THE PERFECT HAS COME
1 Corinthians 13:10, but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. A new insight.
Imagine the discussion between Baptist and Pentecostal seminary students about the meaning of 1 Corinthians 13:10, but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.
Influenced by teachings that certain sign gifts came to an end, the Baptist states confidently, “The phrase that which is perfect refers to the completion of the canon of the New Testament. The Greek word for perfect is t??e??? (telion) and here means ‘complete.’ Therefore,” he asserts, thinking the issue has been settled by his scholarly insight, “when the last apostle wrote the final inspired letter destined by the Holy Spirit to be included in our Bible, the need for sign gifts ended almost simultaneously.”
“No longer did the spoken word need authentication from miracles,” he added quickly. “The authority now rested in the Word alone.”
Lest his thought had gone unnoticed by the Pentecostal brother whose facial expression indicated he anxiously waited his turn to speak, the Baptist emphasized his view, “From then on, the Word stood on its own legs without a need for miracles. For that matter, miracles had already shown indications of fading away as evinced by Paul’s inability to perform one to heal Epaphroditus recorded in Philippians 2:25.”
Satisfied the case had been won without the prospect of a successful rebuttal, the Baptist suppressed an urge to smirk and gloat. The sermons he had heard on the subject, along with his exegesis course in 1 Corinthians, had won the day.
Knowing his turn to opine had come, the Pentecostal calmly and lovingly expressed his view. “You are certainly right that the word translated ‘perfect’ can, indeed, mean ‘complete.’” Sensing an outcome no worse than a stalemate, he drew a deep breath and continued speaking. “However, the wording of the text suggests a meaning a bit different.” Flipping open his bible to the passage, he pointed to the verse for his friend to read with him. Continuing his thought, he said, “We see an unspecified entity called ‘perfect’ and the mention that it is coming.” Looking directly into the unconvinced eyes of his Baptist friend, he offered a challenge. “Can you name a more likely meaning that the One who alone is perfect, Jesus, whom you firmly believe is coming back some day.”
Fraternal feelings rose in the heart of the Baptist who responded. “We need to understand that whatever is ‘perfect’ had to have been fully acknowledged at the occasion of Paul’s writing. The Corinthians no doubt fully understood the meaning. But how could the yet-to-happen Second Coming possibly have had an influence on the wretched behavior of the Corinthian readers?”
Before the Pentecostal student answered, the wall clock indicated the next class was to begin in five minutes. Smiling broadly at each other, one of them said, ‘We have much to discuss, much yet to learn and maybe a clear answer suitable to us both will someday emerge.”
“For the moment,” said the other, “I’m satisfied with what I presently believe.” With that remark hanging briefly in the air, both men parted to their respective classes in their non-denominational, evangelical seminary, confident their beliefs would someday prevail and be accepted universally.
Neither man pondered how so many competing views could be held by equally tenacious proponents. Neither wondered why each view is derived from the same verse claimed as the conclusive biblical authority for its own construal. The interpretations are varied to the point that 1 Corinthians 13 has become one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted chapters in the bible.
Maybe the time has come for all inquirers to revisit the chapter and to consider it from a fresh perspective to determine if interpretative help can be uncovered, something subtle perhaps, unseen because the approach to the chapter is colored by beliefs leading to an affirmation of one’s own preference rather than what Paul meant. Let’s continue our exploration by referencing 1 Corinthians 13:10 from this spot forward simply as 13:10.
Before exploring a new approach, consider in the briefest way a summary of several prominent views where honest people park their hearts and build walls against other honest people.
VIEW 1 says “that which is perfect” in 13:10 refers to the completion of the NT canon. The death of the last apostle ended any further scriptural writings.
VIEW 2 says “that which is perfect” refers to the time the Gospel reached the ends of the world.
VIEW 3 says “that which is perfect” refers to the destruction of the temple in 70 AD when no more animal sacrifices for atonement could be offered and the Mosaic age unquestionably ended.
These three interpretations promote a stance called Cessationism. It asserts that “sign” gifts have now ended because the authority of the Apostolic message is contained in the NT writings alone. Therefore, no sign gifts are needed to attest the message. The Baptist student’s remarks disclosed his belief in Cessationism.
Two other widely held existing interpretations allow the possibility of all spiritual gifts continuing past the first century, distributed through the millennia as God willed.
VIEW 4 says “that which is perfect” refers to the Second Coming of Christ based on the wording in 13:10, that is, Jesus is perfect and He will come. The Pentecostal student derived comfort for this outlook.
VIEW 5 is the closely related interpretation that says 13:10 refers to our eternal state in heaven. In a perfect environment without sin and without the observable failings of Christian mortals, a need for gifts has been eliminated.
The first three views remain in conflict with the last two views.
Now please allow the presentation two more views.
VIEW 6 NONE OF THE ABOVE
Yes. All five views seriously lack a grasp of Paul’s intent.
Consider that if view six has validity, then, obviously, a 7th interpretation must exist. It does indeed.
VIEW 7 is referred to as the CONTEXTUAL interpretation. It is based solely on the context within 1 Corinthians 13 itself. It does not arbitrarily assign a convenient meaning to 13:10 conspicuously absent within it.
But let me ask rhetorically, “Could the context possibly help resolve the differences?”
Yes. Proponents of all views understand—and demand of themselves—adherence to the hermeneutical principal of context. Then what is the connection?
The contextual connection begins in verses 1-3. These verses throw bright interpretative light on verses 8-10. Verses 1-3 show a pattern that is reflected also in verses 8-10.
The three-step pattern is simply this: 1. I HAVE; 2. I DON’T HAVE; 3. THEREFORE.
By this juncture, you might be in pain. Isn’t such simplicity contrived? Let’s examine the verses. First, re-familiarize yourself with what Paul penned in the first three verses.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
Now we can observe the pattern.
In v. 1, what do I have? I have tongues.
What don’t I have? I do not have love.
Therefore, I am an irritating noise.
In v. 2, I have prophecy, understanding of all mysteries, possess all knowledge and have powerful faith.
I do not have love.
Therefore, I am nothing.
In v.3, I have great generosity and I willingly accept great sacrifice.
I do not have love.
Therefore, I am not profited.
For a moment let’s temporarily lift out from the chapter vss 4-7, gently lay them aside in a safe place away from your coffee cup and bump verses 8-10 up against vss 1-3. If we see a parallel pattern comprised of I have, I do not have, therefore in verses 8-10, an entirely new understanding of Paul’s meaning for “that which is perfect” begins to emerge.
1 Corinthians 13:8
Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; If there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.
Here we can see the pattern:
If I have prophecy
(by implied parallel thought: but I do not have love)
therefore, my prophecy will become inoperative (AT Robertson’s translation in Word Pictures). My gift of prophecy becomes fruitless.
If I have tongues
(by implied parallel thought: but I do not have love)
therefore, tongues will pause (AT Robertson’s translation). My gift of tongues is reduced to irritating noise, not edification for my soul. The effectiveness of the gift to build me up has utterly ceased.
If I have knowledge (as in v. 2)
(by implied parallel thought: but I do not have love)
therefore, my knowledge will become inoperative. My knowledge will be without positive effect, it will not build up a local body. It will be fruitless.
These statements reveal that gifts or ministries performed without love fade away because they fail to produce spiritual fruit.
This idea is further explained in verse 9.
1 Corinthians 13:9
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part;
We know in part—our knowledge is partial, imperfect.
Why? Because I have knowledge but I don’t have love. Love is missing when I share my knowledge. Knowledge issuing from my mouth often drifts into abuse, contempt of someone who challenges me, and scorn, whether exhibited or partially hidden by my faltering self-control. Knowledge without love can incite offense, create pain and alienate seekers hungry for bible knowledge.
We prophesy in part--our prophecy is partial, imperfect.
Why? Because I have prophesy but I don’t have love. Love is missing when I am prophesying. Prophecy drifts into empty noise without building-up a local congregation.
1 Corinthians 13:10
but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.
What is the meaning of “perfect?” t??e???—“having reached its end, therefore, complete, whole. Nothing is lacking.”
In v. 9 our knowing or knowledge was in part. It is partial, incomplete. Something is missing. Love is missing. In v. 10 love is added to it. Now nothing is lacking. I now know completely. “That which is complete, perfect” is clearly my knowledge combined with and ministered in love. At this point, imperfect, incomplete knowledge has gone away and has been replaced by completed knowledge.
If I love, I share my knowledge in love. I will not express contempt with someone whose knowledge falls short of mine. I will never abuse him for his ignorance compared to my knowledge. My knowledge is now effective in building up the local body of Christ-followers.
In v. 9 our prophecy is in part. It is partial, incomplete. Something is missing. Love is missing. But when that which is perfect has come, love has been joined to my prophesies. I utter my prophesies in love. Prophecy now serves the body of Christ and is effective in building up the local body of Christ-followers.
Paul provides a graphic illustration of how loveless behavior drifts away when replaced with new perspective generated by love. The change is dramatic.
1 Corinthians 13:11
When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish traits.
I spoke like a child: ‘Mama, I’m hungry. Stop what you are doing and make me a sandwich right now.”
I thought like a child: “When I grow up, I’m going to be a cowboy. And Sally will love me.”
I reasoned like a child: “I’m the center of the universe. My brother Billy Bob thinks he is; he’s wrong.”
But when I became a man, I looked back and recognized the silliness of my selfish, loveless life. I mistakenly thought my parents existed to fulfill my every wish. But I reasoned that they failed in their duty because they made me work, made me do chores. I had to make my bed, polish my shoes, brush my teeth. None of those tasks is the way the individual (me, as a child), who is the center of the universe, should have been treated. But now, as a man, I can see that when I make my bed, polish my own shoes, brush my teeth as requested, I can serve my family and, in doing so, show I love every member of our home.
How can we clearly discern our own childish, loveless life? Read what Paul next said.
1 Corinthians 13:12
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.
A Corinthian mirror consisted of a polished brass disk that poorly reflected an image. If I held it to your face, I would see a poor resemblance of you. But when I take my eyes off the distorted image in the brass mirror and look at you directly, I see distinct details of your lovely face. What a difference! What clarity!
“Now I know in part” – my knowledge is incomplete. Love is missing. I don’t see my shortcomings; I see my superior knowledge to yours. I don’t see my arrogance; I see your inferiority. I prophesy. You don’t. I speak in tongues. You lack this gift. I see myself dimly.
“but then I will know fully” – but then when love is combined with my knowledge and how I use it, I will fully produce fruit in my service and fulfillment in my heart. Because God’s love has invaded my life, I have come to know my carnal shortcomings as surely as my carnal shortcomings were known by you.
By now you can probably see that the contextual view of 13:10 focuses the attention of the Corinthians on how the love of God, shed in their hearts at the instant of salvation, now completes their gifts and ministries. No longer are their gifts and service lacking, imperfect or incomplete.
The other arguments pitting a cessation date against a future date fade from view and become irrelevant because, no matter what our gifts, the love of God completes them, empowers them and makes them effective in the service of his Body.
Where does the contextual view leave you? Wanting to hold on to Cessationism? Wanting to push back and fight to keep the gifts alive and functioning until the Second Coming or your departure into your eternal home?
Views on the gifts will probably remain stubbornly unshaken, at least for a while. Some people will confess they like a good argument and the satisfaction of winning it. But the impossible interpretation of 1 Corinthians 13 as support for all views will eventually take on less partisanship, less division and produce more unity.
Open for comments and further insights from you, I can be reached at LGreekNT@gmail.com.
For His Kingdom, I am,
Sincerely yours
David Harris Walker
Author of The Learner’s Greek New Testament Series
