Constancy of love. 13:8–13.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spake 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 through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Unlike many of the spiritual gifts, love will never be outmoded, unnecessary, or eliminated.
I. Love never fails
(Gr ekpiptoµ, falls off, cf. Lk 16:17). Unlike the leaf or the flower, love never fades and falls off (cf. Jas 1:11; I Pet 1:24).
A. Prophecies, they shall fail (lit., “be abolished”). ie - Divine inspiration
B. Tongues, they shall cease. The significance of the Greek word (pauoµ) indicates that tongues would soon be “cut off” as their necessity in the process of New Testament revelation ceased. It is important to note that tongues are never mentioned again in the New Testament after this warning.
C. Knowledge, it shall vanish away (“be abolished”). This is the same word used in reference to prophecy above. This is not knowledge in general but the “gift” of knowledge by direct revelation (cf. 12:8; 13)#
ILL>> Lew Wallace is best remembered as the author of Ben Hur. He wrote, "Riches take wings, comforts vanish, hope withers away, but love stays with me. Love is God." That is not quite the same as what John wrote: "God is love" (1 John 4:8). It is true that riches take wings, that comforts vanish, that hope withers, and it is certainly true that love stays with us. In the words of Paul, "Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:8).
II. Love is victorious over incomplete writings
A. An incomplete Scripture
9–10. For suggests reason.
1. Incomplete Scripture = We know in part, and we prophesy in part.
Knowledge and prophecy as we now know it are suited only to an imperfect state of existence.
2. Complete Scripture = That which is perfect. = the completion of the canon of Scripture,
with which partial revelation (by knowledge, prophecy, or tongues) came to an end, culminating (stopping) in a complete revelation of God’s Scripture Paul employs the neuter because he does not contemplate an individual. Thus, that which is perfect cannot refer to the coming of Christ Himself. Then that which is in part will be done away. Once the perfect has been achieved, there will be no need for that which is immature. It will not be needed or accepted and should not be desired.
B. An incomplete Person
ILL >> During a long and losing baseball game, the restless 12-year-old players were questioning Ritchie, their assistant coach, about his attractive younger sister. Annoyed at the idle chatter, the head coach hollered, "When you’re in the dugout, talk baseball!"
After a moment’s silence, a young voice began, "So, Ritchie, does your sister play baseball?"
11. The apostle illustrates his point by likening it to the maturation of a person from infancy to manhood. A child speaks, reasons, and assimilates knowledge at the level of his maturity. Paul’s use of spake … understood … thought seem to correspond respectively to “tongues,” “prophecy,” and “knowledge” above. If this is the case, it is reasonable to expect changes to occur. The apostle goes on to say when I became a man, I put away childish
Jerry Falwell, executive editor; Edward E. Hinson and Michael Kroll Woodrow, general editors, KJV Bible commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1994.
ILL>> It wasn’t until my 14-year-old son, Leon, answered the telephone one afternoon that I realized how quickly he had grown.
"Hello?" he said, in his ever-deepening voice. Then he handed the receiver to me.
"Who is it?"
"Someone ..." Leon replied matter-of-factly, "... who wants to talk to my wife."
things.
A child’s speech is undeveloped, his understanding crude, and knowledge incomplete. At that time his attention is focused upon developing the skill of speech, coming to terms with truth and assimilating knowledge. But when the child becomes a man his speech becomes subject to his mind, his understanding is tempered, and his knowledge complete.
ILL >>One spring our family was driving from Fort Lauderdale to Tampa, Florida. As far as the eye could see, orange trees were loaded with fruit. When we stopped for breakfast, I ordered orange juice with my eggs. "I’m sorry," the waitress said. "I can’t bring you orange juice. Our machine is broken."
At first I was dumbfounded. We were surrounded by millions of oranges, and I knew they had oranges in the kitchen--orange slices garnished our plates. What was the problem? No juice? Hardly. We were surrounded by thousands of gallons of juice. The problem was they had become dependent on a machine to get it.
Christians are sometimes like that. They may be surrounded by Bibles in their homes, but if something should happen to the Sunday morning preaching service, they would have no nourishment for their souls. The problem is not a lack of spiritual food--but that many Christians haven’t grown enough to know how to get it for themselves. -- source unknown
12. Now we see through a glass, darkly (lit., “for yet we see through a mirror in a riddle”). Paul seems to be alluding to the incident in Num 12:8. . 6 Then after commanding them to listen carefully, he said: “I, the LORD, speak to prophets in visions and dreams.7 But my servant Moses is the leader of my people.8 He sees me face to face, and everything I say to him is perfectly clear. You have no right to criticize my servant Moses.”#
On another occasion Paul says the writings were an enigma compared to the revelations contained in the gospel (cf. II Cor 3:12–13). But then face to face. The apostle understands that complete maturity will not be achieved until we see the Lord face to face. At that time we will not only achieve complete maturity but perfect knowledge. As Paul puts it, but then shall I know even as also I am known. The gifts are fragmentary and only a means to an end. Paul’s advice is keep your eyes on the goal and not on the means towards achieving that goal.
ILL>> Think about people who find themselves in religious ruts. They discover a number of things about themselves. They will find that they are getting older but not getting any holier. Time is their enemy, not their friend. The time they trusted and looked to is betraying them, for they often said to themselves, "The passing of time will help me. I know some good old saints, so as I get older I’ll get holier and better. Time will help me, purify me and revive me." They said that the year before last, but they were not helped any last year. Time betrayed them. They were not any better last year than they had been the year before.
-- A. W. Tozer in Rut, Rot or Revival.
II. Love is victorious over incompleteness religion
A. Three basics
13. And now abideth faith, hope, charity. Now is best understood in a temporal sense (cf. Rom 8:24; II Cor 5:7; Heb 11:1). If the present Christian experience were to be reduced to three essential qualities they would be faith, hope, and love.
B. One vital element
The greatest of these is charity. Faith and hope will one day vanish from sight. Love alone abides.
Its clearest expression is to be seen on Golgotha’s hill. Thus Paul’s approach is not to decry the possible abuses at Corinth but to challenge them to something much better.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote a poem entitled “I Loved Once,” in which she writes, “They never loved who dreamed that they loved once,” and “Love looks beyond the bounds of time and space, Love takes eternity in its embrace.” Love is deathless. It is never defeated, never disillusioned, never disappointed.
Love that is a passion burns like a straw stack and is soon consumed. That is the reason there are so many divorces today. It was not the kind of love that holds two hearts together. Love is eternal. It is permanent. God’s love is that kind of love. How wonderful that is! His love looks beyond the bounds of time and space and takes eternity in its embrace. Christ never ceased loving. You can’t do anything to keep Him from loving. No sinner has committed an unpardonable sin. You may be in the state of unbelief, but He still loves you. You may have committed ever so great a sin, but He still loves you. You cannot keep Him from loving you. You can put up an umbrella to keep yourself out of the rain, but you cannot stop the rain from falling. Neither can you stop God from loving you—regardless of the umbrella of sin or unbelief that you are under.
ILL>> A Coloradoan moved to Texas and built a house with a large picture window from which he could view hundreds of miles of rangeland. "The only problem is," he said, "there’s nothing to see." About the same time, a Texan moved to Colorado and built a house with a large picture window overlooking the Rockies. "The only problem is I can’t see anything," he said. "The mountains are in the way."
People have a way of missing what’s right before them. They go to a city and see lights and glitter, but miss the lonely people. They hear a person’s critical comments, but miss the cry for love and friendship.
-- Haddon Robinson
