The Bible teaches the importance of faith, but if you do not have love, then you are nothing. Because even faith is of no value unless it is backed up by love. Let's just think about that. Even though it is good to be generous, generosity is not enough. It comes down to our motivation for giving.
Some people give because they want to impress people.
All of those are obviously the wrong reasons for giving. If the only reason that I give is to receive or to benefit myself, then love is absent and my giving is empty. Paul is talking about being so faithful in commitment to God that one would choose faithfulness even in the face of death. Commitment is necessary to be faithful to God. But Paul is saying that even if you go to church every time the church doors are open and read your Bible faithfully, without love, it's no good.