Love is Eternal

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

LOVE IS ETERNAL

1 Cor 13:8-13

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

NIV

Faith, hope, and love will always remain, which has to mean these three are eternal. There is the school of thought among the scholars of old, who by the way, were not from the Pentecostal persuasion, in fact, we might say they were from the anti-Pentecostal movement, that all the other gifts of the Spirit would cease at some time, expect these three would remain. The problem with that is twofold. First, this is a man determining the flowing or moving of the Spirit based on the word remain. The Greek word does have a meaning to continue to be, this would mean that continue means has no end. If somethings continue, if it is held or kept continually, not to perish, not to depart, which are all definitions of this Greek word menoo, then it has to be eternal, for all else will perish at the end of time. There will be no need for the gifts of the Spirit when we all stand before our Father in His new city for all eternity, for God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit will all be present, being the light of the world. The second is, that Paul continues to say that we should follow the way of love, and eagerly desire spiritual gifts. Thus, Paul is not saying everything will completely cease now while we live on the earth, but they will cease at the end of time. Even at the end of time faith, hope and love will always be a part of our relationship with God, but love is by far the greatest attribute that defines God. It may also be true that as we continue in our journey in this life we will still need faith, hope and love and of course, love is at the root of all we do. We have been looking at this love for many days, with all its traits, all its context, and if we do not have love, we are but sounding cymbals, a noise, a clashing of sound. As love is at the root of God’s relationship with us, then love has to be at the root of our relationship with Him, for that will always be, love is eternal.