1 Corinthians 13:8b-13: Love Remains

October 20, 2026 Blaize

To put it simply, love endures, while spiritual gifts are temporary. The last few verses of chapter 13 explain that prophecies, tongues, and knowledge will pass away because they are only part of our incomplete understanding of God's ways. Paul uses the analogy of growing up from childhood to adulthood to illustrate the idea that our current knowledge and prophesying are partial and immature. Just as a child puts away childish things when growing up, so will these partial gifts be set aside when perfection comes. Love, on the other hand, never fails. In the end, three things will last forever: faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love. This is because love is the very essence of God's nature and the foundation of all Christian virtues.

While few question the enduring nature of love, some question when the gifts Paul speaks of will fade away. The view that gifts, either all or in part, have ceased is known as cessationism. Because Paul is not 100% clear here, he has left room for debate. But in any case, there are a few major camps concerning the cessation of gifts.

Full Cessationism: This view asserts that all miraculous gifts (tongues, prophecy, healing, and miracles) have ceased with the apostolic age, which ended with the death of the last apostle and the completion of the New Testament canon. Full cessationists often believe these gifts were given to the early Church for the foundation and establishment of the Christian faith and that they are no longer necessary after the Bible was completed.

Moderate Cessationism: Moderate cessationists may believe that while the more "spectacular" gifts (like speaking in tongues and healing) have ceased, other spiritual gifts continue to operate within the church. They may hold that the ceased gifts were specific to the apostolic era for the purpose of validating the apostles' authority and the truth of the Gospel message.

Functional Cessationism: Functional cessationists may acknowledge the possibility of miraculous gifts but believe they are rare or not normative in the church's life. They often live and operate as if the gifts have ceased, perhaps due to a lack of personal experience or observation of such gifts in action.

Open But Cautious: This group is open to the idea that miraculous gifts could occur today but remains cautious about their authenticity and expression. They may require strict testing against Scriptural standards and may be skeptical of contemporary manifestations of these gifts.

Charismatic Cessationists: A less common view where individuals believe that while the sign gifts have ceased, the Holy Spirit still works in believers' lives in various other ways that may seem charismatic, such as through providence or illumination of Scripture, but not through the miraculous gifts.

Partial Cessationism: Partial cessationists believe that some aspects of gifts have ceased, but others have not. They may accept, for example, that the gift of prophecy might operate differently today than it did in the New Testament.

Like Paul says, for now, we only see in part. Whatever view one may hold on gifts, it is certainly the case that faith, hope, and love are virtues that endure, and of these, love is the greatest. This is the "greater way" that Paul talks about at the end of chapter 12. It is the one thing that is normative and accessible to all believers regardless of their state. Certainly, gifts are something to be used in the ministry of the church, but exercising all things in love will leave a longer-lasting impression than any gift ever will.

Lord, your love endures!

Let us live in that love!