RPM, Volume 14, Number 33, August 12 to August 18, 2012

 

1 Corinthians 13:8-13

 

A Sermon

 

By   Rev. Scott Lindsay    

   

If you have a Bible, please turn with me to Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13, and verse 8. Here we find ourselves amidst a larger section of this letter, that runs from chapter 12 through chapter 14, and which is devoted to the subject of spiritual gifts - their use and abuse in the church.  

In Chapter 12 Paul dealt with spiritual gifts in general, talking about their purpose and distribution amongst God's people. In Chapter 13, Paul has been talking about love as the context from which the gifts ought to be exercised and without which they are rendered meaningless. And in chapter 14 he will go on to talk about two gifts in particular - prophecy and tongues - as these seem to have been the ones that were at the heart of some of the problems going on in Corinth.  

But more about that when we get there. For now, our attention is drawn back to Chapter 13 which, I hope, we can finish looking at this morning. The theme of this chapter, again, is love and thus far we have seen the necessity of love (vs 1-3) and also the nature of love (vs 4-7). In these final six verses we will be looking at the supremacy of love (vs8-13) which is partially a function of its enduring character - as well as some other things which I hope to show.  

And as we return to our study of chapter 13, you need to remember how this chapter functions as part of Paul's overall treatment of the issue of spiritual gifts. The Corinthians, or a number of them at least, had adopted this viewpoint that said they had "arrived" spiritually and that the end of the ages had come upon them and that the presence of the extraordinary gifts like tongues and prophecy were proof of that.  

And so, in the face of these wrong-headed notions Paul has been showing them, in all sorts of ways, throughout this letter, how they couldn't possibly have arrived spiritually. If they had, the Corinthian Church would not have been the disaster that Paul's letter reveals it to be. Over and over again in this letter we have seen the immaturity and self-centeredness of the Corinthians, the arrogance and anger and divisiveness of the Corinthians - and many, many other faults and flaws have become apparent as well.  

In short, we have seen that everything that Paul says love IS - that is what the Corinthians AREN'T. And so, seen in the light of their behavior toward one another, it becomes clear that chapter 13 of Corinthians - far from being an inspiring ode to love as it is often treated - is actually a rebuke. It's purpose was to humble the proud Corinthians and to help them see how very unloving they have been toward one another in general. And a further purpose was to prepare the way for showing them even more clearly in chapter 14, how their use OF and approach TO the gifts, most especially tongues, had been very un-loving and, as such, of no profit to anyone.  

And so before we launch into Paul's discussion about the greatness of love over against the gifts, let's pause a moment to pray, and then we'll read the chapter together. Let's pray....

Great Father in heaven, we who have so much in common with the Corinthians, we need to hear these words about love and its supreme importance and we need to be challenged and shaped and ultimately encouraged by that truth. Please work within us the effect which Paul's words were intended to have within the Corinthians, so that we too might know again your mercy toward us, even in this particular way. In Jesus' name, Amen.       

(Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13)

  Paul continues his exposition on the nature of love here by talking about its permanence and superiority to everything else - including and especially to certain gifts that the Corinthians were so worked up about. He starts out with the simple statement - "love never ends" - which is related to the verses before in that it is a further description of the nature of love, but it also goes well with the verses that follow since it talks about the permanence of love over against the temporary nature of the gifts - which is the heart of Paul's discussion.  

"Love never ends", says Paul, but some things do - like prophecy and knowledge, which will pass away, or tongues which will cease. And please note that the "knowledge" he is talking about here is not knowledge in general but the knowledge that is a special gift of the Spirit (as in 12:8) and which was likely given to provide insight or understanding in circumstances where such insight could not have been gained by the person on their own. All those sorts of things - prophecy, tongues, and words of knowledge - all have a use-by date.  

But love, by contrast, just goes on and on and on. It has no expiration date. There will never be a time - not now, not even in eternity - when love will not be necessary or essential to who we are. Why? Because love is a fundamental reality - it is something that is basic to the very nature of God himself, and so is as eternal as He is. And we, who reflect His image, reflect it in this particular way - in and through love - both love for God, and for our neighbor as ourselves.  

Well, after talking about the temporary nature of the extraordinary gifts, over against the permanence of love, Paul points us to at least one of the reasons why the gifts are temporary - and it has to do, first of all, with their incomplete and partial nature, in themselves. And then, secondly, it has to do with the fact that they only have usefulness in a context that is incomplete and imperfect and un-finished.  

For example, consider prophecy, which in itself and by itself, provides information and insight that is true, but which is, at the same time, not exhaustive. No prophecy ever tells the whole story, or anything close to the whole story. Prophecies, by their nature are limited in scope and application. Further, prophecy is only meaningful and valid in circumstances where God's people are lacking something, when there are things they don't know, when the future is veiled or hidden from them, or when their own understanding is limited. Or, if it is not an information issue, it is an issue of obedience. And so it is the lack of holiness or godliness, perhaps, that renders the need for a prophetic word to come. But whatever the case, the point is that prophecy only has a use in an incomplete age, when there is something lacking, in a context of brokenness and sin.  

And the same things could be said about tongues which, if you think about it, is simply another form of prophecy except that it requires an interpreter to be understood. But the same thing could be said about tongues and special kinds of knowledge - these sorts of things are only useful and relevant in an imperfect and incomplete age.  

But, says Paul, "when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away." Another way to translate these words is to say when the time of maturity comes, or when the time of completeness comes - the partial will pass away. Now what is Paul referring to here? When is this time of perfection and completeness and wholeness?  

Well some commentators have said that Paul is referring here to the time when God's special written revelation - the Bible - will have been completed - to the time when the "canon" - which is referring to the 66 books which make up the Old and New Testaments - is finalized and closed. The problem with that interpretation is that the very idea of such a thing - a completed written revelation - that idea is so completely and utterly foreign to what Paul has been talking about here or anywhere else in the immediate context - that it couldn't possibly be true. There is simply no way that that idea was what Paul had in mind when he wrote these words. Even further, the language used here is not the kind of language that Paul ever uses to refer to the Scriptures.  

And so, if Paul isn't talking here about the completion of the written Scriptures, which he most certainly is not doing, then what IS he talking about? Well, given what Paul has said elsewhere, and given what we know about Paul's understanding of God's purposes for his creation, and the ways that Paul talks about these things in other places, given all those things - the most likely reference for this time of "perfection" or "maturity" or "completion" - however you translate it - is when the Lord Jesus returns, when, as Paul says in Philippians 1:6, "...he who began a good work within you will bring it to completion on the day of Christ Jesus".  

In other words, the letter to the Philippians shows us that Paul associated the time of Christ's return with the idea of completion and wholeness and perfection. And so, when Paul says "when the perfect comes" he is talking about the return of the Lord Jesus Christ - he is talking about a time when God's people will be completely restored, when the creation order itself will be fully reconciled to its Creator. When that happens, then there will be no more need for prophecies or tongues or special kinds of knowledge by the Spirit. They will be rendered un-necessary by Christ's return.  

And, I'm happy to say that in taking the view that Paul is speaking here of the return of Christ I am in good company as this is the understanding of most commentators, not the least of which is John Calvin himself.  

Well, after saying these things Paul uses a real-life analogy - about growing up - to drive home his point that things which are useful at one stage are not, therefore, useful at every stage and, in fact, may be unhelpful and inappropriate. When children are young, they often say and do things that are cute or funny. In our household we have a "family diary" where we have written down some of the things our kids have said as they were growing up.  

For example, I remember sitting down with one of our kids to ask some of the catechism questions one time and so we began with the first question: "Who made you?" And the response was "God". And I said, "very good", and I asked the second question, "What else did God make?" and the answer was "Cheese".  

Now I always laugh when I think about that. It was an answer that was not surprising given the age of our child at the time. It was funny and silly and all those sorts of things. However, if that same child, at the age of 25, were to think and speak and act in those sorts of ways - well, we would be concerned and upset if he/she really thought that "cheese" was an appropriate answer to the second question of the catechism. That sort of response at that age and stage of life would be out of place.  

This is how it is with the extraordinary gifts like prophecy, tongues, knowledge, etc. They are appropriate and useful - for a while - for one stage of the church's life and progress - but that usefulness and appropriateness will end when "the perfect" comes, when Christ returns and his Kingdom reign is consummated.  

Well, after pointing out the imperfect, partial nature of the gifts, and after pointing out that things which are appropriate for one age are not appropriate for another, Paul - just in case they have missed it - goes on to say that the time of perfection which he mentioned just moments ago is not now. He says some additional things here about that time, in order to drive home the truth that the age to which he is referring is still somewhere in the future, somewhere in front of them. Why? Because, as we have already seen, the Corinthian clocks were all wrong. Many of them were convinced that they had arrived spiritually - that the end of the ages, the time of perfection, had already come. Paul's words here are intended to dispel that notion.  

And so Paul says to them, "Now we see in a mirror dimly" - which, for the Corinthians, would have been especially meaningful since Corinth in that day was known for the high quality, bronze mirrors that were made and distributed from that city. "Now we see in a mirror dimly", says Paul, "but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known."  

In these verses, Paul supplies some further qualifiers which help his readers to identify the time of "perfection" to which he is referring. Paul says that now their vision, their perception of things is like looking into a piece of polished metal which gives a blurred, but true image. But then, when the age to which he is referring arrives, their perception will be clear, direct, un- distorted. It will be like turning away from an image of a person that one sees in a bronze mirror and coming face to face with that person - seeing them up close with nothing to bar or mar one's vision.  

Paul then makes the same point in a slightly different way, referring to himself and his own knowledge of things now as compared with what he will know when the age to which he is referring comes. Now, Paul freely admits, his knowledge is incomplete, partial. But then, when the time of perfection comes, he will know things fully, completely, not lacking in his knowledge - not distorted in his perceptions; like the way that he has been known by God.  

Clearly that time had not come upon the Corinthians or upon Paul. Clearly it was still somewhere in the future - even a long way in the future.  

And so, with these words, Paul is hoping to tone down the Corinthians' over-emphasis upon the gifts and to heighten their concern to be a people who are known - not by their great giftedness, but by their great love, as displayed toward one another - and towards the world around them. To be sure, the gifts were not insignificant, but their significance paled by comparison to the importance of love - which is supreme, not only because it endures forever, but because it is something which is fundamental to the person of God - and to those who bear his image.  

Even among other things that also remain, and stretch on into eternity - like faith and hope - even among those things love is still supreme. And while Paul does not elaborate on why this is so, at least two things might be offered as possible reasons for his statements here. Firstly, love is greater than faith and hope because faith and hope will be, in one sense at least, fulfilled at the return of Christ. When Christ returns faith will become sight and hopes will be realized. So faith and hope will be radically affected by Christ's return, even though they will not disappear. But love, far from being fulfilled or diminished at Christ's return, will only be fanned into flame as we see and behold the beauty of the Lord in all his glory.  

Another possible reason for Paul's statement that love is greater than faith or hope is simply because love is an attribute of God in a way that hope and faith are not. And so, in the end, love is greater than the things that do not remain - like prophecy and tongues - and is even greater than the things that DO remain - like faith and hope. Love, and not the spiritual gifts, is what Paul wants the Corinthians to be the most zealous for....  

Now in thinking about Paul's words to the Corinthians there are a number of ways in which his instructions to them intersect with us, as the gathered people of God in our own day.  

Firstly, Paul's hope that the Corinthians would replace their zeal for the spiritual gifts with a greater enthusiasm for showing love to one another - this should be our own hope and concern as well. If love is eternal, as Paul says it is, then we too ought to be all about pursuing love - which lasts - rather than pursuing and giving our best energies to other things which will one day pass away, which will have no abiding eternal value or worth.  

Secondly, these verses have something to say to us about the continuing place or at least the continuing possibility of the extraordinary gifts being operational. As Don Carson writes,  

"...the gifts of prophecy, knowledge and tongues will pass away at some point future to Paul's writing - [which, as we have seen, he refers to as the time when "the perfect" has come]. "...If this point", says Carson, "can be located in the first or second century, then no gift of prophecy, knowledge or tongues is valid today. Conversely, if this point is located at the return of Christ, then there is nothing in this passage to preclude a valid gift of tongues or prophecy today. This would not necessarily mean, of course, that each contemporary claim of a particular gift is valid. Nor would it necessarily mean that a charismatic gift or gifts could not have been withdrawn [before Christ returns]. But it does mean that Scripture offers no shelter to those who wish to rule out all claims to charismatic gifts today."

  What is Carson saying? He's saying that when we read the Scriptures, we have to be prepared to take them at their face value and not read into them things that we would like to be true but, rather, we must be willing to read out of them the things they are actually saying, even if we don't fully understand those things. Even if we are unsettled by them. And so, when it comes to this passage in 1st Corinthians, you have to take Paul's words seriously when he says "when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away".  

And, unless you accept the highly improbable view that says Paul is referring here to the time when the Scriptures would be completed, then you have to reckon with what the implications of these verses are if they, in fact, do have in mind the return of Christ as the time when the perfect comes and the partial passes away. Because that time has not yet come. And that means we are still living in the time when we know in part, when we see things dimly, when we do not yet fully know things as we one day will know them.  

Now, as Carson is quick to point out, this does not mean that every claim of extraordinary gifting is true. Nor does it even preclude the possibility that God might have withdrawn some gifts from the church for a time - even for a long time. All he is saying is that if you want to make a biblical case for the absolute cessation of the extraordinary gifts - you must deal with this passage and explain why it isn't referring to what seems natural and obvious - the return of Christ - and why it IS referring to that which seems entirely foreign and un-natural - the completion of the Scriptures. And in doing so, you will find yourself swimming upstream against older theologians - like Calvin - as well as the majority of current NT scholarship which rejects such a reading as forced and artificial.  

Once again, this does not settle the question of what is going on in many churches today, nor does it necessarily authorize any of those things in any way. I am simply trying to get you to understand and deal with this text fairly and at face value.  

But I want you to be patient. There is a lot more to be said on this subject. Chapter 14 awaits us. And I think that by the time we have worked our way through that chapter, most of the questions that might have been raised for you by these verses will have been addressed. In the meantime, I would invite you to go to the PCA's website, click on "Administrative Committee" and in the sidebar, click on "Historical Papers". In there you will find a pastoral letter dealing with "the experience of the Holy Spirit today", which was adopted by the 2nd General Assembly of the PCA - in 1975 - and which, within certain parameters, leaves room for some difference of opinion on this matter within our denomination. But I commend that paper to you. It is not long, and I think you will find it helpful.  

Thirdly, these verses have something to say to us about the matter of humility. Simply put, if that which we know is, at best, partial and incomplete; if we are yet in the time of imperfection then it means that we ought to consider how we handle the knowledge we do have - with caution, with an awareness that there is so much that we do not know, with a willingness to listen to others, with a preparedness to admit fault where it is right to do so. Indeed, it is the smugness of our Christianity, and the in-your-face certainty with which we sometimes say things that can often prove to be an un-necessary stumbling block to our non-Christian friends and family.  

Finally, these verses can, I think, be a great comfort to us precisely because they tell us that love never ends. And we hear those words and they sound wonderful and yet, even as we say them, we wonder if they are really true. Is there such a thing as love that never ends? When all around us are signs pointing in the opposite direction - relational struggles that are heart-breaking, marriages that come to an end. And we look at our own hearts and see how pitifully we love others, and how impatient we can become, and how easily we give up.  

And in the face of such realities, we might despair if it were not for the Lord, and if it were not for the Scriptures that tell us that God - who is love - has determined entirely on His own, and for reasons that are known only to him, that He loves us and that He will love us. That is his position now, and that is his position toward us for all time. His love will never end. And so, while we are undone by our own wretchedness and by the un-lovingness of our own hearts - we see that we are covered by the greatness of God's own heart - and His love - which overcomes our un-loveliness and un-lovingness and will transform us, in time, into images which reflect him.      

This article is provided as a ministry of Third Millennium Ministries (Thirdmill). If you have a question about this article, please email our Theological Editor.

 

Subscribe to RPM   RPM subscribers receive an email notification each time a new issue is published. Notifications include the title, author, and description of each article in the issue, as well as links directly to the articles. Like RPM itself, subscriptions are free. To subscribe to RPM, please select this link.