1 Corinthians 13:12, commentary and pictures

Now is the present mortal life of partial knowledge and immaturity, when sight of God is indirect and dim, like an image in a mirror seen through a smoked glass. Then is the perfect immortal state at Christ's appearing, when what is partial is done away and the redeemed stand in open presence and hold direct communion with the Father and the Son with no veil between. Then they will know fully even as they are known, with every power in direct contact with the Source of light, and all that perplexed them in God's providences will be made plain as perfect harmony ordered by infinite love. Even then knowledge will never be complete, for new truth in creation and redemption will continually unfold through eternal ages while the cross remains their study and song. The gifts of prophecy and tongues and partial knowledge belong to this present time and are needed until that perfection comes, but love never fails and remains forever, with faith and hope giving way to sight and fulfillment.

Present Sight Dim Partial

The now is the present mortal state of partial knowledge and prophecy, imperfect and cloudy while walking by faith and hope apart from God's visible presence. It is like childhood with its weakness and immaturity of thought and action, to be followed by manhood with clearer vision and maturity and strength in the eternal world. The change to the perfect day of glory, when that which is in part is done away and the just are made perfect, belongs still to the future at the consummation of faith and hope, when faith and hope give way to sight and fulfillment. Until then the gifts set in the church were intended to remain, lost only through apostasy and to be revived with primitive faith and practice, for their ceasing belongs to that perfect immortal state and not to the death of the first apostles.

To see through a glass darkly is to see indirectly and in a mediated way, as an image reflected in a mirror in the works of nature and in God's dealings with men. It is sight through the dim medium of prophecies and tongues and knowledge and the other gifts of the Holy Spirit. For minds beclouded with evil, long under the shadow of the enemy, cherishing iniquity and neglecting diligent prayerful effort to understand what must be known, it is like looking through a smoked and imperfect glass, so that all things appear dark and perverted, spiritual vision becoming feeble and untrustworthy because the shadow is regarded and the light turned from.

Even the pure in heart see God only dimly and imperfectly during the time apportioned in this world. Yet already they live as in His visible presence, with cleansed minds keeping a sense of Him. They recognize Him in His Son sent to save humanity and discern Him more clearly in the beauty and magnificence and grandeur of creation. Purity of heart here is inward purity of motive and thought, not merely outward or ceremonial cleanliness.

Present limits mean the view now catches only echoes of a grand work to be done and occasional sparks of a brightening glory beyond the horizon, with faith too small to grasp the future beyond. Knowledge of history and of the principles governing human events gained through God's word remains clouded and incomplete until a person stands in the light of eternity, and some Scriptures will not be fully understood until Christ explains them in the future life. The wonderful theme of redemption can in this life only begin to be understood, for with finite comprehension even the most earnest consideration of the shame and the glory, the life and the death, the justice and the mercy meeting in the cross fails to grasp its full significance, and the length and breadth and depth and height of redeeming love are but dimly comprehended. So the meaning and results of a faithful life and the teaching of Christ as living truth with the vastness of His love may not be fully seen now but will become clear when limits give way to fuller knowing, leaving much unexplored even after lifelong prayerful study unless the Spirit molds the character.

Future Sight Face to Face

The then is the future perfect, immortal state of manhood maturity and clearer vision, in contrast to the now of childhood weakness and immaturity. It is the perfect day of glory at Christ's second appearing and the consummation of faith and hope, when the controversy ends and that which is in part is done away. Until that day the just remain in the mortal state of partial knowledge and prophecy, and the surpassing glory of the immortal state will then eclipse the most brilliant displays of spiritual power and knowledge in this mortal state. Faith and hope will then give way to sight and fulfillment, while love remains as the highest grace here and the crowning glory of immortals forever, fitted for eternity.

Seeing face to face means direct, open communion with the Father and the Son with no dimming veil between. The redeemed will stand in His presence and behold the glory of His countenance, talking with God, Christ and angels as Adam did when he walked and talked with God in Eden before sin entered. This is in contrast to now seeing Christ only by faith and perceiving God only indirectly, as an image reflected in a mirror in nature and in His dealings with humanity. Even the pure in heart, who already live as in His visible presence and recognize Him in His Son and in the beauty and magnificence of creation, see Him only dimly in this life. Paul expected this open sight at martyrdom, when separated no longer from God's visible presence.

Knowing even as also known means full, complete knowledge matching the way God knows. Human faculties will then be united with the divine, and every power of the soul brought into direct contact with the Source of light. That full knowing requires gaining knowledge of God now by living experience, lifting the eye fixed on common earthly things higher and still higher to heavenly things and beholding Christ to be changed from glory to glory toward perfect Christ-imbued character and love. The soul thus purified on earth is in harmony with Christ's cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary.

That future clarity brings Christ's workers a joy far greater than the precious reward of success in soul-winning in this life. It is entering into Christ's own joy of having those given Him be with Him where He is. This comes in the great day of final revealing, when present dim and partial seeing and knowing become direct and complete.

The happiness of heaven is to see God as Father and to know Him fully. Knowledge of God is now only what could be borne, for Christ revealed only what could be borne and even after Pentecost full clarity had not come. When the conflict with sin is ended and what is now mysterious is clearly understood, the faithful workers whom the Man Christ Jesus acknowledges before the Father will see God face to face. This is given to those who receive Christ and remain loyal to God in this life, and the Father loves them as He loves His own Son.

Mysteries Explained Ever Unfolding

What now perplexes finite minds in God's providences will then be made plain and explained as perfect and beautiful harmony ordered by infinite love. Where finite minds now discover only confusion and broken purposes, cruel mysteries, unanswered prayers and disappointed hopes, they will then see the most perfect and beautiful harmony. The mist that now obscures understanding and darkens the mind will vanish, and grievous afflictions and providences that seemed cruel and mysterious will be discerned in their wisdom, revealing that the hand of a loving Father had not been withdrawn. Realizing the tender care of Him who makes all things work together for good will bring rejoicing with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Full understanding of God's care is reserved until being face to face with God, when seeing as seen and knowing as known becomes complete. Then it will be learned how many burdens He has borne through trial, disappointment and privation. Then it will also be learned how many more burdens He would gladly have borne if they had been brought to Him in childlike faith and prayer instead of doubting His love when He leads into trying places to test loyalty and teach helplessness and dependence on His abundant supplies.

Knowledge of God is now only what could be borne, for Christ revealed only what could be borne and even after Pentecost when the Holy Spirit clarified much of His teaching full clarity had not come. When the conflict is ended and the Man Christ Jesus acknowledges before the Father His faithful workers who bore true witness for Him in a world of sin, what is now mysterious will be clearly understood. Even when the ransomed see as they are seen and know as they are known, the plan of redemption will not be fully understood. In this life its wonderful theme of shame and glory, life and death, justice and mercy meeting in the cross can only begin to be understood, and with finite comprehension even the most earnest consideration of its length and breadth, depth and height fails to grasp its full significance and but dimly comprehends redeeming love.

Through the eternal ages new truth about redemption will continually unfold to the wondering and delighted mind, while the people of God ever retain a distinct, intelligent knowledge of what their salvation cost, with the cross remaining their study and song though griefs and pains and temptations and their cause are ended. Knowledge will keep increasing throughout eternity and never be complete, with mysteries disappearing as God's works in creating, sustaining and redeeming unfold in new beauty and simplicity. The work of instruction will continue without end as wisdom and love are increasingly revealed, when the Lamb leads the redeemed to living water and gives ever-richer stores of knowledge, unraveling those mysteries. There on the restored earth immortal minds will contemplate creative power and redeeming love with never-failing delight, growing without weariness in knowledge, and as knowledge is progressive so love, reverence, happiness and admiration of God's character increase through richer revelations in the years of eternity.

Many things now not understood will then be made plain when seeing is face to face and knowing is as being known. How Adam, made pure and upright after God's character with no corrupt principles, propensities or tendencies to evil and as faultless as the angels before the throne, could fall under Satan's assault is inexplicable now but will then be understood. It will then become clear how God regards patient, persevering, kindly, loving labor for wayward children and unpromising members with peculiar temperaments, unyielding traits and defects of character, revealing their hidden valuable qualities and undeveloped powers and the full good accomplished by sympathy, encouragement, discipline, kindly training and untiring effort to develop them that cannot be measured now. Then believers will see the reward of many stars in the crown of rejoicing, and the things of this world will appear brief and small beside the glory of the better world where with Christ's help people can become happy, gain lasting riches, and receive life that endures as God's life does.

Spiritual Gifts Last Until Then

The gifts of the Spirit — prophecy, tongues, and the special gift of knowledge with the other gifts — belong to the present time of imperfection, the mortal state of partial knowledge when sight is dim and cloudy through a glass and the church walks by faith. They are the dim medium through which truth is now seen, fitted to a condition like childhood in its weakness and immaturity of thought and action, and they are needed through the whole of that imperfect time until the perfect immortal state comes. Only then, when that which is in part is done away and that which is perfect is come, will they fail and cease and vanish away as no longer needed, because the surpassing glory of the immortal state eclipses the most brilliant displays of spiritual power and knowledge in this mortal state. Until that consummation the gifts God set in the church are intended to remain, having been lost only through apostasy and to be revived with the revival of primitive faith and practice, with no ceasing before that perfect day of glory. To claim they ceased after the apostles would make the apostolic age itself the darkened age of dim and partial knowledge and the later age of wolves and division the perfect age of clear light, which is impossible, and this proves the gifts are still needed now.

The change from dim sight to face-to-face fellowship comes with the second appearing of Christ and the eternal day of glory, not with the death of the first apostles. Then the controversy ends, the just are made perfect and immortal, and the redeemed meet Christ around the throne and live with God in Eden restored, talking face to face with God, Christ, and angels as the first parents talked with God in Eden before sin entered. There they behold God's glory directly and see openly and know fully, even as they are known. For the time of separation from God's visible presence, the spirit of prophecy is one of heaven's blessings, to be remembered then among heaven's past blessings for that time.

Love never fails but remains the highest Christian grace here and the crowning glory of immortals forever. Faith and hope will end at the consummation, giving way to sight and fulfillment when perfection comes and the just see face to face and know fully as they are known. Beside this stands the teaching that faith and hope and love remain as graces fitted for eternity, enduring when prophecy and tongues and knowledge have ceased in the eternal world of clearer vision and maturity and strength.

Recognition and Fellowship in Heaven

After the raising to glorious immortality the redeemed will recognize and know one another face to face, seeing as they are seen and knowing as they are known. Those who sleep in Jesus will rise as He rose and will be known by friends by countenance, manner and speech, just as the disciples knew Him. Those who died deformed, diseased or disfigured will rise in perfect health and symmetry, yet identity will be perfectly preserved, so loved ones will be recognized in faces radiant with light shining from the face of Jesus. The veil between mortality and immortality will then be torn away, and after Christ who died and was raised brings the saints from the tomb into glorious companionship with heavenly angels, they will see His face and will meet, recognize and know loved ones and family members, for being made like Christ transforms into His glorious image without destroying image and identity. Separation by death is only temporary, for friends when one goes before the other will know each other again there, and this gives peace, comfort, hope and joy to those who put entire trust in Jesus whether they live or die. The Bible, now known only in part, will then be understood in a higher, broader and clearer sense.

Complete knowing is the social life of heaven on the restored earth, where the loves and sympathies planted by God find truest and sweetest exercise. It is pure communion with holy beings, harmonious social life with the blessed angels and with the faithful ones of all ages washed white in the blood of the Lamb, and sacred ties and fellowship binding together the whole family in heaven and earth. Then, in the city of God, there is open communion with the Father and the Son, standing in His presence without a dimming veil between and beholding the glory of His countenance. There immortal minds contemplate creative power and redeeming love with never-failing delight, growing without weariness in knowledge, and as knowledge is progressive so love, reverence, happiness and admiration of God's character increase through richer revelations of God and of Christ through the years of eternity, when all lost by sin is restored and the earth becomes the eternal abode.

Seeing Christ face to face belongs to the higher school beyond earthly preparation, for earth is a preparatory school and there Christ will personally teach the redeemed and open to them the meaning of His word. Seeing Christ and hearing the gospel from Him is the fuller understanding set in contrast to present knowledge in part. That promised privilege of seeing Jesus the Saviour and Redeemer brings full satisfaction and holds firm in helplessness, sickness and old age, giving cheerful faith, strong courage, whole-hearted love, light, joy, peace, mercy, trust in God with times in His hand and confidence in His continual presence. The hope of standing face to face and soon meeting the Redeemer filled the faithful with solemn, unutterable joy.

Seeing face to face means meeting fellow believers in the kingdom of God. That hope should put love and tenderness in the heart toward them now. Each person is to be seen as bought at infinite price by the blood of Jesus Christ, and because Christ values people so highly all the powers God has given belong to Him and are to be valued in that light. Every privilege He has given is to be valued and used to reach out and gather the principles placed within reach, in order to follow on to know the Lord.

Present Life of Love and Humility

The chapter sets forth the worth of sanctified, heaven-born, Christlike love, without which every other qualification is worthless. Faith, hope and love are the great moral powers of the soul, and without their active exercise even earnest and zealous ministerial labor is not accepted of God and cannot win souls or do good to the church. Love is the golden chain that binds believing hearts to one another in willing bonds of friendship, tenderness and faithful constancy, and binds the soul to God. The purest and most elevated devotion is shown in earnest desire and effort to win souls to Christ, for sinners helpless and bound in chains of darkness, sin and despair are brought nearer to the standard of perfect holiness only through the exercise of faith, hope and love. Lack of success in preaching present truth comes from being greatly deficient in faith, hope and love, from coldness and heartlessness without hearts aglow with tender compassion, pitying tenderness and earnest love for those of infinite value estimated only by the price paid on Calvary. Ministers who bear the solemn message must deal justly, love mercy and walk humbly before God, with the spirit of Christ inclining every power of the soul to nourish and protect the sheep like a faithful true shepherd, remembering they are but men liable to err, of like passions with their brethren and feeling the same pitying need of help, so that the love of Christ constrains to be very compassionate and tender, weeping over the erring and backslidden.

The verse belongs to God's message to those who claim to serve Him, especially responsible men in the publishing institutions, showing they need the softening, subduing power of God through humility and must become learners in the school of Christ before the Spirit can work with them. It calls for instruction to be brought into daily experience through surrender of self to God, so that strong steady belief in broad and comprehensive truth takes possession of the life and transforms the heart. That strong love for Christ casts out from the heart all enmity and petty differences, transforms coldness, indifference, discourtesy, separation and lack of sympathy into Christlike affection, and produces deep love for one another with growing interest in one another. It is to be studied and applied for the continuous humbling of individual self, beginning with self-examination and taking self critically in hand. When believers come together for counsel they are to speak good words that help and strengthen brethren rather than standing afar off to criticize and condemn, to reveal the same unceasing tenderness the Lord shows His people, to lay aside self-confidence that stands apart, and to unite in service jealously guarding one another's interests even though mistakes are made. Chapters 12 and 13 together show how members brought together in church are to be united understandingly and intelligently, with the figure of the members composing the body representing the church of God and the relation its members should sustain to one another, and both chapters should be committed to memory and written in mind and heart, and studied and digested rather than ignored.

No one yet has the measure of the heavenly Father's nature or of the character of the Son of God as it is. The shortfall comes from contentment with looking at earthly things rather than heavenly things. The eye that views common things and is fixed on common earthly things must be lifted higher and still higher to heavenly things, and by beholding Christ character is changed from glory to glory, from one degree of glory to another toward the perfect measure of Christ-imbued character and love attainable through His merits. Knowledge of God must be gained by living experience.

The verse should have more weight while being tried and tested and needing the Lord of heaven to shut in with Him so the wicked one may have no power. The life lived by faith in the Son of God is a series of triumphs not always seen and understood by those involved, but with results reaching far into the future when partial sight and partial knowledge give way to clear sight and full knowledge. The present with its burdens and cares is full of things that perplex and are known only in part, but in the great hereafter all that now perplexes shall be made plain. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world because it enables looking beyond the present to that hereafter, seeing Jesus standing as Mediator at the right hand of God, beholding the mansions Christ has gone to prepare for those who love Him, seeing the robe and crown prepared for the overcomer, and hearing the song of the redeemed.

Clearer sight begins even now when unfavorable criticism is met without retaliation or depression, for then God draws near with a rich, deep and full measure of love and peace and joy and a sense of the divine presence, the eyes of understanding are enlightened and dim truth is seen clearly. The heart is then melted with the Saviour's love, enabling triumphant witness to the cross and a daily life showing Christ formed within as the hope of glory even in the midst of trial of faith. The condition of saying I cannot comprehend and seeing through a glass darkly ends when Christ manifests Himself by the Spirit, for the Comforter teaches all things so that knowing in part becomes comprehending with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height and knowing the love of Christ which passes knowledge. This clarity is experimental knowledge of the only true God and of Jesus Christ, seeing in Him the Way, the Truth and the Life, because the ascended Teacher advocates the cause of believers and the Holy Spirit abides forever as pleader, guide, Comforter, teacher, reminder, witness and judge convincing of sin, carrying on the good work begun to completion unto the day of Christ Jesus. Through union of the branch with the Vine the life of the Vine becomes the life of the grafted branch and restores feeble, finite, sinful human nature to healthy growth, so that dim partial sight gives way to direct clear sight with positive necessity to understand spiritual things, even all mysteries and all knowledge, made complete in Him by the grace of God who gave Jesus.

Earth is a preparatory school where a veil still separates time from eternity so that many things seem incomprehensible, and beside the sure word of prophecy human wisdom is partial and fallacious. When the veil is removed many minds will see clearly in the light shining from the throne of God, with clear perception of the policy of human wisdom in comparison with prophecy and with recognition that all true science leads to harmony with and obedience to God, filling the soul with greatest astonishment that it was never seen and comprehended before. The only safety now is to combine religious culture with general education to escape the curse of unsanctified knowledge, and to impress youth with the loveliness and power of the truth as it is in Jesus. In the life to come with Christ truths that finite minds cannot know here will be known, as Christ reveals the beauty and glory of nature and the truth of what He is to us and what we are to Him. That clear face-to-face seeing as seen and knowing as known will come in connection with the grand work of instruction going on from the Holy of Holies, with Christ officiating in the sanctuary and angels communicating to men and Christ and angels working in the hearts of men and the church above united with the church below, and it requires a purifying of the soul here upon the earth in harmony with Christ's cleansing of the sanctuary in heaven. Present knowledge is small and partial like the first cold rays of sunrise, but the seal truth that arose in the east is on the increase stronger and stronger with the greatest weight and light upon it, keeping its course like the sun but never setting, with healing beams, until the saints enter the goodly land and are made immortal into direct full knowledge, when the Bible is no longer needed because that truth lasts forever.

In the great day of God all will see as they are seen and know as they are known with the same clearness with which heaven sees and knows. After only a short period, only a moment of time, all will be fully seen and fully known when they pass the grand review and meet their life record just as it is, when the day reveals moral and Christian character to all, including the record kept by angels in heaven. If character is pure and clear in the sight of angels, the Father, and Jesus the Redeemer and Advocate, present lies and attempts by deceived blinded mortals to tarnish reputation need not trouble, so reputation, character and experience can be left in the hands of the Advocate with blessed satisfaction while standing faithfully at daily duty without anxiety for the future. Then each person will have a full sense of what has been done and what must be met, and for men kept in positions of trust while resisting light and swaying decisions in the wrong direction that clear self-knowledge will bring anguish of heart and agony of soul proportionate to the harm done to the cause of God. Then it will be plain that fitful, impulsive, self-willed movements to have one's own way and gratify feeling are disastrous to the cause of God.