The day will come when we will understand God, but today is not that day, even with the help of scripture..
1 Corinthians 13:12
A few points about1 Cor 13:12 for your consideration:
1 Cor 13:8-13 (LEB) Love never ends.
But if there are prophecies, they will pass away.
If there are tongues, they will cease.
If there is knowledge, it will pass away.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
10 but whenever the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.
When I became a man, I set aside the things of a child.
12 For now we see through a mirror indirectly [Literally “in an indirect image”], but then face to face.
Now I know in part, but then I will know completely, just as I have also been completely known.
13 And now these three things remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1. This passage doesn’t say; ‘but now we see things one way, but later we will see things another way’ (which seems to be how you are using this verse). Also, the passage has a very specific knowledge in mind (the knowledge of Eternal love) and is therefore not about other things, necessarily. It’s NOT about for example, how we might think now that we cannot lose our salvation but later we’ll be corrected and think we can lose our salvation. How do I know this? Because it says we see the indirect-in part image (not the erroneous image).
2. The context is us children (i.e. newly saved people) seeing (knowing) certain things “dimly” or “darkly”/ “in part” per the KJV/NKJV (indirectly- in part, more literally) now but maturing into a more complete knowledge (as Paul did) later. But notice, Paul was still alive and not waiting on Heaven to call himself a man in his knowledge of this point (that Love endures). That is, true Love, God’s Love endures. Which means it’s rather odd, in an ironic kind of way, that you would quote this verse/passage for support on how you don’t know if you can lose salvation or not, frankly.
3. The context is that of a child being taught certain things by his/her Father (Capital F, Father in this case) so as to mature into a young man like Paul had (
When I [Paul]
became a man). Paul’s NOT saying we have to wait until the New Heavens/Earth in order to mature into manhood and see/know these things completely. In fact, all that’s necessary to know these things like Paul does, is read it in it’s context.
4. So how do we mature??? How does Paul tell us to mature and begin to see/know love clearly as a maturing man/women should (versus as a child)? Umm, the answer might surprise you.
First, it’s not to just wait until we see Heaven (assuming we make it to Heaven)!
Second, can we mature by speaking in tongues (our words/languages versus The Word)??? No. Our tongues will pass away.
Can we mature into manhood by
our knowledge/prophesy (versus His Knowledge/Prophesy)??? No.
We mature into manhood (as Paul did) by relying on the Love of God (The Word and The Father and The Holy spirit) and setting aside our childish knowledge. Surprise, surprise huh? Imagine that. Relying on God; The Father and The Son and The Holy Spirit for a mature knowledge. What a novel idea.
5. Verse 12 is a very interesting verse to study in the Greek because of the way Paul switches between active and passive verbs within the very same sentence structure for the same verbs (seeing/knowing) and subjects. He does so for a very, very important reason:
12 For now we see through a mirror indirectly, [This Greek verb form for 'see' is Present tense, Indicative, Active. In other words, children’s seeing/knowledge is actually, presently seeing/knowing done actively all by themselves. They are the ones doing the action and doing it alone.]
Now I know in part, [This Greek verb is also Present tense, Indicative, Active]
But Paul switches the tense, mood and voice to tell them how to gain a mature man’s knowledge (a complete knowledge (versus how a child knows):
but then I will know completely, [Here the knowing verb form is Future, Indicative, Middle (In other words, in the future your knowledge will actually be complete because it’s not just you alone actively doing the work. You are being acted upon. One guess who it is that’s doing this action along with you. The big G-Man!]
And Paul switched verb voice again to explain how he is personally (and actually) known by God already:
just as I have also been completely known. [Paul’s been know in the Aorist (i.e. past) yet Paul’s still alive, Indicative (actually), Passively (God’s knowledge of Paul is actually completed because he was acted upon by the G-Man. Now that’s assurance of salvation if I’ve ever heard it. "Depart from me for I NEVER knew you", doesn't say I once knew you.]
In other words, the less we act like children and rely on our own active knowledge and allow God to work in us (via His Word), the more we mature into complete knowledge. But the point is, Paul didn't have to wait until Heaven to have this complete knowledge.
http://biblehub.com/interlinear/1_corinthians/13.htm
Indicative Mood The indicative mood is a statement of fact or an actual occurrence from the writer's or speaker's perspective.
Active Voice If the subject of the sentence is executing the action, then the verb is referred to as being in the active voice.
Middle Voice The Greek middle voice shows the
subject …
participating in the results of the verbal action.
Passive Voice If the subject of the sentence
is being acted upon, then the verb is referred to as being in the passive voice.
http://www.ntgreek.org/learn_nt_greek/grkindex.htm
