What is "THE PERFECT"?? | 1 Corinthians 13:10 #reformedbaptist #covenanttheology #posttenebraslux

The Apostle Paul and the End of Death in 1 Corinthians 15

1 Corinthians 15, how the Apostle Paul makes it inescapable that the totality of everything is going towards God is all, God is God over all, even to the very end when death will be destroyed. And so 1 Corinthians 15 is huge in this conversation with Paul Peterson.

Have you seen 1 Corinthians 13 on that subject?

All right, are you talking about the perfect?

Yeah.

The Meaning of “the Perfect” in 1 Corinthians 13:10

Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up because I was gonna ask you.

So I'm undecided.

Did you watch my video on it?

I watched, I think I chimed in at some point and watched for maybe 10 or 15 minutes. I know my buddy Adam Carmichael was watching. Y 'all had some really good interactions. So I wanna know where you stand.

I want you to touch on that again. But I'll tell you this, so you can tell me where I'm wrong. You know, I was looking at 1 Corinthians, it's 13 .10, right? That which when the perfect comes, that which is partial will be done away with, right?

So you gotta think, 1 Corinthians 15 is heavy in my mind and I'm always thinking about the parousia, at his coming, then comes the end. And I thought, what I really like is the second coming of Jesus that restores the kingdom and gives it back, gives the kingdom back to the Father.

And then just with me looking at the phrase, the end and that which is passing away seems to be this age, right? This evil age that's passing away. 1 Corinthians touches on those things and we'll no longer think as a child, but we'll see face-to-face.

And so what I like, Jeff, before you rebuke me hard, is I like this talking about the coming, the second coming of Christ when we'll be resurrected and see Him face-to-face.

Prophecy, Tongues, and Knowledge Passing Away

Yeah, that's it.

Yeah, the perfect is when the second coming and when the dead in Christ are raised. Like if you just, you know, like just real clear when you walk through it, like verse eight says, love never fails, but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away with.

If there are tongues, it will cease. If there is knowledge, it will be done away with. Now stop right there. So it mentions three things. It mentions prophecy, tongues, and knowledge. So the Greek words, which I don't have my Greek with me right now, so please forgive me.

But done away with is the exact same Greek word, right? And then with tongues, it says to cease. And so it kind of, the Greek itself, the Greek grammar separates it. And so like a lot of times when I preach, I always like to, at the beginning, I tell people what I'm about to say.

And then my exposition, like I'll give a sentence of what I'm about to say. And in my exposition, I explain that sentence. So basically I'm saying what I said that I was going to say. And in my conclusion, I remind you of what I just said.

And I feel like that's what takes place here because in verse nine, it says, for we know in part. So that's the knowledge. And we prophesy in part. But when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away with.

So that's the in part. So knowledge and prophecy is the in part. So when the perfect comes, knowledge and prophecy will be done away with. But notice it didn't say anything about the tongues. Well, that's where verse 11 kicks in.

It says, when I was a child, I used to speak like a child. So speaking here has to do with tongues. Think like a child, reason like a child. And when I became a man, I did away with childish things. Speaking of the tongues, they cease as the church matures.

Seeing Face to Face and Being Fully Known

Right, verse 12. For now we see in a mirror dimly. So right here, I would say that this is speaking about the sinner and saint reality. So right now, as a follower of Jesus Christ, I am perfectly righteous in the sight of God.

Right, so when God sees me, he sees me as righteous in Christ. But when I see myself, I see a sinner. Right, and so I'm looking in the mirror dimly. Right, but then, so then what? When the perfect comes, face to face, I'll know in part.

I mean, it says now I know face to face, now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also am fully known. So when the perfect comes, my resurrected body, I won't see myself as a sinner. I'll see myself righteous in Christ.