When Will Complete Revelation Come? – Fighting for Real Estate – Part #30

“Is the Church Destined to be A Bunch of Babies Until Christ Comes? – NO!” (1 Corinthians 13:12)

By Richard Allen – April 6, 2026

In my last Blog: Fighting for Real Estate: “Which Gifts Continue and Which Gifts Have Ceased?” – Part #29, I mentioned that the Ephesians 4:9-16 Passage on Spiritual Gifts had ‘a parallel passage’ in 1 Corinthians 13. This may sound strange as 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 is considered “The Love” Chapter in the New Testament, possibly the most read passage of Scripture during Wedding Ceremonies!  While the love aspect is somewhat true, the real purpose for which Paul introduces Chapter 13 – the Love Chapter in 1 Corinthians 12:31 – begs Paul’s question: “A more excellent way for what?”  Remembering that ‘context is king,’ Paul was actually providing ‘deep pastoral admonitions’ to the Church in Corinth regarding Spiritual Gifts. Paul set up his conversation prior to 1 Corinthians Chapter 13, stating:

“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. . . . Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:1; 4-7).

This whole section of the Corinthian Epistle starts with Paul introducing his subject in verse one: “Concerning spiritual gifts,” and he makes it clear that while there are varieties of gifts, it’s the same Holy Spirit gifting and empowering each saint at Corinth with “the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good!” So, for the rest of Chapter 12, Paul skillfully taught sound doctrine regarding the gifts as they were given to the Body of Christ for that age. It’s well known that church members in Corinth were acting like little chilcdren, were acting like little children,competing with each other regarding whose leader was most mportant – Peter, Paul or Appollos. Paul makes it clear that such competition is sin and comes from impure motives. After instructing the Corinthians through most of Chapter 12, Paul changes direction regarding the function and purpose of Spiritual Gifts. And just like his instruction to the Church in Ephesus 4:9 – Paul starts by explaining God’s hierarchy of gifts, Apostles first:

“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church First Apostles, Second Prophets, Third Teachers, then Miracles, then Gifts of Healing, Helping, Administrating and Various kinds of Tongues. Are all Apostles? Are all Prophets? Are all Teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess Gifts of Healing? Do all Speak with Tongues? Do all Interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:27-31).

This is Paul’s introduction to what we mistakenly call “The Love Chapter.” After making it clear that each member of the Church has a gift for the ‘common good,’ Paul asks: Are all Apostles? Are all Prophets? Are all Teachers? Do all work Miracles? etc. Paul’s intent is to show that as important as these Gifts are, how they treat one another ‘in Christ-like love’ is far more important. That’s why Paul’s admonition to the Corinthian Church in Chapter 13 is focused on the purpose of these gifts – ‘to build up the Body of Christ to maturity by completing the New Testament Scriptures,’ and ‘authenticate the Apostles by Sign Gifts’ – especially those that are ‘miraculous!’  Remember, Corinth and other New Testament Churches functioned without the ‘completed canon of Scripture.’ Without the Bible, the Holy Spirit provided immediate ‘revelation’ to supply knowledge and direction. That immediate revelation would soon give way to a permanent record of Apostolic and Prophetic Revelation. This is what Jesus prayed in His ‘high priestly prayer’ in John Chapter 17:

“I do not pray for these (His disciples) only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:20-21). 

Our whole experience of Jesus Christ is tied up with the ‘witness and revelation’ of His twelve Apostles and their testimony, as recorded faithfully by New Testament Prophets in our New Testament Bible. Looking at both passages in Ephesians Chapter 4:9-22 and 1 Corinthians 12:27-31 – it’s clear that – Not All Gifts Are Still Present Today! There are no Apostles and certainly No Prophets “breathing out God’s Word,” that is, the Holy Scriptures. Paul equates the Corinthians’ ‘childish behavior’ to the current functional state of New Testament churches. Like children who only have ‘partial knowledge and understanding,’ the Corinthian Church only had ‘partial prophetic revelation.’ They were ‘seeing through a ‘glass darkly’ – until the New Testament was completed!’  Here’s how Paul begins his teaching in Chapter 13:

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;  it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:1-7).

Hopefully, everyone can see that Paul’s focus was still on the ‘Spiritual Gifts’ that were then at work during the Apostolic age. The word that Paul uses for ‘knowledge’ is not just ‘common understanding,’ but a Spiritual Knowledge that understands all mysteries, that is, ‘Spiritual Revelation.’  So, Paul admonishes these Corinthians even further:

“Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect (complete) has come, then that which is in part will be done away” (1 Corinthians 13:8-10).

Starting with the King James translation, many translators have interpreted ‘teleios’ out of context. Speaking of ‘when that which is perfect has come,’ sure sounds like Jesus’ second coming. But Paul contextually tells these Corinthians – just like he had told the Ephesians – that the prophecies and knowledge they had were ‘partial, and not complete. But, there was a time coming when ‘prophetic utterances would be complete,’ and they would no longer act like children. He equates ‘partial prophecy and knowledge’ to childhood, where children ‘spoke, thought and reasoned like a child.’

"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now [in this time of imperfection] we see in a mirror dimly [a blurred reflection, a riddle, an enigma], but then [when the time of perfection comes we will see reality] face to face. Now I know in part [just in fragments], but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known [by God]” (1 Corinthians 13:11-12).

The problem with many translations is, by giving literal translation of the Greek word teleios, it sounds like we’ll have only ‘partial knowledge and prophetic revelation’ all the way until Jesus comes again. But this doesn’t fit the context nor the tenor of 1 Corinthians. Just imagine Paul rebuking the Corinthian Church for behaving like children, then throwing up his hands and exclaiming: “Well, I guess you’ll just have to be a bunch of babies until Christ comes again at the end of the age.” Again, Paul is Not talking about Christ’s second coming, he’s talking about Spiritual Gifts, specifically partial prophetic knowledge that was at work during the ‘infancy of the Church.’ His point is, when there is complete revelation – that is the completed ‘canon of Scripture’ – then the ‘partial prophetic revelation’ has ceased. Paul said the same thing, using similar words and language when he wrote the Church at Ephesus:

“So, these are the gifts that Christ gave. Some were to be Apostles, others Prophets, others Evangelists, and others Pastors and Teachers. Their job is to give God’s people the equipment they need for their work of service, and so to build up the Body of Christ. The purpose of this is that we should all reach unity in our belief and loyalty, and in knowing God’s son. Then we shall reach the stature of the perfect man (teleios) measured by the goal of Christ’s fullness. As a result, we won’t be babies any longer!  We won’t be thrown this way and that on a stormy sea, blown about by every gust of teaching, by human tricksters, by their cunning and deceitful scheming. Instead, we must speak the truth in love, and so grow up in everything into him—that is, into Christ, who is the head. He supplies the growth that the whole body needs, linked as it is and held together by every joint which supports it, with each member doing its own proper work. Then the body builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:11-16).

It would be very hard to imagine this same Apostle, Paul, writing these words to the Church at Ephesus – just giving up trying to help the Corinthians – resigning himself to the sad fact that: “Oh well, I guess you will all act like babies and continue to see through this glass of ‘partial revelation and knowledge’ UNTIL CHRIST RETURNS AT THE END OF THE AGE, AND YOU SEE HIM ‘FACE TO FACE!’  To me, that’s a real stretch. Paul was actually explaining to the Church at Corinth what was happening: 1.) The ‘manifestations of the Spirit’ will continue until ‘we no longer know in part, nor prophesy in part.’ 2.) The primary gifts of Apostle and Prophet – now busy writing the New Testament Scriptures – will also pass away. These completed Scriptures would be an ‘amazing lamp unto our feet’ (Psalm 119:105) – which the Pastors and Teachers would use to guide Jesus’ Children throughout the Ages. 3.) Christ wants His Church to be ‘perfect men,’ that is mature in the faith – not tossed by every wind of doctrine. The completed canon of Scripture would provide the Church with all the tools for life and godliness.  Real Believers are ‘A People of The Book!’

An obvious question could be asked: “Why did Paul write only to the Corinthians to exhort them regarding ‘Spiritual manifestations,’ that is Apostolic ‘sign gifts’ such as miracles, tongues, a word of knowledge or interpretation of tongues?” There is no other Church in all of Paul’s Epistles which ever received similar instruction.  I can provide one easy answer: The Church at Corinth was a church where many Hellenistic Jews were present. In fact, Paul had spent 18 months teaching in the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God – whose house was next door to the local Synagogue (Acts 18:5-11). In fact, the Ruler of the Synagogue, Crispus, was a convert to Christianity. Those had to have been lively days with Paul instructing the Church in Titius Justus’ home and the Synagogue next door!  Many of these Jews ended up believing, but many others did not. The Jews who knew the Old Testament Scriptures were not ignorant Gentile Unbelievers, they were ‘Learned Unbelievers!’  We’ll have more to say about this in my next Blog!

Soli Deo Gloria!