Expert: Marvin Howard - 4/13/2004

Question
1 Corinthians

8   Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9   For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10   But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

Can you please explain these verses to me. When shall the tongue cease and the knowledge vanish? When Christ returns?

Answer
Hi!

Sydney, we need more context to get the meaning of these verses. The context for the passage is actually all of chapters 12 - 14. I am going to include, here, my third archived sermon. It is on this very topic. If you wish to view it in html format, please go to http://www.geocities.com/preacherman_1962/archive3.html . Feel free to contact me with follow up questions if there is something here you don't understand.

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The Doctrines Of Man vs. The Doctrine Of God


Part I: Gifts Of The Spirit


Many different teachings exist on many different Bible subjects in the world. The aim of this series is to look at various doctrines, and decide whether they be from God or from man. Once again, as always, I am a man and fallible. Check scripture for yourself to see whether these things are so. The first doctrine in this series is the one on Spiritual Gifts, what God has to say about them, and whether they still exist today.

NOW HEAR YE THE WORD OF THE LORD as recorded in I Corinthians 13:1-13:

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become [as] sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have [the gift of] prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed [the poor], and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, [and] is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether [there be] prophecies, they shall fail; whether [there be] tongues, they shall cease; whether [there be] knowledge, it shall 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. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these [is] charity."

The context (chapters 12-14) is contrasting the value of charity vs. gifts of the Spirit. All of them are included (even the laying on of hands and raising the dead), though specifically, the following gifts are mentioned here:

Speaking in tongues (vv 1&8)

Prophecy (vv 2&8)

Miraculous knowledge (vv 2&9)

Look at verses 8&13 with me for a moment. Charity (love) never fails. Faith, Hope, and Charity still abide in verse 13 after the gifts are done away (ended). There is no need for Hope in Heaven, as it is the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1), and in Heaven, we will have seen. All three abide (stay/live awhile longer) AFTER the gifts are done away, but two of them will not abide (not still be here) when Christ returns! So, the gifts were to be done away before the return of Christ!

Look again with me at verse 10. "But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." Every person I have encountered, from any denomination, who believes these gifts still exist, says the "that" in verse 10 refers to Jesus. It would have to do so for their position to stand. Many (per)versions of scripture have been invented from whole cloth and printed to fit this mistakenly, preconceived notion. I am sorry, but I have too much respect for my Lord to relegate Him to the position of a "THAT!" My Lord is a He! My Lord is a Him! My Lord is who or whom! My Lord is Savior! My Lord is God! My Lord can NEVER under any circumstances, be a "THAT!"

I have a question for you. Can something imperfect make something perfect? Hardly! So, we have raised another question to answer. Since the "that" in verse 10 does not refer to Christ (if it does to you, I hope we are way far apart in the Judgment line, for I will be unable to bear watching what God has promised), what is it? The scriptures have an answer.

II Timothy 3:16-17 states plainly, "All SCRIPTURE [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] PROFITABLE for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: THAT the MAN of God MAY BE PERFECT thouroughly furnished unto all good works." (emphasis mine; MRH) So we see, since "SCRIPTURE IS PROFITABLE THAT MAN MAY BE PERFECT," the scriptures claim for themselves perfection. Scripture is in book form. It can be a "THAT!" Is it the right "that?" Let's finish the context to see.

Verses 11&12, "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."

The church was in its infancy at the time of this writing; it was a child. When it matured, it would put away childish things. Which childish things? Read on! Paul referred to looking in the old, beaten metal mirrors when he said, "look through a glass darkly," which were unable to give an accurate reflection or appearance to the person using it. Yet, everyone seeing the person without such a device knew what the other really looked like. Now, we come to "but, then." When is "but, then?" When the childish things of infancy, which only showed part at a time, were put away, or, when the church matured. So, which things only showed part of the picture (imperfection contrasted with perfection)? "...we know in part, and we prophesy in part...that which is in part SHALL BE DONE AWAY".

Gifts were used as credentials, from God, for the person speaking. I John 4:1 says, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." The spirits had to be tried. At the risk of being redundant, the gifts were used to prove a speaker was from God; credentials. Now, we have exact, full, unmistakable proof when someone is a false prophet. The scriptures say when, because they are the perfect, divine, revealed Word of God. The scriptures are our credentials today. The scriptures fulfilled the prophecy! Since they did, to say gifts remain after the prophecy which says they will be done away is fulfilled, is to call God a liar, and friend, I am not willing to risk that! Now, do you understand why I don't want to watch those people in judgment?

Let's briefly look at speaking in tongues, as it existed in scripture. For, what is practiced now (and only wears the same name) is something totally different!

Acts 2:4-8, "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?"

What happenned when tongues were spoken? Men recognized them not only as languages, but their own languages issuing forth from the mouths of people who had no business knowing how to speak it! It was not something only God, or angels, could understand. It was an actual, viable, existing language. It would be like me going to China, having never studied Chinese, and suddenly being able to preach in Chinese! It was not the gibberish spuing forth today which is claimed to be speaking in tongues. Whatever emotional frenzy people work themselves into to put on these shows, I do not quite understand. All I do know, is it is not from God! I have never been taught to, nor do I desire to, go against scripture, just to fit in with the crowd and not feel left out. Since the gifts vanished as prophesied, and they have been taught otherwise, I suppose they don't want the others in the crowd to think them lost: that is they want to be like the others, supposing them to be truthful in the first place about the cause of their actions.

I hope this clarifies this important issue that has been so long confused and misunderstood.

In His Service,

Marvin Howard
preacherman_1962@yahoo.com
http://www.geocities.com/preacherman_1962