What does 1 Corinthians 16:14 mean?

Paul has added five very quick commands to the end of his letter, between discussing travel plans and sending greetings. The previous verse contained four of those: be watchful, or "on guard", stand firm in faith, act like men of courage, and be strong.

Now he adds this one: Let all you do be done in love. This reflects the profound teaching of 1 Corinthians 13, in which Paul demonstrated how love is superior to the exercise of any spiritual gift. Better, the exercise of any spiritual gift is meaningless without love.

Paul now insists that every single word or action should be motivated by the definition of love he provided in 1 Corinthians 13:4–7. Many of the issues in the Corinthian church that Paul has confronted in this letter would have been quickly resolved if everyone was motivated by that kind of sincere love for each other.