What's this about Gifts- The More Excellent Way/The Way of Love- Part 3
I. The Priority of Love (v.1-3)
II. The Particulars of Love (v.4-7)
III. The Permanence of Love (v.8-12)
III(A). Love Outlasts Wrongs
(III)B. Love Outlasts Gifts
1. Continuation of the Gifts
If the perfect refers to the completion of Scripture, then prophecy and knowledge have already been stopped, and all believers since that time would have been without benefit of two of the most important gifts for proclaiming, interpreting, and understanding Scripture. The gift of prophecy was only partly used for revelation. In most cases it was used for proclaiming and interpreting what already had been revealed. The church would be in dire straits if the gifts of knowledge and prophecy had ceased with the completion of the New Testament.
2. The Context of the Verses
Unlike katargeō, this verb is here used in the Greek middle voice, which, when used of persons, indicates intentional, voluntary action upon oneself. Used of inanimate objects it indicates reflexive, self-causing action. The cause comes from within; it is built in. God gave the gift of tongues a built-in stopping place. “That gift will stop by itself,” Paul says. Like a battery, it had a limited energy supply and a limited lifespan. When its limits were reached, its activity automatically ended. Prophecy and knowledge will be stopped by something outside themselves, but the gift of tongues will stop by itself. This distinction in terms is unarguable.
IV. The Preeminence of Love (v.13)
1. Eternal
2. Encompasses the other two
3. Echos God Himself
Gifts, ministries, faith, hope, patience, all one day will cease to exist because they will cease to have purpose or meaning. But in that perfect day, when we see our Lord “face to face,” love will for us be just beginning. But our showing love, practicing love, living love now are of utmost importance, more important than having any of the other virtues or gifts, because love is the link God gives us with His eternal Self.