It never dies. It never ceases. It lasts forever. It is eternal. This is the beauty and power of love. Whereas the spiritual gifts will not last forever.
“Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”
1 Corinthians 13:8-12
Love is more important than spiritual gifts. Love takes precedence over spiritual gifts.
What good are spiritual gifts without love?
Yet if you have love and no spiritual gifts then that lies with the sovereignty of the Spirit but love is still working.
The gifts will end.
Prophecy will cease.
Tongues will be stilled.
Knowledge will pass away.
Paul could go on but he’s made his point.
All the gifts that this church are either abusing or ignoring will come to an end. What will we be left with when we stand before God? Our badge of being able to speak in tongues and able to prophecy? Or will it be that we loved whilst here on earth? Will the church be commended for its giftedness or its love?
But there’s more.
Paul says the gifts are partial and incomplete.
Completeness is coming and when it does the gifts will fall away.
To those who say completeness is the death of the last apostle or the finalisation of the canon of the Bible then these verses challenge those thoughts.
“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”
v12.
Completeness hasn’t come yet for we are all still waiting for Christ to return.
Only then (or when we die before He comes) will we see Him face to face.
When that day comes we won’t need spiritual gifts to know God or what He is saying for we will fully know and will be fully known.
What will be left? What will we stand before Him with?
The answer is we will stand before LOVE with love.
Love never ends.
Missions Paul 