Love is Forever. Really.

Every once in a while it is a thrill to think of something and then have it verified by an expert. It happens so rarely, but yesterday was one of those times. I was reading 1 Corinthians 13 - the chapter made famous by its constant usage in wedding ceremonies: "Love is patient, love is kind..."

The last verse is also very well-known: "So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

I have often thought that the reason that love is greater than the other two virtues is because it is the only one that continues over into heaven. There will be no need for faith and hope when we are perfected in holiness. Love, however, will still be felt by us in regard to the object of our love - God Himself - and of course, to others who will be with us for eternity. So to be sure that I was thinking of this correctly, I checked out Matthew Henry - one of my favorite commentators. Here is what he thinks of the passage:

"There is no room to believe and hope, when we see and enjoy. But love fastens on the divine perfections themselves, and the divine image on the creatures, and our mutual relation both to God and them. These will all shine forth in the most glorious splendours in another world, and there will love be made perfect; there we shall perfectly love God, because he will appear amiable forever, and our hearts will kindle at the sight, and glow with perpetual devotion. And there shall we perfectly love one another, when all the saints meet there, when none but saints are there, and saints made perfect. O blessed state!"

Whew. I finally got one right! Thanks, Matthew Henry!