1 Corinthians 13:8-13
~10 min read
Ps Paul Cheng
“…only thing that will still exist in heaven…”
The Corinthians were very concerned about the prominence of spiritual gifts, and the more spectacular the gift was, the more they would desire that gift. Before the Bible was completed, the gift of prophecy would include the ability to foretell the future, and the gift of knowledge would include the ability to understand things that have not been revealed, special revelation.
Then the Apostle Paul embarked on 1 Corinthians 13 to deal with the importance and qualities of love. Without love, all the spiritual gifts would be meaningless! No matter how seemingly spectacular or prominent those spiritual gifts might be, they were only tempaoral. Only one thing was permanent, and that was love!
I. An Examination Of Prophecies, Tongues And Knowledge
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 (1 Corinthians 13:8).
Charity (love, or agape) never faileth, does not mean love will always succeed. Love does not always win. Our Lord Jesus’s love was perfect, yet not everyone believed in Him. In fact, they denied, rejected and crucified Him. The Apostle Paul truly loved sacrificially, yet he was persecuted, arrested, beaten, imprisoned, and like his Lord, he was put to death. Likewise as parents, we love our children most dearly, but it does not mean that our love will always win our children over, and they will always respond in a positive way. Here, it is about the permanence of love!
The word faileth means to drop away; like a flower or a leaf that withers, decays and falls to the ground. There will never come a time whereby love will die or be abolished.
In heaven, there will be no more need for the gifts of teaching, preaching, prophecy, discernment, knowledge, wisdom, tongues, miracles, healings, faith, mercy or leadership. None of those gifts will have a purpose or place in heaven. But there will still be love in heaven. Here, the Apostle Paul was emphasizing the permanence of love against the spiritual gifts that were temporal and partial.
Take a moment and consider our relationships. A person may be a married man or woman, a father or mother, a son or daughter, and so forth. Those are wonderful relationships. But do you realize that those relationships do not last forever? There will be no marriage, or parental relationships in heaven. The only thing that will still exist in heaven is love; one’s love for God and his love for others.
Interestingly, Paul used two different Greek words to explain how tongues, prophecies and knowledge would stop. He used the same word for prophecies and knowledge, they shall fail and vanish away. It is a very strong word of cessation (katargeo). It is in the passive voice which means there will be an outside force which will cause them to stop. And what is this outside force? Verses 9-10 give us the answer, when the perfect is come (which will be dealt with shortly).
II. An Examination Of Sign Gifts
But for tongues, Paul used a different Greek word that they shall cease (pauo) which means to come to an end. It is in the middle voice meaning the gift of tongue-speaking will stop by itself. For example, like a battery, it has a limited energy and lifespan. When it reaches its limits, its activity automatically ends by itself. In other words, prophecies and knowledge would be stopped by something outside themselves (when the perfect is come), but the gift of tongues will stop by itself.
Previously, we had discussed that tongues-speaking was a sign gift (just like the gift of miracles). Sign gifts were given for a particular reason, they were to be used specially to authenticate the authority of the apostles. Once they had served their purposes, they would cease by themselves. It does not mean that God has ceased to perform miracles or healings. Today God continues to perform miracles and heal miraculously. He still works in supernatural ways according to His sovereign will, but as far as any man having the gift to perform miracles and healing, they had ceased. With the passing away of the last Apostles, those sign gifts had stopped by themselves.
Today, people talked a lot about tongues speaking. But do you realize that tongues speaking was only mentioned in the earlier New Testament books? In fact, most of the New Testament books do not even mention tongues-speaking. Paul mentioned it only in this book; James, Peter, John and Jude did not talk about it at all. The only place tongues speaking was mentioned was in Acts, but even then, after Acts 19, there was no more mention of tongues-speaking anymore. It is very clear from the New Testament record that tongues had ceased by itself even before the end of the apostolic age.
After the apostles, came the church Fathers, and this topic of tongues speaking was not found in their writings. Historians and theologians of the early church had unanimously agreed that tongues had ceased to exist after the time of the Apostles. For almost 1800 years, there was no mention of tongue-speaking. Then all of a sudden, tongues speaking appeared in several Roman Catholic churches in Europe in the ninteenth century, and then around the twentieth century, it became a major emphasis within the Pentecostal denomination. Later on, in the 1950s, there was the charismatic movement which carried the practice of tongues into the other denominations.
It is worthly to note that the charismatic tongues are different from the tongues in the Bible. Their tongues are ecstatic tongues which means to speak in an unknown language, while the tongues in the Bible are known languages.
III. An Examination Of Charity
So, for prophecies and knowledge, or special revelation, they shall fail or vanish away meaning they shall come to an end because of an outside force. When would that happen? When the perfect is come! There are two popular views about what is this perfect thing?
- The first view believes that this perfect refers to the second coming of Christ. This view is unlikely because the word perfect (teleios) was never used with reference to the second coming of Christ, or the end of the world. This word is in the neuter, and it is not a reference to a person but rather an object. Christ was never known as the teleios, He was the logos. Therefore, this perfect thing cannot be a reference to the second coming of Christ.
- The second view (which we hold as the right view) believes that this perfect refers to an object (teleios), the completed canon of the Holy Scriptures, the Bible. Remember, at this point in time, Paul was still writing the book of first Corinthians, so the perfect as in the Holy Scriptures, was not yet come, which means it was not yet completed. Once the Bible was completed, God through the Apostle John gave this strong warning in last chapter of the last book of the Bible, Revelations 22:18, For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. The gifts of prophecies and knowledge as in special revelation had come to end because of this outside force, this perfect is come, the Bible had been completed. Thus God gave this strong warning,; no more adding or subtracting from this perfect Word of God.
That was why Paul said, For we know in part, and we prophecy in part (v.9). In other words, at that time, God was still revealing to the Apostles, and they were still receiving revelation and writing the Holy Scriptures. So, what they knew was only partial to the entire canon of the Holy Scriptures.
But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away (v.10). When the canon of the Holy Scriptures was completed, one no longer focused on that which was partial (bits and pieces), but on the completed Word of God.
Furthermore, Paul gave the illustration of a child, 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 (v.11). He was comparing his present situation with regards to the Word of God, to that of a child. Without the entire Holy Scriptures, he could only speak, understand and think like a child, and his maturity was that of a child. He did not have the other New Testament books to help with his understanding and maturity. For example, he did not have Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2 and 3 John, Jude and Revelation. Without all these books, he was like a child. His understanding and maturity was like a child. But when he had the entire Holy Scriptures, he became a man which means he had the maturity to understand all the other things. He was no longer childish (as in immature in his understanding, childish things can mean simple things).
If one is still not convinced that Paul was referring to the Word of God, Paul gave another illustration, 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 (v.12). Here, he likened the Word of God to be like a glass, a mirror. How does one know Paul was referring to the Word of God? Well, James said the same thing, But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth whch manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed (James 1:22-25, emphasis mine). The same word for glass was used there, and it was a reference to the Word of God!
In a sense, Paul was saying, “At this point in time, the Bible is still not completed. Therefore, we can only see through this glass or mirror, and it is dark as in obscure or not clear. But later on, when the perfect is come, we would see face to face, which means directly. All that we need to know about life, sin, death, salvation, judgment, Saviour, heaven, hell, God, man, etc, will be completely revealed in this book, the Bible. And through this completed canon of God’s Word (the Bible), He will speak to us directly, face to face, through His Spirit.”
So, today, if anyone claims he has the gift of prophecy, it can mean only one thing, he has the gift to forth-tell, declare or preach the perfect Bible (Word of God), not special revelation. If anyone declares he has the gift of knowledge, it can mean only one thing, he has the gift to understand the truth revealed in the perfect Bible, not special revelation.
Finally, And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity (v.13).
In the preceding verse 7, we had learnt the importance of believing all things and hoping all things, which were faith and hope. Though faith and hope are very important virtues, one day, they would be realized when we go to heaven, whether by death or the rapture. Faith and hope would have no purpose in heaven because we do not need to keep on believing as everything true would be known in heaven. We would see the reality of our faith because we do not need to keep on hoping as we have already arrived in our glorified state.
But love is eternal and permanent, and it will continue even as we dwell with Christ forever and ever in the New Heavens and the New Earth. There will still be love!
Having said that love is the greatest of these three not only because it is eternal, but even in this temporal world that we live in. Without love, everything would be empty and meaningless, including faith and hope. Today we must continue in love, for we cannot have faith and hope without it. Indeed, love is the greatest!
Dear friend, with this in mind, let us ask ourselves, “Why do we fight amongst ourselves as to who is better, more successful or resourceful? If you are serving as a Bible teacher, or singing in the choir, or playing the piano, or ministering to the elderly, and another brother or sister in Christ is better than you in these spiritual gifts and activities, are you jealous? Rather than being envious, we ought to be happy. Love must be central in our lives, and this charity never faileth. It will continue with us even after we die, and when we see Christ face-to-face, there will still be love. The only difference is that our love then will be perfect, because there will be no more sin.
One final vital lesson we can learn from here, is that if everything is going to end soon, our services and ministries will come to an end soon. If we truly love the Lord with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our mind, we will continue to persevere and do His work while it is day, because when night cometh, we can no longer work. So we must not give up easily before that time comes, but to press on and persevere! When we draw our last breath in death or we are raptured, we will see our Lord face-to-face. In the sweet-by-and-by, on that beautiful shore in heaven, when everything will come to an end, but our love for God and for one another will still continue!
Shalom,
Pastor Paul Cheng
1 CORINTHIANS 13The Qualities Of Love (Part 1) — Love Suffereth LongThe Qualities Of Love (Part 1) — Love Suffereth Long1 Corinthians 13:4a
Introduction To The Qualities Of LoveIntroduction To The Qualities Of Love1 Corinthians 13
What Has Love Got To Do With Spiritual Gifts?What Has Love Got To Do With Spiritual Gifts?1 Corinthians 13:1-3
The Qualities Of Love (Part 2) — Love Is KindThe Qualities Of Love (Part 2) — Love Is KindCorinthians 13:4b
The Qualities Of Love (Part 5) — Love Is Not Puffed UpThe Qualities Of Love (Part 5) — Love Is Not Puffed Up1 Corinthians 13:4e
The Qualities Of Love (Part 4) — Love Vaunteth Not ItselfThe Qualities Of Love (Part 4) — Love Vaunteth Not Itself1 Corinthians 13:4d
The Qualities Of Love (Part 3) — Love Envieth NotThe Qualities Of Love (Part 3) — Love Envieth NotCorinthians 13:4c
The Qualities Of Love (Part 9) — Love Thinketh No EvilThe Qualities Of Love (Part 9) — Love Thinketh No Evil1 Corinthians 13:5d
The Qualities Of Love (Part 7) — Love Is Not SelfishThe Qualities Of Love (Part 7) — Love Is Not Selfish1 Corinthians 13:5b
The Qualities Of Love (Part 8) — Love Is Not Easily ProvokedThe Qualities Of Love (Part 8) — Love Is Not Easily Provoked1 Corinthians 13:5c
The Qualities Of Love (Part 6) — Love Does Not MisbehaveThe Qualities Of Love (Part 6) — Love Does Not Misbehave1 Corinthians 13:5a
The Qualities Of Love (Part 10) — Love Rejoiceth Not In IniquityThe Qualities Of Love (Part 10) — Love Rejoiceth Not In Iniquity1 Corinthians 13:6a
The Qualities Of Love (Part 11) — Love Rejoiceth In The TruthThe Qualities Of Love (Part 11) — Love Rejoiceth In The Truth1 Corinthians 13:6b
The Qualities Of Love (Part 15) — Love Endureth All ThingsThe Qualities Of Love (Part 15) — Love Endureth All Things1 Corinthians 13:7d
The Qualities Of Love (Part 14) — Love Hopeth All ThingsThe Qualities Of Love (Part 14) — Love Hopeth All Things1 Corinthians 13:7c
The Qualities Of Love (Part 12) — Love Bears All ThingsThe Qualities Of Love (Part 12) — Love Bears All Things1 Corinthians 13:7a
The Qualities Of Love (Part 13) — Love Believeth All ThingsThe Qualities Of Love (Part 13) — Love Believeth All Things1 Corinthians 13:7b
The Permanence Of LoveThe Permanence Of Love1 Corinthians 13:8-13