Charity, Part VIII: Charity Never Faileth (1 Corinthians 13:8)
2023-01-04
Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. (1 Corinthians 13:8)
Charity never stops, ever. We see examples of three other things that will be done away with: prophecies, tongues, and knowledge. These are potential vehicles among many others through which charity is imparted. Prophecies can be predictions, but they also can just be preaching. “Tongues” means languages; these can be languages that are miraculously spoken like in Acts 2, or they can be just preaching in another language, like we see in the next chapter. If this kind of preaching in employed, anyone who does not know the language will need a translator. Otherwise, it is useless to them.
By using preaching of any kind, or sharing knowledge one has, others are edified. These three things do not exist for their own right; they exist to serve others. Everyone uses their gifts, these or others, to uplift the Body of Christ, the church. In the ages to come, these things will not be needed, but Christian love will remain. This is why charity is “a more excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:31).