Note 34 at 1Co 13:13: This whole chapter has been a contrast between God's kind of love and the gifts of the Spirit. Paul has shown the temporariness of the gifts and the eternalness of love, to elevate the position of love (see notes 24-26 at 1Co 13:8). Here, he stated that faith, hope, and love will abide throughout eternity, but the greatest of these three is God's kind of love.

Note 35 at 1Co 13:13: Some people have taken statements like this and rejected faith and hope, or at least attributed them to immature Christians. That is not so. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6), and our faith is linked to our hope (see note 12 at Ro 5:4). These are powerful forces that will still be in operation throughout eternity, but God's kind of love is even greater.

Paul was making this comparison because no one who is thinking clearly would discard faith and hope. They would understand that he was not putting them down but lifting love up. Likewise, Paul was not discrediting the gifts of the Spirit (see note 24 at 1Co 12:31) but was stressing that operating the gifts of the Spirit in love is superior to operating them carnally.