1 Corinthians 13:8-13

1 Corinthians 13 ESV

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Introduction

We have beens studying 1 Corinthians 13 the last few Wednesday's.

and tonight we are going to conclude this chapter.

Paul

Paul is writing to the Corinthians to correct their behavior and the emphasis they have put on spiritual gifts and their social status in the church over the practice of love.

We saw how the Corinthians were using the Spiritual gifts to elevate themselves above each other, especially the poor and lower class members of the body..

And that this was a direct result of the culture in Corinth creeping into the church

A culture that prizes wisdom, spiritual nature, and social status.

And here in Chapter 13, Paul is trying to correct the church and get them back on the right path.

Love is greater Gifts

In the first 3 verse paul make it clear that love and acting in love, specifically christ like love, is greater than the practice of spiritual gifts

In fact, he says if we do such spiritual things, and we do not love.. we are nothing.. and accomplish nothing..

Love defined.

Then, last week we read as Paul defined this love..

and we saw how Paul was forced to radically redefine the word Agape, because there was not a word in the greek language, though they had many, that could adequately define the love of Jesus in words.

Paul defines this love for us..

and tells us the practical ways in which this love behaves in the body

And in doing so instructs the Corinthians that this is the way in which they are to love one another.

Conclude

After elevating love above the spiritual nature in importance..

and defining what this love looks like..

Paul is now ready to make his conclusion..

and he does this beginning in verse 8-13 by making 4 specific statements about love..

and tonight were going to look at these statements..

Statement 1

Lets read it..

1 Corinthians 13:8–10 ESV

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

Were going to look at this passage backwards if you will.

Look at verse 10 first..

Paul now moves to a larger view of the Christian life..

Having spoke about love in the present..

and its importance in the present..

Paul zooms out to the future..

Specifically, the end of the age..

to express what is important in the love run..

End of the age

Notice the phrase, “when the perfect comes.”

The greek word here is Teleios

and it refers to the fullness of Gods salvation that will come at the second coming of Jesus

Philippians 1:6 ESV

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

So paul is saying..

when this the age here is complete..

When we leave this earth..

and finally step into the future promise..

the partial will pass away..

or it will no longer exist..

why?

because it will no longer be necessary..

Partial

So what is the partial?

Well Paul tells us here that the partial is prophecy..

tongues..

and knowledge..

Referring to the spiritual gifts of prophecy, toungues, and knowledge..

And most likely paul is using these as symbolic of all spiritual gifts… not just these three specifically

And paul says all of these will cease when the end of the age comes..

in the fulfillment of the promise of the day of the lord..

Why?

but why will they cease?

because they will no longer be necessary

1 Corinthians 12:7 ESV

To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

They are given to help the believer in the earth..

in heaven, things will be perfect.. there will be no need for help..

Jesus tells us of the purpose of the holy spirit in general..

Acts 1:8 ESV

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

There will be no need to witness in heaven..

because all will know God..

Toungues

What is tongues?

its the ecstatic speech of God through the believer..

The holy spirit speaking through the believer back to God

praying to God in perfect prayers..

but in the fulfillment of the age that wont be necessary

because we will be WITH God..

and understand God

Prophecy

what is prophecy?

It is the spirit of God speaking the will of God to the body..

well guese what..

in heaven you wont need that..

because again you will be with God..

and know his will.

knowledge..

Same for spiritual knowledge..

Paul will say later in the passage…

now we know in part..

but then we will know fully..

Knowledge will be complete..

SO THESE THINGS WILL END AT THE COMING OF THE AGE..

BECAUSE THEY WILL NOT LONGER BE NEEDED..

BUT..

Love

Paul says while the gifts will cease..

Love never ends..

Paul tells us.. that love transcends the coming of the age..

It will continue into and throughout eternity..

The gifts were given for a season..

Jesus sent the spirit after his asccention..

But love, like god (Because god is love), has always been…

BEFORE TIME BEGAN..

AND AFTER TIME ENDS..

And therefore..

It becomes the true sign of those who follow Christ..

Paul is essentially telling the corinthians .. if you put your emphais on the gifts.. you have put your emphasis on the temporal.. because they will cease.. instead emphasize love.. because it will last forever..

Statement 2

Paul continues in verse 11

1 Corinthians 13:11 ESV

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

There are two aspects here to discuss..

both revolve around the world nepios.. translated here as child..

This word refers to a child of about 3-4 years olf.. so a todler..

Season

First, Paul points to the fact that spiritual gifts are relevant to this age..

they are appropriate..

but they will cease eventually and it will be necessary for us to grow out of there use..

Grow up

but second, and probably more plainly seen..

paul is telling them..

hey..

its time to grow up..

It was ok for you be infatuated with the gifts when you received them…

but now its time for you to grow up and learn to used them appropriately and with love..

To mature… out of spiritual childhood and into spiritual adulthood.

Ready

Remember, this is the same letter in which Paul writes..

1 Corinthians 3:2 ESV

I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,

The Corinthians were spiritually immature

and their emphais on abusing spiritual gifts and manipulating others with them showed this immaturity..

and Paul says..

its time to grow us..

Statement 3

1 Corinthians 13:12 ESV

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

Paul returns to his contrasting of the present age and the age to come..

he contrast now.. with when he will be face to face..

That phrase is likely a reference to Jesus ..

again in the age to come..

Glass

He compares the now.. and our present understanding with that of a dim mirror..

in pauls says.. mirrors were made of polished bronze…

they were not the clear reflects of our modern mirrors..

and so looking into one meant you saw a hazey reflection..

compared to looking directly at ones face..

knowledge..

thus paul says..

now.. I know in part..

and then I shall know fully..

thus the needs for the spiritual gifts in the present age..

but not in the coming age..

Because the gifts help span the gap of our incomplete knowledge..

See this..

we can see this reflected in our own lives today..

we make the statement many times..

when I get to heaven im going to ask god….

Why?

becuase now we have lots of questions..

but then we will have lots of answers..

now we know in part..

we catch glimpses of what God is doing and the why..

We grasp it by the coat tails..

but them.. we will know in full..

Even as..

Paul says..

even as I have been fully known..

Paul is not comparing how God knows us..

to how we will know then..

how does God know us?

Luke 12:7 ESV

Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Psalm 56:8 ESV

You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?

Psalm 139:2 ESV

You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.

1 Samuel 16:7 ESV

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

Gods knows us in detail..

and pauls says..

one day.. we will know just like that..

and thus.. we will no longer need the gifts..

Statement 4

Finally, Paul concludes this passage on love..

1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Paul says..

the gifts will cease..

but faith, hope and love will remain..

New age.

tony evans points out that in the new ages..

we will no longer need faith.. because we will have sight..

and faith in believing even when you cant see..

to see it not to have faith it is to know..

and since all of our expectations will be met..

we will no longer need hope..

because hope is the promise of that which is to come..

and when it comes.. it is no longer hope.. but rather fulfilment..

Love..

Love though..

will outlast it all..

because God is love..

love is his fundamental charactor..

and it will extend through eternity..

SO

so Paul thus encourages the corinthians to place love above the importance of spiritual gifts..

and thus practice what is lasting..