Originally posted by hrhema:
Again these are personal intrepretations of what these scriptures meant. Just because a word is used different one way does not fully indicate what the writer may have been trying to say.
Anyone can twist Greek or Hebrew or any other language to meet what they believe just like they do in English.
I see here a disdain for serious Bible study. It is more like, "Any one can avoid using the Greek and Hebrew to find out what the true sense of the passage really is." That is really what is bothering you, isn't it? As far as personal interpretations are concerned, people will have some differences, but they will agree on some basics. I may disagree with Briguy on some things but we both arrive at the same conclusion that tongues have ceased.
Let us look at this scripture again:
"Charity never faileth, but whether there be prophecies they shall fail, whether there be tongues they shall cease, whether they be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
For we KNOW in part, and we prophesy in part.
But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away."
Paul said we know in part (knowledge) we prophesy in part but he did not say anything about speaking in tongues in part. He said when that which is perfect comes then that which is in part shall vanish away. What do he say was in part?
Knowledge and prophecy.
Isn't it amazing that Paul himself did not agree with cessasionists.
You have stated your opinion which you are entitled to. Simply put, it is wrong. To say that Paul did not agree with himself or with what he wrote is a bit ludicrous, to say the least. It was Paul who wrote, "Tongues shall cease." He was a cessationist, now, wasn't he?
Consider once more the context. The context is given in chapter 12:1,
12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
--Paul then discusses in the next three chapters spiritual gifts. Even chapter 13, the chapter on love, is set in the context of spiritual gifts. The spiritual gifts are listed twice in chapter 12. One list is given in verse 28. Let's look at it:
28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
--Notice here that Paul puts these gifts in order of importance. "First, secondarily, thirdly, after that..." And at the very bottom of the list, the least important of all the gifts, is tongues. Tongues was the least important of all the gifts. Isn't it ironic that most churches today consider the least important gift as the most important gift. They have things backwards, don't they?
29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
--These next verses pose rhetorical questions, all of which have the same answer: NO! Not everyone has the same gift. Not everyone hast the gift of tongues, nor was everyone to seek it or expect to have it. It was only given to a few people in the early church.
31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.
--The word covet simply means desire. Desire the best gifts. Don't desire tongues. It is at the bottom of the list, the least important of all the gifts. Desire to have gifts such as teaching, one of the greater gifts. But then he says, "I show unto you a more excellent way." Then begins chapter 13, where Paul spends the greater part of the chapter on the subject of love, which he says is better than all the spiritual gifts put together. If you don't have love, all of your spiritual count for naught.
Coming to the end of chapter 13 and continuing on into chapter 14 he picks up again with spiritual gifts. This time he limits himself to a specific type of spiritual gift: those spiritual gifts that deal with revelation. That is, revelation from God, specifically Divine revelation in relation to the Word of God. This is the context from 1Cor.13:8 right to the end of chapter 14. If you can understand that, then everything else will fall into its rightful place.
To make that transition from love to spiritual gifts again he makes some comparisons. Paul identifies three groups of gifts: permanent, semi-permanent, and temporary.
The one permanent gift that will last forever is love. 1Cor.13:8, says love never fails. In contrast to the other three gifts mentioned it will never cease or quit, or pass away. It will never fail. In verse 13, in contrast to hope and faith, Paul says that the greatest of these is love. The greatest of all the gifts is love. The reason--it is permanent. It will last forever.
There are two semi-permanent gifts: faith and hope. They will not last forever. How long will they last? They will last only until Jesus comes again. What does the Bible say?
(2 Cor 5:7 KJV) (For we walk by faith, not by sight
--When Jesus comes we will no longer walk by faith for we will see him as he is. Now we walk by faith.
Heb.11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
What about hope?
Rom.8:24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
--We have no longer any need for hope when Jesus comes. He is our hope. When he comes we have nothing left to hope for. Thus both faith and hope will end at the coming of Christ.
Now there are three temporary gifts mentioned. What are they? They are mentioned in 13:8, prophecies, tongues, (revelatory) knowledge.
When will they end? Before love, and before faith and hope. In fact they have already ended. The context is revelation. When the revelation of God was completed (at the end of the first century) these gifts ceased). Paul goes on to explain how they will cease, or (to us) how they ceased.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
--Prophecy was the primary gift used (see chapter 14), and thus he uses this gift as an example out of the three. The other two are not excluded however. We know in part. They had part of the Word of God. They had the Old Testament. There was more of God's revelation coming to them. The Bible was not yet complete. Until the time that it would be complete God gave them these revelatory gifts: prophecy, tongues, and revelatory knowledge. They would all die out when revelation was completed or perfected. But until then it was the way that God ordained that God should speak to them for a temporary period of time. That is why he says, "we prophecy in part." It was to make up the Word of God that they were still lacking, i.e., the knowledge contained in the rest of the New Testament.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
--"That which is perfect" can only refer to one thing. I have already shown you context. The context determines largely the meaning. The context is revelation--the Word of God. The Greek word "that" is neuter, making it impossible to refer to Christ, or "His" Coming. The word is neuter. The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to put a neuter pronoun for the Greek speaking people for a purpose. That they would understand that this was not speaking of Christ, but the Word of God. It would be completed soon (the word perfect means complete). Thus it could be read:
When that (the Word) is complete, then that which is in part (prophecy, tongues, revelatory knowledge), shall be done away. History verifies this. At the end of the first century, when the Bible was completed with the completion of the Book of Revelation, tongues had already died out. There was no more need for them. They were the temporary gifts, used for a temporary period of time in history that had now fulfilled their purpose. By the end of the first century they had died out.
DHK
