Future Perfect

Paul continues to challenge the Corinthians’ ideas about the importance of their gifts in this verse. Not only would there be a day when their prophecy, tongues and knowledge would cease, but even now they were limited in their scope and usefulness. They were not able to do or know everything, but their real problem was a lack of humility and love.

Sinclair writes, “‘When the perfect comes’, the extraordinary insights of the gifts of knowledge and prophecy and the ability to speak in other tongues will be seen for what they are—only partial, only little pieces. In fact, it takes all the gifts Christ has given to our church family to put him on display—and even then, we do that only partially. The day has not yet arrived when we will see him ‘face to face’ (1 Corinthians 13:12)—all in one piece as it were. Understanding this breeds humility because it underlines the ‘not-yet-ness’ of our present Christian experience.”

The gifts that Jesus gives enable us to serve one another, to pass on his love. Knowing that, in the world to come, we will not need gifts like tongues or prophecy should teach us that what really matters is knowing Jesus better and showing his love more consistently. All gifts are just means to that end. Even Paul, incredibly gifted in teaching and in tongues (see 1 Corinthians 14:8), focused not on himself, but on “Jesus Christ as Lord” (2 Corinthians 4:5).

Love is measured by the greatness of the one who loves; by the size of the gulf between the one who loves and the loved one; by what it is willing to do for the loved one; by how long it lasts. By these measures, Christ displayed love perfectly, but our love is an imperfect reflection. When we stand before God in judgement, he will not ask us to list the ways in which we were gifted, but will care about how we treated our fellow man (Matthew 25:40). The true measure of how we use our gifts is in whether we’re prepared to use them to love the least of our brothers and sisters.

Today, consider how God is calling you to show Christ’s love to others this Christmas. How is it encouraging and challenging to know that our gifts express only a small fragment of who Jesus is and how much he loves us? Praise Christ for his perfect love, and pray for a humble heart that consistently loves others.

Love Came Down at Christmas by Sinclair B. Ferguson (published by The Good Book Company) available to buy at Eden Christian Bookstore or Amazon.