The Cessation of the Charismata

The Cessation of the Charismata

1 Cor 13:8-13

One of the most important questions in our age as regards the work of the Holy Spirit is this: Since the Bible says “tongues will cease, knowledge will vanish away and that we prophesy in part when that which is perfect comes, when will that be?

Let’s read that text from 1 Cor 13:8-13:




1. Some Things will Cease

1 Cor 13:8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

2. Press on to Maturity

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. 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.

3. What Remains
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Let’s look at the text:

4. Some Things will Cease

1 Cor 13:8 Love never fails.

This section begins and ends with what remains. In this verse only love is mentioned as something that never fails. It is the self-sacrificing love-in-action of which we read in verses 1-7.

Even in that section, prophecy, tongues and knowledge are contrasted with love. So, intertwined in this chapter throughout is a contrast of love, biblical love, and revelatory acts.

Look back at beginning of the chapter with this in mind:

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

Paul is saying that he does speak with the tongues of men and of angels, he states this in the subjunctive to make a rhetorical point. Even if he could speak in the known languages of men anywhere and in the angelic language (if there is one), if he has not been affected by Christian love, all of his illustrious speech would be the equivalent of metallic noise. Tongues, if used, must be accompanied by a love that seeks the good of others.

2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

Paul writes about prophecy, a hypothetical ability to understand all that had been hidden in the previous age, but was being made known through the preaching of the gospel and if he could possibly have all the faith needed to move mountains from one place to another, if he does not have Christian love motivating and present in his actions, he amounts to nothing. He continues:

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

People can do outwardly and apparently benevolent acts for the wrong reasons. If Paul gave up everything he owned to provide for others, and even if he were to sacrifice his body for others, it is love in the actions that make it to be something in God’s eyes, or as he says, nothing.

It is more important to consider what God thinks about something than what man thinks. People have the ability to look good on the outside, while being without love within. Love trumps Tongues, prophecy, understanding, knowledge, and even great apparent acts of faith. So what is this love?

Paul tells his readers. But, remember this context. In Chapter 12 he corrected errors in their understanding about gifts and church life. In Chapter 14, he goes on to give more instruction about prophect and tongues and then proceeds to order in church meetings. What is the solution to the problems they had in the Corinthian Church? To understand, believe and practice the theology of love found in these verses:

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love is the greatest and most profound Christian grace—but, it is also the most elusive. It can be mimicked, counterfeited and misused as it was in Corinth. Those connected to the church were unkind, jealous, rude, self-seeking, provoked by others, and imagining evils. Apparently they were rejoicing in iniquity—well, at least how tolerant they could be of sin. They needed to rejoice in what was true, then needed to put up with others, believe the best, be hopeful and enduring in Christian love.

Christian love is contrary to how we operate by nature and even as redeemed men and women. It is the Holy Spirit himself who ha to work this fruit in us that others might see it through us. It is not wholly generated by ourselves. If we think it is, we forget how deeply sin affects all that we are and do, even as believers we have the effects of our remaining sin. We need the Spirit to counteract what we are by nature.

As we have seen, revelatory gifts if they are to be practiced, must be done with love. There is nothing self-centered about them.

Consider one of the summary statements found in Chapter 12: 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:

And at the end of the Chapter: 12: 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. 28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. (Note that tongues is last on Paul’s list) Paul goes on to ask a series of seven questions that have expected negative answers. He asks: 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?

Paul concludes:

31 But earnestly desire the best[d] gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

That more excellent way introduces Chapter 13.

Starting in Verse 8 of Chapter 13, Paul starts writing about the revelatory gifts again. It is important to note this reality time and time again. Many modern commentators dance around the plain meaning of these words in harmony with their context by inserting the return of Jesus as the perfect thing of which we read in Verse 8. That would be to change the subject that ahs been present back into the preceding chapter and then into the chapter that follows. The Corinthians need to learn about love because of their misuse of revelatory gifts.

This is where the Spirit could have gotten their attention in some miraculous manner. But, knowing their weaknesses, he did not. The Spirit saw to it that word got to Paul through CLoe’s household and perhaps, Titus. The Spirit then inspired Paul to write this letter under his inspiration. In this letter is found the apostolic correction to their misuse of revelatory spiritual gifts—the Charismata.

Paul contrasts these gifts between what was present and what would be in the future—the question is when is the future? He wrote:

8 But whether there are prophecies, they will fail;

Clearly Paul means there is a time coming when prophetic utterance will fail or wither away. This is the prophetic utterance of predictive prophecy and also the use of insightful and immediate application. At some point, there will no longer be prophecy being revealed.

whether there are tongues, they will cease;

Tongues were a part of the ministry in the Early Church, especially here in Corinth. But, Paul writes that they will cease to be revelatory. He continued:

whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

This is understood as the spiritual ability to have insight about things and infallibly so. At some point, words of knowledge will go away.

The revelatory gifts of prophecy, tongues and knowledge, are presented in parallel poetically. All were present, all would stop. Paul adds:

9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part.

By way of contrast, we have the controversial statement of verse 10:

10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

So, whatever this perfect thing is, when it comes, that which was in part in the text, will be done away.

Two options have become popular. One is fairly new and the other has a long pedigree. The First: Some who want to be cautious about the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements prefer to make Paul’s words refer to the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This view has a number of problems.

A. It is never safe to hold a view just in case something new proves to be right. Especially, when the basis upon which their beliefs and practices are founded shows them to have misused the scriptures—as in the Book of Acts.

B. There is nothing in the text or context that calls for suddenly adding another doctrine like the return of Jesus. Add to this that Paul, after dealing with the issue of spiritual gifts in the church goes on to deal with the coming return and resurrection in the next chapter, Chapter 15. There Paul deals with the second coming. When Paul speaks of that event, he speaks of a person, not a neuter thing.

C. The perfect thing of 13:10 functions as a neuter pronoun -- perfect thing. We should expect to find such a noun somewhere in the larger context. And, we do….

In verse 2. The text reads: 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,

Strangely enough, the word mysteries matches the word for perfect . It is a neuter noun.

When all of the mysteries have been revealed, the items God has deemed to disappear will be no longer: Tongues, Prophecy, words of knowledge.

The Church was bogged down by the apparently miraculous in their midst. But, not even the Spirit of God asserted his sovereignty in these matters. He worked in a way to reveal his will so that a record would be left for all of the churches after the close of the canon.

O. Palmer Robertson wrote a great book entitled “The Last Word.” It looks at the Greek word Mysterion. His conclusion is that the mystery that was once hidden is now fully revealed. There is no more to be told, only retold as God’s Word in its final form is declared by faithful men in this age.

The Apostle Paul can have joy amid his trials when he considers this wonderful reality:

Colossians 1:24-27 24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, [here it is] 26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which[a] is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

The revelation of this mystery was revealed in the form of the New Testament gospels and Epistles. Once the Spirit finished inspiring the Apostles and their close associates to write the scriptures…the mystery once hidden was fully known. Through Paul, this was made known to the Gentiles.

The use of mysterion is consistent with the discussion about things that were revelatory. When the canon of the New Testament scriptures was closed, so too the revelation of the mystery. We have all we need to know on the pages of God’s Word. We should seek nothing more.

What we should do however, is… to…

5. Press on to Maturity

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.

What evocative imagery. Those of us who are adults find a very important principle in this verse—we are not intended to remain children any longer than necessary. Some may not want to in our culture that tries to quash maturity, but when someone is a child, they think and say things consistent with their lot in life. When they come of age, they become adults and put away childish things.

They didn’t have an age between childhood and adulthood as we do in our time. When the body could procreate, it was time to be and act like adults. We would do well to press an adult mindset upon the consciences of our offspring.

Applied to the Corinthians: the things that were important to them showed their immaturity. Yet the words Paul uses shows a child’s ability to think rightly—speech, understanding and thought processes. The Corinthian’s and their obsession with the Charismata shows their growth was stunted in a pre-reasoning child. They needed something more…. Paul continues….

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.

The gifts present such a small part of what God’s self-disclosure is all about. When it is complete, it will be far greater than it was on the day this was written. As Victor Budgen wrote: “The supernatural gifts present but a fragment of revelation, albeit a perfectly true fragment. The scriptures tell the whole story. Every act, scene, line, entry exit are all clearly shown.”

The scriptures as a whole are God’s effective agent to change the heart and mind of the most hardened sinner. It is the Word that is so vital and important for Christian living.

Another reason why the perfect thing cannot be the return of Jesus or entrance into heaven is the conclusion Paul gives to this section.

If the perfect thing was the Second Coming or Heaven, Paul would leave us with thought of the life to come. He does not. Instead, he tells them what remains after some things have ceased. This is ….

6. What Remains
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Faith in the objective and subjective that is what we are to believe and how we ought to live remain. So, believers are still around at the time in view. But they continue to look forward with a certain expectation that God is going to do all that he promised. So, remains love.

Greatest of these…what are the these?
Hebrews 11:1 (English Standard Version)

1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Faith looks forward based upon what God has said in the past.

Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

But, love, it says, is the greatest. It is the more excellent way.

When the Holy Spirit wanted to sort out the chaos in Corinth, he did not send a special utterance or a word of knowledge. He inspired the Apostle Paul to write an epistle. Paul wrote out of love for the Church.