Charity [love] never faileth: but whether there be prophecies they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it will vanish away.

For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

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.

For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. (1 Cor. 13:8-12)

The context of these verses in 1 Corinthians 13 is speaking of spiritual gifts, in fact 1 Cor. 12-14 is perhaps the most comprehensive New Testament teaching about spiritual gifts; this often misunderstood passage speaks of the resurrection of the dead. Some interpret chapter 13 to mean that spiritual gifts would end when scipture was canonized (because of verse 8: ‘…whether there be prophecies they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it will vanish away.’).

When perfection comes – when the dead are raised imperishable and we inherit spiritual bodies (1 Cor. 15:44) we will know the spiritual fully, even as we are fully known of God. This is not a passage showing the gifts to have come to an end right in the middle of a larger passaage about the appropriate usage of the gifts. Rather, Paul is teaching here that Charity (which means a giving focused, providing for the needs of others, and self-sarificing form of love – in case anyone is wondering why the antiquated word ‘charity’ rather than simply ‘love’ is used in KJV) is to be the foundation of our usage of spiritual gifts.

The need for spiritual gifts will only be gone when we are resurected because we will be perfected; fully redeemed (not merely redeemed spiritually but still awaiting the redemtion of our bodies as awe are now), the salvation through Christ will be fully accomplished, and we will see Christ face-to-face. We will no longer be children in the spiritual sense (v. 11), but will put childish [carnal, temporal] things away.

For now we see through a glass darkly… in this time our interaction wih the spiritual is like looking at a poor reflection in a mirror. We know IN PART, we prophesy IN PART.

This is what Paul is speaking of in this chapter, not the cessation (the ending) of spiritual gifts at the completion of scripture, but at the cessation at the time of the resurrection when spiritual gifts are no longer needed to discern God’s voice – when we stand all times in His presence.

But this means something very significant and practical for us today. Have you ever met someone, or heard of prophets who can see “EVERYTHING in the spiritual realm”? I have heard of and known people who have had such claims made of them. Yet even when I heard it I knew it was untrue. Why? Because I had read and had some understanding of this passage of scripture. Even Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles, who did ‘special miracles’ in Ephesus so that aprons were brought from his body unto possessed persons and they were healed, who was converted by an express visitation from Christ, who was discipled by the Holy Ghost until he came behind in no way from the oher Apostles who were trained personally by Christ – even he said: ‘We know in part, and we prophesy in part.’

When you come accross some prophet/ess of whom it is claimed that he/she never ever errs, or that he/she sees EVERYTHING, that is a person to be suspect of. It may be that their messenger who says such things is in error (in which case it may not be the fault of the prophet/ess that they say such), or it may be that the prophet/ess tout themselves to know/see/hear everything… in which case ignore them completely.

Because we know in part, there is a part that we do not know. Also, all prophecy comes on some foundation. It should come on the foundation of scripture; if so, you can be much more confident in it. If not, it must be subject to much higher scrutiny. Even prophecy which is based on scripture will be based on the speakers INTERPRETATION of scripture.

If a prophecy has no foundation, and is, say a spontaneous and random utterance shrouded in mystery and has no basis of understanding it is probably jot prophecy at all – Jesus said that the Holy Spirit comes to TEACH US All things, and remind us of the word of God (John 14:26). God is not the God of confusion, but of peace (1 Cor. 14:33), thus a confusing, distracting word can [almost] always be simply ignored as not from the Lord.

Our knowledge, our understanding informs our proohetic utterance, for we KNOW in part, and we PROPHESY in part. A valuable word of the Lord will be partly biblical teaching – instruction on application, or clarifying some understanding from God’s word – and partly prophecy.

This mingling of knowledge and the proohetic happens automatically, which is where genuinely prophetically gifted people may begin to miss it – prophesy wrongly.

A vital example is found in somewhat recent political ‘prophecies’ occurring about the American presidential election (hopefully it is now far enouh back that we can look at it from the ‘what can we learn?’ perspective rather that the bitterly polarized, and factitious perspective). People all over the world were prophesying that Trump would win the election. Many of thise who did so werw simply false prophets clear through. Yet some of those who did so were genuinely gifted in the prophetic people. (In any event, heed not false prophets, for I don’t speak here to justify them, merely to point out that there were several genuinely gifted in the prophetic who were led into this error; except they repent they should not be heeded. (Deut. 18:22))

How came about he false word on this? Well, there are actually a number of variables, but let’s just look at the fundamental basis this time around (I’ve written other posts talking about other aspects). I just made the claim that all prophecy comes from some foundation, and that foundation should be our understanding of scripture as revealed to us by the Holy Ghost (John 14:26). But these prophecies were made on the basis of a different foundation.

A certain political polarization occurred, and one of the central elements is a misunderstanding of biblical teaching regarding the nation of Israel (for we know in part, and we prophecy in part). I’ll not go fully into that here, but I will say Christians supported Trump, and began to believe (largely because of his support of Israel) that God had selected Him.

The foundation of the prophecies were not God’s word, but a political perspective based on an erroneous interpretation of scripture as applied to modern events. Our understanding informs our prophetic utterance. It is possible for someone to have a prophetic gift, but be wrong because they are not operating strictly on the foundation of scripture prophetically (for a specific example I wrote about see this post: How do You Church these Days Anyways?)

This makes it vital for anyone who wants to operated in the prophetic (which we should: 1 Cor. 12:31; 14:1, 12 & 39) to diligently study to understand God’s word (2 Tim. 2:15), and to hold those ‘childish’ things: carnal, temporal things (such as politics, opinion) with a very loose grip.

Charity [love] never faileth: but whether there be prophecies they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it will vanish away.

For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

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.

For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. (1 Cor. 13:8-12)