Intro
Our text is found in 1 Corinthians 13. In verses 1-3, Paul writes: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.”i
Last week we saw the preeminence and necessity of love in those verses. We are to pursue the gifts of the Spirit, we should seek to excel in edifying the church; but, all that must be done with the right motives. Otherwise, it loses its validity in the eyes of God. In the beginning of this letter Paul commends the Corinthians for their zeal in spiritual gifts. But he soon begins to confront their problems, the major one being conflicts with one another.ii So Paul is issuing some correction in this teaching. It doesn’t matter how spiritual you think you are, if you are not operating in love, it is of no real value.
Then Paul uses 15 Greek verbs in verses 4-7 to describe what love is. Love is about the choices in behavior that we make, especially in our relationships with one another. “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
Now we come to today’s text in verses 8-13: “Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
Paul is comparing the permanent nature of love to the temporary nature of the gifts. (1) (vs 8) States the comparison (his point). (2) (vs 9-10) Identifies when the temporal will pass away. (3) (vs 11-12) Provides two analogies to illustrate his point. (4) (vs 13) Finalizes his point with a concluding statement.
I. TEMPORARY NATURE OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS VERSUS PERMANENCE OF LOVE (vs 8)
In verse 8, Paul states the difference between the temporary nature of spiritual gifts in contrast to the permanence of love. “Love never fails” The Amplified Bible says, “Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete, or comes to an end.” The idea here is that love is permanent. It’s not like the flower that fades away after its seasoniii or the leaf that falls to the ground when the weather changes. The qualities of love are enduring;iv Love never fails; therefore, it continues forever. The RSV simply says, “Love never ends” and the Living Bible catches the flow of Paul’s thoughts when says, “All the special gifts and powers from God will someday come to an end, but love goes on forever.” Love will go on forever.
Then Paul selects three highly prized gifts and states their transitory nature compared to the eternal nature of love: prophecy, tongues, and knowledge.
(1) “But whether there are prophecies, they will fail;” The NIV is more consistent with Paul’s contextual argument: “But where there are prophecies, they shall cease.”
(2) “whether there are tongues, they will cease;”
(3) “whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.”v The Corinthians have seen the gifts of the Spirit as an end in themselves.
But Paul wants them to understand the gifts as a temporary tool God is using to prepare them for eternity. The end objective is love out of a pure heart. Our redemption began with love and consummates with love. It was love that moved God to send His only begotten Son to die on the cross for our salvation. It was love that moved God toward rebellious mankind. And God’s purpose is to transform our nature to be like Him. The end objective is a company of people who are like God from the core of our being.vi The end objective is a Bride who is like her Husband, Christ. God is love. God will have a people who operate forever in His love.vii
The gifts manifest to encourage us and move us toward that end. The end goal is not more knowledge. The end goal is not more spectacular gifts. The end goal is love. God is preparing us for eternity. And the gifts of the Spirit are an important part of that preparation. But when that job is done; the gifts will have served their purpose, and we will live forever loving God and loving one another. In Eph. 2:21 Paul likens God’s people to a building. We are God’s building project. Construction workers often put up scaffolding during the project. But when the project is complete, they don’t leave the scaffolding next to the building. It has served its purpose. At the completed building, we no longer see the scaffolding. The gifts of the Spirit are like scaffolding. The gifts of the Spirit are needed for the preparation of God’s people for eternity. But when the house is completed the gifts have served their purpose and are no longer needed.
II. WHEN THE TEMPORARY GIFTS WILL PASS AWAY (vs 9-10)
In verses 9-10, Paul identifies when the temporary gifts will pass away: “For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.” Paul is talking about the gifts of the Spirit here.
Remember how we talked about the word of knowledge. It is a fragment of knowledge God gives for the edifying of the saints. It is not all knowledge, just a piece of knowledge to meet the need of the moment. The same is true with the gift of prophecy. It too is not all knowledge, but just a piece of information that ministers to peoples’ need at the moment. This imperfect, incomplete characteristic is true of all the nine gifts. Healing only brings a partial solution. If you want complete healing, you need to get a glorified body. Discerning of spirits is just a glimpse into the spiritual realm. We don’t see it all. God opens our eyes for what we need to see at that moment. All the gifts of the Spirit are “in part.” They are extremely useful, but they have their limitations.
Right now, we enjoy the earnest of our inheritance. The fullness of our inheritance will only come when we are resurrected from the dead and dwell in a glorified body. How many have ever put down earnest money when you were buying a house. It’s not the full payment. But it is enough to give the assurance that the rest will come. Paul wrote in Eph. 1:13-14 KJV “In whom” [referring to Christ] “ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance [NIV says “deposit guaranteeing our inheritance] until the redemption of the purchased possession, [until we receive our full inheritance in heaven] unto the praise of his glory.”
So in 1 Cor. 13:9-10 we have on the one hand “what is” and on the other hand “what will be.” In this present life, lived out in mortal bodies, “we know in part and we prophesy in part.” Even with the supernatural activity of the Holy Spirit being manifest, it is still “in part.” Here is verses 9-10 from the Amplified Bible: “For our knowledge is fragmentary [incomplete and imperfect] and our prophecies (our teaching) is fragmentary [incomplete and imperfect]. Verse 10 But when the complete and perfect (total) comes, the incomplete and imperfect will vanish away (become antiquated, void, and suspended).” “But when that which is perfect has come….” One day we will not be operating “in part.” One day, everything will be perfect.
The key question is WHEN? When does that which is perfect come? Look at verse 12. “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. ”When will we see “face to face”? When will we know just as we are known? When will the gifts be done away? When they have served their purpose in preparing us.
To those who would say the gifts have already passed away, I ask you these questions?
(1) Are you now perfect?
(2) Do you now see God face to face or like the rest of us “in a mirror, dimly.”
Perfection has not yet come.
(1) It will not come until we get to Heaven.
(2) We’re currently in an imperfect state. That’s why we need the gifts.
(3) We’re still in mortal bodies with all kinds of limitations.
One day:
(1) we will be in glorified bodies
(2) our salvation will be complete
(3) we will live in the perfect environment of heaven.
There we will have no need for:
(1) word of knowledge—we will have all knowledge.
(2) miracles—everything will already be perfect.
(3) healings—our glorified bodies will be untouched by disease. The gifts are for here and now. In heaven we will have no need of the gifts.
In heaven, speaking in unknown tongues will cease. Why? Because there will be no such thing as an unknown tongue. There will be no language barriers there. We will understand all languages.
Nowhere in our text is the FORMATION OF THE CANON even mentioned or alluded to.
(1) This is not a discussion of how we got the Bible, when it was completed, or anything about that.
(2) To say that the “perfection” here refers to completion of the Scripture: one has to interject the subject into the discussion. It is altogether unnatural to the context.
(3) Look at verses 11 & 12 and notice the word “I” throughout those verses: “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” The subject is our perfection, not the perfection of the Bible. When you and I are made perfect at the resurrection of the just, we will no longer need the gifts of the Spirit, and they will cease.
Chuck Smith did a study of commentaries prior to the 20th century. All of them identified “that which is perfect” with the coming again of Jesus and the resurrection of the just (Cf. 1 John 3:2). All the scholars for 1900 years understood perfection as something that happens when Jesus comes back. Then in 1906, at the beginning of the 20th century, something happened called the Pentecostal Movement. People were operating in the gifts of the Spirit like in the book of Acts. For those who opposed that move of God, a new interpretation was developed. “That which is perfect” was no longer the coming again of Jesus. Instead, it was now said to be when the whole canon of scriptures was assembled.viii That provided a convenient explanation of why they were not being used in the gifts of the Spirit. When we are faced with truth, the tendency is to do one of two things in the long run. We either adapt to that truth or adapt our doctrine to fit our continued lifestyle.ix
God gives the gifts now to build us up and prepare us for eternity. But when that preparation is complete and we are dwelling in a resurrected body we will no longer need the gifts, and they will all cease—not just tongues, but all of them. The three statements in verse 8 are parallel statements. What I say about tongues, I must be prepared to say about knowledge and prophecy.
III. TWO ANALOGIES (vs 11-12).
In verses 11-12, Paul illustrates his point with two analogies. First, he uses the illustration of a child in contrast to an adult. It is appropriate for a child to play with Legos. A little girl might spend time playing house and enjoying the doll she got for Christmas. A little boy might play with his toy truck. There is nothing wrong with a child behaving that way. In fact, it enhances their development. However, if a 35-year-old man has not gotten a job, and is still playing with his toy trucks, there might be a problem. Paul contrasts “what now is” with “what will be” in eternity. Operating in the gifts of the Spirit are appropriate in the now. They are an important part of our development. But in heaven, we will look back on that as child’s play. We won’t dishonor it. We will have simply moved beyond it.
Some people mistakenly turn this passage into a discussion about maturing in Christ in the now. But that violates the flow of Paul’s argument. It is simply illustrates the temporary nature of the gifts, compared to our eternal occupation. In 1 Cor. 15:11 Paul will confront people in Corinth who claimed there is no resurrection. Apparently, they thought their current spirituality was the pinnacle of attainment. Perhaps they were operating in some spectacular manifestations of the gifts. Maybe they were exalting themselves as having attained. If so, Paul is bringing them down off their high horse with his discussion of love, and he is paving the way for correcting their error about the resurrection. He is certainly paving the way for chapter 14 where he will correct some mistakes being made in their operations in the gifts.
In his second analogy, Paul compares looking in a mirror to seeing a person face-to-face. At that time, they had not developed mirrors made of glass with a silver back. Our mirrors give a nice, clear likeness. But the mirrors used in Corinth at the time were made of polished brass. They reflected the image, but it was not a perfect reflection.x The reflection was in a dim or obscure image.
Keeping with his theme, Paul is comparing the imperfection of what we can see and know now to the clarity and face-to-face interaction with the Lord in eternity. “12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” The Corinthians were enamored with their own operation in the gifts of the Spirit. Paul is helping them get all this in perspective. He never says they shouldn’t be operating in these gifts. In fact, he tells them to pursue the gifs. However, they had left off something even more important: love. In the end, when all is said and done, when the dust has settled, it won’t be about how spectacular they were in operating in the gifts. It will be about the love that developed in their hearts.
IV. A FINAL STATEMENT (vs 13)
In verse 13, Paul concludes his argument with a final statement: “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” In this present life, these three are of upmost importance: faith, hope, and love. But love is the greatest, even of these because it will be forever. Phillips translates it, “In this life, we have three lasting qualities—faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
So, what does Paul want these Corinthians to do with all this? And therefore, what are we to do with all this? 1 Cor. 14:1 “Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts….” Don’t pursue the gifts without putting love front and center. Pursue love. But don’t stop desiring spiritual gifts. They are only for this age, while you’re in a limited mortal body. They have value in the now. So “desire spiritual gifts.” Let love be the rule for all you do.
ENDNOTES:
i All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
ii 1 Corinthians 1:4-8, 10
iii James 1:11
iv 1 Cor. 13:7. “Love never fails” begins the discussion about the permanence of love compared to the gifts. However, the statement naturally flows out the statement made in verse 7 about its qualities.
v Paul uses a series of synonyms in verse 8 to state the temporary nature of the gifts. Some have argued the change of verbs has independent significance. But Gordon Fee says that “misses Paul’s concern rather widely. The change of verbs is purely rhetorical….” Gordon D. Fee, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The First Epistle to the Corinthians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987) pp. 643-644.
vi Romans 8:29
vii Paul wants spirituality to revolve around the two great commandments—to love God with all our being, and to love one another.
viii Chuck Smith, “Commentary on 1 Corinthians 13.” retrieved from http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/articles/index.php?view=article&aid=36758 Smith also points out the eschatological implications of Peter’s explanation of the baptism in the Spirit accompanied by tongues in Acts 2. In Acts 2:16 he says, “But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joes…”; and in verses 10-20 includes events at the end of the age, indicating this will go on until the end of the age. Then in verse 21 identifies something that will also continue to the end of the age.
ix When the Pharisees were confronted with Jesus’ miracles, instead of taking them at face value, they concluded it was something the devil was doing, and of course they would have nothing to do with that (Matt. 9:32-34).
x The Greek word, aninigma, translated “dimly” means obscureness (Strong’s number 135).
