And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
Parallel translations
- WEB If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don’t have love, I am nothing.
- BSB If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
- NKJV And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
- NASB If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
- NLT If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Prophecy, knowledge of all mysteries, and mountain-moving faith amount to nothing without love. The gift-bearer himself is nothing apart from love.
Overview
Paul escalates the point: even the most extraordinary spiritual endowments are worthless without love. Knowledge and faith, gifts the Corinthians admired, leave a person 'nothing' if love is absent. This exposes the emptiness of gifting pursued for self rather than for the good of others in Christlike love.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 31
- 1 Jn 4:8He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
- 1 Cor 13:3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
- 1 Jn 4:20–21If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
- Matt 17:20And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
- Matt 21:21Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
- 1 Cor 16:22If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.
- 1 Cor 12:8–10For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
- 1 Cor 13:1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
- 1 Cor 14:1–2Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.
- Gal 5:16This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
- Eph 3:4Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
- Col 1:26Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
- 1 Cor 7:19Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.
- Mark 11:22–23And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
- 1 Cor 12:28And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
- Gal 6:3For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
- 1 Cor 14:6–9Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?
- Matt 7:22–23Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
- Gal 5:22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
- Luke 17:5–6And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
- 1 Tim 3:16And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
- Matt 21:19And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.
- Num 24:15–24And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:
- Rom 16:25Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
- Matt 13:11He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
- 1 Cor 4:1Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
- Rom 11:25For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
- Eph 6:19And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
- 1 Cor 8:4As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.
- 1 Cor 14:39Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.
- 2 Cor 12:11I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.
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Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
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Original language
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