1 Corinthians 13:3, commentary and pictures

The word rendered charity means sanctified, heaven-born, Christlike love for God and for others. The verse names the two extremes of outward sacrifice — giving away all goods to feed the poor and surrendering the body to suffering and death — and declares that without such love they bring no spiritual profit and commend no one to God. The worth of a deed is measured by the love and motive of the heart with which it is done, not by its size or outward impressiveness, so that even a small act done from pure love is accepted and rewarded. Genuine love is a pure, holy principle from God that suffers long and is kind, seeks not its own, bears and endures all things, and forbids judging motives, surmising evil, and harsh criticism of brethren. Without love to God and to brethren there is no true discipleship or power to help, however great the liberality, courage, eloquence, or talent, and this love must be cultivated daily by crucifying self and surrendering to Christ until it brings harmony and blessing to others.

Words and Context

The word rendered charity means love, namely sanctified, heaven-born, Christlike love for God and for fellow people. That love must be cherished by children of God, for without love to God and love for brethren there is no grace of God. Even the highest profession is not worth a straw and brings no credit when the heart is not filled with that love, and one so destitute is not a disciple of Christ.

The verse names two extremes of outward sacrifice, bestowing all one's goods or possessions to feed the poor and giving the body to be burned. Giving the body to be burned is surrendering to suffering, death and martyrdom, even facing death by fire or dying as a martyr. Such generosity extended to feeding the poor, and such surrender to suffering and death, are presented as the utmost that outward sacrifice can reach.

The verse belongs to a chapter that defines true, Christlike love, expressing the obedience of those who love God and keep His commandments as shown in the life of every true believer. Together with 1 Corinthians 12 it pictures with the body and its members the relation church members should sustain to one another, teaching them to practice love and showing that professing godliness or claiming the truth while failing to live by it is inconsistent. It is instruction to be believed and obeyed, committed to memory, written in mind and heart, studied and digested and lived daily rather than ignored, so that those brought together in church capacity will be united understandingly and intelligently, walk humbly with God in obedience, surrender self to God, put away hostility and petty differences, and grow in steady faith and Christlike affection instead of separating into factions.

Love is greater than liberality and courage, and more excellent than them. Acts of generosity and self-sacrifice do not take the place of love and cannot replace it, and even knowledge of truth including its hidden mysteries cannot replace love and charity.

Sacrifice Without Love

Even bestowing all goods to feed the poor brings no spiritual profit when love is absent, and surrendering the body to be burned, to death and martyrdom, gains nothing and has no value to the giver. Such outward generosity and extreme self-denial, when done from another motive than genuine, sanctified, heaven-born, Christlike love for God and for fellow people, does not commend a person to God. Love is the real test, and without it even great faith or miraculous power cannot make anyone a true disciple.

The same want makes nothing of speaking with the tongues of men and of angels, which becomes as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal, and of having the gift of prophecy, understanding all mysteries and all knowledge, and having all faith so as to remove mountains. Talk, Pharisaism, self-praise, eloquence, knowledge of truth, and even the choicest talents and ability alone profit nothing, can never take the place of love, win souls, or make a successful missionary. Without charity the person is nothing, and outward deeds without love are as empty as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal, with love shown instead in daily humility, patience, forgiveness, sympathy, and help for others.

The worth of a deed is not measured by its size, amount, outward impressiveness, or how people regard it, but by the love with which it is done. Even a small, humble act done from pure love is fruitful before God, because God values how much love a person puts into the work more than the amount accomplished. Such love shown through works is genuine, gives the act value in heaven, and is accepted and rewarded by God, and it comes from God and flourishes only where Christ reigns.

Sacrifice without genuine love may instead reveal misguided zeal, ambition, and selfishness. Bestowing all possessions to feed the poor from some other motive than genuine love does not commend the giver to the favor of God, and even meeting a martyr's death in zeal, if destitute of the gold of love, leaves a person regarded by God as a deluded enthusiast or an ambitious hypocrite. Without love to God and love for brethren there is no grace of God, and however high the profession it is not worth a straw and brings no credit, with lack of tender forgiveness, brotherly kindness, and forbearance proving the need of true conversion and the inner work of the Spirit. Even large acts such as setting men up in business, giving money to found hospitals, relieving widows, and housing the poor will be pleaded in vain when motives were defiled by selfishness and self was brought prominently to view, for occasional benevolence does not satisfy God and the deed is not acceptable and profits nothing.

Nature of Genuine Love

Genuine love is patient and kind, does not envy or boast, is not proud or rude or discourteous, does not seek its own way or its own good, is not easily provoked, keeps no account of evil and does not dwell on it, does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in truth, and bears, believes, hopes and endures all things, and never fails. It is shown in its fruits as longsuffering, kindness, freedom from envy, pride, unseemliness, selfishness, provocation, evil thinking and rejoicing in iniquity, with rejoicing in truth, bearing, believing, hoping and enduring all things. God's workers, those who minister in Christ's stead, those connected with His institutions and those in responsible positions are to be united in bonds of sympathy and kindness, ever showing tender compassion and the sympathy of Jesus for those needing help and those out of the way, putting away every selfish consideration, having compassion on those committing sins of ignorance, cultivating patience, brotherly kindness and forbearance, being subdued, converted and sanctified by obedience to the truth, and seeking to restore instead of hurting, condemning, oppressing, injuring and bruising those who should be treated with Christian love and tenderness. The spirit that leads to oppression and to being unfeeling, without compassion or tenderness, is an offense to God and comes from Satan.

Charity is sanctified, heaven-born, true Christlike love that gives value to every other qualification and deed, so that even extreme generosity and surrender of the body to death accomplish nothing for the giver when it is absent. It is a pure, holy principle that distinguishes Christians from worldlings, purifies the life, flows from a renewed heart to others, bears, believes and hopes all things and endures all things, and without this spirit no one can be like Christ. It is truth in the heart working by love, reaching out to be helpful, tender, kind and noble to all within the sphere of influence, a noble and unselfish life purified from all covetous practices after the example Christ showed in coming to the world. Wherever there is union with Christ there is love, and love must be the abiding principle of character and work, necessarily producing love to the brethren shown in desiring them to be more holy and righteous and in earnest endeavor to develop Christian character in them through unselfish zeal, self-denial, and right words spoken in love and kindness, in the work of uplifting, ennobling and elevating others. Good impulses alone are a deception when they come from mere impulse uncontrolled by reason and principle, and the worth of an act depends not on its size but on the love behind it, so that even a small, humble deed done from pure love is fruitful because God values how much love a person gives, and such love comes from God and can flourish only where Christ reigns.

Charity forbids putting the worst construction on words and actions, judging motives, looking out for slights, feeling wounded, magnifying little things, forgetting the good, surmising evil, impatience, unforgiveness, cherishing bitter envying and strife, crediting hearsay, criticizing brethren, and manifesting a harsh, denunciatory, unkind and severe spirit in judgment toward opposers or brethren. To claim to believe the truth while the spirit, words and deportment are of this kind is to lie against the truth and deny Christ and represent Satan, even when it appears as zeal for truth or superior wisdom and discernment. Such a spirit is not the wisdom from above but is earthly, sensual and devilish, the fruit of unsanctified ambition, partiality and hypocrisy, bringing confusion and every evil work. The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy, and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by peacemakers; love, patience and long forbearance belong to the principles of truth, and truth is ever pure in its operations, ever kind, breathing a heavenly fragrance unmingled with selfishness. Fitness to teach is shown by spirit and action in meekness of wisdom, learning facts from the accused, speaking with mild and circumspect language, manifesting kind forgiving courtesy, piety, equity, purity, tender compassion without partiality, readiness to forgive and to seek peace with brethren, and representing Christ and the spirit desired from the heavenly Father, for Christ knows the spirit cherished and the thoughts of the heart, and by words and deeds all will be judged in the last great day.

Such love seeks the good of others without selfish concern for reward, imitates Christ's sacrifice for sinners, and shows love for God, for faith or outward sacrifice alone is worthless if it lacks the love for others that was in Jesus and shown in His life. It turns means away from useless ornaments and frivolous gratification to relieve the poorly clad, the destitute, the hungry, the naked, the oppressed and the outcast, and that loving ministry heals chronic maladies of the spiritual life and reaches the physical and mental powers, bringing light as the morning, speedy health, righteousness going before, the glory of the Lord as rereward, continual guidance, satisfaction in drought, and life like a watered garden. True love regards one's neighbor as a member of God's family, whereas giving money to the poor or contributing to public funds does not fulfill duty when love is lacking and can leave self supreme. It requires as much Christianity to live the divine life as to die in the divine life.

Motive and Acceptance

Moral worth is weighed by the motive of the heart as well as by words and actions, for God looks at the heart. Bible religion is not reliance on forms and ceremonies nor merely the performance of virtuous acts, but a principle in the soul, the living principle of love for God and for man. Virtuous acts are its natural fruits, yet it is the spirit in which acts are performed rather than the performance that counts with God, so that giving all goods to feed the poor and even suffering death profits nothing and is a failure without love. Repentance and belief are required, the daily life must bring no discredit upon holy faith, and when the burden is carried with faith and the best is done, Christ looks at the spirit and His perfect holiness atones for shortcomings as righteousness.

Liberality is a duty never to be neglected, but offerings to God can never atone for defects of Christian character. Giving money to the poor or contributing to public funds does not fulfill duty when love is lacking, and such giving can leave self supreme, whereas true love regards the neighbor as a member of God's family. Occasional good deeds and fitful moments of benevolence do not satisfy God's requirements, and even large acts such as setting young men up in business, giving money to found hospitals, relieving widows, and taking the poor into the home will be pleaded in vain in the day of judgment when motives were defiled by selfishness. When self was brought prominently to view the deed is not acceptable in the Lord's sight and profits nothing. To be accepted as followers of Christ there must be true charity, shown in suffering long, kindness, freedom from envy, pride, unseemliness, selfishness, provocation and evil thinking, with no rejoicing in iniquity but rejoicing in truth, bearing, believing, hoping and enduring all things, because charity never fails.

Without living faith in Christ as personal Saviour, with devotion and consecration to Christ, genuine love, actual service and reality of experience, there is no power to help, no connection with heaven and no savor of Christ in the life. Unless the Holy Spirit can use the person as an agent to communicate the truth as it is in Jesus to a skeptical world for the blessing and uplifting of mankind, even giving all goods to the poor and giving the body to be burned is as salt that has lost its savor and is entirely worthless, testifying by lack of the grace of Christ that the truth claimed has no sanctifying power and making of no effect the word of God. Without this love the Spirit cannot work with those who claim to be God's servants, including responsible men in publishing institutions, who must have humility as learners in the school of Christ so the softening, subduing power of God can come into their lives. Without charity, claims to be Christian are vain, for giving away all goods or surrendering the body to suffering has no profit without the essential love Christians must show one another. Actions speak louder with Christ than words, so loud talk and assertions of large things, and loud noise and shouting destitute of the love of Christ, profit nothing and only conceal want of true spiritual power as mere assumption without the signature of the divine, while sanctifying truth is simple, expressed in simple language with heavenly grace from genuine simplicity and bearing fruit of genuine heavenly origin, as Christ's own work in most natural simplicity meeting people where they were distinguishes the real from the false. All religious manifestations that do not proceed from heartfelt piety are utterly powerless for good, so Christian faith must be strong, zeal consistent, prayer fervent, and faithful warning against all wrong constant, because each Christian is responsible for the salvation of other souls to be taught in the home and in the church, while religion that shines out in good works emits a clear, sure, safe light.

Love is the real test of discipleship and of Christian life, so that even extreme generosity or self-sacrifice has no spiritual profit without it. Without love to God and love for brethren there is no grace of God, no matter how high the profession, and one whose heart is not filled with that love is not a disciple of Christ, with profession not worth a straw and bringing no credit. Bestowing all goods to feed the poor from some other motive than genuine love does not commend the giver to God's favor and profits nothing, and even giving everything to the poor and suffering death by fire profits nothing without charity, which must be cherished by God's children. Even meeting a martyr's death in zeal, if destitute of the gold of love, leaves a person regarded by God as a deluded enthusiast or an ambitious hypocrite. Lack of love, tender forgiveness, brotherly kindness and forbearance, with the presence of suspicion, jealousy, censuring and blame, proves the need of true conversion and the inner work of the Spirit in the soul, shown in humility, a kind conciliating spirit, continual courtesy, goodwill toward all men, and crediting brethren with conscientiousness. It is better not to live than to go through life without the love Christ enjoins.

Love in Daily Ministry

Brotherhood depends on Christlike, unselfish love, and without that love nothing can be done toward fulfilling God's purpose for humanity, for all effort without love is without avail. Giving away all possessions to feed the poor or suffering martyrdom profits nothing without love. With this love God's children bring order and harmony to the world and proclaim peace and goodwill toward men.

Charity must be cultivated fervently among believers, believed, obeyed, and brought into daily experience as strong love for Christ and for one another. This requires crucifying self and surrendering self to God so that steady belief in the broad, comprehensive truth takes possession of the life and genuine love for Christ and for others can grow. That love uproots from the heart all enmity and petty differences and transforms indifference and coldness into Christlike affection, with a stronger love for one another and a growing interest in one another. So lived, charity brings sunlight into life to bless others as well as self, with peace, healthful thoughts, and steady purpose in the good fight of faith, sustained by periods of rest and quietness of mind so as not to fail nor be discouraged.

The verse starts self-examination for the continual humbling of self, taking self critically in hand. Its very first step is denying self and taking up his own cross of self-denial and self-humiliation and self-sacrifice, not laying his cross on someone else to carry. It should have more weight with believers who are being tried and tested and who seek to be shut in with the Lord of heaven so that the wicked one may have no power over them.

When believers come together for counsel they must reveal to one another the same unceasing tenderness the Lord shows to them. This means speaking good words to help and strengthen brethren instead of standing afar off to criticize and condemn, not standing apart in self-confidence, but uniting in service as genuine Christians true to faith and duty who jealously guard one another's interests even though mistakes are made.

Even the most earnest and zealous labor of ministers and of those who claim to be servants of God, including responsible men in publishing institutions, is not accepted by God and cannot do good to the church if faith, hope, and love are inactive in the soul. They must have humility as learners in the school of Christ so the softening, subduing power of God can come into their lives, for without this love the Spirit cannot work with them. Love is the golden chain that binds believing hearts to one another and to God, while lack of love, compassion, and pitying tenderness leaves ministers cold, heartless, and unsuccessful in preaching present truth. The purest and most elevated devotion is shown in earnest desire and effort to win souls to Christ, dealing justly, loving mercy, walking humbly, nourishing and protecting the sheep like a faithful shepherd, helping brethren where they are weak with pity and tenderness and weeping over the erring and backslidden instead of burdening them with censure, because every soul is of infinite value measured by the price paid to ransom it on Calvary. Those who live to serve self soon grow weary in Christ's service because they want the glory for themselves, whereas in Christ's service all the glory is to be given to God, with self forgotten in the effort to save souls, for a life lived without leaving waymarks of love and compassion is worse than a failure. God's workers in whatever line of service must bring the goodness and benevolence and love of Christ into their efforts, for God will not work with a harsh, stubborn, loveless man, because such a man spoils the pattern Christ desires His workers to reveal to the world.

Talk, Pharisaism, self-praise, eloquence, knowledge of truth, and even the choicest talents and ability alone profit nothing, can never take the place of love, win souls to Christ, or make anyone a successful missionary. Even the greatest generosity and willingness to suffer bring no spiritual profit when charity is absent. Genuine charity is not selfish affection or mere activity but pure, sanctified love such as was expressed in Christ's life-work, love for God and for those for whom Christ died, which purifies the soul, turns the heart from self, and leads believers to serve and carry the gospel to others. It must be manifested, cherished and cultivated by God's workers, and when mingled with eloquence, knowledge and rare talents makes those endowments precious and does a work that can scarcely be comprehended, spreading like sacred perfume filling the whole house. Wherever there is union with Christ there is love as the abiding principle of character and work, and whatever other qualifications a person possesses, without love they profit nothing. Love to Jesus necessarily produces love to the brethren, shown in desiring them to be more holy and righteous, in earnest endeavor to develop Christian character in them through unselfish zeal, self-denial, and right words spoken in love and kindness, and in the work of uplifting, ennobling, and elevating others.

Bestowing all goods to feed the poor and giving the body to be burned profit nothing without charity, just as speaking with the tongues of men and of angels without charity is become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal, and having the gift of prophecy and understanding all mysteries and all knowledge and having all faith so that mountains could be removed without charity is nothing. Charity suffers long and is kind, envies not, vaunts not itself, is not puffed up, does not behave unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil, rejoices not in iniquity but rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Even remarkable abilities and commendable deeds cannot make up for lack of Christlike love, as in spreading accusations and weakening others' confidence in fellow believers. God's workers, those who minister in Christ's stead, those connected with His institutions, and those in responsible positions are to be united in the bonds of sympathy and kindness, ever manifesting tender compassion and the sympathy of Jesus for those who need help and those who are out of the way, putting far from them every selfish consideration, being faithful stewards having compassion on those committing sins of ignorance, cultivating patience, brotherly kindness and forbearance, being subdued, converted and sanctified by obedience to the truth, and seeking to restore instead of hurting, condemning, oppressing, injuring and bruising those who should be treated with Christian love and tenderness. The spirit that leads to acts of oppression and to being unfeeling, without compassion or tenderness, is an offense to God and comes from Satan.

All gifts are of no value unless controlled by a softened, subduing spirit of love, as shown by 1 Corinthians 13:1-3. That love has to a large extent dropped out of the heart. Love for self is not essential, but love for brethren is essential for daily happiness in this life and in the life to come. Christian love bears its fruit in loving what God loves because God loves it, and Christian religion requires Christian practice because it is a revelation of the love of God.