A Love Modification

1 Corinthians 13 is often called the “love chapter,” but it was not originally written for weddings. It was written to a church falling apart. The Corinthian congregation was marked by division, unchecked sin, lawsuits against one another, and competition over spiritual gifts. Into that fractured community, Paul introduced what he called a “more excellent way.”

The image of the body in chapter 12 reminds believers that no one is more or less saved, more or less filled with the Spirit. Every member belongs. Every member is needed. Competition has no place in the body of Christ.

Chapter 13 then shifts the focus to love — something that can grow and mature. Love is not sentimental language or spiritual performance. Words without love are noise. Ministry without love is empty. Even sacrifice without love gains nothing.

The chapter becomes intensely practical. Love reshapes speech. It challenges habits and attitudes. It confronts impatience, resentment, and arrogance in relationships. It asks difficult questions about how believers treat one another, especially when tensions arise.

Finally, Paul lifts the church’s eyes toward what endures. Spiritual gifts, knowledge, and even cherished structures are temporary. Faith, hope, and love remain — and the greatest of these is love.

The call is not to add more activity to already full lives. It is a call to examine what is already being done and allow it to be modified by ever increasing love. That is the more excellent way.