"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
— 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)
The line people search as the greatest of these is love is 1 Corinthians 13:13. Paul closes the love chapter with three things that remain — faith, hope, and love — and then names love as the greatest. This page is that verse, a plain reading of the closing line, and how it sits after the rest of the chapter. The study of the whole closing verse is 1 Corinthians 13: love is the greatest. Faith, hope, and love as a search phrase is Faith, hope and love Bible verse. The verse-number page is 1 Corinthians 13:13 meaning.
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The verse
1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV) says, "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
The King James reads, "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." Charity in that translation is the same love Paul has been describing since verse 4.
What the greatest of these is love means
Paul has just said that prophecies, tongues, and knowledge will pass away, and that we know in part. What remains is not the temporary gifts the Corinthian church was ranking. What remains is faith, hope, and love.
Love is the greatest of the three because it is the one that does not give way when the partial knowledge ends. Faith trusts what is not yet seen. Hope waits for what is promised. Love is how God treats people and how his people treat each other — and Paul has spent the chapter defining that love as patient, kind, and unfailing. Love never fails is the claim two verses earlier. The whole chapter is 1 Corinthians 13.
How this lands in a life or a wedding
People quote the line at weddings because a marriage needs love that outlasts feelings and gifts. Paul wrote it to a church arguing over status. The first audience was not a couple; the application still fits a household. Wedding Bible readings and Wedding Bible verses collect ceremony uses of this chapter.
Questions people ask
What Bible verse says the greatest of these is love?
1 Corinthians 13:13 says, "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
What does the greatest of these is love mean?
It means that of faith, hope, and love — the three that remain — love is the greatest. Paul has just said temporary gifts pass away. Love is how God and his people treat others, and it does not end when partial knowledge ends.
Why is love greater than faith and hope?
Faith and hope look toward what is not yet complete. Love is already the way of life Paul described in verses 4 through 8, and it remains when the partial passes. He does not demote faith or hope; he ranks love first among the three that remain.
Is this only a wedding verse?
No. Paul wrote it to a divided church. Weddings quote it because marriage needs that ranking, but the first audience was the congregation. Friendship, family, and church life fall under it too.
Where should I read next?
For the whole closing verse, read 1 Corinthians 13: love is the greatest. For the faith-hope-love phrase, read Faith, hope and love Bible verse. For the verse number, read 1 Corinthians 13:13 meaning. For the chapter, read 1 Corinthians 13.
