Every day, a passage from 1 Corinthians 13 is heard by people around the world as it is recited at weddings. “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, ESV).

This is unconditional love. We see it as sweet and tender, and we tend to romanticize it, elevating it to the aspiration of a noble heart. In doing so, we miss the significance of this urgent chapter. Paul is showing us the true meaning of agape, God’s perfect love. 

Agape isn’t based on what it receives. It is more than unconditional; it is sacrificial. This may sound strange to say, but 1 Corinthians 13’s love is actually a problem for us. That’s because the vast majority of us don’t practice it, as Paul describes.

In this chapter, God is commanding us to love as he loves. That is heart-wrenching to consider because such love is beyond us. It is an impossible love, yet Paul wants to show us how this “most excellent way” (see 1 Corinthians 12:31) is possible for us to live out powerfully.

As I read 1 Corinthians 13, I realize how little I love with agape. Paul says love is patient; so, Lord, how many ways am I impatient? Love is kind; oh, Lord, how many ways am I unkind? Love bears all things, not some but all, and love is never ending. “Love never ends” (1 Corinthians 13:8).

We are empowered to walk in perfect love even though we aren’t perfect beings. How? Christ’s righteousness sparks in us the desire to love people as he does. That is how you and I are empowered to love impossibly.

Even when we fail at loving others, we no longer try to redouble our efforts as we once did, failing again and again. Instead, we’re driven to Jesus, crying, “Lord, impute your righteousness to me. Work your agape in me, otherwise I can’t love as you do.” His calling to love remains ever before us. Let us, therefore, seek his righteousness so that we may love perfectly. His commands require no less.