1 Corinthians 13:10 …but [therefore] when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.
This verse has been hotly contested for decades. One camp believes “the perfect” is either Jesus Himself or His return. When that happens, we won’t need the spiritual gifts (the partial) anymore. Another group believes “the perfect” is the completed Bible/New Testament, in light of not seeing the signs and miracles performed by the early Christians today.
As someone who has seen miracles and operates in the spirituals (the English translators added the word gifts to it), I agreed with the former position because Scripture never said the spirituals would end before His arrival. Others link the current dearth of spiritual gifts to the Body of Christ having “put away childish things” mentioned in the next verse. Given the fact that Our Supernatural Father has used supernatural means throughout all of Scripture and said, “I change not,” (Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:29, Malachi 3:6, Psalm 102:27, James 1:17), why would He stop now?
To answer this question once and for all, I went to the Source of all Scripture, the Father Creator Himself. “Father Yah, if I am wrong about my position, please tell me; please correct me. What is the truth about what ‘the perfect’ actually is?”
The answer came when I woke up the following morning. “‘The perfect’ is the resurrection.”
My mind started to ask for a proof text.
He gave me one before I had finished the thought. “Be perfect [mature, complete] as your Heavenly Father is perfect [mature, complete].”
That is Matthew 5:48 from the Sermon on the Mount. People equate that to behavior alone, but Yahshua and His Father always spoke in layers. This means every verse can have more than one meaning (or purpose), the meanings must not contradict each other, and always magnify the Lord. See the Midrash and the Four Senses of Scripture.
To get better clarity, I looked at the Koine Greek of the verse.
The verse starts with the word esesthe which means shall/will be—future tense, as it is translated in most of the NT (1 Peter 1:16 is the only verse in the English translated either shall/will be or is). The second is is estin, used as is consistently throughout the text.
I see three layers of interpretation:
-
behavior (be [become] holy, for I am holy),
-
the process of becoming perfect (mature, complete) via the Holy Spirit
-
resurrection and glorification (the finished product)
None of these conflict with each other and all give Yah the glory (the credit).
In short, “the perfect” is the resurrection. Yahshua declared, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” Give all praise to Our Father and King for continuing to reveal things hidden in His Holy Scriptures. Amen.
Super Quick Bible Study: When the Perfect Comes – Its True Meaning
1 Corinthians 13:10 …but [therefore] when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.
This verse has been hotly contested for decades. One camp believes “the perfect” is either Jesus Himself or His return. When that happens, we won’t need the spiritual gifts (the partial) anymore. Another group believes “the perfect” is the completed Bible/New Testament, in light of not seeing the signs and miracles performed by the early Christians today.
As someone who has seen miracles and operates in the spirituals (the English translators added the word gifts to it), I agreed with the former position because Scripture never said the spirituals would end before His arrival. Others link the current dearth of spiritual gifts to the Body of Christ having “put away childish things” mentioned in the next verse. Given the fact that Our Supernatural Father has used supernatural means throughout all of Scripture and said, “I change not,” (Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:29, Malachi 3:6, Psalm 102:27, James 1:17), why would He stop now?
To answer this question once and for all, I went to the Source of all Scripture, the Father Creator Himself. “Father Yah, if I am wrong about my position, please tell me; please correct me. What is the truth about what ‘the perfect’ actually is?”
The answer came when I woke up the following morning. “‘The perfect’ is the resurrection.”
My mind started to ask for a proof text.
He gave me one before I had finished the thought. “Be perfect [mature, complete] as your Heavenly Father is perfect [mature, complete].”
That is Matthew 5:48 from the Sermon on the Mount. People equate that to behavior alone, but Yahshua and His Father always spoke in layers. This means every verse can have more than one meaning (or purpose), the meanings must not contradict each other, and always magnify the Lord. See the Midrash and the Four Senses of Scripture.
To get better clarity, I looked at the Koine Greek of the verse.
The verse starts with the word esesthe which means shall/will be—future tense, as it is translated in most of the NT (1 Peter 1:16 is the only verse in the English translated either shall/will be or is). The second is is estin, used as is consistently throughout the text.
I see three layers of interpretation:
behavior (be [become] holy, for I am holy),
the process of becoming perfect (mature, complete) via the Holy Spirit
resurrection and glorification (the finished product)
None of these conflict with each other and all give Yah the glory (the credit).
In short, “the perfect” is the resurrection. Yahshua declared, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” Give all praise to Our Father and King for continuing to reveal things hidden in His Holy Scriptures. Amen.
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