1st Corinthians 13:1-13; please read this scripture . There has been over the years controversy about this portion of scripture among the denominational churches and Christians. The meaning of verse ten has indeed sparked many debates. Those who believe in new revelations, new prophecies, speaking in tongues, and miraculous healing need this chapter to prove their theories. They must first consider the word "perfect" in context through the Greek it means one thing; out of context it means another thing. The meaning when taken out of context means that when we get to heaven all these gifts will end because the perfect has come. This is how it is taught in many churches. But if they take this point of view then verse eleven can not be fulfilled here on earth. We are then force to teach that all Christians are childish in the faith until we reach heaven. A study of scripture reveals that we mature in the faith here on earth through obedience. In order to understand this passage we must understand why it was written. Without considering all the facts we can only add fuel to the confusion concerning this passage. What we need to do is ask "what did this part of the scripture mean to the Corinthians?" We have to remember that the New Testament was not yet formed together into the bible (one book) when this letter was written. Some of the epistles had been in circulation. But we did not have the four Gospels and some of the other epistles. This passage relies upon the interpretation of the word "perfect". The word "perfect' in the Greek text has the indication of not being sinless; but having wholeness or completeness. Therefore the word "perfect" can refer to heaven. But it does not square up with the rest of the chapter. The interpretation of this language reveals that Paul is talking about "Full Truth" is revealed. Go back to chapter twelve and read clear through the fifteenth chapter. What you begin to realize that he is instructing the Corinthians on the necessity for wholesome Christian living. We need to remember that Paul and the other Apostles and the disciples who were teachers were only preaching a part of the whole message (v10). The indication is that some truths were being revealed and preached a little bit at a time. This system was much like when the Prophets spoke in divers portions. It's at this point we must understand that all the early Christians were hearing the gospel preached not in it's fullness (completeness). The truth is one does not need to hear the whole message at first. They just need to hear enough to get saved. But if they want to continue to mature they need to know more of the instructions. It's hard for us to look back and understand that because we have all the instructions. Something was coming that would aid Christians in the ability to share the Gospel in it's fullness, and help them to grow in their faith also. Phillips Commentary has a good interpretation of this verse "For our knowledge is always incomplete and our prophecy is always incomplete, and when the complete comes that is the end of the incomplete." In Ephesians 4:13 the challenge of spiritual growths is a priority of the Christian faith. "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. That passage corresponds with our text about maturing here on earth. We can not continue to go through this life as babes in Christ, babes in Christ don't attend Sunday School, witness, only show up for church when they do show up, and they are generally the ones who so easily leave the faith. Thayer's dictionary translates it like this "Until we rise to the same level of knowledge which we ascribe to a full grown man." The whole bases for this letter is the Corinthians needed to grow spiritually. They were babes in Christ and it was showing up in their actions and that's why Paul was dealing with them harshly. Being new Christians and considering their pagan backgrounds the sins listed in the earlier chapters is not surprising. They were childish as they had only received the milk of Gods word. But now they needed to grow spiritually. They needed the meat of Gods word in order to grow. Soon something would come to aid in that growth. There in the 14th chapter Paul stresses their need to gain more insight to their new life in Christ. Chapter fourteen in verse twenty; Paul writes; "Brethren be not children in understanding. Paul is not wanting them to refine their ability to speak in tongues or their use of healing powers. Paul is calling them to a spiritual maturity. A growth into manhood (spirit-hood) if you will. And the perfect that was coming would aid in the process. So in looking at this text we have to find out what the perfect is that will come. Is speaking in tongues the perfect that was going to come. No. Tongues was already a part of the process. Paul referred to speaking in tongues as being spiritually immature, which goes against the teaching of the Gnostics of Paul's day and even goes against the teaching of our modern day tongue speakers. They teach that if you speak in tongues you are spiritually mature and are considered superior to other Christians. It amazes me how they can read this thirteenth chapter and miss the whole concept about tongues. Paul's idea behind tongue speaking is not for the edification of the hearer, but for the speaker (14:4). If there is no interpreter, tongues was just an uncertain sound (14:6-8). And (14:2) says that speaking in tongues is not speaking to men but to God. So how can men mature in their faith if those are the facts? This is all opposite of the teaching in many churches. In the assembly everything according to Paul was to be done for edification. But Paul scolds them in (14:26) and wonders why everybody had some kind of new revelation. Instead of having one message that brought about edification. Paul was not forbidding the gifts by those who had been given them. His concern was they were not seeking to use the better gifts as indicated in (12:31). He was more concerned with the growth and edification of the believer then some one putting the emphasis on the gifts. If you notice the Tongue speakers and faith healers of our day, you will notice the emphasis put on those practices. Paul wrote; "Love never fails but whether there be Prophecies, they shall be done away, whether there be tongues they shall cease, whether there be knowledge (the incomplete knowledge) it shall be done away. For we know in part (incompletely), but when that which is the perfect (complete) is come, that which is in part shall be done away." Why? There will be no need for such incomplete things. We will recall that the law handed down by Moses was not complete until Christ fulfilled it and nailed it to the cross. Hebrews 8:13 say's of the Old Testament (the law). "By calling this covenant new (New Testament) he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear." We still have the Old Testament for the example of godly living. But it no longer points the reader to Christ. The New Testament points the reader to Christ. By such over whelming facts we realize that tongues is a thing that happened in the early church but is no longer needed in the church. We then must ask; is prophecy the perfect that was to come? Again the answer is no. It to was already a process in which Gods word was brought to the people. The Apostles and disciples preached and there was prophets. However, each time they spoke it was in divers portions. They could not give a complete and total revelation every time they spoke. It would take several days of preaching to accomplish. That's why we see them in the book of Acts staying in places for long periods of times. It may have been the reason Paul stayed up to midnight preaching the gospel on one occasion. Paul wrote; "we know in part and we Prophecy in part," means it was only particle. If it's only particle then what is needed is something bringing the full message. So what is the perfect that has come to aid Christians in teach the word? Looking back over church history we find the scriptures being put together. From the Hebrew and the Greek Manuscripts as we would call them now. The original versions were letters. We have copies and copies of those copies and so on. But then we begin to run into problems with later copies. Men begins to write them according to his interpretation. So by the second century we begin to find bits and pieces of the scripture text somewhat different than the original. In 1525 the first translation came together it was called the Tyndale translation. Coverdale bible 1535 Matthew bible 1537 Great bible 1539 Taverner's bible 1539 Geneva bible 1560 Bishops bible 1568 Rheims-Dauai bible 1582 Then in 1611 we have the King James version which has brought us into this century. But because men trusted in their translations instead of the original text we have all these denominations among us today. Why is it important for a preacher to constantly refer back to the Hebrew and Greek? The Hebrew and the Greek has a way of putting a damper on the agenda of men. So without any doubt in my mind; scripture in it's original text is full and complete truth which makes it the perfect to come. Once the scriptures were finished and put together and made available there was no longer any need for the incomplete gifts. We seen what happen in the early years of the church and religious history, when the scriptures where kept from the people. People were deceived into believing in false doctrine, traditions, etc? But once the scriptures began to circulate among the people, reform began to take place and many churches began to emerge as a result. Many of the reformation churches began to be established. Then in the early 1800's Restoration came to the churches as godly men said lets get back to the scriptures as the early church had been. They where determine to break away from creeds, traditions, and doctrines of men. They declared that such things caused disunity in the church and among believers in personal matters. That's why in Cane Ridge Kentucky a revival broke out in the days of horse and buggy. It is widely known that more than 50,000 people came together to hear the message's of godly men from the original text meaning. 2nd Timothy 3:16-17 indicates that "the scriptures is sufficient now to teach and correct and instruct in righteousness, that the man of God maybe complete." If the scriptures are complete for such a task then there is nothing else in this world that can lead a person in such away as the scriptures. Those who teach other wise should heed the warning of Revelation 22:18-19. If you would read the whole book of 1st Corinthians you would understand this obvious fact. Paul realized that it was scripture that caused men to be faithful (Romans 10:17) and that all these other gifts would fade away. If Paul would have thought these other gifts listed here were important. Why did Paul leave Trophimus sick in Miletum (2nd Timothy 4:22). It seems also if Paul still had the power he would have laid hands on him. When we understand that 2nd Timothy was one of the last epistles written by Paul around 67 to 68 A. D. Paul's healing powers had already faded away. Keeping that in mind I want us to consider other evidence of the four gospels. They began to circulate among the churches between 60-66 A. D. The spiritual gifts, revelations, prophecies were only needed to establish the fact among the people that what was being preached was from God. Moses and the signs to Israel and Pharaoh were signs that God was speaking through Moses. It's amazing that the 1st Corinthian letter was written in 57-58 A. D. Two years had past and Luke appears as the first gospel being circulated among the churches. Paul wrote, that tongues and the other gifts would fade away. If they faded away was there any other gifts that replaced them? Look again at our text and think about what Jesus said; "If you love one another than everyone will know that you are my disciples." Could it be the reason in the thirteenth chapter that Paul gives us the definition of love? That when we preach the perfect and complete gospel our love for one another will make men stand up and say, "What they are preaching is the truth." Jesus never said that about speaking in tongues, prophecies, new revelation. What a powerful message for Paul to write to his original readers and for us today.
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