Is It True that "Love Never Fails"?

Contributing Writer

Updated February 01, 2022

We are all born with a need to be loved, a longing to find someone who accepts us completely and who is worthy of our trust. Family, friendships and romantic relationships are important but can fill only some of that need. What we are truly looking for comes from just one source - our Heavenly Father.

In 1 Corinthians 13:8, Paul makes a simple but profound statement about God’s love:

“Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8a).

Paul reminds us here about the strength and power of God’s love, while offering us a challenge. For in chapter 13, he makes the case that while we can never love as fully as the Lord, we can learn to love more like Him.

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What Does It Mean That "Love Never Fails"?

In 1 Corinthians 13:8, Paul is describing the deep and abiding love God has for His people, an affection that is unending and unbreakable. The Apostle’s words were no doubt influenced by Old Testament writers.

“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness’” (Jeremiah 31:3).

“Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever” (Psalm 136:26).

Paul makes a beautiful observation about this in Romans 8:38-39:

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

In chapter 13, Paul coaches his readers to reach for a new kind of love for each other, based on what God does for us. But we’re unable to create it in our own strength. Human love will always fail, because we are flawed, sinful people.

The closest we can come to God’s love is “agape,” which is defined as a selfless devotion to the good of others. And again, this is not something we can sustain, but must rely on God for. He will shape our hearts to love this way, and He will renew the desire when it starts to falter.

For more Bible verses about God's love, click here.

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The Context of This Verse and 'Love Never Fails'

This passage is part of a letter the Apostle Paul originally wrote to the church in Corinth, in about 55 A.D. The church was struggling to stay set apart from all the influences around them. Paul wanted to encourage them to stay grounded in the truth of God’s Word and the gospel of Christ.

In Chapter 12, Paul focuses on different giftings God gives the body of Christ. He issues a caution to treat all the gifts as important and equal for the building up of the church. He finishes with, “Now eagerly desire the greater gifts” (12:31).

Paul continues this thought into Chapter 13. His first sentence implies though that the gifts the church is using now are excellent, there is something even better to strive for: “And yet I will show you the most excellent way” (13:1). He then launches into a beautiful description of agape, that selfless love, and how it differs from what the world usually offers.

After the declaration Paul makes about God’s love in the first half of 13:8, he compares the supernatural gifts that the Corinthians valued to the preciousness of that true charity of heart, or agape love.

“But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away” (1 Corinthians 13:8b).

Paul acknowledges the good that the prophecies, tongues and knowledge did to build up the church at that time. But he wanted to make the point that works of love had more lasting value for the world. The supernatural gifts given by God for the present will pass away when the eternal comes.

What This Kind of Love Looks Like

Paul writes almost poetically of agape-type love in verses 4-7: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

This kind of love leaves an imprint on the world around us. We might label works motivated by agape today as “serving the community” or “missions.” But these moments can happen anywhere on any day. They have to do with provision, caring, welcoming, blessing, encouraging and equipping others.

This type of love is active, and requires our time and energy. It calls us to look for needs around us, then to commit to doing what we can to make a difference. It demands creativity, determination and dedication. Most of all, our hearts need to be aligned with God’s heart.

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What Else Does the Passage Say about Love Never Fails?

In Chapter 13, Paul makes the case that we can use all sorts of gifts and do many acts of service, but they are worthless without the motivation of God’s love. So before we can reach out to others in a meaningful way, we must receive His love ourselves.

Paul also relays a promise that Jesus will return and make everything complete. Then we will see that so many of the things of this world weren’t meant to last. If we live by that truth now, our ministry will take on a sense of legacy as well.

“For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears” (1 Corinthians 13:9-10).

What Else Does the Bible Say about Agape Love?

God gives us the ultimate example of complete and endless love.

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).

“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments” (Deuteronomy 7:9).

We, as followers of Christ, are called to reflect, as best we can, the pure grace that He and the Father have shown us.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35).

“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us…We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:11-12, 19).

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31).

Why We Can Be Confident That God's Love Will Never Fail Us

We can find a logical argument for the truth of this verse in the Bible. God calls Himself “I AM,” which implies an unending, unchanging nature - He was, is and will be.

“God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am’” (Exodus 3:14).

Scripture also says that love is actually part of God’s essence. Knowing Him will lead us to recognize that He embodies this quality.

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8).

So, if we believe that God’s presence is continuous, and believe He loves us, then we can trust that His love is unfailing. We can rest in and rely on it.

But sometimes our own doubt or fear can make this truth hard to embrace. At those times, it’s helpful to remember how we’ve experienced God’s love. That can grow our level of confidence that it will always be there for us. Here are a couple of ways to refresh our memories:

Read and memorize passages about God’s love.
Keep a “God’s love journal,” writing about His goodness.
Share about how God has shown love to you, and listen to the stories of others.

“Love never fails” is such a well-known verse that people can miss the richness in the short phrase. But Paul believed that understanding and accepting this basic principle could have a powerful and lasting impact in the world. For when we fully receive and embrace God’s love, we can’t help but love others better. Then our hearts and God’s Kingdom will continue to be built up.

Heather Adams is an author, speaker, and singer living in Connecticut. Heather’s passion is to equip and encourage believers to seek more of God’s truth and to experience more of His joy each day. Her book, Bow Down: The Heart of a True Worshipper is a practical, 30-day devotional about worship based on the writings of King David. Heather's blog, Worship Walk Ministries, offers weekly Scripture passages and insights to ponder. A native New Englander, Heather is settling into her home in the South, trying out local foods and watching for the alligators that live nearby!