So when will gifts cease?
This is the question to which everyone is seeking an
answer, but I would like to ask something else first. Does
the Bible actually say that gifts will cease? If we look at
the variations of translation of 1 Corinthians 13 verse 8,
then we begin to see a certain amount of disagreement
concerning exactly what is being said. For example the AV
says, “Prophesies will fail”; the RSV says, “Prophesies
shall pass away “; the NEB says, “Their work will be
over”; and the NIV says, “They will cease”. Are they worn
out, worked out, retired or dead?
If we look at the next phrase, it concerns the gift of
tongues. The AV, RSV and NEV say that they will cease,
but the NIV says they will be stilled. This is because the
Greek word concerning the stilling of tongues is different
than the one used for the stilling of prophecy or knowledge.
Perhaps a more detailed look at these words would be
helpful. First of all concerning tongues, the Greek word is
pausontai, which translates almost as it sounds: “Will be
paused”. In fact, according to the lexicologists, there is
also embodied within this word the idea of an outside
involvement in the pause. Perhaps if we said “Tongues
will be restrained”, it might be easier to understand.
Another possible interpretation might be, “You will be able
told hold or control your tongue.” One reason for saying
this is that the Greek word, pauo, which is the root from
which our word is derived, when used on other occasions,
does not normally denote a permanent enforced cessation.
For example in Luke 11 verse 1, Jesus was praying. When
He ceased, epausato, one of His disciples said, “Lord teach
us to pray.” If what the translators say is right (and there
appears to be differences amongst them) then this would
not have been the beginning of prayer in the Lord’s Prayer,
but the end. In fact Jesus, far from ceasing to pray, then
taught His disciples the most powerful prayer lesson ever
taught.
So does Paul say that tongues would be stopped, or rather
that we should control our tongues? In 1 Peter we get a
different feel for the meaning of the word. Peter writes that
whoever loves life and would see long days must restrain,
(pauosato) his tongue from evil speech. This is not an
enforced cessation of evil speech; rather it is the restraint of
that which James says is the hardest member of our body to
bridle. James chapter 2 verse 2 tells us that, “Whilst we all
stumble in some ways, anyone who does not stumble
because of words is a perfect, (teleios), man.” James
continues with that famous passage about the tongue and
that which we looked at earlier about wisdom. There are
many other similar references, none of which refer to an
enforced cessation but all of which imply stopping
voluntarily. If this is the normal use of the word, why on
this occasion in 1 Corinthians would it be interpreted
differently from every other occasion?
If we look at this in its context of 1 Corinthians 12, 13 and
14, we can see where it fits and what is actually being said.
In chapter 12, Paul speaks of the fragmented but multigifted body, where gifts without love are not doing the
work of building which they ought. Chapter 13 speaks of
the most excellent way, the way of love, the way of
maturity, the way of perfection. In Chapter 14, Paul begins
with a lengthy request that for the sake of the Church and
more especially the unbeliever, we ought to restrain our
speaking in tongues. He does not indicate that there will
be an absolute cessation. What he does ask is that we
behave maturely, for the sake of others, for the sake of love
and for the sake of order in the Church. In chapter 14 verse
5, he says that he wants everyone to speak in tongues. He
then clarifies his own point about withholding, saying that
he would rather that people bring a prophetic revelation,
either as a tongue with an interpretation, or as a prophecy.
Without revelation, there is no “common good”, which in
chapter 12 Paul stated as the purpose of the gifts and the
reason why the Holy Spirit was manifest. In 1 Corinthians
14 verse 6, Paul asks, “If I come to you, speaking in
tongues, what good would I be to you?” He wants to bring
to them the “good”, the purpose of the gifts. In verse 13 he
says, “If I pray in tongues, I pray with my Spirit but my
mind is unfruitful.” But the Spirit is reborn anew in Christ
Jesus. The gift also is perfect from the Father of lights.
What the Lord wants of us is fruitful, renewed transformed
minds – this is where the work of grace is needed.
Therefore, if I speak in tongues, I may edify my own mind
with an understanding or a revelation to the inner man, but
in the congregation, I need to be intelligible. Paul says that
although he speaks in tongues more than anyone, in the
meeting he would rather speak five intelligible words than
ten thousand in tongues. The fact that he says, “I would
rather” is significant. He obviously has a choice to make
about where and when he administers the gift. For the sake
of the unbelievers, tongues in the mature Christian should
cease, or be stilled (pausontai) when appropriate.
At verse 22, Paul says that “tongues are a sign.” I have
seen this verse debated on many occasions. The question
which best describes the crux of the debate is, “What on
earth is he talking about?” If tongues are of no value to
the unbeliever without interpretation, is Paul confused, as
was once suggested by a friend of mine?
To begin with, signs are for unbelievers. Jesus spoke about
this perverse generation requiring a sign, but they would
only be given the sign of Jonah. Amazingly, even after
Lazarus was raised from the dead, some did not believe. In
fact, in keeping with the prophecy given to Isaiah, their
eyes were blinded. Paul’s prayer for the eye-opening
wisdom of God in Ephesians chapter 1 gives us some
insight into how the mystery of Christ was kept hidden
until a time of revelation. We live in such a time. Jesus
preached the opening of blind eyes. At his conversion,
Paul was blinded and then his eyes opened only by a work
of the Holy Spirit – a sign and a revelation as Jesus spoke
into his life. When the disciples were commissioned by
Jesus in Mark 16, they were told that signs would
accompany them. In Joel’s prophesy as referenced in Acts
chapter 2, we are told that there would be signs and
wonders in the heavens. The sign does not in itself
accomplish a journey but points to the fact that the place to
which we might travel actually exists, and if it is a road
sign, for example, gives some indication of direction and
distance. Signs are not for believers – we have our sign.
Isaiah tells us that our sign is the sign of Immanuel, our
God with us.
So then, tongues may get an unbeliever’s attention in the
sense that something unexpected is going on, but without
prophetic revelation, the Holy Spirit explanation of the
Word of God, the unbeliever might think that the speaker is
out of his or her mind. In fact, if the dead are raised
without the Word of God explained, people are probably as
likely to be scared witless as they are to be saved.
Therefore, ministry of the gifts in love is what is required,
that we might grow and mature together in the grace and
love of God.
With regards to what will happen to prophecy and
knowledge, I said earlier that there were two words used in
the Greek which are translated as “will cease”. There have
been differences in translation, reflecting differences of
thought, which seems to be an indicator again that there is
some division about exactly what the word means in that
particular context. The Greek word used to describe what
happens to both prophecy and knowledge is (in the singular
concerning knowledge), katargethesetai, and (in the plural
concerning prophesies), katargetheontai. These are
usually translated as “it will cease” (knowledge) and “they
will cease” (prophecies). This again translates with
finality, but a look at the root of the word gives us further
information. The root is, katargeo. The major
lexicologists translate this word as “render inactive”. A car
can be rendered inactive by switching off the ignition, but it
does not cause the car to cease to exist. To render inactive
does not presuppose that destruction is involved.
Paul uses this word twenty five times in the New
Testament and so its use in different contexts by the same
author is well documented. First of all, however we will
look at what Jesus said in Luke chapter 13 verse 7. Here,
Jesus is speaking about a man who planted a fig tree which
bore no fruit. The complaint was that it was rendering the
ground useless. The ground is still there giving up its
goodness to the tree but no fruit is forthcoming. The
ground is rendered inactive. It is encumbered, katargeo,
because the tree is having an effect, taking up space and
using up nutrients so that nothing else can be grown, but
the gardener suggests that it can be made productive again.
Concerning prophesies, Paul says, in 1 Corinthians 14
verse 32, that the spirits of the prophets are subject to the
control of the prophets. We may speak a prophecy, but if
two or three have spoken then we may offer a ministry of a
higher order which will render our gift inactive. This
higher order ministry is the ministry of love, which comes
with self control. The highest control is love and the aim is
for the whole church to be built up in love. But, I hear you
cry, what if God wants to say something prophetically
important through me? I sincerely ask, has God never
thought of that? Is not the Word and the revelation His
that He might speak through the voice of less experience?
In love, we can wait and weigh, holding our tongue or our
prophecies for the sake of the love of God.
Paul also says in verse 31 that we can all prophesy in turn.
That doesn’t mean that my turn always has to be now. I
know that there is sometimes an urgency of the prophetic
which needs to be spoken now. Usually those revelations
have an immediate necessity which is plain. If my
revelation is an unnecessary intrusion then it is more likely
to discourage than build. Have you ever come across the
brother or sister who at every meeting has a ‘word from the
Lord’, who after several hearings, sets people on edge as
they hope that he will not interrupt the meeting again today,
and then everybody cringes when it happens. Don’t be the
person who does that. We can, and sometimes should,
render our gift inactive for the sake of love. It is a higher
power and our gift must be brought under the control of it.
In 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 28, Paul said that God has
chosen lowly and despised things to bring to nullify
(katargese) the things that are. Again, this does not have
the sense of things disappearing, but in the light of Jesus,
worldliness is overwhelmed by a greater power and
rendered inactive. You might think that the lowly and
despised things cannot be greater than the wise, but the
world’s greatest wisdom does not come near to the wisdom
of God. The lowly and despised things are God’s choice –
God’s wisdom. If this is the wisdom which Paul offered to
“the perfect”, in 1 Corinthians in chapters 1 verse 6, then it
must be a part of “the perfect” and not “the imperfect”,
which will be rendered powerless. If, then, someone has a
revelation and someone else stands up who may not be as
mature as we are, then a sign of our maturity and faith must
be God’s choice, God’s wisdom, that those who by the
world’s standards may not be so honoured, might still have
the prophetic revelation. We may be those who say that we
believe the prophet Joel in Acts chapter 2, when he says
that the Holy Spirit is poured out on all flesh. The real test
of our belief will come when we can sit down and allow the
younger, less mature men and women to prophesy. Do we
really believe God?
Similarly with knowledge: does it cease? Or is it, like
prophecy, designed to build up the body of Christ, until we
reach a unity of faith and love, the full stature of perfection
in the man, Jesus. If this is so, then there must come a
point, where we as individuals are already built up, and
where the equipment for building us is not so necessary, to
the point where Paul says at the beginning of Ephesians
chapter 4, that we should be taking up the maintenance
program, maintaining the unity of the Spirit which has been
built, in the one body – moving from the dependents to the
dependable. Then we will not be the ones who, like
children, are wanting all of the attention, but the wise,
humble ministers of the ministry offices of Ephesians 4,
overseeing and helping younger ones in their gift, and
allowing our own ministries when necessary, to be
rendered inactive by the more excellent power of love, the
more excellent way.
It seems then, that the word ‘cease’ should not be
interpreted as meaning that the gifts will disappear
altogether, but rather that they will be stilled, according to
the mature choice of the believer, so that we might prefer
one another in love, allowing younger, less mature
members of the body to be built up in the operation of their
own gifts. This maturity in love is the perfection we aim
for, and according to 1 Corinthians 13 verse 10, “when the
perfect comes”, it will render powerless, by subjection to
itself, that which is imperfect.