This chapter is one of the most famous passages in the Christian Bible. It is often used in weddings, and it presents a joyous but also a practical vision of love.
The chapter comes near the end of a letter to the church of Corinth, which has been divided we learn from the beginning of the letter by disputes among its leaders. Paul gives his advice and compares the church to a human body, with Christ as its head. The members of the church have different gifts of the Spirit and thus, like the parts of a body, contribute in different ways to the life of the whole. But the lifeblood of the church, Paul says in the 13th chapter of his letter, is love. It is the greatest gift of the Spirit.
Paul appeals to the Corinthians to have greater love for each other, so their church may flourish as the body of Christ in the world. He reminds them that now we "know only in part" and so should be patient and humble in addressing the differences among us.
Grace and peace . . . Bob
