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Today's Pathway: I Corinthians 13:8-10 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.

Paul has finished giving his description of Biblical love, which he says is better than focusing on what spiritual gifts you do or don't have. Now he returns to showing why love is more important. He starts by stating that charity never fails. The word "fail" carries the idea of "to fall away, to be without effect, to cease to be in existence". Love will never, under any circumstances, cease to exist, both now and in eternity. However, prophecies, tongues, and knowledge will come to an end. Thus, since that which is permanent is of more value than that which is only temporary, having "agape" is more important than having impressive spiritual gifts.

From a theological perspective, it should be noted that Paul compares charity to the revelatory gifts. These were the spiritual gifts that allowed men to give information to the church that they could have known only through direct revelation from God. We understand that prophets spoke when God gave them information that He wanted given to His people. Tongues were obviously supernatural, and also gave a message from God that came directly from Him, but required an interpreter. "Knowledge" does not refer to simply knowing things; it means possessing a knowledge that no one else had because it had been given directly by God (I Corinthians 12:8). So, to be clear, the gifts of prophecies, tongues, and knowledge allowed men to give God's revelation to people who would not otherwise have known it. Paul writes that there would come a time when these three gifts would no longer be necessary, and thus would come to an end. They were absolutely needed during the time when Paul was writing. He explains why in verse 9 when he says,

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

In verse 10 Paul tells us when these revelatory gifts would end. It would happen when that which was "perfect" came. The word translated "perfect" carries the idea of "completeness". There are really only two options as to what that "completeness" is: the finished Word of God or the return of Christ. Since the Greek words translated "that which is perfect" are neuter, and since any references to Jesus Christ would be masculine ("he" instead of "that") the answer must be the completion of the canon of Scripture. The sign gifts were in operation during the apostolic era to give special revelation until the completion of the New Testament. Before early Christians had the whole New Testament, they had to rely on words of knowledge, prophecy, and tongues to give them the full revelation of God. Once the church had possession of all of the New Testament, these gifts faded away as unnecessary, but charity continued to be in operation. It is worth noting that the words used for the cessation of knowledge and prophecy are in the passive voice, indicating that they will be stopped by an outside force. The verb used for the ceasing of tongues is in the middle voice, which indicates that they will cease “of themselves.” This is further proof that tongues were temporary and would eventually pass away on their own. Revelation 22:18 backs this position up by stating,

"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book."

Prophecies and speaking in tongues are no longer necessary, and thus are no longer being given as spiritual gifts. The Bible tells us everything that we need to know.