After defining love in this chapter, Paul goes on to affirm it's "staying power". Love is never replaced or made obsolete. Yet in God's eternal kingdom, prophecy will not be needed because God will be known by all and communicate his will directly to our minds.
Jeremiah 31:33-34- "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
"They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
Speaking in tongues will not be used because God's people will presumably speak a single language. (The multiplication of languages was originally put in place to keep us from uniting and combining our capacity for evil. (Genesis 11)
The Greek word used for "knowledge" in verse 8 is "gnosis" and refers to experiential, incomplete and fragmentary knowledge. Paul is not saying here that all knowledge will pass away. More likely, by using the word "Gnosis", he is indicating that the knowledge we gain in God's future kingdom will be so much greater then our greatest knowledge today, which is fragmentary by comparison.
The gifts of prophecy and knowledge in the church are only partial today, but they will eventually be replaced by perfect counterparts. (v. 9-10)
Paul compares this difference to childhood. The Greek word used for "child" here actually refers to an infant or toddler. The difference between our knowledge now and our future knowledge in God's kingdom is comparable to the difference between a baby's knowledge and an educated adult's knowledge.
Next, Paul compares our ability to see truth to looking in a mirror. In Paul's day, mirror's were made of polished metal, not glass, and the reflected image would have been blurred or dim. Far from a clear reflection of reality. We can certainly see some truth today, but our ability to see and understand truth will be perfect in God's kingdom.
The implication at the end of verse 12 is that those in God's kingdom will know him with a completeness similar to God's knowledge of us. We are finite beings, and God is infinite, so we will always have more to explore and learn about God, but our "aquaintance" with God, as this Greek word for "knowledge" implies, will be full and unhindered by our sin, which keeps us from a complete relationship with God right now.
Paul affirms three things as "abiding", meaning that they persevere and stand firm.
The first is faith. A word greatly misused and misunderstood by Christians today. The biblical use of the word "faith" implies assurance based on sound reason and knowledge. It has a closer connection to our modern concept of "trust" (which must be earned) than to the American pop-culture concept of "blind faith" that requires no logical reasoning or evidence.
The use of the word faith here also refers specifically to a trust in Christ and his sacrificial death and resurrection. This is the foundation for humanity's eternal rescue from death.
The second "abiding" element is hope. Another word used very differently today. Far from "wishful thinking", the biblical concept of hope refers to a confident expectation. A biblically hopeful person is not crossing their fingers and gritting their teeth. They are secure and confident in their "faith", which has been supported by sound reasoning and evidence.
When we are willing to live as Christians who have "faith" AND "hope", our lives are lived with new perspective and purpose and our happiness is not based on our momentary circumstances. We come alive in the way God has always intended us to because our minds are fixed on a purpose of eternal value! It's no wonder that both faith and hope are two of Paul's three pillars. Perseverance is virtually built into their definitions!
But greater even than both faith and hope, is love. Love, in its perfect form, is an expression of who God is. (1 John 4:8,10) Love is not an attribute that God possesses. God actually IS love! When we aim to love those around us more effectively, we reflect the very nature of God!
Next Week- The role of "tongues" in the church community
Coffee House Question
What is something about God you would like to see or know more clearly than you do today?
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