And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. – 1 Corinthians 13: 13

We’ve been on love for quite a while and the prophet Micah might ask us: “What is the conclusion of the matter?” To this Paul would reply: “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

It is strange, that while Paul makes other lists of gifts and fruit, he never ranks them or identifies one as greater than the others. In 1 Corinthians 12, he simply lists the gifts of the spirit actually implying that they are all equal. Then, in Galatians 5, he rattles off the fruit of the Spirit as if they are all equally produced from the same tree. Yet, here, he clearly singles out love as the greatest of these.

What did love do to deserve such a distinction?

Love is the foundation beneath them all. When asked to name the greatest commandment, Jesus said: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22: 37-40) Notice that love figures into the top two greatest commandments.

Love is the motivation behind them all. Each of the fruit of the Spirit is motivated by love. Joy is the by product of love. Peace is only made because of love. Long suffering is endured because of love. Kindness is the tender expression of love. Goodness is the behavior of love. Faithfulness is the hallmark of love. Gentleness is the soft side of love. Self-control is the restraint of love.

Love is the achievement beyond them all. Love may be first on the list and most fundamental in life. However, it is also the most difficult to attain and maintain. That’s why it is the greatest. It is the hardest to do consistently, sincerely and well.