1 Corinthians 13:11
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
Speaking, understanding and thinking as a child pictures the present mortal condition as immature, weak and cloudy, knowing only in part as through a glass darkly. Becoming a man and putting away childish things pictures the future immortal perfection when the redeemed are made complete, see face to face and know even as they are known. Prophecies, tongues, knowledge and the other gifts of the Spirit, with faith and hope, belong to the childish things needed now and will be laid aside only when that which is perfect comes, while love never fails but abides as the highest grace here and the crowning glory forever. The same change calls for steady spiritual growth out of childish ignorance and inexperience into the full stature of men and women in Christ, deepened in love and faith by beholding Christ and tested by trial. In daily life this means putting away self-will, passion, envy, harsh speech and love of pleasure in home, marriage and ministry, and growing into tender, humble, Christlike manhood of character.
Childhood and Manhood Explained
To speak, to understand, and to think as a child pictures the present mortal state, which is imperfect, cloudy, weak, and immature in thought and action, with only partial knowledge seen as through a glass darkly. Childhood stands for the church's present partial understanding and experience, in which it still walks by faith and still needs prophecies, tongues, knowledge, and the other gifts of the Holy Spirit, seeing dimly through that dim medium. To become a man and to put away childish things pictures the yet-future perfect day of the immortal state, when the just are made perfect, no longer see through a glass darkly but face to face, and know even as they are known. That change from childhood to adulthood is not the passing of the apostolic age but the change from the present age to eternal life in glory at Christ's return.
In that perfect state dim light is superseded by open glory, with clearer vision, maturity, strength, and perfect light and knowledge. Then that which is in part is done away, and the redeemed talk face to face with God, Christ, and angels as in Eden before sin entered. Earthly life, however long, honored, or useful, is still like childhood — frail, imperfect, and undeveloped. Full and glorious maturity comes when the redeemed are freed from sin, and through everlasting ages they continue to increase in wisdom and knowledge.
Speaking and thinking in a child's way are natural to childhood. Jesus likewise thought and spoke as a child, and His life as a child was in harmony with God. No sin marred God's image in Him, with no trace of sin marring that image within Him, and from the first dawning of intelligence He continually grew in heavenly grace and knowledge of truth.
Spiritual Gifts Until Perfection
The speaking, understanding, and thinking as a child is the present mortal state of partial knowledge, in which prophecies, tongues, knowledge, and the other gifts of the Holy Spirit, along with faith and hope, are still needed, and the becoming a man and putting away childish things is the yet-future perfect day when the just are made perfect, no longer seeing through a glass darkly but face to face, and knowing even as also known. Being a child is the present imperfect and cloudy condition, with weakness and immaturity of thought and action, walking by faith and knowing in part and prophesying in part through the dim medium of the gifts, while becoming a man is the coming of that which is perfect, the immortal state and perfect day of glory with clearer vision, maturity, strength, perfect light and knowledge. The gifts belong to this present imperfect childish condition and will be put away as no longer needed only when that perfect state is reached, because that state renders them no longer necessary.
Only then, at the consummation of faith and hope, will prophecies fail, tongues cease, and knowledge vanish away, when that which is in part is done away. Then the dim light is superseded by open glory, seeing face to face and knowing even as also known, even talking face to face with God, Christ, and angels as in Eden before sin entered. This will happen when the surpassing glory of the immortal state eclipses the most brilliant displays of spiritual power and knowledge ever manifested in this mortal state. Love never fails, being the highest Christian grace here and the crowning glory of immortals forever.
The change from childhood to adulthood is not the removal of the gifts after the apostles' deaths, since that period brought decline and apostasy, but the change from the present age with its partial understanding and experience to the eternal life of glory at Christ's return. To say the gifts ceased with the apostolic age makes the apostolic age the weak and childish and inferior age and makes the age that followed — when grievous wolves enter in not sparing the flock and men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them — an age of perfect light and knowledge, which is false. The apostolic age is not inferior in spiritual elevation to any age that has succeeded it, so if the gifts were needed then they are certainly needed now.
The putting away of such childish things, with the faith, hope, and charity of primitive Christians, by the Man of Sin when he arrived at manhood was apostasy, with nothing showing that God designed to remove the gifts He set in the church until that perfect time. The seal truth began in weakness with only a small, cold light and grows stronger and stronger from searching God's Word, like the rising sun growing warmer and sending out its rays. All who are saved will be tried upon it, and the greatest weight and light rests on it because it lasts forever when the Bible is not needed, its healing beams remaining highest after entrance into the goodly land, increasing until immortality and keeping its course like the sun but never setting.
Love and Spiritual Growth
The verse belongs to Paul's description of true, Christlike love, which is the obedience of those who love God and keep His commandments put into action in the life of every true believer. Spiritual life is progressive growth from childish inexperience to the full stature of men and women in Christ. Putting away childish things is leaving behind imperfect childish knowledge, childish ignorance, and conversation deficient in knowledge by improving every opportunity to learn what claims God has upon them. Believers are to forget childish things and grow in grace day by day.
As love and faith in Christ are deepened, widened, strengthened, and tested by trial while beholding Christ, higher and still higher attainments are reached in spiritual growth and understanding. So the grace of God's Spirit is conceived no longer in childish ignorance but in Christlike development. Human understanding of God in this life is partial and imperfect like a child's understanding, but when the conflict ends and Christ acknowledges His faithful workers before the Father, they will understand clearly what is now mysterious. Understanding of Scripture now is likewise partial and childlike, with full comprehension waiting until the future life when Christ explains what is unclear.
Even after a lifetime of study and prayer many portions of the Bible remain unexplored, with mysteries to be unraveled and statements human minds cannot harmonize. Arguing over those points serves the enemy and they are better left undiscussed. Energy belongs instead to proclaiming the great testing truths to be given to the world, the work of redemption, the commandments of God, and the near coming of Christ, in which there is food enough for thought. The instruction on love must be brought into daily experience by crucifying and surrendering self to God.
Only so can a strong, steady belief in the truth that takes in the whole plan of salvation, broad and comprehensive, take possession of the life. That belief casts out from the heart all enmity and all petty differences and transforms coldness into Christlike affection. Then a strong love for Christ and for one another grows up in the heart, seen in a stronger love for one another and a growing interest in one another. It is impossible to love Christ and at the same time act discourteously toward one another or draw apart showing no love or sympathy, and the deeper the love for Christ the deeper will be the love for one another.
This requires a deep and thorough work of repentance and reformation, falling on the Rock and being broken. The verse calls for tenderness in dealings with one another, especially when coming together for counsel. It means to speak only good words that help, bless, and strengthen brethren, using the talent of speech only for words that bless and strengthen, rather than standing afar off watching to criticize and condemn. It means to lay aside self-confidence and standing apart, and to unite in service while jealously guarding one another's interests even though mistakes are made.
Maturity in Home and Marriage
A father must leave childish speaking, understanding, and thinking behind in order to stand at the head of his family in the firm designed by God of father, mother, and children, and remaining an overgrown, undisciplined boy is forbidden. He is to stand as priest and house-band, becoming a man with manly character and controlled passions. He must obtain an education in correct morals, with conduct in home life directed and restrained by the pure principles of the Word of God, which is growing up to the full stature of a man in Christ Jesus. His influence in the home is determined by his knowledge of the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.
Husbands and wives bring childishness into married life when they reveal an impulsive, unreasonable spirit and let a strong, undisciplined will seek to rule. Both must learn the meekness and lowliness of Christ and soften the disposition, or any difference of judgment will clash as flint striking flint. Putting away childish things in marriage means watching words because speech is a precious, God-given talent, putting no sharpness into words and refusing a married life of contention, since husband and wife can make each other miserable or make each other happy.
Becoming mature leaves childhood unreasonableness behind in parenting, requiring never to punish a child in anger, since to punish in anger is to act like grown-up children who have not left childhood behind. Maturity brings sweetness, brightness, and hopefulness into children's lives, working through kindness and love, praying to the heavenly Father before correcting, and meeting the erring child with a heart softened by sympathy, settling the matter without the rod when possible. Adults who have reached maturity in age may still remain childish in character, so parents must resolutely put away their own harshness, cruelty, wrong tendencies, fretfulness, impatience, and quarrels over small things, and cultivate kindness. They must consider the example they set for children who may copy their lives, preparing for life in the heavenly home.
Becoming a woman means putting away girlish vanity and childish talking and laughing and taking on the responsibilities belonging to a wife and family. It requires turning from frivolous thoughts, worldly desires, vanities and follies, and association with young frivolous minds to serious sober thought about the soul's salvation, substantial joys, and fellowship with experienced substantial minds, with determination of purpose and perseverance in doing good. Such growth develops character of moral worth and exerts a saving influence for others. Remaining vain, girlish, and frivolous destroys usefulness, hurts influence and testimony, lets serious truth pass from the heart like morning dew, and leaves a record of little worth except in vanity and folly. If followed heedlessly along the path of vanity until too late, it fixes eternal destiny in loss of salvation and mercy.
Maturity in Ministry and Conduct
Becoming a man requires putting away childish speaking, understanding and thinking and growing out of childhood defects, for many who have grown to man's estate have not outgrown their childhood but bring the defects of their child-life into their religious experience, and believers must not be children in understanding but be men in understanding, while in malice remaining children. Becoming a man means putting away all childishness of character and not merely growing to physical stature, for intellect alone cannot give fitness for heaven or enable reaching the divine standard but has power for good only when conformed to the mind of Christ and sanctified and controlled by God's Spirit, and a man's right to be called a man is determined by the use he makes of his intellect in pure, noble character. Many who are physically grown men keep a childishness in character that makes it impossible for God to be glorified in them, and he must get out of and away from self-confidence that claims much and gives little before he can be acknowledged as a laborer together with God in partaking of Christ's character and representing God's goodness and love in saving souls with continuous, persevering self-denial and sacrifice like Christ.
Putting away childishness gives the Saviour place to sit on the throne of the heart, laying down the load of deformity and emptying the heart of all selfishness by living right, eating right and thinking right, opening the door as Christ knocks and enthroning Him in the heart in order to grasp the great and rich treasures God has and let God do great things. Those grown to the full stature of men must leave behind every particle of babyish, childish, pettish, self-willed spirit by self-investigation, throwing the helpless soul upon Jesus Christ and being born again by a thorough, cleansing, refining influence upon mind and character that takes away chaff, putting away disagreeable traits not after Christ's order and impetuous words, using words as talents only for God's glory and others' benefit, with thorough conversion of soul bringing conversion of tongue and lips and the treasure house of the soul filled with precious truths by studying Christ's character. Ministers as overseers and shepherds must thus exemplify Christ and lead the flock to practical religion and practical godliness rather than mere form or theology, and fathers and mothers bear responsibility not to allow children to grow up with this childish, self-willed spirit.
Putting away childish things means laying aside the desire to be first and to appear as a person of special importance, with the envy, jealousy, evil surmising, hardness, unforgiving spirit, unkindness, discourtesy and lack of Christian tenderness belonging to hereditary and cultivated defects, and a minister who keeps these traits is only a grown child who gives advantage to the enemy, becomes subject to temptation and control, puts himself where God cannot impart His Holy Spirit, and whose preaching will be unaccompanied by the Spirit and will not succeed. Those who suppose themselves to be men must not act like fractious children but must live as men who have grown out of petty, querulous habits of thinking and speaking, thinking as men and women in the sight of God by taking God's Word as counsellor and becoming doers of the Word, thereby building character after the divine likeness in obedience to God's law as the transcript of His character. Becoming mature means putting away childish and vain things by standing with moral courage in the dignity of manhood, avoiding low familiarity while joining hearts in Christian care and love, as required of men in the Office who fear God.
Clinging to worldly pleasure, selfish happiness and self-indulgence is childish and must now be left behind by making the condition of the soul the first consideration, living with an eye single to God's glory, crucifying self, serving God in singleness of heart, delighting to dwell upon Him who gave His life, and keeping eternal well-being in view. Lack of spiritual experience comes from having self as the mainspring of action — living to please and magnify self, desiring to mingle with the world, seeking happiness apart from serving God, bringing to pleasure-seeking an enthusiasm not brought into religious things, becoming despondent and complaining when self is crossed, and finding no pleasure in self-examination by God's law — which makes the life full of inconsistencies. Growing to manhood requires outgrowing a childhood of self-indulgence through genuine conversion, leaving self-indulgence behind and being a man by being one with Christ as Christ is one with the Father, with faith clinging to Christ the friend of sinners, acknowledging Him as the very best friend and being entirely satisfied with Him, which makes a happy man. Putting away childish things in family and preaching life means being changed, growing into manhood with greater solemnity in attitude and voice, practicing what is taught to others, receiving true conversion of the whole man to become a wise shepherd of the flock, and fighting inch by inch against defects of character to become a man God can choose.
Those who claim to be God's children must leave behind the childish ways of their unconverted life, since speaking pettishly, showing hastiness of temper and acting like unruly children offend God, who paid a great price to redeem them from Satan's power that they might become sons and daughters of God, and when they act like sinners they are counted as sinners and must repent and do their first works of love, loving one another as Christ loved them, so giving evidence that they have put away childish things and that the gospel is true in answer to Christ's last prayer. Those who have come to years of maturity with great light, knowledge and experience must put away childish fits of malice, passion expressed in voice and attitude, hatred, unkindness and lack of affection, love and true Christian politeness when their ideas are crossed, since to keep these traits is to act like inexperienced children, let Satan control and make disagreeable impressions, extinguish love and kindness, pierce Christ afresh and put Him to shame before Satan and his angels who taunt Christ and the heavenly angels, and crucify the Son of God afresh so that God looks with grief and is ashamed to call them His sons and daughters. The verse calls for an end to this childishness and for growing past ever learning without coming to a knowledge of the truth into mature Christian character. The verse illustrates Christians putting away childish things when they are no longer infatuated with worldly amusements, with a Christianity that is not an outward show but a life joined with the life of Jesus, wearing Christ's righteousness, and as pilgrims and strangers looking toward God's city and recognizing that citizenship is in heaven.
The verse is a message from God for those who claim to be servants of God, especially responsible men in publishing work, requiring humility and becoming learners in the school of Christ so the softening, subduing power of God can come into their lives and the Spirit can work with them, with church members studying and applying it to themselves for the continuous humbling of self and for taking self critically in hand, beginning with self-examination. The verse should have more weight while being tried and tested and seeking to be shut in with God so the wicked one may have no power.