“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. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. 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. 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. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:8-13
What Were New Testament Believers Waiting For?
Paul acknowledges that at that present time, believers only “know in part and we prophesy in part” (v.9). They were waiting for a time when what was perfect would come (v.10). Some have suggested that Paul is referring to the coming of the perfect One (Christ) to snatch up His Church and return to heaven. However, the Greek word rendered “perfect” is in the neuter gender, so Paul is talking about a subject of non-personage.
Others have suggested that the phrase “that which is perfect” may refer to our complete understanding of the “faith once delivered to the saints,” as soon as believers are in Heaven. However, it is blatantly obvious that spiritual gifts, the subject of these chapters, would cease once believers are in heaven. Therefore, it would not be necessary to state that fact. Such an idea would mean that new revelations would be continuing throughout the Church Age. Hence, Christ would be required to judge His Church to varying degrees of revealed truth at His Judgment Seat, instead of one embodiment of truth for the entire Church Age. Jesus Christ desires His Church, His Temple, to be built on one foundation of truth (Matt. 16:18; 1 Cor. 3:11). The idea of progressive revelation would result in division and chaos within the Church. Both grammar and reason indicate that the “perfect” must relate to something received before the Church is glorified with Christ in Heaven.
Given the construction of the Greek text in verses 8 and 9, it seems apparent that Paul is speaking about something that makes prophesying and knowledge (declaring and knowing the truth) only in part not necessary anymore. God causes “declaring in part” to cease, because He has provided the whole truth that the Church is to understand while here on earth (in Heaven there will be more for us to learn; Eph. 2:7). What is perfect then speaks of the completed canon of Scripture in the Apostolic Age (Heb. 2:3-4; Jude 3). On completion, God would then cause the gifts of prophecy and knowledge to cease.
Children Looking in a Mirror Dimly
God revealed to the apostles what He desired humanity to know during the Church Age. That said, complete “unity of the faith” (i.e., full understanding by the saints of what has been revealed in Scripture concerning the faith) will not occur until the Church is in Heaven (Eph. 4:12-13). No wonder Paul described himself and other believers at that time as mere children beholding something that could not be fully understood and appreciated. It was as if they were looking at a dim reflection in a mirror to discern the fuller truth that was coming into focus.
Paul speaks of progressing from childhood to adulthood (speaking of spiritual maturity, not heavenly perfection). Again, he was looking into “a mirror dimly” waiting for clearer understanding of truth that would ultimately be seen “face to face” (v.12). This describes Paul’s situation when he was writing to the Corinthians. He was looking forward to receiving the full revelation of Scripture in order to gain maturity in understanding truth.
The language of verse 11 is reminiscent of God’s declaration to Aaron and Miriam concerning how He revealed truth to His servant Moses:
…If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; and he sees the form of the LORD…
(Num. 12:6-8).
Because of His close personal relationship with the Lord, Moses received “face-to-face” revelation from God. While it is true that when we see the Lord “face to face” we will have perfect understanding of revealed truth, that is not what Paul is speaking of here. Rather, he was eagerly waiting for God to reveal all that He wanted the Church to know through Scripture. Church history gives this view credence for, as previously mentioned, prophecy, speaking in tongues, and revelations of knowledge concluded towards the end of the Apostolic Age.
God Reveals Himself in Various Ways
With this said, God is God and He will do whatever will honor Himself and bring the most blessing to humanity. It would be wrong for any human to try to limit God’s sovereignty. For example, at this present moment, many Muslims coming to Christ have reported having dreams which called their attention to the loveliness of Christ.1 In fact, we would expect God to continue revealing Himself through mysterious forms of communication. However, if and when divine visions and dreams do occur today, they would be of a localized nature with individual benefit and would not impart new revelation for the Church to heed. There is one embodiment of truth for the Church to obey in the Church Age and that is contained within the completed canon of Scripture.
From a practical standpoint, what does this mean for us today? The New Testament records the direct and specific calls of the disciples to ministry. So, should today’s Christians expect to receive a personal visit from God to call them into service? Should we expect a voice from heaven, a vision, or a prophetic utterance to confirm God’s calling for us? During the early days of the Church Age, prophets were given to the Church as a check against false teachers – they confirmed the oral transmission of the Word of God by the apostles before it was available in written form. Since believers have a divine anointing to understand truth (1 John 2:20, 27) and the Word of God is now complete (Jude 3), modern Christians should not presume personalized directives from God. He may use visions, dreams, confirming signs, and etc. to direct our way, but such phenomena will never contradict Scripture.
Love Endures Forever
Notice that while the gifts of prophecy and knowledge (revelation of truth to the Church) and tongues (declaring truth to the lost) will cease, love will endure forever. This is why love is greater than faith and hope. Once we are in heaven, the virtues of faith and hope will have served their purpose, but believers will bask in the inexhaustible love of God forever.
Paul concludes the chapter with a lovely summary: “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (v.13). Faith takes God at His Word without sensory or intellectual confirmation. Hope rejoices in God’s future promises. Love is the unselfish, sacrificial goodness of God to us. Hope and faith will cease when the Lord returns for His Church – faith gives way to sight and hope is complete, but in God’s presence, we will experience His boundless and pure love forever.
Endnotes
1 Darren Carlson, “When Muslims Dream of Jesus” (International Mission News; May 31, 2018): https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/muslims-dream-jesus