DESARROLLO DE LAS SESIONES
ACTIVIDAD 2: LAS FORTALEZAS EN LECTURA FÁCIL ACTIVIDAD 3: REGISTRO DIARIO DE LAS SESIONES.
1 Corinthians 13:8-11 – A prophecy that spiritual gifts would cease
The context — chaps. 12,13, and 14 all discuss spiritual gifts.
Chap. 12 lists the gifts (12:4-11) and shows they all had a useful purpose at the time they existed. But 12:31 contrasts the gifts to a “more excellent way.”
Chap. 13 shows the “more excellent way” is love. Love is greater than spiritual gifts primarily in that love will endure, whereas the gifts were temporary and would cease.
Chap. 14 gives regulations regarding the proper use of the gifts for the temporary period when they continued to exist.
Why and when would spiritual gifts cease? — 13:8-10 The gifts would cease because they were “in part” (vv 9,10) — in some sense they were incomplete and imperfect.
They would cease “when that which is perfect is come” (v10). “Perfect” here means “complete” (NKJV footnote). Note: “That which is perfect” is contrasted to “that which is in part” (spiritual gifts). “That which is perfect” in some sense completes or perfects that which is incomplete or imperfect about spiritual gifts. If we can determine in what sense spiritual gifts were “in part,” then we will understand when and why they would cease.
In what way were the gifts “in part”?
The only sensible answer is that, at the time Paul wrote, the gifts had only partly accomplished their purpose. The gifts were then in the process of delivering the will of God (as chapters 12-14 frequently mention). But the delivery was not complete when Paul wrote.
Since “that which is perfect (complete)” is contrasted to “that which is in part”, we conclude “that which is perfect” must refer to the
complete revelation of all truth. When the revelation was delivered completely, the purpose of spiritual gifts would be accomplished and they would no longer be needed, so they would cease.
When did this occur? Near the end of the lifetime of the original apostles, as we have seen! Remember the gifts were needed because people did not have the written word. In fact the gifts were needed to give men the written word. When the scriptures were complete, direct revelation was no longer needed, so it ceased.
James 1:25 describes the gospel as the “perfect law of liberty” - “that which is perfect.”
V11 – an illustration: childish conduct vs. mature conduct
A child cannot speak or walk well. It drinks only milk, needs its diaper changed, etc. As it grows up, it ceases these childish acts. So when God first began to reveal the gospel, gifts of prophecy, tongues, etc., were needed to deliver the message. But when the message became mature — i.e., completely delivered — then those gifts, that had been needed to accomplish its delivery, would no longer be needed and so would cease.
Note that this means spiritual gifts were the immature state of God’s revelation, but the completed Bible is mature. To insist that spiritual gifts are needed today is to go back to immaturity. When people understand that the Bible as God’s completed message, they will rely on it for spiritual guidance and will not seek to go back to that which is partial or incomplete.
A similar illustration: While a man is building a house, he needs to hammer and saw, etc. When the house is complete, the hammering and sawing are no longer needed, so they cease. Likewise, spiritual gifts were needed while the gospel was being revealed, but they ceased when the revelation was complete.
Some think “that which is perfect” refers to Jesus’ second coming (either Jesus Himself or some other event at Jesus’ return).
* Where does the context refer to Jesus’ return? How would spiritual gifts (“that which is in part”) contrast to Jesus (“that which is perfect”)? Jesus second coming fits neither the context nor Paul’s logic.
* The three spiritual gifts listed (prophecy, tongues, and knowledge — v8) are contrasted to three abiding qualities: faith, hope, and love (v13). The spiritual gifts are temporary — they cease
“when that which is perfect” is come (v10). But faith, hope, and love are abiding compared to the gifts: they do not cease “when that
which is perfect is come.” So spiritual gifts would cease “when that which is perfect” came, but faith, hope, and love would not cease.
This means “that which is perfect” cannot refer to Jesus’ second coming, since faith and hope will cease then (Romans 8:24; 2 Corinthians 5:7; Hebrews 11:1). To say spiritual gifts will last till Jesus returns would be to say that the gifts are as enduring as faith and hope; but this is the opposite of what the passage says. So spiritual gifts must cease before Jesus’ second coming. The truth, as we have seen, is that the gifts ceased when the scriptures were completed.
To insist we need spiritual gifts today would be to deny the sufficiency of Scripture! It would be as unreasonable as dressing a full- grown man in a diaper and feeding him from a baby bottle!
Jude 3 – The faith (gospel) was “once” delivered to the saints.
“Once” is translated “once for all” (New King James Version, American Standard Version, English Standard Version, and others). It is “used of what is so done as to be of perpetual validity and never need repetition” — Thayer.
Note Hebrews 9:26,28; 10:10; 7:26,27; 1 Peter 3:18 – “Once” (same Greek word) describes Jesus’ death in contrast to animal sacrifices.
Old Testament sacrifices did not completely remove sins, so they continued to be offered. But Jesus’ death was perfect and sufficient to completely remove all sin for all men of all ages, so it happened only “once”. It did not need to be repeated, so it never will be repeated. To say we need more sacrifice for sin would be to deny the perfection of Jesus’ sacrifice.
Likewise, the faith was delivered “once” (for all).
Spiritual gifts continued as long as God’s perfect testament had not been perfectly and completely revealed. But the perfect New Testament was perfectly and completely delivered to men in the first century. It does not need to be delivered again, so it never will be delivered again. Therefore, the spiritual gifts by which it was delivered have ceased. To say we still need spiritual gifts would be to deny the perfection of the New Testament!
Everything Jesus did was perfect. He gave us a perfect sacrifice for sin; when that sacrifice had accomplished its purpose, it ceased and was not repeated. He also gave us the perfect New Testament to tell us how to receive forgiveness (Hebrews 1:1,2; James 1:25). That perfect revelation was perfectly delivered “once for all” by means of spiritual gifts in the first century. That delivery will not be repeated, because it was done perfectly. The revelation we have needs no improvements, just like Jesus’ death will never be repeated because it needs no improvements.
Every person who seeks spiritual gifts today is saying (perhaps unintentionally) that he lacks faith in the Bible as the complete and perfect revelation of God’s will. Those who are satisfied with the Scriptures will appreciate that they need no other revelation; so they believe God when He says there will be no other revelation.