by Tom Wacaster
[If you have not read the first two parts in this series, let me encourage you to obtain a copy from the office and take a look. Let’s continue our thoughts in this week’s column].
In order to appreciate 1 Corinthians chapter 13 the Bible student must consider the overall context in which it is written. To divorce this chapter from the immediate context of spiritual gifts will cause the student to miss the main point the Holy Spirit is trying to make. As I mentioned in my last article, each gift served a particular purpose. Together, the nine gifts would serve to mature a congregation as they grew in the grace and knowledge of God’s word. In 12:12-30 Paul likens the church to a body. All the several parts of a physical body work in unison in order to provide for the functioning of the body as a whole. Since the church is the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23), each member was expected to use whatever miraculous endowment he had received to help the spiritual body function as it grew unto maturity. As valuable as those spiritual gifts were, Paul closes chapter twelve with this observation: “But desire earnestly the greater gifts. And moreover a most excellent way show I unto you” (1 Cor. 12:31). That more excellent way is the way of love. Chapter thirteen will serve three purposes: (1) it provides a brief discussion on the essentiality of love; (2) it provides a discussion on the essence of love; and (3) it closes with a wonderful discussion on the endurance of love in comparison with the spiritual gifts. Each of these three points begs further consideration.
The Essentiality of Love: There is no doubt that the church at Corinth had a serious problem regarding the gift of tongues. I get the impression they were proud, puffed up, and pugnacious with regard to their possession and use of the gift of tongues. What they were missing was genuine love. Having set forth a description of the spiritual gifts in the previous chapter, the apostle Paul now seeks to impress upon their minds the superiority of love over the gifts. The church could well function without a single spiritual gift; but without love, they were empty, vain, and nothing more than clanging brass or a tinkling cymbal. Pay close attention to 1 Corinthians 13:2. “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 have not love I am nothing.” I have intentionally italicized three words to point out that Paul focuses our attention on three of the nine gifts as representative of all nine of the gifts. Love far excels any and all of the spiritual gifts. Without love, the exercise of the spiritual gifts is vain and void.
The Essence of Love: Each of these character traits of love deserve a much closer look than what I can give in this article. The list of character traits of love is both beautiful and practical. These are the things that make agape love what it is - the deepest degree of love possible. Many years ago I heard a preacher make the practical application of these character traits and challenged each person in the audience to insert his name where the word “love” appears, and then read the passage carefully and soberly in order to see how he or she might measure up to this heavenly admonition.
The Endurance of Love: It is this third part of chapter thirteen that is the focus of this and the two previous articles. I am seeking to answer the question as to whether or not the spiritual gifts, and consequently the age of miracles, has passed, or if we still possess the same gifts and the same ability to perform miracles as did the first century church. This chapter, and especially verses 8-13, have a direct bearing on the answer to that question.
“Love never fails.” Why would the apostle even write these words unless it be to contrast the permanent nature of love with the temporal nature of the spiritual gifts? Paul is seeking to impress upon the Corinthians that love is absolutely permanent! Love will NEVER FAIL!
Before proceeding let us notice three words in this verse. They are “prophecies,” “tongues,” and “knoweldge.” Notice also that the “never faileth” stands in contrast to “shall be done away,” “shall cease” and “shall be done away.” But in the context, what do the “tongues,” “prophecies” and “knowledge” refer to? Without doubt, they refer to the spiritual gifts set forth in the previous chapter. Whatever else we might conclude from this verse, there is the obvious and undeniable truth that the spiritual gifts were going to cease. It is only a matter of determining when that would happen.
Paul then writes, “For we know in part, and we prophecy in part.” The words are used in connection with at least two of the nine spiritual gifts. The gift of “knowledge” was only “in part.” It was limited! It was fragmented, a part here; a part there! Likewise with prophecy, tongues, discernment, and all of the other spiritual gifts. Verse 10 serves to pinpoint the precise time when the “in part” [i.e., the spiritual gifts] would cease. “When that which is perfect is come, that which is impart shall be done away.” The question remains, therefore, as to precisely what this “perfect thing” is. Some seem to think that the “perfect thing” refers to Christ, and conclude that “when that which is perfect is come” is a reference to the second coming. The major hurdle in this position is the neuter gender of the “perfect thing.” Were Paul speaking of Christ and His coming, he would have used the masculine gender. I think there is a very simple way to determine what the “perfect thing” is. When “that which is perfect is come,” there will no longer be a need for the spiritual gifts of “knowledge,” “tongues,” and “prophecy.” The “perfect thing” will take the place of those gifts insofar as the purpose of the gifts are concerned. Seeing that the spiritual gifts were designed to provide the content, communication, and confirmation of the message of God, it seems natural to expect the “perfect thing” to do the same thing. The only “perfect thing” that accomplishes that purpose is the fully revealed word of God. James refers to the word of God as the “perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25). 2 Timothy 3:16-17 helps us here: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” Pay close attention to the 17th verse. The word of God provides all that is necessary to completely equip us unto every good word. This includes the content of God’s message to man, the communication of that message, and the confirmation of that message. Now let’s return to 1 Corinthians chapter thirteen.
Paul immediately follows his prophecy of the “perfect thing” with two illustrations of the point he is trying to make. The first of these is that of a child who has grown into maturity. When the church was in its infant stage it needed the spiritual gifts to bring it unto maturity. This is precisely the truth taught in Ephesians 4:8-15, a passage that deserve more attention than I have space in this article to give. So I’ll come back to that later.
The second illustration Paul gives to the Corinthians is contained in 1 Corinthians 13:12: “For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known.” When all that men had were the spiritual gifts it was like standing before a glass “darkly.” The full clear image could not be seen. Once again, James helps us here: “For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth away, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was” (Jas. 1:23-24). When the perfect thing is come, I will be able to see myself fully! That is exactly what a person sees when he gazes into a mirror: himself! James tells us that the “perfect law of liberty” is that which enables a person to see himself as he really is, spiritually speaking.
Paul closes 1 Corinthians 13 with beautiful words, “But now abideth faith, hope love, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” That is because, as Solomon wrote long ago, “Many waters cannot quench love, Neither can floods drown it: If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, He would utterly be contemned” (Song of Solomon 8:7).