Deeper Commentary
CHAPTER 13
13:1 If I speak with all the languages of men and of angels, but do not
have love- The description of love in 1 Cor. 13, the outline of the
fruits of the Spirit in Gal. 5:22-26, these are all portraits of the man
Christ Jesus. The clearest witness to Him “therefore consists in human
life in which his image is reproduced”.
So far in Corinthians, Paul has been arguing that care for others is
paramount. In issues like marriage and food offered to idols, the critical
issue is what will edify / build up others. And the same principle is used
regarding the Spirit gifts. The mere possession of material / physical
ability to serve the Lord is not the same as love. At the end of chapter
12, Paul has argued that the ministry of love is more effective in helping
others towards salvation than the exercise of the miraculous gifts. The
Corinthian clamour for miraculous experience, especially speaking in
exotic utterances, was akin to the pagan religious cults- upon which it
seems they had based their church life. "If I speak..." could mean that
Paul did indeed speak with all human languages- as a travelling missionary
he was empowered to have the gift of languages. "Of angels" is likely
hyperbole. The pagan cults experienced ecstatic utterances, and they
(along with the apostate Judaists who were influencing Corinth) liked to
justify their glossolalia by claiming it was in fact Angelic language. I
would have been inclined to labour the point that the gift of 'tongues'
was the gift of speaking and communicating in intelligible contemporary
languages, in order to preach the Gospel. Their usage in Acts 2 is the
parade example. But instead Paul takes a higher approach. He says that
even if he speaks with every human language and Angelic language-
it is of no use if he has no love. This is what he has argued in chapter
12- that if we are not achieving the building up of our brethren, then all
we do is of no use.
I have become like sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal-
These instruments soon
give a headache if they just continue making the same sound for an
extended period. This is another indication that Biblical tongue speaking
is not making ecstatic sounds but rather is done to build up others in
love. Vine writes of "the celebrated Corinthian bronze". There is a
contrast between the unwrought brass or metal which was struck, and the
more refined musical sound of the cymbal. Whether refined or totally
unrefined, without love, the words spoken would be but noise. A clanging
cymbal contributes nothing to music unless it is within a wider context of
other contributions; and likewise speaking / teaching without love
achieves nothing edifying. This is a much needed caveat to the emphasis
placed upon platform speaking; of itself it will produce nothing.
13:2- see on Mt. 7:22.
And if I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries, and all
knowledge-
Prophecy, knowledge and
understanding "all mysteries" are nothing unless we are going to use that
knowledge to profit or assist others. In the knowledge oriented world of
the information age, we need this reminder as no other generation.
Intellectual knowledge alone cannot save; it is only if this is harnessed
for others that we can become 'profitable' and as it were find ourselves;
otherwise we shall simply "be nothing". The Corinthians were modelling
their church upon the surrounding idol cults, with their claims to speak
"mysteries" and have exclusive knowledge. They were clearly making these
claims in the name of having Holy Spirit gifts. Although they were not
spiritual (3:1), Paul doesn't directly attack their false claims. Rather
he argues more subtly, that even if he has all such knowledge of
mysteries, this of itself is nothing if it is not rooted in the love that
seeks to upbuild others.
If I have all faith so as to remove mountains- Paul appears to
speak of such faith as a gift of the Spirit. Perhaps the miracles of the
Spirit were done through granting the believers the gift of faith so that
they could achieve the miracles. Surely Paul has in mind the Lord's
teaching that faith as a grain of mustard seed could remove a mountain
(Mt. 17:20). But that alone would not save the individual doing the
miracle. That mustard seed had to grow into a great plant which gave
shelter to others (Lk. 13:19). Faith alone will not save; it must have
works, and those works relate to the blessing of others. This is the whole
theme here in Corinthians. We may have the faith which enables us to eat
idol food; but that is not the point. Our impact upon others and care for
them is the essential thing.
The fact we copy the language patterns of those we are with was true for
Paul. The Gospels were so much in his heart that he can hardly speak or
write without some reference, consciously or unconsciously, to the Lord
Jesus. Thus in 1 Cor. 13:2 I sense that Paul as he is writing (on a human
level) was looking round for a superlative to express just how useless we
are without love. And the superlative expression he picks is unconsciously
taken out of the Gospels (Mt. 17:20): "Though I have all faith so that
I could remove mountains and have not charity, I am nothing".
Even if we have faith to move mountains- an allusion to the Lord's
teaching in Mt. 21:21- we 'are nothing' without love (1 Cor. 13:2). God so
respects faith that He may hear the prayer of a believer, even though He
considers that person "nothing" because they lack love. Rather like Elijah
bringing fire down from Heaven by his faith- and yet the Lord Jesus seems
to imply that this wasn't the right thing to have done, because Elijah
lacked love (Lk. 9:55). In our self-examination we may perceive how God
answers our prayers, our faith is rewarded... and think we're doing OK.
But it could be that we are still "nothing". It's a sobering thought. Paul
goes on in 1 Cor. 15:2,19 to say that faith can be "in vain", and hope can
likewise be merely of benefit in this life. But 1 Cor. 13:3 hits even
harder home: a believer can give their body to be burned, for nothing, if
they lack love. Remember these words were written, albeit under
inspiration, by a believer who did give his body to die a violent death,
and who had seen with his own eyes the death of Christians. Surely Paul
writes with a warning word to himself; that even that apparent pinnacle of
devotion to the Lord can be in vain, if we lack love.
Note how he writes in the first person: "If I have all faith... but
have not love, I am nothing" (1 Cor. 13:2). It's not only that Paul
is warning himself personally; the only other time the Greek phrase "I am
nothing" occurs is Paul speaking about himself, also to the Corinthians (2
Cor. 12:11). There's a kind of association of ideas between the "I am
[nothing]" and "Love is [everything]". Unless we 'are' love, we
'are' nothing.
But do not have love, I am nothing- The same phrase is only used,
also to the Corinthians, in 2 Cor. 12:11 "Though I am nothing". We are
indeed "nothing" of ourselves; only if we have love for others do we
become something. We are to connect "I am nothing" with the comment that
"it profits me nothing" in :3. If we do not profit or benefit others, then
we are ourselves nothing. This continues the theme so often touched upon
in Corinthians- that our salvation is wrapped up in that of others. We
cannot just focus upon our own salvation and relationship with the Lord.
If we do not profit others, then we are nothing ourselves. This explains
Paul's passion for the spiritual growth and salvation of the Corinthians
and indeed all his converts. The whole situation is reminiscent of how the
men of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh were not allowed to have their own
inheritance on the East of Jordan until they had helped their brethren to
secure their inheritances in the promised land to the West of Jordan.
13:3- see on Acts 7:59.
And if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and if I give my body to be
burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing-
Even making sacrifice for others does not make us
anything- if it is not done with love. Even dying for our faith doesn't
make us any more than "nothing" if we do so without love. See on :2 I
am nothing. Our "profit" is to that of others. Doing good deeds of
charity alone would not save, according to the Lord's teaching in Mt.
6:1-4- if there was the wrong motive; some manuscripts add here "That I
may glory". And this certainly makes sense here. The burning of Christians
only began under Nero's persecution, so far as history records. But
perhaps such punishment had already begun in some places and Paul
therefore alludes to it.
Let's not equate true love with the mere act of giving aid to charities.
We can give all our goods to feed the poor, but lack true love; the life
of love, the love of Christ permeating all our being (1 Cor. 13:3 may well
have been written by Paul with his mind on some in the early Jerusalem
ecclesia, who did give all their goods to the ecclesial poor, but
lacked a true love, and returned to Judaism).
There is another possibility regarding giving our body to be burned. Some
of the legal terms used in the NT for our redemption imply that Christ
redeemed us from slavery through His death. And yet one could redeem a
slave by oneself becoming a slave (1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23; Gal. 3:13; 4:5).
This is why the crucified Jesus is typified by the suffering servant /
slave of Isaiah’s prophesies. And Paul seems to have risen up to something
similar when he speaks of giving his body to be branded, i.e. becoming a
slave (1 Cor. 13:3 Gk.).
13:4 Love suffers long- "Longsuffering" is used in the sense of
patient waiting for response from others, or the patience required to
forgive another who at this time has not made recompense (Mt. 18:26,29;
James 5:7); and of God's longsuffering with us, as He awaits our spiritual
maturity (Lk. 18:7; 2 Pet. 3:9). All the attributes of love in this poem
have some reference to our attitudes towards others, and that is the key
to understanding each term. Those who refuse to forgive until there is
repentance, or who are impatient with the immaturity of others in
spiritual terms, are lacking this longsuffering which is in view here.
Paul's patience with the Corinthians is really a parade example of what he
meant.
I find it deeply concerning that so many who have committed themselves to
Christ are unable to confidently answer questions such as 'What is love?'.
To expound the beasts of Daniel's visions is relatively easy- this equals
that, that refers to this. But to get to grips with "love" appears to have
been given all too little attention. Love is patient / long-suffering (1
Cor. 13:4). But let's not think that patience simply means how we react to
forgetting our keys or spilling milk. To some extent, whether we take such
events calmly or less calmly is a function of our personality, our nervous
structure, the kind of cards we were dealt at birth. I suggest that the
long-suffering patience Paul refers to instead has reference to our
forgiving attitude to others, rather than applying to whether or not we
get frustrated with ourselves. The man hopelessly in debt to his Lord
begged for Him to show "patience" (Mt. 18:26). Patience is about not
forcing others to "pay me what you owe me". We all have many people in our
lives who are in our debt- more such people than we may realize. We have
all been hurt by more people, and hurt more deeply, than we realize.
Patience is about bearing long with their immaturity, waiting for them,
whilst the debts remain unpaid; rather than demanding that they resolve
with us before we'll fellowship them.
And is kind- The context of this great love poem is the discussion
of things like marital decisions, attitudes to idol meat etc. Paul has
developed the theme that our salvation is wrapped up with that of others,
and therefore love for others is vital within all spiritual endeavour.
"Kind" translates a very practical word, meaning useful or quite simply,
'employed' (see the root word in 7:31 "they that use this world",
"I have used none of these things", 9:12,15). 'Love is practical'
would be a fair interpretation.
Love envies not-
The Corinthians were full of envies because they lacked the Spirit (s.w. 1
Cor. 3:3), and Paul was fearful that they would continue to have "envies"
(s.w. 2 Cor. 12:20). If we love others then we will not envy them. Envy
arises from a sense of inferiority and regret that we are not as the
envied. But if love and care for them, especially spiritually, is our
passion- then whilst we are not 'above' them, for we too are human, we
shall not envy them.
It is not arrogant or rude-
If we see ourselves as the servants of others, in Christ's place, then we
will never act as superior over them.
Is not puffed up-
Earlier in Corinthians, Paul has warned that "knowledge puffs up" (1 Cor.
8:1). The Corinthians were "puffed up" in their supposed knowledge about
sexual freedoms and the freedom to eat idol meat (1 Cor. 4:6,18,19; 5:2).
But in those matters, Paul has argued that love thinks of others- and that
is the important thing, far more significant than whatever we
theoretically know. Let us never kid ourselves that because we
"know" some things about God, even know them correctly, that we will
thereby be justified. It's not a case of simply holding on to a set of
doctrinal propositions which we received at the time of our baptism into
Christ. For the day of judgment won't be an examination of our knowledge
or intellectual purity. This is not to say that knowledge isn't important.
Paul had been arguing that if we truly know that God is one, that idols
therefore have no real existence, that we are free in Christ to eat any
meat- then this knowledge should not lead us to be arrogantly insensitive
to our brother or sister who has a less mature understanding or
conscience. Love is... not like that. Love therefore restrains our own
superior knowledge and bears with those who don't quite 'get it' as they
should. Again, our pattern is God's attitude to us who know just a
fraction of His ultimate Truth.
That the rugged and at times abrasive Paul could write a poem about love,
albeit under inspiration, reflects the extent to which he had thought
about the utter supremacy of love. The device of acrostic Psalms
(9,10,25,34,37,119,145) and the use of acrostics in Lamentations and
Esther would enable the reciting of them. The repetition of the same word
at the beginning of successive sentences is yet another such feature (Dt.
28:3-6; 2 Sam. 23:5; Jer. 1:18; Hos. 3:4; 1Cor. 13:4; 2 Cor. 2:11; Eph.
6:12). The same phrase is also sometimes repeated at the beginning and end
of a sentence with the same effect (Ex. 32:16; 2 Kings 23:25; Ps. 122:7,8;
Mk. 7:14-16; Lk. 12:5; Jn. 3:8 Rom. 14:8 Gk.).
13:5 Does not behave itself inappropriately- This poem about love
is a summary of Paul's policies so far concerning various practical
issues. He has urged that in marital and relationship decisions, we are to
do that which is "appropriate"; appropriate to a life dominated by the
love principle (1 Cor. 7:36 s.w.). The only other occurrence of the word
is again in Corinthians, when Paul speaks of the weaker members of the
Christian body with the same word (1 Cor. 12:23). Such members are weak
because they do not have love; and yet Paul teaches that our response to
them is "necessary" and that they must be retained within the community of
the body of Christ. To love the unloving is indeed hard, but it is the
essence of love.
Is not self seeking-
This phrase again builds on Paul's earlier argument in Corinthians- that
we should act sensitively to others weaker in the faith, not doing things
which may make them stumble, according to the principle "Let no man seek
his own, but each his neighbour's good" (1 Cor. 10:25). This is quite
something. All the time, in every decision, action, position we adopt, we
are to think of what would be best for others rather than what's
cool for ourselves. At the very least, this means that we are to act in
life consciously- not just go with the flow, reacting to things
according to our gut feeling, chosing according to what seems right,
comfortable and convenient to us at that moment; but rather thinking
through what import our positions and actions will have upon others. It
takes time to think out what will be beneficial for them. And "love
is..." just this. This is a way of life and thinking which it's very rare
to meet in people. Almost frustrated, Paul lamented: "For all men seek
their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's" (Phil. 2:21). 1 Cor.
10:25 spoke of seeking not our own good, but the good of our brethren-
i.e. "the things which are Jesus Christ's". But according to Phil.
2:20,21, Paul felt that only Timothy understood this spirit of not seeking
our own good, but that of the things of Christ, i.e. our brethren. The
life of love is therefore a lonely life. So few 'get it'.
Is not easily provoked-
see on Acts 15:39. Faced by the heights of such challenges, we can easily
despair. We are not like this, or not like it very often nor very deeply.
But Paul felt the same, even though under inspiration he himself wrote the
poem. Paul too realized his failure, the slowness of his progress. When he
writes that love is not "easily provoked" (1 Cor. 13:5), he uses the same
Greek word which we meet in Acts 15:39 describing the provocation /
contention he had with Barnabas which led to their division. Surely he had
that on his conscience when he wrote that love is not like that.
Here we have an allusion to how slow God was to anger with Israel. As
their loving husband He stuck with them for centuries, enduring what would
have emotionally shattered many husbands if they endured it just for a few
months, and putting up with what most men couldn't handle even for a year.
God was slow to anger for centuries, and even then in that wrath He
remembered mercy, even in His judgments He desperately sought to find a
way to go on with Israel in some form. And we are asked to show that same
slowness to anger.
Keeps no record of evil done-
The mind of love imputes no evil to others, as God doesn’t to us (1 Cor.
13:5; AV “thinketh no evil”, s.w. to count / impute in Romans). The Greek
word can also mean that love keeps no records or count of wrong done. We
must forgive our brethren as God forgives us (Eph. 4:32). God expunges the
spiritual record of the sin, and will not feed it into some equation which
determines whether we can be forgiven. Christ "frankly" forgave the
debtors in the parable. The frankness of that forgiveness does not suggest
a process of careful calculation before it could be granted. God's frank
forgiveness is seen too in Ps. 130:3: "If thou, Lord, shouldest mark
iniquities, O Lord who shall stand?". God does not "mark" sin, as our love
for our brethren should keep no record of their past sins (1 Cor. 13:5-7
N.I.V.). If we refuse fellowship people because of the effect of
past sins for which they have repented, then we are 'marking'
iniquity. God does not deal with us in a manner which is proportional
to the type or amount of sin we commit (Ps. 103:7-12).
13:6 Rejoices not in unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth-
What Paul is advocating is a conscious outgiving of ourselves to love. Not
just being a nice enough person, a reasonable neighbour, partner, parent,
a "top bloke", real decent guy. But a love which is actually beyond even
that. A love modelled on God's love, and the love of Him who loved us and
gave Himself for us crucifixion. Paul's poem personifies love as a person-
love, e.g., "rejoices with the truth", hopes and endures. We too are to
'be' love. Not just occasionally, not just in ways which we are accustomed
to, which are convenient to us, or are part of our background culture such
as occasional hospitality to strangers. "Love is...", and we are 'to be'
love, as if our very name and soul and heart is 'agape'. Love is
not an option- it's to be the vital essence of 'us'.
Another possibility here is that "unrighteousness" is being put for
'punishment for unrighteousness'. We will not rejoice in the punishment of
the wicked personally known to us, just as God likewise takes no pleasure
in it (Ez. 18:32; 33:11). But we will rejoice with "the truth", the just
judgment of God which glorifies His Name.
13:7 Carries all things- Gk. 'is a roof over'. The idea is of
covering over. Atonement means 'covering'. Because God covers our sins, we
ought to cover those of others. The simple statement "love covereth all
sins" (Prov. 10:12) comes in the context of appealing for God's people not
to gossip about each others' failures. And the passage is most definitely
applied to us in the NT (1 Pet. 4:8; James 5:20; 1 Cor. 13:7RVmg. "love
covereth all things"). "He that goeth about as a talebearer reveals
secrets; but he that is of a faithful spirit conceals the matter" (Prov.
11:13). Our natural delight in telling or brooding on the moral failures
of others, as if life is one long soap opera, will be overcome if we have
personally felt the atonement; the covering of our sins. "He that covers
his [own] sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesses and forsakes them
shall have mercy" (Prov. 28:13). The opposition is between owning up to
our sins, and trying to cover them for ourselves. If we believe in the
covering work of God in Christ, then we will own up to our sins the more
easily, confident in His atonement.
The idea of love bearing / covering / carrying all things is the language
of the cross- the Lord Jesus bearing, carrying our sins, and covering
them. If we really grasp this, it ought to make us take a deeper breath.
We are being asked to personally enter into the cross of Christ. To not
just benefit from it ourselves, admire it from afar, look at it as
Catholics glance at a crucifix over the door, pause for a moment in
unthinking respect of tradition, and then go headlong through the door.
No. We are asked to get involved in the cross, to participate in it, to
bear it ourselves. The mind that was in the Lord Jesus at that time is to
be the mind which is in us (Phil. 2:5-7).
Believes all things-
This is not a call to naivety. The Bible asks us not to believe all things
but to believe what is true. Paul's approach to the Corinthians was hardly
one of believing all things they said or claimed. The word pisteuo
also carries the idea of crediting or entrusting. I have shown in the
commentary on this chapter so far that the various aspects of love often
allude to God's love for us, shown by His imputation of righteousness to
us in Christ. This we are indeed called to reflect; and Paul for sure had
to do this in order to be able to write so positively about the weak
Corinthians. But this is different to naive believing of whatever facts a
human being proffers to us.
Hopes all things-
The idea of elpizo is not 'to hope for the best', nor to just take
a generally positive outlook on life. It refers to a solid expectation.
Again, Paul's attitude to the Corinthians was a parade example. He wrote,
felt and acted towards them as if he certainly expected them to be in the
Kingdom. If we are unable and not permitted to condemn our brethren, then
we have to act according to our assumption that all in Christ shall indeed
be saved.
Endures all things-
Paul again endured all manner of slander and abuse from the Corinthians,
as will anyone who sets themselves to assist others towards salvation. But
love endures- and endures all things, there is nothing, no incident,
however cruel, that makes us give up. "He that endures to the end" (Mt.
10:22) in practice means he that endures all unkindness, brickbats and
slapdowns from those he seeks to serve. Paul uses the same word again in
the context of our attitude to others: "I endure all things for the
elect's sake" (2 Tim. 2:10).
13:8 Love never fails- This continues the idea of love enduring all
things (see on :7). Love is never 'blown off course'; the end in view is
our salvation, intertwined as it is with that of those whom we serve in
love. All forms of burnout- a common experience in the Christian life-
result from not keeping that end in view.
But whether there be prophecies, they shall be done away. Whether there be
speaking in foreign languages, this shall cease. Whether there be the gift
of knowledge, it shall be done away-
“But whether” suggests Paul recognizes there
may be false claims to the prophetic gift. He is not going to go into
this, but rather makes the larger case- that whether or not, they are
going to pass away and are not the essential thing.
The failing, ceasing, doing away of the miraculous
gifts is contrasted to the love which does not fail- because [see comment
on Love never fails] the end view of salvation at the last day is
kept ever in view. Prophecy- both in the sense of prediction of the future
and the speaking forth of God's word- shall not be needed in the Kingdom.
Likewise the gift of knowledge will be obviated by being with the Lord;
and there shall be no need to preach in foreign languages once the earth
is filled with the knowledge of the Lord's glory as the waters cover the
sea, as anticipated in the Old Testament prophecies of that age. This is
not to say that this passage does not also anticipate the fading away of
the miraculous gifts in the first century. That too is in view, especially
in :11, but Paul is asking the Corinthians to adopt a Kingdom perspective,
and not seek to display the miraculous gifts which would not play any role
eternally. Love does and will play that role eternally. And this then is
to be our focus. The focus on the three gifts of prophecy, foreign
languages and knowledge is not incidental. These were the very things
practiced and claimed in the religious cults of Corinth, and especially at
the nearby shrine of Delfi. The Corinthians were basing their Christian
life upon those cults, claiming to be able to do these things in the name
of having the miraculous Spirit gifts. Paul could have directly confronted
them over these issues- but instead he argues more subtly that the
Christian life is supremely about love, about building others up so that
they will enter God's Kingdom. At best, focus upon the miraculous gifts is
therefore misplaced and immature- and that perhaps could be our starting
point in dialogue with Pentecostals.
Paul didn't just start writing his poem about love in 1 Cor. 13. It's
wedged firmly in a context, a clearly defined unit of material about the
use of the Spirit gifts spanning 1 Cor. 12-14. Having clarified his own
authority and personal experience of the miraculous gifts, he proceeds to
shew the Corinthians "a more excellent way" (1 Cor. 12:31). He uses a
Greek word four times, although most English translations render it
inconsistently. It's worth highlighting the words in your Bible, maybe
with a note like "s.w." ['same word'] next to them:
- "Prophecies shall fail" (1 Cor. 13:8)
- The Spirit gift of "knowledge shall vanish away" (1 Cor. 13:8)
- "That which is partial shall be done away" (1 Cor. 13:10)
- "Now that I am become a man [mature], I have put away childish
[immature] things" (1 Cor. 13:11).
I read this as Paul saying that he used the miraculous gifts of the Holy
Spirit in his spiritual immaturity; but in his maturity, he chose not to
use them, he "put [them] away". Paul also writes of how the miraculous
gifts will be "done away" when "that which is perfect [complete, mature]
is come" (1 Cor. 13:10). He seems to be saying that his personal growth
from childhood to manhood, from immaturity to maturity, is a reflection of
how ultimately the gifts will be no more when the mature state has come;
and he wishes to attain that state now in this life, and thus he ceased
using the gifts. He asks us likewise in this context to follow his
pattern, to be "mature" [AV "be men"] (1 Cor. 14:20). This connects with
how he speaks in Col. 3:14 of "above all" having love, which is the seal,
the proof, of the mature state [AV "the bond of perfectness"]. In his own
way, John spoke of the same state when he wrote of "perfect / mature
love", and how he who fears hasn't reached the 'perfected-in-love' stage
(1 Jn. 4:18). Instead of flaunting the Spirit gifts, Paul sold his soul
for love; he gave himself over to the life characterized by the kind of
love about which he writes so powerfully in his poem. Paul laments that
the Corinthians weren't mature nor Spirit filled (1 Cor. 3:1,2), and
wishes to be able to speak to them as "mature" (1 Cor. 2:6). So often in
the decisions we face in life, it doesn't come down to a right or wrong, a
yes or no; rather it's a question of what is the mature Christian
behaviour, and what isn't.
The same Greek word translated “fail… be done away…. vanish away” is used
in many other places concerning the passing away of the Mosaic Law:
- “We are
delivered from the law” (Rom. 7:6). We are like a woman loosed
from her husband, i.e. the Law of Moses (Rom. 7:2).
- The glory of the
Law was to be done away (2 Cor. 3:7)
- The Law is
being done away at the time Paul was writing (2 Cor. 3:11 Gk.). It was
abolished, done away in Christ (:13,14)
- Christ
abolished the law of commandments (Eph. 2:15)
Likewise, the prophecy that “tongues shall cease” (1 Cor. 13:8)
uses the same word as in Heb. 10:2, concerning how the sacrifices cease
to be offered. The “perfect man” state of the church, at which the Spirit
gifts were to be withdrawn (1 Cor. 13:10; Eph. 4:13) is to be connected
with how the Lord Jesus is the “greater and more perfect
tabernacle” compared to the Mosaic one (Heb. 9:11). The conclusion seems
to be that the ending of the Spirit gifts was related to the ending of the
Mosaic system in AD70.
Closer reflection upon 1 Cor. 13 suggests that the time of the withdrawal
of the gifts was in fact at the time when the Mosaic sacrifices ceased to
be offered. There was an interim period between the death of the Lord
Jesus and the destruction of the temple in AD70. During this time, various
concessions were made to the Jewish believers; they were permitted to obey
Mosaic regulations for the time being, even though the Spirit through Paul
made it clear that they were unable to give salvation, and were in
comparison to Christ “the weak and beggarly elements”. The early believers
were guided through this period by the presence of the miraculous Holy
Spirit gifts amongst them, pronouncing, prophesying, enabling preaching in
new areas through the gift of languages, organizing the ecclesias etc. But
once the ecclesia came to maturity, the written word replaced the gifts.
Most if not all the New Testament was completed by AD70, and this was
around the time the gifts were withdrawn. Paul uses the same Greek word
several times in 1 Cor. 13, even though it is somewhat masked in the
translations. The following words in italics all translate the same Greek
word: “Prophecies…shall fail…[the gift of] knowledge shall
vanish away…that which is in part shall be done away…when I
became a man, I put away childish things” (:8,10,11).
Paul is predicting how the gifts of the Spirit would be withdrawn once the
church reached the point of maturity; but he says that he himself has
already matured, and he has “put away” the things of his immaturity- i.e.
he no longer exercised the gifts for himself. He presents himself, as he
often does, as the pattern for the church to follow. Thus the gifts “shall
be done away” in the future for the church as a whole when they are
perfect / mature, but for him, he has already ‘done them away’ as he has
himself reached maturity. In the same language as Ephesians 4, he is no
longer a child, tossed to and fro and needing the support of the Spirit
gifts. He laments that the believers were still children (1 Cor. 3:1; Heb.
5:13)- yet, using the same Greek word, he says that he is no longer a
child, but is mature. In Gal. 4:3, Paul speaks about how he had once been
a child in the sense that he was under the Mosaic Law. But now, he has put
that behind him. He is mature; and yet here in 1 Cor. 13:10 he associates
being mature with putting away the gifts of the Spirit.
13:9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part- I have argued
above that Paul is seeking to position the miraculous Spirit gifts within
a Kingdom perspective. They will not then be necessary. It is the love we
show to others now which shall eternally endure in that age. Any Spirit
gift of knowledge or prophesy was only a small part of the final knowledge
which shall be revealed in the Kingdom age. The idea of 'partial'
knowledge may be understood in this sense. But it may also allude to the
fact that only some parts of the body of Christ had the gifts of knowledge
and prophecy (1 Cor. 12:27 s.w.). Each "part" of the body contributes a
measure towards the whole (Eph. 4:16 s.w., also in the context of Spirit
gifts). "The truth" refers to the Lord Jesus personally; the term is often
used as if it refers to a saving body of doctrinal, theological knowledge
upon which salvation is predicated. But we need to be aware that whatever
truths we hold, this is just a part of the whole picture. And that whole
picture, in the context of this chapter, the final maturity, is the life
of love- rather than some even greater array of intellectual truths. The
partial revelation of knowledge is only a part of the ultimate picture
which is of the body of Christ in His maturity, "the perfect man". Eph.
4:11-13 make the same point. For He is love personified and embodied. But
it is still so that only a small portion is heard of God (Job 26:14); to
claim to 'have the truth' must be held always in the perspective of a
rightful intellectual humility before the Almighty. The idea of knowledge
being only partial connects with the figure of seeing only a hazy outline
in the mirror of :12.
13:10 But when that which is perfect comes, then that which is in part
shall be done away- The perfect / mature is the man Christ Jesus, who
is the embodiment of love (Eph. 4:11-13). The coming of Christ will bring
full knowledge, and all knowledge we have will then be revealed as having
been so very limited and partial. But the mature or perfect state can be
aspired to now, in individual life. For love is the bond of maturity- see
notes on 13:8-10. In the state of mature, Christ-centred love for others,
the partial ministry of the miraculous gifts fades from significance.
13:11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I
thought as a child. Now that I am a man, I have put away childish things-
See notes on 13:8-10. Speaking, feeling [Gk. 'understanding'] and
thinking surely connect with the three gifts Paul is discussing- speaking
in languages, knowledge and prophecy. He associates the use of those gifts
with his spiritual immaturity. He is confessing that the public, dramatic
work associated with possession of the miraculous Spirit gifts had taken
him up; yet he likens that period to his spiritual childhood (note how he
uses the same figure of childhood to describe the dispensation of
miraculous gifts in Eph. 4:11-16). He seems to have chosen not to use the
gifts so much, because he realized that the real maturity was faith, hope
and love; and the greatest of these, Paul came to realize, was love. And a
true love must be the end point of our lives, as it was for Moses, as it
was for Jacob. If Peter's list of spiritual fruits in 2 Pet. 1:5-7 has any
chronological reference, it is significant that the final, crowning virtue
is love- a love that is somehow beyond even "brotherly kindness". Love is
above all things the bond of spiritual perfection (Col. 3:14).
As noted earlier on this section, "put away" is the same word used three
times for the ending or cessation of the miraculous Spirit gifts. Paul was
seeking to live the Kingdom life right now. Those gifts would not figure
in the future Kingdom experience; it is love, the love we show for others
now, which shall be the dominant experience and reality of the Kingdom.
And so he had moved on from public usage of the gifts to selling his soul
for love.
13:12- see on Eph. 1:18; 4:15.
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in
part, but then shall I know fully, even as also I have been fully known-
The reference is not
strictly to a mirror but to a looking glass, polished to act as a mirror.
Corinth was famous for such looking glasses. We see "dimly", literally,
'in an enigma'. Even now that the Mosaic law has ended, we see ultimate
spiritual reality only through shadows and figures. This must always be
the perspective in which we understand any idea of 'saving truth' if we
understand that term as referring to intellectual purity of understanding.
We are "fully known" to God, but we do not fully know Him. The joy of the
Kingdom age will be a mutuality of understanding between us, surely
comprehended in the idea of seeing God face to face.
1 Cor. 13 and Eph. 4 are difficult to interpret. A valid case can be made
for them meaning that the dispensation of the Spirit gifts was partial,
but the completed spiritual man was made possible once the New Testament
was completed. I have outlined this in Bible Basics Ch.2. But
Paul's description of the completed, "perfect" state is so exalted that it
is hard to resist applying it ultimately to our position in the Kingdom. "Then
face to face... then shall I know (fully, not from parts); but now
(as opposed to then) abideth faith, hope and charity" (1 Cor. 13:12,13)
sounds like the Kingdom. So I would suggest we interpret those passages
along these lines: 'Now, in the first century period of Spirit gifts,
knowledge is partial; a completer state will come when the written word is
finished. But even this is relatively partial, only a necessary step,
towards the ultimate spiritual reality and knowledge of the Kingdom'. The
parable of the talents speaks eloquently of all this.
Moses is the one who saw God face to face (Num. 12:8). Surely Paul saw the
depth of fellowship which Moses achieved in this life as indicative of the
richness of felicity with the Father which we will all ultimately achieve.
Remember that Paul so often presents himself as Moses; but at this point
he says that he is like all Israel, seeing dimly through the veil, and
still awaiting the status of seeing face to face.
To describe or ‘know’ the real self is ultimately impossible; we can’t
write down an inventory of who we really are. Paul perceived this when he
wrote that now he only knows himself partially, and only in the Kingdom
“shall I know, even as also I am known” (1 Cor. 13:12). The aorist here
really means "was known"; we shall then see ourselves as God now sees us,
marvelling at His patience with our immaturity. We know Him now only
partially, ginosko; whereas He knows us thoroughly, epiginosko.
He knows us all around [epi], understanding the total context of
all our words and actions. This for me is one of the Kingdom’s joys; to
truly know myself, even as I am presently known by the Father. Until then,
we remain mysteries even unto ourselves; and who amongst us has not
quietly said that to themselves... The question ‘Who am I?’ and especially
'Who and how am I to God?' must ultimately remain to haunt each one
of us until that blessed day. It would be too simplistic to argue that the
new man, the real self of the believer, is simply “Jesus Christ”. Our new
man is formed in His image, but we are each a unique reflection of
our Lord. He isn’t seeking to create uniform replicas of Himself; His
personality is so multi-faceted that it cannot be replicated in merely one
form nor one person. This is why “the body of Christ” is comprised of so
many individuals both over time and space; and it is my belief that when
that large community has manifested every aspect of the wonderful person
of Jesus Christ, then we will be ripe for His return. This is why the
spiritual development of the last generation before the second coming will
hasten His return; for once they / we have replicated Himself in ourselves
in our various unique ways to a satisfactory extent, then He will return
to take us unto Himself, that where He ‘was’ as He said those words, in
terms of His character and person, there we will be (Jn. 14:3; note that
read this way, this passage is clearly not talking about Him taking us off
to Heaven). Ps. 69:32 RV says simply: “Let your heart live”. In our terms,
God is saying: ‘Be yourself, let your inner man, the heart, come to the
fore, and be lived out’. Even if we feel we haven't got there 100% in
getting in touch with our real self, one of the joys of the Kingdom is
that we shall know [i.e. ourselves] even as we are now known by God (1
Cor. 13:12). We never quite get there in our self understanding in this
life- but then, we shall know, even as we are known.
Paul speaks as if he has in one sense matured into "love", no longer a
child but a man; yet he writes as if he is still in the partial, immature
phase, seeing in a mirror darkly, waiting for the day when he would see
"face to face". Likewise "Now I know in part, but then shall I know..." (1
Cor. 13:12). It's the 'now but not yet' situation which we often encounter
in Scripture. In a sense we have attained to the mature state of love; in
reality, we are still far from it. Paul is alluding to Num. 12:8 LXX,
where God says that He spoke with Moses face to face and not in dark
similitudes. Paul felt that he wasn't yet as Moses, encountering God 'face
to face' in the life of mature love. He was still seeing through a glass
darkly. But some time later, Paul wrote to the Corinthians that he was now
beholding the glory of the Lord's face [as it is in Christ] just as Moses
did, "with unveiled face", and bit by bit, that glory was shining from him
(2 Cor. 3:18 RV). And hopefully we feel the same- that bit by bit, we are
getting there. So let's take Paul's urging seriously: to grasp the utter
supremacy of the life of love, to "follow after love", to press
relentlessly towards that state of final maturity which is love (1
Cor. 14:1). Powerfully did Paul conclude his Corinthian correspondence:
"Finally, brethren, farewell. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be
of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with
you" (2 Cor. 13:11).
13:13 But now abides faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest
of these is love- In the future Kingdom of God, there will be no need
for the miraculous Spirit gifts as they were in the first century. Love is
"the greatest" because faith and hope will then have been turned to sight
and will be no more (1 Cor. 13:13). A theme of Corinthians is the ability
of the believer to live on different levels- e.g. 1 Corinthians 7
advocates the single life of devotion to God as the highest level, but
goes on to make a series of concessions to lower levels. It seems that in
the matter of the use of the miraculous Spirit gifts, Paul is again
presenting a higher level upon which the believer of his time could live-
a "more excellent way". He wanted to live the Kingdom life now as far as
possible. We "have eternal life" not in the sense that we shall not die,
but in the way that we in Christ can live the kind of life we shall for
ever live- right now.
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