Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
1 Corinthians 13:8-12
Understanding this verse requires us to understand the context. The Corinthians were a divided church with much quarrelling and sin. One of the areas that they had divided themselves upon was the use of spiritual gifts. In this chapter Paul has been reminding them about love.
In the first three verses Paul demonstrates the prominance of love (see more on 1 Corinthians 13:1-3) and in the following three verses he deals with how they should practice love (see more on 1 Corinthians 13:4-7). In these four verses he's dealing with the permanence of love before making his final claim that love is the greatest of all gifts (see more on 1 Corinthians 13:13).
Some use this section of scripture as a polemic argument in support or opposition against the continuation of spiritual gifts. However, it is quite clearly not Paul's intention. He is neither seeking to discuss when gifts began or when they end. Instead, Paul is contrasting the permanent nature of love and the temporary nature of other gifts.
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