Monday, March 2, 2015

Knowledge Shall Pass Away

Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease, whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
1 Corinthians 13:8

There are a great number of Christians who maintain that the gifts of the Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians are still in effect. Whole branches of the church believe this. Others say that these gifts are "sign gifts", given to the early Christians until the Bible was completed, and were marks to set early believers apart and to authenticate them.

Paul tells us that these gifts of the Spirit would pass away. To many, including those who believe such gifts are still with us, the question is, when. Some say we will have these gifts until Christ returns.

In defense of the idea that the gifts are still operational, the question is asked, "Has knowledge ceased?" The answer is very plain--yes. For the knowledge Paul is speaking about is not a mere conglomeration of facts, such as one can get by attending college. We have plenty of that today. Rather, this knowledge is what only the Holy Spirit can convey.

The prophecies of Agabus are an example. His predictions came true in the lifetime of the early church and were quite specific. This is special knowledge conveyed by the Holy Spirit to certain individuals.

There is a strong tendency for some to use a word in different ways without clarification. They bend it to fit the doctrine they wish to prove.

I once had a black cat that I called my little leopard. A lady vet said she thought they were so authentically wild, with a jutting lower jaw, and looked almost like their jungle counterparts. A lady I was talking to on the phone was alarmed when I told her my little leopard was asleep in my lap. She was afraid I would keep it until it grew up and became dangerous.

To use the word "knowledge" the same way, with no distinction between a Spiritual gift and general information, is just as misleading.

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