May 5, 2024
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:8-13
In 1 Corinthians 13, the apostle Paul is talking about the supremacy of love as necessary for the operation of spiritual gifts … and necessary for the vitality of a church, in general. To emphasize the nature and value of love, there is, in these verses, a contrast between the temporal and the eternal.
In the immediate context, Paul’s point is that the spiritual gifts are temporal, but love is eternal. Even faith and hope are temporary. In heaven faith becomes sight and hope is fully realized … but love abides forever. Spiritual gifts are designed to serve only our present state of existence, but love is designed to serve both our present and eternal state of existence.
Second, the gifts of knowledge and prophecy are not only limited in duration, but limited in perspective. These gifts do not see the whole picture of truth and reality. Even with the completion of the New Testament and 2,000 years of history, we do not have the whole picture.
"When the perfect comes, the partial will pass away" (1 Cor 13:9). This is probably a reference to our perfect state in heaven. We will see the whole picture of reality one day. We will see our Savior clearly and the glory of His salvation.
Given the nature of love, let us pursue loving God sincerely and deeply … and let us love one another sincerely and deeply … and let us increasingly long for the day when we see our Savior and King face to face.