Then I shall know fully... (1 Corinthians 13:10-12)

 



Read 1 Corinthians 13


The book of 1 Corinthians was written by Paul to instruct the Church of Corinth on areas of immorality and spiritual weakness and to correct false teachings. Our text comes after a very well-known section about love. Paul is pointing out how we can't do anything fully without love. Love is greater than any other spiritual gifts we might be given. "Love never fails. But where there are prophesies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away." (1 Corinthians 13:10)

Thus far, the chapter has been an explanation on what love is and isn't. Our text gives comparisons about our love now and what love will look like when Christ returns. He is the 'perfection to come' (1 Corinthians 13:10). Paul uses three examples to make his point. First, there is the contrast between a child and a grown man. Children need to learn and grow in order to become grown-ups. Like children, we don't always understand the whys and hows of everything, but when you're an adult, you've learned a lot of the answers and understand more. The second comparison is between seeing in a mirror or seeing someone face to face. At the time, mirrors were made of polished metals and often fuzzy or distorted reflections. That is what our view is now. We can't see things clearly, but when perfection comes, we won't need the mirror. We will see perfectly face to face. All of this, he summarizes with the third comparison. Paul writes that our knowledge now is only in part, but when Christ returns, we will know in full. Our understanding of love is limited by our sinful nature. Our knowledge and understanding are limited by our own finite abilities. As sinful beings, we can't understand what true love is. We can't comprehend the mind of God. We should not get caught up in the whys but should remember that God is greater, wiser, and more loving than we can ever know in this life. Trust God's love and be imitators of it. Have faith, be hopeful, and show others the love of God for as Paul says, "and now, these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13). 

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