the virtue of cooperation. In phase 4, love becomes a subject of reflection, as we review how God led us through the journey by grace. From such reflection, wisdom is born. In phase 5, love is symbolized by the hope of future journeys. The love of Christ deepens as we progress from one journey to the next.