“When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.”
1 Corinthians 13:11 (NLT)
I’ve often heard this verse used to say, “Grow up and be mature,” but reading 1 Corinthians in sequence reveals something deeper. Paul is saying the spiritual gifts we enjoy now—prophecy, healing, tongues—are incredible tools for this life, but they’re temporary. One day we’ll stand face to face with Jesus, and we won’t need them. The only thing that will remain is our love for Him, which will pour out in eternal worship like we see in Revelation 4–5.
Verses 1–3 in this chapter warn us that we can do great things for God yet gain nothing without love. That doesn’t mean spiritual gifts are useless—we need both gifts and love. And in verses 4–7, Paul gives twice as many warnings about what love isn’t as what it is, showing that maturity in Christ means letting the wrong things fall away so love can flourish.
Spiritual gifts matter for building the kingdom now, but love is the only thing that will never end.