1 Corinthians 13 -- a Chapter Loved by Millions Quiz

Answer: Paul

Paul, the great apostle to the Gentiles, wrote 1 Corinthians. The 13th chapter of the book is one of my favorites and I am certain millions of people around the world feel the same way. Paul's writing in the chapter is impeccable. To steal a line from an old Johnny Tillotson song, Paul's writing is poetry in motion -- and then some. What must be remembered about this chapter is that Paul is stating Christians should exhibit this type of love to everyone, not just members of their family or close friends. Paul wrote the book of 1 Corinthians largely in response to divisions and the lack of orderly worship at the church in Corinth. (Incidentally, there is another quiz on FunTrivia about 1 Corinthians 13 by Laughinggirl and I highly recommend it. You can find it by going to the search template and typing in 'Love in 1 Corinthians'. Obviously, I made a point of not repeating any questions in her quiz.)

Answer: It is a thought-provoking description of love.

Yes, 1 Corinthians 13 is all about love. And make no mistake about it, Paul's writing is exquisite. In my view, it almost contaminates his message when one attempts to add anything in the form of a commentary on what he has penned. The chapter is often read at weddings and even at funerals. Wikipedia has this interesting observation about 1 Corinthians 13: "It is also a commonly chosen reading in denominations which do not have a prescribed liturgy for marriage and even for non-religious weddings, so much to the point where it was on a list of wedding clichés to avoid in the television show 'How I Met Your Mother.'" It all brings back memories of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair reading the passage at the Princess Diana's funeral in 1997.

Answer: 9

The word 'love' appears nine times in Paul's chapter. And when you consider the word 'it,' which is used to refer to love, the references to love almost doubles. The word 'it', when referring to love, appears eight times in the chapter, for a total of 17 references to love in the 13 verses in the chapter. (See 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 for an example of the word 'it' referring directly to love.) Incidentally, the NIV Bible contains a total of 262 words in the chapter.

There can be no mistaking the stock Paul puts on love when one reads the famous chapter that is loved by tens of millions of people around the world.

However, to put things in perspective, Wikipedia reports the original Greek version contains the word 'agape' throughout. The word agape "is translated into English as 'charity' in the King James version; but the word love is preferred by most other translations, both earlier and more recent," Wikipedia reports.

Answer: nothing

The correct answer is nothing. In other words, Paul is saying a believer is "nothing," unless he/she has love. He cites examples of four gifts (tongues, prophecy, faith and giving) and states that "even their most spectacular manifestations" are basically useless unless the believer is motivated by love, according to notes in the NIV Study Bible. Paul's standards are so high it's apparent no one is capable of achieving his goal. Nevertheless, it doesn't hurt to try.

It's an 'impossible goal' for mere mortals to be Christlike, but that's what Scripture states believers are to aspire to become.

Answer: flames

The correct answer is flames. Notes in the NIV Study Bible state the words 'surrender my body to the flames' is a reference to "suffering martyrdom through burning at the stake, as many early Christians experienced. Even the supreme sacrifice, if not motivated by love, accomplishes nothing." And while Paul is telling the people at Corinth to exhibit such strong love, it almost boggles the mind to read elsewhere in the book of 1 Corinthians about lawsuits among believers, sexual immorality and borderline chaos.

It's with this background that he penned the 13th chapter.

Answer: perseveres

The correct answer is perseveres. I love the wording of the four verses. Looking at the wonderful wording of the sentences is akin to listening to a world-class orchestra or watching a gold medal athlete perform at the Olympics. In this case, Paul wins the gold medal.

It is apparent the church in Corinth was riddled with people who envied, boasted, were rude, self seeking, easily angered and kept a record of wrongs. Paul is telling the believers in Corinth to exhibit love because it "does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

Answer: fails

According to Paul, love never fails. Notes in the NIV Study Bible state references to prophecies ceasing, tongues being stilled and knowledge passing away are made because they "are partial in nature (v. 9) and will be unnecessary when what is complete has come (v. 10)." As stated in the answer to Question 1, Paul wrote the book of 1 Corinthians partly in response to disorderly meetings at the church in Corinth.

The 14th chapter of 1 Corinthians then goes on to to give guidelines for orderly worship.

Answer: imperfect

The correct answer is imperfect. And according to Paul, the way to make the imperfect disappear is to have love. Notes in the NIV Study Bible, state the Greek for the word perfection can mean 'end', 'fulfillment', 'completeness' or 'maturity'. The notes go on to state: "In this context the contrast is between the partial and the complete." Some people believe Paul's statement about "when perfection comes" is a reference to the second coming of Jesus.

Answer: mirror

The correct answer is mirror. Notes in the NIV Study Bible state: "The imagery is of a polished metal (probably bronze) in which one could receive only an imperfect reflection... in contrast to knowing and seeing the Lord directly and clearly in heaven." Some people believe Paul's statement about "then we shall see face to face" is a reference to the second coming of Jesus.

As an aside for other trivia lovers, the invention of the silver-glassed mirror did not occur until 1835 when it was developed by German chemist Justus von Liebig, according to Wikipedia.

The same Web site also reports the first mirrors made out of plate glass were created by Venetian glassmakers in the 16th Century but were much too costly for the general populace.

Answer: greatest

The correct answer is greatest. Notes in the NIV Study Bible have this to say in regards to the phrase 'the greatest of these is love': "Because God is love (1 John 4:8) and has communicated his love to us (1 John 4:10) and commands us to love one other (John 13:34-35). Love supersedes the gifts because it outlasts them all. Long after these sought-after gifts are no longer necessary, love will still be the governing principle that controls all that God and his redeemed people are and do." Amen to that, I say.