3. THE ETERNAL NATURE OF LOVE AND ITS RELATION TO OUR PRESENT GIFTS AND KNOWLEDGE.

Paul states that we are now in a state of imperfection, and that all we now know and experience are but nothing when compared with the glory of the heavenly life, but there is one thing that is the same in heaven and earth, a heart that is full of love for God, and this with faith and hope will abide. Paul shows the Corinthians the imperishable nature of love and compares it with the temporary nature of our present knowledge and spiritual gifts. Paul is telling them that it is qualities of character alone that will make us acceptable to God, and that will endure for ever. However, we need to remember the following very important points.

a. Our temporary gifts and knowledge are partial experiences of God's eternal power and purposes.

The fact that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are temporary does not mean that they are of little use or value. On the contrary the correct use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit has prepared us for the use of the powers of the eternal kingdom of God. We read in Heb.6v5. That the baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit are spoken of as "the powers of the age to come," so the gifts of the Holy Spirit are a temporary and partial use of the powers of God's eternal kingdom. Heb.6v5. The gifts of the Holy Spirit do not cease in the sense that there will never again be any miraculous manifestations of the Holy Spirit; it means that the temporary manifestations of the Spirit and the partial revelations of God, are swallowed up in the continuous and eternal enjoyment and appreciation of the supernatural power and divine nature of God. The part is swallowed up in the whole. In the same way our present knowledge will come to nought, or vanish away, in the sense that our limited knowledge will be swallowed up in the infinite knowledge of the kingdom oF God. When Paul says that "we know in part," 1Cor.13v9,12., he is comparing a partial knowledge with a perfect knowledge, he says that "when that which is perfect and complete is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." v10. Divine knowledge will never pass away, divine truth lasts forever. Paul is comparing are present limited knowledge of divine things with the glorious experience of divine truth that we will enjoy in heaven. The wonderful things we know in theory about heaven will become a glorious experience, our present experience will be swallowed up in something much more wonderful and glorious. Those people who use 1Cor.13v8-13. to prove that the gifts of the Spirit have passed away, are proved incorrect by the fact that their present limited knowledge has not passed away and been replaced by the infinite knowledge and experience of God's knowledge. The perfect kingdom of God has not yet come, the Lord Jesus has not yet come, and these verses state that the gifts of the Holy Spirit will continue right up to the coming of the Lord.

b. God produces love in us through our present spiritual gifts, knowledge and Christian experiences.

The use of the gifts of the Spirit and our partial knowledge are two things that God uses to produce love in us. Love is like a building which has to have the scaffolding of the gifts of the Spirit and our partial knowledge around it to build it. Those who say that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are no good because they are incomplete and temporary, are way off the track, for the temporary gifts produce eternal love. Is our earthly body no good because it is temporary? God saw this creation and said that it was very good. The disciplining of the body and the right use of it prepares us for the greater powers and eternal blessings of God 's kingdom. In the same way the proper use of the temporary and occasional manifestations of divine power through the gifts of the Spirit forms love us in us, and prepares us for the continual, permanent and eternal manifestations of the Holy Spirit. The temporary has formed love in us and prepared us for the use of the permanent, so we can see the importance of the temporary gifts of the Holy Spirit, and our partial knowledge. Some day the veil will be taken away, but until then we will rejoice and glory in the beautiful and lovely gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the partial knowledge that we now enjoy, these come from the loving and lovely heart of our gracious heavenly Father.

c. Our present Christian experience compared with life in God's kingdom of love.

At present we know very little, we understand only a little of the eternal future, we realise and feel our present weakness and inadequacy. We don't always understand prophecies, revelations, or circumstances. We are limited in our experience of the love and power of God, however, Paul tells us that our experience in God's kingdom will be infinitely greater than our present experience on earth and he illustrates this in two ways.

Paul compares a baby with a full grown man.

One Greek scholar tells us that the word "child," denotes properly, a babe, and infant, though without any definite limitation of age. It refers to the first periods of existence, before the period which we dominate boyhood, or youth." Paul is speaking of the time when the child could speak, but it seems it was the first infant prattlings and thoughts that he was referring to. Paul tells us that our knowledge and most exalted and wonderful Christian experiences in this world, when compared with the knowledge and glory of God's kingdom, are like the first broken and hardly intelligible words and thoughts of a child compared with the infinitely greater knowledge and speech of a keen and well-informed man. The power that we use now, the things that we know now, are but as "childish things" compared with the knowledge and powers that we shall enjoy in God 's kingdom. Oh the glory and immensity of God's kingdom! Oh the glory of His presence! Press on struggling Christian to the glorious life that awaits you in the kingdom of God.

Paul compares a shadowy image through a dark glass with face to face vision.

Paul is speaking either of a mirror made of polished metal which gave a very imperfect image, or perhaps more likely of the transparent materials of poor quality glass of his day, which gave a very poor indication or representation of persons and things of the other side. Paul says that at present we see the kingdom of God as through an obscure and dark medium, but when Jesus comes again, or when we go to Him, it will be a face to face open vision. This again shows the us the vast difference between our present experience in this world and our future experience in the ages ti come. The Greek word that is translated "darkly," means literally "an enigma, or riddle," and then "an obscure intimation." We only know a little about the future that our heavenly Father has for us in His kingdom, much of that future is left to conjecture. Even the partial revelations that we receive for our present circumstances are sometimes very puzzling until they come to pass. The revelations in the Word of God, of the kingdom of God, only give us a little idea of the glory of that kingdom, for no language can describe or convey an experience that is so sublime and glorious. Rev.21 and 22. 2Cor.12v1-4. Peter tells us in 2Pet.1v19., that the word of prophecy given by the prophets of old, is like a lamp shining in a dark and squalid place, but the actual fulfillment of these prophecies and the coming of God's kingdom will be like the rising of the sun. We thank God for the lamp of prophecy, but we are looking for the Sun of righteousness who will arise with healing in His wings. One day the dark vision is going to give way to open vision, we shall see our Saviour face to face, what a wonderful day that will be. Let us abide in Him so that we may not be ashamed of ourselves on that day. 2Cor.4v17. 1Jn.2v27,28. Which brings us to our next point.

d. The perfect day and kingdom of love for which God is preparing for us.

The things which God is trying to teach us by our present Christian experiences, is that it is love that counts with Him. Love is the thing that makes heaven what it is, and to see real love staggers both earth and heaven, and when we have real love we can be entrusted with the full exercise of the powers of the age to come. Heavenly powers demand heavenly love. God is not so much concerned about the amount of work we do for Him, as He is over the kind of work that we do for Him. God is concerned how we get His work done and if that work is producing real love in us. The quality, not the quantity, of our Christian work is the thing that is most important in God's eyes, men count actions, God weighs them. 1Cor.3v11-17. We may do the most tremendous things for God, but if we fail to perform them in love, or fail to allow them to produce love in us, then it does not profit us. God could send the arch-angel Michael down to evangelise the world, and He would do it in a far better way and in a fraction of the time that the Church has done. God has not done this because He is getting the Church ready to rule with Christ, He is forming love in His people through the work that He has given them to do. God wants us to do well and be conformed to the image of His Son. Rom.8v29. Eph.1v5,6,17-23. 2v6,7.

e. When Christ comes we shall be known perfectly and know others perfectly.

All the things about us that are hidden will be revealed, even the good things about us. Our abilities and personality will no longer hide the secret state of our heart. We shall see and know one another as He knows us, we shall be an open book, our beings will be transparent, nothing will be hidden, everything about us will be made known. For some this will be a day of great joy, for others this will be a day of sorrow and shame. Only the pure in heart will enjoy the revelation of that day, for they will have nothing nothing to hide and be ashamed of. Those who have pure motives, sincere hearts, single eyes, and lives of obedience, will find that because their lives are full of light, they can stand the light of His presence and they will not be ashamed on that day. "The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple--- but who may abide the day of His coming?" Mal.3v1-3. 1Jn2v28.

When God's kingdom comes we shall know God perfectly.

We shall see our heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus face to face, we shall see how glorious and wonderful they are, we shall experience the most heavenly communion with them, and rejoice in their plans for us. Even those whose works have been burned and have suffered loss, will rejoice that they have the eternal joy of fellowship with God and the eternal enjoyment of His blessings and kingdom.

Love faith and hope will abide eternally in the kingdom of God.

Paul has been showing that the gifts of the Spirit are temporary, even though they are so important to us now; he finishes by mentioning three graces, three attributes of character that will endure for ever. Faith, hope and love will survive all the other things of which Paul has been speaking. In stating that love is the greatest of these virtues, Paul is not saying that love will outlast faith and hope, he is saying that love is the foundation upon which faith and hope build.

In society faith and hope cannot exists without the presence of love, community life, in the end becomes impossible without mutual love. This is why the present world is disintegrating and so full of strife, and why God has an eternal prison called Hell, the loveless, hateful people who would ruin the lovely atmosphere of heaven, as they have wrecked the earth, are excluded from heaven. There is also as much need in heaven as upon earth for faith and mutual trust, for no society can exist in peace without mutual trust between its members. In heaven there will be a perfect faith and trust between God and His creatures, and between the members of that kingdom. The Christian will also have much to hope for and expect in heaven. There will be the future ages of ages, the eternal and unsearchable riches of Christ to look forwards to. The Christian will not only enjoy perfect happiness, but they will look forward with hope, faith and expectation to eternal happiness, and thank God there will be no disillusionment, God will always do things for us exceedingly more abundant than we have asked, thought, or hoped. Heaven will be a place of eternal expansion, variety and joy, our faith and hope will never fail. The reason for this will be the universal rule of love, and the infinite kindness, affection, and love of the lovely God of love. God is love and love is the supreme quality of character, it is this that informs people that we are the disciples of Christ, so let us make quite sure that we nourish and cherish this fruit of the Holy Spirit. Let us obey the Word of God and the Spirit of God and this quality of character will grow in us and control our lives. 1Jn.4v8. Jn.13v34,35. Eph.3v16-21. Gal.5v22-25.

As we come to the conclusion of this lovely and challenging chapter on love, we cannot do better than use the words that Paul uses to summarise his thoughts on 1Cor.13., "Follow after love and desire spiritual gifts." Paul emphasises the need for the gifts of the Spirit as well as love until the Lord comes and the kingdom of God comes upon earth. Ellicott's "Laymans Handy Commentary on the Bible" says of 1Cor.13v10., "This verse shows by the emphatic "then," that the time when the gifts shall cease is the end of this dispensation. The imperfect shall not cease until the perfect is brought in." We can now enjoy and rejoice over the Holy Spirit's workings through His gifts, knowing that they are ideally suited to our present circumstances. We can also look forward with anticipation to the time when the temporary gives way to the permanent and complete, and we enjoy the full glory and revelation of the power and love of God. Until that perfect day and kingdom come, let us obey the command of God that Paul gives us, let us persue and follow after love, and earnestly desire and be full of zeal for the manifestation of spiritual gifts.

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