When That Which Is Perfect is Come

1 Corinthians 13:8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will be done away with. Where there are various languages, they will cease. Where there is knowledge, it will be done away with.

For a long time, 1 Corinthians 13:8 has been used to argue that the gifts of tongues, prophecy and knowledge are no longer functional in the church. But is that true?

Let’s rewind and establish context. In this Chapter Paul is comparing Love with other gifts; mainly tongues, prophecy and knowledge.

1 Corinthians 13:1-2 (WEB)
1 If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.

2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don’t have love, I am nothing.

That already is a subject of controversy but I will start my analysis a bit lower in the chapter. Lets begin.

1 Corinthians 13:7-10 (WEB)
[Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will be done away with. Where there are various languages, they will cease. Where there is knowledge, it will be done away with.

9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part;

10 but when that which is complete has come, then that which is partial will be done away with.

It has been argued by many that, the complete thing, which brings about the end of prophecy, tongues and knowledge is the complete canon of scripture. The argument is that the gifts of  prophecy, tongues and knowledge were essential during the early days of the church before the new testament had been compiled. However, this view is not consistent with the whole chapter as we shall see. What is this complete thing?

1 Corinthians 13:8 (NET) Love never ends. But if there are prophecies, they will be set aside; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be set aside.

I want you to take note of the next thing.. Paul does not say PROPHECY shall pass away, or the gift of prophecy, he says “Prophecies.”And prophecies yes, they do pass away when they get fulfilled. No man speaks in tongues forever, at some point your tongues cease and you do something else, even if you speak in tongues for ten days continuous at some point they will cease. Know matter how much knowledge you have it has a limit, at some point you come across something you don’t know.

But Love abides with you through everything. Anyways let me quote every thing in The Bible in Basic English.

1 Corinthians 13:7 (BBE) Love has the power of undergoing all things, having faith in all things, hoping all things.

LOVE BEARS ALL THINGS, meaning Love will remain in you through any situation.

BELIEVES ALL THINGS
Maintains your Faith in all situations.

HOPES ALL THINGS
Maintains your Hope in all situations.

1 Corinthians 13:8-10 (BBE)
8 Though the prophet’s word may come to an end, tongues come to nothing, and knowledge have no more value, love has no end.

9 For our knowledge is only in part, and the prophet’s word gives only a part of what is true:

10 But when that which is complete is come, then that which is in part will be no longer necessary.

Because our gift of prophecy and knowledge is only partial, at some point your gift will face its limit. You don’t prophesy continuously or speak in tongues for ever, these gifts work in short bursts, they come and go.

But Love remains with you on all things. Love does not come in moments, like all these other gifts.

The Word interpreted as PERFECT in the KJV, simply means COMPLETE.

So what is this COMPLETE thing that comes.
We have gone so far away from Paul’s context to try and find what he is referring to. Paul is merely referring to the very things he is talking about.
If we want to know THAT WHICH IS COMPLETE we read the next verse.

1 Corinthians 13:11 (KJV) When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

We tend to rush over this example and yet it explains everything. Paul is talking about TONGUES, PROPHECIES AND KNOWLEDGE. Which come to an end.

In his example he mentions
SPEAKING as a child; thats tongues UNDERSTANDING as a Child; thats Prophecy. THINKING as a child that’s KNOWLEDGE. The word that Paul uses for Child is nepios which actually means an infant, a baby. HOWEVER he tells us that when he became a man he put away childish things. WHAT?
Does that mean when Paul became a man he stopped speaking completely, or simply that he stopped speaking as a child, stopped saying tada, and started saying Sadza.

Does that mean Paul put away thinking altogether, or simply that He stopped thinking as a child and began to think more completely. Does that mean he stopped understanding completely or that he took up a more perfect form of understanding.

THAT WHICH IS COMPLETE is the very gifts he is talking about.

Right now we speak in tongues like babies, and prophesy like babies and know like babies, but when become men, when The sons of God are made manifest, we shall speak complete tongues, have complete knowledge and complete prophesy.

Let’s read on.

1 Corinthians 13:12 (BBE) For now we see things in a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now my knowledge is in part; then it will be complete, even as God’s knowledge of me.

Do you see that. Our gifts which are in part are the ones that will be made complete. Tongues that never cease, prophesy that runs continuously and knowledge that has no limit. Hmmm what does he mean, when he says THEN we will see face to face?

1 John 3:2 (BBE) My loved ones, now we are children of God, and at present it is not clear what we are to be. We are certain that at his revelation we will be like him; for we will see him as he is.

At the revelation of Christ, we shall be made to function and operate completely in these gifts even as He Jesus does. We will be able to know God in the same way as he knows us.

1 Corinthians 13:13 (ESV) So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

However these three will remain the same. We already have complete Love, that we experience in Christ Jesus. Complete Faith, as long as we believe with all our hearts, and complete Hope for God is our hope in all things.

So these three will remain as they are. They are already here.

1 Corinthians 13:13 (BBE) But now we still have faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

So lets read the next verse:

1 Corinthians 14:1 (ESV) Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.

Even though Love is greater, Paul did not say abandon the gifts. He says while you pursue Love, desire gifts of the Spirit also. Especially prophecy. He then addresses the improper way in which gifts were being used.