“Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.”
My Notes
What Does 1 Corinthians 14:1 Mean?
Paul transitions from the love chapter to the gifts chapter with a dual command: pursue love (diōkō — chase, run after, hunt) AND desire spiritual gifts, especially prophecy. Love isn't a replacement for gifts. It's the environment in which gifts operate properly.
The word "follow after" (diōkō) is urgent — it's the same word used for persecution. Chase love the way a persecutor chases a fugitive. With that intensity. With that single-mindedness. Love isn't something you wait for. It's something you hunt.
"But rather that ye may prophesy" — among the gifts, Paul singles out prophecy as most desirable. Not tongues (which Corinth was obsessed with). Prophecy. Because prophecy edifies the whole church (verse 3), while tongues (without interpretation) only edify the speaker. The gift that serves others is preferred over the gift that serves self.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Are you pursuing love with the intensity Paul describes (hunting, chasing) — or waiting for it to arrive?
- 2.How does Paul's instruction to pursue both love and gifts challenge the false choice between character and power?
- 3.Why does Paul prioritize prophecy over tongues — and what does that say about which gifts the church most needs?
- 4.What gift do you have that would be most useful to the people around you — and are you developing it?
Devotional
Chase love. Desire gifts. Especially prophecy. Paul doesn't make you choose between love and power. He tells you to pursue both.
The love chapter (13) isn't a replacement for the gifts chapter (12 and 14). It's the bridge between them. Love without gifts is good intention without capacity. Gifts without love are power without character. You need both. And the order matters: love first, gifts second.
"Follow after" — diōkō — is hunting language. Chase love the way a hunter chases prey. With intensity, single-mindedness, and refusal to let it escape. Love isn't a feeling that descends on you. It's a quarry you pursue. You run it down. You don't stop until you've caught it.
And then: desire gifts. Not instead of love. Alongside love. The person who chases love and desires gifts is the person the church most needs. Love without power can't help. Power without love can't be trusted. Both together: that's the ideal.
"Rather that ye may prophesy" — Paul picks the gift that serves the most people. Prophecy speaks to humans for edification, encouragement, and comfort (verse 3). It's the gift that builds others up. In a church chasing the most spectacular gift (tongues), Paul redirects: chase the most useful one.
The greatest gift isn't the most impressive. It's the most edifying. Love directs you toward what builds others. And what builds others most is hearing God speak to them through someone who's chasing love.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Follow after charity,.... The apostle having so highly commended charity, or love, in the preceding chapter, presses…
Follow after charity - Pursue love 1Co 13:1; that is, earnestly desire it; strive to possess it; make it the object of…
Follow after charity - Most earnestly labor to be put in possession of that love which beareth, believeth, hopeth, and…
The apostle, in the foregoing chapter, had himself preferred, and advised the Corinthians to prefer, Christian charity…
1Co 14:1-25. The superiority of the gift of prophecy to that of tongues
1. desire Literally, be zealous for, envious of.…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture