In the last post, we looked at Acts 2 and Peter’s use of the prophecy of Joel 2.28-32, and the connection of gifts with the time-frame references of the “last days” of the old covenant. In this post I want to take a look at another set of verses that were long conseidered the golden proof-text for cessationists but are now mostly disregarded in the discussion.
Internal Evidence – When?
1 Corinthians 13.8-12
The text is as follows:
“Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”
Here, Paul explicitly says that some spiritual gifts will cease. Both sides agree to this. The question, which you may have guessed concerning the fact that we are asking “when?” is when will they cease? The ironic thing about this scripture is all agree to the fact that in the greater context of the chapter, Paul is discussing the supremecy of love over all the other gifts, yet it has also brought about the most amount of dispute and uncharitable discourse. I pray that this is not the case here, and those who disagree with what I say would not consider me unloving.
Let us begin by looking at verse 8: “Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.” Notice the pattern: love never ends, prophecies pass away, tongues cease, and knowledge passes away. Obviously the contrast here is between the temporal and eternal, but Paul, under inspiration, does something interesting here. He uses two different phrases here, prophecy and knowledge will pass away (katargeo) but tongues will cease (pauo). While some simply overlook this as a stylistic change, I don’t think this is necessarily the case. In fact, Paul uses the verb katargeo several times within this same epistle, so why the simple style change here? It seems to me that he is instead making a distinction between tongues and prophecy/knowledge. This disction becomes apparent in verses 9 and 10.
Verses 9 and 10 read: “For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.” Here, Paul has dropped tongues, but continues to discuss prophecy and knowledge. Why is this? Because Paul is discussing that which they have partially, and there is no such things as partial tongues. Either you had the gift or not. Knowledge and prophecy, however were partial . It seems then, that this scripture remains silent on when tongues will cease, simply stating that they will, but instead seeks to explain when partial knowledge and partial prophecy will pass away. When will they pass away? When the “perfect” comes. So what is the perfect?
There are two general interpretations of what the perfect is: Continuationists say it’s the second coming of Christ while Cessationist say it is the completion of the canon. The words “the perfect” found in verse 10 are “to teleion.” Teleion can mean “perfect”, “complete”, or “mature.” When we look at the context what seems to best fit? Paul is talking about partial knowledge and prophecy. Verse 11 discusses the difference between understanding and speech of a child and that of a man, which seems to speak of limited and fuller understanding. Verse 12 speaks of dim mirror and seeing face to face, and then talks about knowing in part and knowing fully. The entire context surrounding verse 10 speaks of a partial and full/complete contrast, where that which was partial grows into that which is complete, not the return of something already complete. Is it not obvious then that we should understand “the perfect” in a sense of completeness?
We should also note that the term telelion is singular, neuter noun. The only thing which it could refer to is partial which is also singular and neutral, meaning it is in contrast to partial. Again this points us to an understanding of “completeness.” So it seems that the partial nature of knowledge and prophecy will pass away when the more complete knowledge and prophecy comes about. So the question is, has the church recieved complete knowledge and prophecy?
2 Timothy 3.16-17 says:
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”
The use of the gifts within the local body of believers was to help build the church. At the ned of his life, in his last letter, Paul exhorts Timothy that it is Scripture which equips us for every good work. When the last book of the canon was completed, we had the full revelation of God; the completion of God’s revelation to us. Daniel saw in his prophecy of the seventy weeks that vision and prophecy would end in the first century AD (see part 7), which it did in the completion of the canon. With the completion of the canon, the partialness of knowledge and prophecy passed away, and with it the need for those gifts within the church.
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