Charity 6 - 1 Corinthians 13:8-11

Verse 8 makes some statements that at first seem counter-intuitive but if we think about it deeper than it makes sense. Verse 8 says, "charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, there shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease: whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away." This is difficult to understand because we've always been told that prophecies will not be fail, miracles will never cease, and the glory of God is intelligence. So how can all of these things "fail"?

The answer might come as Paul continues, "for we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." The IM explains, "One way of understanding Paul's statement that 'charity never faileth' is that charity never ends; thus, it stands in contrast to even the wonderful gifts of prophecy, tongues, and knowledge, which Paul said would end." The IM continues by quoting Elder Bruce R.  McConkie as asking, "Shall the gifts of the Spirit cease? Is there to be a day when the saints shall no longer possess the gifts of prophecy and tongues? Or the gift of knowledge? Yes, in the sense that these shall be swallowed up in something greater, and shall no longer be needed in the perfect day. When the saints know all tongues, none will be able to speak in an unknown tongue. When the saints become as God and know all things- past, present, and future- there will be no need or occasion to prophesy of the future."

So it isn't that the other gift such as prophesy, tongues, and increased knowledge are finite in their availability, it is that we as a people will eventually out grow them. But even when we are as God and know all and can command all, we will have no need for the other gifts, but even then Christ's love for us will be there and it will have made all of our growth and exaltation possible. So it is infinite in time and also in potential. When I hear the phrase "charity never faileth," I think about how we are supposed to treat other people, and that's definitely a part of it, but it also speaks to the fact that Jesus loved us from the beginning and suffered unfathomable pain so that we could have a chance to live more abundantly.

Truly, if Christ's love for us will outlive all of the other spiritual gifts and aptitudes, then all of this must be considered in the eternal perspective, which is what Paul continues teaching as he goes on. He uses the example of when he was a child, "I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child." When considering my own time in this life and my thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors, I feel like I've grown quite a bit as a person and I'd like to think that I am better now than when I started, and the statement, "I understood as a child," really spoke to me because whenever I learn something or move to a higher understanding on the spiritual plane, I can reflectively acknowledge how God's plan had worked out in my life and also that I could not understand when, why, or how it was better for me at the time. There has been so many of these instances in my life and I've been able to recognize many of these instances in the lives of others and I feel like I can confidently say now that God's way is always better and even if I don't understand now, I will eventually.

I absolutely am not perfect, far from it, but I try my best to keep the commandments and do what I'm supposed to do. I do get caught up in the cynicism of my natural personality, and I get discouraged and overwhelmed and fussy so much of the time. But I have experienced the hindsight so many times and I've seen it in the lives of so many other people that I know that if I just stick with it, then I will be taken care of. For instance, there are times when I can completely understand and relate to the Jews wanting Jesus to be their militant Messiah who would overthrow the Romans and free them. And even though I can empathize with them, I am  still so grateful that he did his plan and that we could all be saved and free, not just the Jews in his time.

I can see examples in the scriptures, such as Moroni, who lived in solitude for so long so that he could get close enough to God to write his last book in the Book of Mormon. It really sucks that he had to endure that, but I'm so grateful that he did because what we got from it was so important. Or like Joseph Smith who suffered so much and was so poor for so much of the time, it really sucks for him, but I'm so grateful that it happened because of what we have from it. It's really a beautiful principle that we can see all around us, and if we look at ourselves through that lens, then it's easier to endure our own hardships because even though they suck so bad, someone somewhere will be grateful that we endured them because of what gifts we can give the world because of our suffering.