The Permanence of Love (I Corinthians 13:8-13)

(Class Notes)

• Love versus the Transitory Gifts (I Corinthians 13:8-12)
  • LOVE ABIDES, whereas the TRANSITORY GIFTS (Prophecy, Tongues, Knowledge) ALL PASS AWAY (I Corinthians 13:8)
  • The Revelatory Gifts (Knowledge and Prophecy) ABIDE ONLY WHEN that which is IN PART is NOT PERFECT, i.e. NOT COMPLETE (I Corinthians 13:9-10)
    • KNOWLEDGE (I Corinthians 12:8) and PROPHECY (I Corinthians 12:10) were REVELATORY GIFTS (I Corinthians 14:6) pertaining to "THE HIDDEN WISDOM" (I Corinthians 2:6-7), i.e. "THE MYSTERY OF GOD" concerning Christ (Colossians 2:2-3) and is appropriately called "THE PREACHING OF JESUS CHRIST according to THE REVELATION OF THE MYSTERY" (Romans 16:25)
      • "THE MYSTERY" (Ephesians 3:3) is "THE MYSTERY of (THE) CHRIST" (Ephesians 3:4)
      • "(THE) CHRIST" (I Corinthians 12:12) is defined to be "THE BODY OF CHRIST" (I Corinthians 12:27), i.e. "THE CHURCH, which is HIS BODY" (Ephesians 1:22-23)
    • That which was INCOMPLETE WITHOUT "THE MYSTERY" (Colossians 1:26) was THE WRITTEN "WORD OF GOD" (Colossians 1:25)
      • Now that THE WRITTEN "WORD OF GOD" is COMPLETE (Colossians 1:25), so that we are in possession of "ALL SCRIPTURE" (II Timothy 3:16) - IT (SCRIPTURE) ALONE is what is able to make "THE MAN OF GOD" PERFECT (COMPLETE), i.e. "THOROUGHLY FURNISHED unto ALL GOOD WORKS" (II Timothy 3:17)
  • Paul associates the GIFT OF TONGUES with CHILDISH UNDERSTANDING (I Corinthians 13:11)
    • POSITIVELY, the GIFTS of "DIVERSE KINDS OF TONGUES" and "THE INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES" were used TOGETHER as a means of REVELATION for the EDIFICATION of THE CHURCH (I Corinthians 14:5)
      • The TEMPORARY GIFTS of PROPHECY, TONGUES, and KNOWLEDGE (I Corinthians 13:8) existed only when "THE PREACHING OF JESUS CHRIST according to THE REVELATION OF THE MYSTERY" (Romans 16:25) was in its GERMINAL STAGE, i.e. "IN PART" (I Corinthians 13:9-10)
    • NEGATIVELY, the GIFT OF TONGUES by itself was a SIGN OF DIVINE JUDGMENT to UNBELIEVING ISRAEL (I Corinthians 14:21-22 cf. Isaiah 28:11-12)
      • "THE JEWS REQUIRE A SIGN" (I Corinthians 1:22), because from their very beginning as a nation - God SPOKE TO THEM THROUGH SIGNS (Exodus 4:8)
      • The fact that AT CORINTH (Acts 18:1) the BELIEVERS MET AT "A CERTAIN MAN'S HOUSE ... WHOSE HOUSE JOINED HARD TO THE (UNBELIEVING) SYNAGOGUE" (Acts 18:7) - it all becomes clear WHY God gave the CHURCH OF CORINTH the GIFT OF TONGUES (I Corinthians 12:30)
      • NOW that ISRAEL is STUMBLED and has been "CAST AWAY" and BLINDED by God for her UNBELIEF during this GENTILE AGE (Romans 11:11-12,15,25 cf. Acts 28:25-28) - it follows that ISRAEL'S SIGN OF TONGUES has also CEASED (I Corinthians 13:8)
  • Paul likened his PARTIAL REVELATION to "SEEING through a glass DARKLY" (I Corinthians 13:12) and likened the time WHEN "the PREACHING might be FULLY KNOWN" (II Timothy 4:17) as to being able to SEE himself "FACE TO FACE" in a mirror and so "THEN SHALL I KNOW EVEN AS I AM KNOWN" (I Corinthians 13:12)

• Love versus the Abiding Gifts (I Corinthians 13:13)
  • "And NOW ABIDETH ... these THREE" (I Corinthians 13:13), i.e. AFTER the TEMPORARY administration of the REVELATORY GIFTS (I Corinthians 13:8) WHEN Paul's PREACHING concerning "the REVELATION of the MYSTERY" (Romans 16:25) has been made "FULLY KNOWN" (II Timothy 4:17 cf. I Corinthians 13:12)
    • The THREE ABIDING "BEST GIFTS" (I Corinthians 12:31) are FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE (I Corinthians 13:13)
    • The Thessalonian epistles are written to a MODEL CHURCH exhibiting ALL THREE MARKS pertaining to SPIRITUAL MATURITY (Ephesians 4:15-16) and they-are the LAST of the Church epistles in the Pauline ORDER of EDIFICATION, because of their TESTIMONY concerning "INSTRUCTION in RIGHTEOUSNESS" (II Timothy 3:16)
      • Their "WORK of FAITH" towards THE LOST (I Thessalonians 1:3,8 cf. Romans 1:8)
      • Their "LABOR of LOVE" for THE SAINTS (I Thessalonians 1:3,9 cf. Galatians 5:13)
      • Their "PATIENCE of HOPE" in THE LORD (I Thessalonians 1:3,10 cf. Romans 8:24-25)
    • The ORDER of EXPERIENCE for the BELIEVER
      • FIRST, there is FAITH which allows the BELIEVER to have "PEACE WITH GOD" (Romans 5:1)
      • SECOND, there is HOPE which allows the BELIEVER to rejoice in anticipation of the "GLORY OF GOD" (Romans 5:2)
      • THIRD, BUT NOT LEAST, there is LOVE which is "SHED ABROAD IN OUR HEARTS BY THE HOLY SPIRIT" (Romans 5:5) AS WE LEARN TO "GLORY IN TRIBULATIONS ALSO" (Romans 5:3)
      • The GREATEST of these is LOVE (I Corinthians 13:13) for it ABIDES FOREVER (Romans 8:38-39)

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