1 Corinthians 13:8-12 “Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. (9) For we know in part and we prophesy in part. (10) But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. (11) When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. (12) For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.”
Another truth that is not clearly understood by the church in this life is the perfect knowledge that the saints have in heaven. In fact many ministers erroneously proclaim to the church that the saints will continue to be taught the word of God in heaven, which is completely unscriptural. The apostle Paul teaches us the truth of the saints’ perfect knowledge in heaven in the above quoted passage of scripture, for he speaks of the saints only knowing in part in this life, and he includes himself in that category, even though he arguably had more revelation knowledge than any other of the Lord’s apostles. Paul contrasts our imperfect knowledge that we have in this life with the perfect knowledge that the saints have in heaven, for he declares that when the saints meet the Lord Jesus face to face that they will then know even as they are known. In other words, just as the Lord Jesus knows each one of us intimately as our maker, so it is that He will also give us complete knowledge and understanding of all things, the moment we meet Him face to face in heaven. And so we see that the saints no longer need to be taught the word of God in heaven, because they have full knowledge and understanding of God’s word, which is far more than the combined knowledge of all the Lord’s apostles in this life. One of the reasons that the saints have perfect knowledge in heaven is because they have become spiritually minded, in that they no longer have any natural thinking, for the carnal mind is enmity against God and is thus completely done away with (Romans 8:7). And so the saints in heaven are no longer conformed to this world’s thinking but rather they have become completely transformed, because their minds have become fully renewed (Romans 12:2).
Michael E.B. Maher
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