An Exposition of 1Cor. 12-14
Study 4: What is ‘that which is perfect has come’? (13:8-13)
Introduction
a. At the end of chapter 12 Paul says he is going to show us a more excellent way. In doing so, he turns our mind away from the special spiritual gifts and focuses our attention upon a supreme spiritual grace - agape.
- In 13:1-8a, the apostle Paul reminds us three important things about agape - a love that is patterned after God's love for us in Christ - love is indispensable, love has distinct character, and love is permanent.
- Love never fails! This abiding love is then contrasted with the spiritual gifts that the Corinthian believers are obsessed with. These spiritual gifts are all temporary - they will fail, they will be abolished. When?
b. Apostle Paul
states categorically that these gifts (prophecy, tongues, and knowledge) will
fail, cease. etc.
- Note that these
gifts belong to a common category. That is why they are mentioned together.
These are special revelatory gifts that have to do with the revelation of God's
word.
- The certainty
that they will fail is indisputable: 'shall fail', 'shall cease', and ‘shall
vanish away'.
- The time,
though clearly stated, as "when that which is perfect is come, then that
which is in part shall be done away" - is the sore point of dispute.
- Our task is to understand this passage before us with three basic rules of interpretation: There is no contradiction in God’s word; the text must be seen in its context, and Scripture itself must interpret Scripture.
- What is "that which is perfect" and has "that which is perfect" come? Let the Scripture speaks for itself.
## He who
interprets the Scripture without taking its meaning from the Scripture does
violence to the Scripture.
1. Some General Observations
a. Verse 9 and 10
constitute one sentence in the Greek text. This means that the subject (the
matter under consideration) of the two verses is the same. They are speaking of
the same thing.
- The same basic
thing is being compared. It was in part (incomplete) at the time when the
epistle was written, but it will become complete (perfect) sometime in the
future, future with respect to Apostle Paul.
- The subject of
the "in part" in verse 9 is about the special revelatory gifts of
prophecy and knowledge. This is the subject throughout the one sentence in
verses 9-10.
- The mention of
the special revelatory gifts of knowledge and prophecy would automatically
include "tongues" since it is in the same category and is listed
between the other two that are mentioned.
- "that
which is perfect" (to teleion) is neuter (ie. not masculine or feminine).
It means 'the completed thing'.
- "that
which is in part" (merous - plural of meros) is also neuter. It means
parts of a completed whole.
* The subject is
a neuter thing. It cannot possibly refer to Jesus Christ (masculine) or heaven
(masculine).
b. "shall be done away" is katargethesetai - third person future passive indicative of katargeo, meaning 'to abolish, to destroy, to bring to an end. Apostle Paul was inspired to use this very strong word to express the cessation of these gifts. This word implies that the abolishment of the gifts was to be a complete obliteration beyond recall, abolished such that they will never be revived again, destroyed, and never to be seen again.
2. 'That which is
Perfect'
a. 'to teleion' -
an adjective in its various gender - masculine (teleios), feminine (teleia),
neuter (teleion) is used 18 times in the whole of NT. In all its usage, to
teleion is never once used to describe Jesus Christ, or heaven, or the second
coming of Christ - the common but erroneous interpretations insisted by the
charismatics and some others. The plain meaning of the text excludes these
baseless interpretations.
- Kindly check
for yourself the 18 occurrences in these passages: Mt 5:28 (2x), 19:21; Rm 12:2; 1Cor 2:6,
13:10, 14:20; Eph 4:13; Phil 3:15; Col 1:28, 4:12;
Heb 5:14, 9:11; Ja 1:4 (2x), 1:25, 3:2; 1Jn 4:18.
- It is used of
persons, primarily of physical development, with its ethical import. eg 1Cor
2;6, 14:20.
- It is used of
things, referring to its completeness. eg Rm 12:2; Ja 1:4,25.
- In 1Cor 13:10,
it refers "to the complete revelation of God's will and ways..."
(Vine)
- At the time the epistle was written, 'that which is perfect' was only in a state of merous - only partial and incomplete. But this partial and incomplete thing was in the process of being made whole and brought to completion/completeness. Can this be a reference to Christ or heaven? Can there ever be a Christ or heaven in a partial state progressing towards completion??????? Is Christ or heaven ever in a state of progress???????
- This is a plain and simple description of the progression of the revelation of God. The revelation of God was given progressively (in clarity) and cumulatively (in quantity) until it was completed. The revelation of God was in the process of coming to perfection/completion by the completing of the Holy Scripture. Rev 22:18-
c. "we know
in part and we prophesy in part" :
- before
"that which is perfect has come", this is the manner of God's
revelation. The complete Bible did not drop down from heaven. Nor was it given
in parts through just one prophet. It was given in many parts (installments)
through many different prophets. cp Heb 1:1. So also was the NT scripture. No
one had complete knowledge; each was given a part of the divine revelation.
Combined together, they will finally have a complete/perfect whole.
- When apostle
Paul was writing the epistle to the Corinthian believers, the OT Scripture was
already completed, but the NT Scripture was being revealed. It was also given
progressively and cumulatively, given in parts through various different
people, Apostle Paul being one of them. All of them could only know in part and
prophesy in part.
- But once "that which is perfect has come" - once we have the completed revelation of God inscripturated, then the completed revelation of God has come. That which is perfect has come. Knowing in part and prophesying in part have fulfilled their divine purposes.
- The part-ial manner of revelation, in the
process of time, has brought in the completed manner of revelation - the
completed Holy Scripture. cp 2Tim 3:16-17.
- When the partial has served its purpose of bringing in the completed, the partial is abolished forever.
d. This truth of
the revelation of God is described elsewhere in a similar way:
- 2Tim 3:15-17:
"... The Holy Scriptures... all Scripture is God-breathed... that the man
of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." The
completeness of the Scripture is emphasized.
- Ja 1:21-25:
"... the implanted word... be doers of the word and not hearers only... he
who looks into the teleion law of liberty..." All these refer to the
revealed word of God.
* When Scripture interprets Scripture, we find that the revelation of God is described as that which is perfect and completed. When the full revelation has come with the completed Scripture, the special revelatory gifts (knowledge, tongues, and prophecy), which revealed in part are no longer needed, and are abolished.
e. "And now
abide faith, hope, love...": even when Paul was writing this letter to the
Corinthians believers, he could see that the abolition of the special
revelatory gifts mentions in verse 8 was so certain and soon afterward. These
special revelatory gifts were confined to the beginning stage of the gospel
age. When all has been revealed, those revelatory means ordained by God is no
longer needed, and they are abolished.
- As early as AD 57 (about the time 1Cor. was written) Paul already foretold in the plainest term that these special revelatory gifts shall cease. As far as Paul is concerned, what will abide throughout the gospel age are these three - faith, hope and love, not the special revelatory gifts.
3. The Three
Illustrations
a. Note carefully the singular purpose of these illustrations: to contrast the partial with the complete, to contrast the passing away of the partial with the permanence of that which is complete. To press them beyond their intended purpose is to do violence to the purpose, the text, and also to the context. Bear this principle in mind as you try to understand the illustrations.
b. "When I
was a child...": the picture of a child growing up into maturity. The
partial/incomplete state of childhood is contrasted to the relatively mature
state of adulthood. State of childhood is equivalent to "that which is in
part". The childhood state about
many things are partial, not complete – relatively speaking.
- So when the
complete (adulthood) way of revelation has come, the partial (childhood) ways
of revelation (knowledge, tongues, and prophecy) were abolished. Childhood
must give way to adulthood. What is progressive and cumulative must come to
completion, arriving at maturity.
- 'When I became
a man, I put away childish things' – childish things are things suitable and
appropriate for the childhood stage. The childish things refer to the special
revelatory gifts for the apostolic church – the church at its infant stage. They
are put away (abolished) when the complete revelation of God was committed to
the church.
- The partial
means (knowledge, tongues, and prophecy) must give way to the complete (the
Holy Scripture).
- Despising the complete and all-sufficient Holy Scripture, the charismatics are returning to childish things... they are regressing, going backward, refusing to grow up, reverting to childhood days.
c. "For now
we see in a mirror...": remember that mirror was made of highly polished
metal plate, and therefore its reflection at its best is only partial and
incomplete - "dimly". This is contrasted with "to see face to
face."
- Try looking at
a person's face in a polished metal plate and then looking at him, face to face.
See the vast difference! In one you see partially, in the other you see
completely, pimples and dimples and wrinkles and all.
- "face to
face": what does this phrase mean, meeting Christ at His return? When we
see Christ in heaven?
- This same
phrase is used in Ex 33:11& Num 12:8. Note carefully the context in which
this phrase occurs. In both passages, this phrase is used to describe the
manner that God revealed Himself to Moses. It is a comparison of the types of
revelation, both infallible, but one in part, the other in whole. cp Heb 1:1
- It is obvious that this phrase describes something on earth, not in heaven! It is about the giving and receiving of divine revelation, nothing to do with heaven or meeting with Christ or Christ's return.
d "... shall I know even as also I am known": a rabbinic illustration of a man sitting in a brightly lit room in a complete view of a visitor coming into the room. The visitor can see him clearly in the bright room, but when the visitor comes into the room, the man shall ‘know’ the visitor just as he is ‘known’ by the visitor, because they now see face to face in the bright room.
e. Historically,
the special revelatory gifts of prophecy and knowledge stopped, and tongues
ceased, (as foretold by the apostle Paul in verse 8) at the completion of the
Bible toward the end of the first century AD.
- Many are
deluded in claiming that these signs of the apostles continue today!
- Many are
deluded in claiming that there is a connection between revelatory gifts and
spirituality.
