13:7 bears all things, – literally, to cover.
To hide, conceal, not make known. To cover over in silence.
It is the same words as used for the word “roof” in the N.T.
Agape love is designed to hide and conceal the faults of others.
Agape does not give any undue publicity to the faults of others.
There is a disposition to not notice or revenge the faults of others.
Can also mean to endure, or to hold out.
1 Th 3:5 For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain.
all things- This phrase, of course, is meant to be taken in its context, for nowhere in the N.T. are we called to absolutely overlook every offense a person might commit.
Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
expose them- correct with a view towards bringing people to the truth in such a way that they are convicted of their sin, and repent.
Agape love chooses to overlook the faults of others, and to endure them rather than to make them widely known.
believes all things,- does not mean that a person who practices agape love is a gullible person, believing anything that may come their way.
Eph 4:13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Eph 4:14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.
Christians are not to be gullible and accept any thought that comes along.
Rather, the context dictates that believing all things speaks of our relationships with people.
Agape love chooses to believe the best about a person, until there is undeniable evidence to the contrary.
To have the disposition to believe that people act from sincere motives, and that they mean well, and that they mean no injury.
Agape love acts this way because it does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in truth.
hopes all things, – Hope- the desire for good, with the expectation of obtaining it.
Agape love hopes all things will turn out well. When one hears an evil report of someone else, they hope that it is false, or that things will be rectified. Love will do this because it rejoices in the well-being of others
endures all things.- endure- to remain under, to sustain a load.
Love is willing to put up with whatever may be meted out to us by others.
We may have to put up with other people’s shortcomings, bad habits, lack of maturity, and the ways those characteristics may inconvenience our lives.
Agape love is also willing to sustain the load of attacks against us, and to persevere under unfair treatment from other people.
As much as is possible, to endure hardships from others, while being persuaded that they don’t mean injury, and you hope for their well being, as you don’t make public the hardship you are receiving from their hand.
13:8 Love never fails.– fails- to fall off or from. Metaphorically, to fall away, to be w/o effect, to be in vain, to cease to be in existence.
Mark 13:25 “the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
James 1:11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.
The context of the passage is to show the primacy and priority of love over those things which will one day pass away.
Paul seeks to show that the spiritual gifts which the Corinthian church enjoyed would someday pass away, while love would never pass away.
The Corinthians had put such a high value on spiritual gifts, over and above the value of love.
Paul encouraged them to pursue those gifts, but that love was to be supremely desired, for the gifts would pass away, but love never would pass away.
Love is adaptable and proper for all situations, and is appropriate in everyplace where we may dwell, whether in this world, or in the world to come.
But whether there are prophecies, they will fail;
Prophecy is that gift of forthtelling or foretelling the truths of God. Like all the spiritual gifts, it was given for the edification of all. READ 14:3
fail- to be idle, to cease, to do away with, to put an end to.
Prophecy is that gift whereby one speaks the words of God for the benefit of the body of Christ.
Prophecy given for edification, exhortation, comfort.
Edification- to build one up.
Exhortation- to encourage a person towards virtuous living.
Comfort- to soothe in distress or sorrow
The time will come when prophecy will come to an end.
The gifts given to the church will cease, becasue they will have served their purpose here on the earth, but won’t be needed in the presence of God.
1 John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
The day shall come when we shall stand in the presence of God, and we will receive everything that we need directly from the Lord Himself.
The gift of prophecy in the instructing, exhorting, and comforting of the church will be done away with, the Lord Himself doing those things for us.
There will be warnings against the dangers of ungodly living, etc.
whether there are tongues, they will cease;
tongues- the gift of speaking to God in an unknown language, whether that language be the language of men or of angels, human or supernatural.
1 Cor 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
1 Cor 14:2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.
1 Cor 14:4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself,
cease -to stop, come to an end.
whether there is knowledge, – incomplete, experiential knowledge.
Knowledge as we now posses it. Knowledge will not pass away in heaven.
Paul will shortly tell us that we will know Him, even as He knows us.
But human knowledge, incomplete as it is, will pass away
It will be overshadowed in the completeness of the knowledge to come.
Human knowledge, as valuable as it is, will fade as a candle at noonday, compared to the perfect and complete knowledge which we experience in His presence.
What we value as incredible human insight, may in the future be seen as simple and undeveloped thinking.
What we now esteem as great spiritual insight will most definitely one day be understood to be shallow and infantile as we stand in God’s presence.
13:9 For we know in part- know- ginosko, to know by experience.
We know only partially what there is to know. We don’t have full or complete knowledge of God. Our knowledge in this life is incomplete and obscure.
and we prophesy in part.– prophecy is that forthtelling and foretelling of the things of God. A person prophecies as God gives them revelation and information to speak forth, but when we are in his presence, we will experience all that God has for us.
We can only prophecy that which God reveals.
In His presence we will receive all that He would have us to know.
Those truths which are now only partially known of God, will be fully known in that future day.
13:10 But when that which is perfect has come,
Does come, or shall come.
This is a proposition which is spoken as a general truth.
Wuest- But whenever that which is complete comes, that which is incomplete and fragmentary will be done away.
When anything that is perfect or complete is enjoyed, then that which is imperfect and incomplete is done away with and forgotten.
The imperfect and feeble light from stars vanishes in the brightness of day.
The inferior is lost in the superior.
The imperfect is laid aside for the perfect.
then that which is in part will be done away.
When we as Christians enjoy the perfections of glory, the incompleteness of spiritual gifts, and incomplete knowledge will pass away from us, as we move into that which is complete and perfect.
WHAT THIS PASSAGE DOES NOT MEAN-
Many people use this passage as a proof text for the discontinuance of spiritual gifts in the church today.
They claim that spiritual gifts passed away when the Bible was finally completed.
They claim that spiritual gifts were needed to witness to the masses, to build the church up, and to show authority in the teachings of the apostles.
They go on to say that since we now have, “That which is perfect,” namely, the Bible, the church no longer needed spiritual gifts, and the gifts ceased to be at the canonizing of the Bible.
Clearly, the context does not support this argument.
1. If the gift of prophecy and the gift of tongues ceased when the Bible came to be, then that also means that knowledge ceased when the Bible was finally organized.
2. The gifts were given to edify the church. The church still needs edification, and so the gifts still remain.
3. If you disregard the gifts of prophecy, and tongues, then you must also disregard the gifts of helps and administration, etc.
4. The context just does not support this interpretation. Paul nowhere sepaks of the Bible, but goes to speak of when we see the Lord face to face.
13:11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
13:12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13:13And now abide faith, confidence in God
hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.