1 Corinthians 13:3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

But someone will object: how did God say through the angels to Lot, "Save your life" (Gen 19:17)? Tell me, when was this said, and why? It was when punishment threatened, when there was no longer time for correction.

It was when the impious had been condemned and were suffering an incurable disease. The old men and the young had given themselves to the same lusts, and were about to be burned on the day when the lightning bolts were ready to strike them.

Moreover, this was not said about vice and virtue, but concerned a punishment sent down by God. What then, tell me, should he have done? Sit down, accept the punishment, and be burned without any benefit? That would have been utter madness.

I am not saying that one must suffer without cause and in vain, contrary to the will of God. But when a man leads a vicious life, I command you: go to him and correct him.

Do this, if you will, for your neighbor's good. If not, then at least for your own profit. The first is better than the second. Yet if you have not yet reached such a height, do it at least for the second.

Let no one seek his own profit, and then he will find it. Knowing that neither poverty, nor torment, nor anything else can save us if we lack lofty love, let us acquire it before all things.

Through it may we receive the other good things, both present and future. May we all be counted worthy of them by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, and honor, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

For neither he himself nor an angel intended to preach something else. He speaks in this way in many other places as well (Rom 8:39).

Second, one can give without love, namely when it is done not from compassion for those in need, but from a desire to please men.

It is done with love when someone does it out of sympathy and ardent love.

Woe to the man whose charioteer is pride, for he will inevitably fall into the abyss. But who knows how to recognize that it is not pride performing good works? Who can see this? By what can it be understood?

We see the works. Mercy feeds, and pride feeds. Mercy receives the stranger, and pride receives him. Mercy intercedes for the poor, and pride intercedes too. What does this mean? It means that we cannot distinguish them by works.

I dare to say something, though it is not I who speak, but Paul. Love dies. That is, a man who has love confesses the name of Christ and receives martyrdom. But pride also confesses the name of Christ and even receives martyrdom.

One has love, and the other does not have love. The one who lacks love will hear from the Apostle: "If I give away all my goods, and deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing."

Thus divine Scripture calls us to return inward from the display of outward appearance. From that surface which is exhibited before men, it summons us to return within.

Return to your conscience and question it. Do not look at what blossoms on the surface, but at what root is in the ground. Has cupidity taken root in you? Then there may be the appearance of good works, but the works cannot be good.

Has love taken root? Be at peace, for nothing evil will grow from it. The proud man may caress, and love may be severe. One man will clothe another, while another will strike him.

But the former clothes in order to please men, while the latter strikes in order to correct by punishment. The blow of love brings more benefit than the alms of pride.

Therefore return within, brethren, and in everything you do turn to the witness of God. See, since He also sees, with what inward disposition you act.

To deliver one's body to be burned is not a call to destroy oneself, but to accept sufferings when avoiding sufferings would condemn one to sin.

It is natural for one who renounces possessions to do this either to catch glory from men, or because of God's law, or from desire for the Kingdom of Heaven. Yet he may not do it from care for those in need, or from a desire to serve them.

One must also know that the divine Apostle expresses many things by way of hyperbole. By this he gives greater force to the teaching he sets forth. Thus in the Epistle to the Galatians he says, "Even if I, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you beyond what you received, let him be anathema" (Gal 1:8-9).

Although he knew that it is impossible for any angel to teach what is contrary to God's preaching, he used this expression to teach us not to believe everyone who offers some other doctrine, even if he were most worthy of trust.

For the inward man is still clothed with his former passions. Therefore we must hasten with all urgency so that our inward man also casts off and scatters all the wealth of passions gathered in his former life.

These passions cling to body and soul, and are properly our own. If they are not cut off and cast away while we are still in this body, they will not cease to accompany us after our departure.

For just as virtues, or love itself, their source, when acquired in this age, make the one who loves them beautiful and radiant after the end of this life, so vices cover the soul with hateful colors.

Having stained it with them, they send it on into that unending abode. The beauty or ugliness of the soul is born from the quality of virtues or vices.

From them a certain color is drawn out, making it either so radiant and beautiful that it is worthy to hear the prophetic word, "The King will desire your beauty" (Ps 44:11), or exceedingly black, foul-smelling, and misshapen.

Then the soul itself, confessing the stench of its defilement, will say, "My wounds stank and festered because of my foolishness" (Ps 37:6).

Therefore virtues and passions are properly our wealth. They remain inseparably with the soul. No king can give them to us, and no enemy can take them from us.

They are properly our wealth, which even death itself cannot tear away from the soul. To scatter the evil wealth of the passions means to put them to death, and this cannot be attained without warfare against them.

Therefore those who have renounced the world inevitably face a struggle with the passions, which they must undertake from the very beginning.

From this it is clear that those who have various gifts but lack love boast in them entirely in vain. This is true however great the outward significance of the manifestation of these gifts may seem.

For example, of those who have the gift of prophecy without love, Jesus Christ Himself said: "Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Thy name? And in Thy name cast out demons? And in Thy name do many mighty works? Then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from Me, you workers of iniquity" (Mt 7:22-23).

How one can have martyrial courage and yet be estranged from love was shown by Sapricius. He did not forgive his friend Nicephorus before the very torment, and renounced Christ when he had already bowed his head for beheading.

Likewise, works of mercy and non-possessiveness, and in general even an apparently upright life, may mean nothing for eternal life if there is no love in them.

"One must know," says blessed Theodoret, "that the righteous Judge looks not only at the righteous deed, but also at the purpose of the deed. Many do very many things for human glory."

Nor is his thought that one can love and not perform such deeds when required. He has one thought: to show through such comparisons that love alone gives value to all gifts and all ascetic labors. As soon as love is absent, everything is nothing.

Chrysostom says: "What forceful speech! Here too he presents everything in the highest degree. He did not say, 'if I give to the poor half of my possessions,' or two or three parts, but 'all my possessions.'

He did not say 'give,' but 'distribute,' psomiso, meaning to feed someone with one's own hands. Besides the use of property, he expresses the most zealous readiness to serve.

Likewise he did not say, 'if I die,' but again speaks with force. He presents the cruelest death, that is, to be burned alive, and says that even such a death without love is no great thing.

But the whole force of the Apostle's words will become clear when I bring forward Christ's testimony concerning almsgiving and death. What testimony? Christ said to the rich man: 'If thou wouldest be perfect, go, sell what thou hast and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven' (Mt 19:21).

Likewise, speaking of love for one's neighbor, He said: 'Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends' (Jn 15:13). From this it is clear that such love is highest even in God's eyes.

Yet Paul says: I affirm that even if we lay down our life for God, and not merely lay it down, but are also burned, even then there will be no benefit to us if we do not love our neighbor.

There is nothing astonishing in the fact that gifts without love bring no benefit. They are even lower than a good life. Many who possessed gifts will be punished as impious. Such were those who prophesied in Christ's name, cast out demons, and performed many miracles, like Judas the betrayer.

Therefore it is not at all astonishing that gifts need love. But that even the most correct life should mean nothing without it may seem an exaggeration and cause perplexity.

This is especially so when Christ attributes great dignity to these two virtues, namely non-possession and martyrdom. Why, then, does he speak this way? What should be said to this?

Either that Paul supposes the impossible to be possible, as he usually does when he wishes to say something extraordinary. For example, in the Epistle to the Galatians he says: 'Even if we, or an Angel from heaven, should preach to you another gospel than what we preached to you, let him be anathema' (Gal 1:8).

Of course neither he himself nor an Angel could do this. But to portray the matter with the greatest force, he supposes what will never happen. He does the same thing here.

Therefore either this must be said, or..." But let us take this second thought from Theodoret, who expresses it more briefly, though in agreement with Chrysostom. He says: "One must know that the righteous Judge looks not only at the righteous deed, but also at the purpose of the deed. Many do very many things for the sake of human glory."

The example of someone named Sapricius, a priest of Antioch, shows how one can suffer without having love. He was in the closest friendship with a layman named Nicephorus. Later they quarreled about something, and very sharply.

Nicephorus, however, soon came to himself and sought reconciliation, but without success. In this state the persecution under the reign of Valerian found them. Sapricius was arrested. He stood firm in the faith and for this was tortured in various ways, and finally sentenced to be beheaded.

When Nicephorus learned this, he hurried after him and begged for reconciliation. But Sapricius refused him. For this grace departed from him, and he denied Christ the Lord at the very moment when he had already bent his head beneath the sword.

See, he suffered and was ready for everything, but he had no love. He received no benefit at all from his sufferings.