1 Corinthians 13:11-13 teaches that spiritual maturity means putting away childish ways of seeing and thinking, and that faith, hope, and love will last when everything partial has passed away. Paul is explaining why love is greater than even the spiritual gifts the Corinthians prized most, because gifts belong to the present stage of knowing, while love belongs to the life to come.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, even as I was also fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, and love remain—these three. The greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:11-13 (WEB)
1 Corinthians 13:11-13 Summary
Paul uses the picture of a child growing up to describe the difference between how we think now and how we will think later. A child speaks, feels, and reasons in a limited way, and an adult leaves those habits behind without losing anything real. In the same way, our present knowledge is like a blurred reflection in a mirror, while the future will bring a clear, face-to-face knowing.
Having made that contrast, Paul names the three things that remain: faith, hope, and love. Faith and hope belong to a life that is still waiting and trusting, but love is the one that carries forward unchanged. That is why he closes by calling love the greatest of the three.
Context of 1 Corinthians 13:11-13
This letter was written by the apostle Paul to the church in Corinth, a busy port city where believers were divided over status, gifts, and personal rights. Several of the Corinthians were proud of speaking in tongues and of prophetic knowledge, and some were using those gifts to compete with one another. Chapter 13 is Paul’s answer, placing love at the center of Christian life.
Verses 8-10 explain that the gifts he has been discussing are partial and temporary, while love never fails. Verses 11-13 then use the image of childhood and maturity to show why the gifts should not be treated as the final measure of spiritual worth. The passage gently corrects the Corinthians’ pride by reminding them that they are still on the way.
1 Corinthians 13:11-13 Verse by Verse
1 John 4:8
He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love.
(WEB)
John’s short statement that God is love connects directly to Paul’s claim that love is the greatest of the three. It shows that love is not just one good quality among others but the very nature of the God whom Christians trust and hope in.
Romans 5:5
And hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
(WEB)
Paul writes that God’s love has been poured into believers’ hearts by the Holy Spirit. This helps explain why love can endure when other things fade, since it is rooted in God’s own faithfulness rather than in human effort alone.
A Prayer Based on 1 Corinthians 13:11-13
Father, thank you that you are patient with me as I grow up in faith. Forgive me for the times I have been proud of what I know or what I can do, and help me to remember that I still see only in part. Teach me to trust you more deeply, to hope in what you have promised, and above all to love the people you have placed around me. Let my love be shaped by your love, so that it will last when everything else is set aside. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “when I became a man, I put away childish things” mean?
Paul is using the picture of growing up to describe spiritual maturity. He means that the Corinthians should leave behind immature pride and rivalry, and begin to think and act with a fuller understanding of God’s purposes.
Why does Paul say we see in a mirror dimly?
Ancient mirrors were made of polished metal and gave a blurred reflection, so Paul uses that image for our present knowledge of God. He is saying that we know truly but incompletely now, and that one day we will know much more clearly.
Why is love called the greatest of faith, hope, and love?
Faith and hope belong to the present life of trusting and waiting, but love continues into eternity and reflects God’s own character. Paul argues that love lasts longest and therefore holds the highest place among the three.
