1 Corinthians 13:3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
The next two comparisons provide opportunity for someone to boast about actions that could be perceived as self-sacrifice, which can be perceived as an expression of love. Giving everything away to help the poor is a noble act that few people today would do. There are giving people, but there are not many stories of someone giving everything away. Even the average giving for Christians is less than a tithe. Why would someone give away everything to the poor? Such an act of compassion may be done to gain favor with God. But if the motive for this is not love, there is no gain for it. Paul will later write in 1 Corinthians 16:14, “Do everything in love.”
Another opportunity for boasting comes through suffering. Suffering, especially for one’s faith, may be an indicator of faith in God. But even this type of faith without love is not all that it could be if it was supported by love. The textual variant in this verse, “give my body to be burned,” does not change the meaning of the verse. Being a martyr is not as powerful as loving others. Not everyone will be called to suffer to the point of death, but everyone can love.
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