1 Corinthians 13:8–10
Bible Verses. Also called 1 Corinthians 13:8-10, When that which is perfect is come, Charity never faileth, Tongues shall cease, 1 Cor 13:8-10.
8 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.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
Scripture quotation from the King James Version (KJV). Read this chapter
This passage declares that prophecies shall fail, tongues shall cease, and knowledge shall vanish away, while love endures, and that "when that which is perfect is come," that which is in part shall be done away. It is a key text in the dispute between cessationism and continuationism, which turns on how "that which is perfect" is understood.
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Drafted by AI from the Korean church.wiki article, then translated and adapted for English readers on 5 November 2026.
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Context
In the earlier part of chapter 13, Paul states that spiritual gifts profit nothing without love, and he describes the character of love. Beginning with verse 8, he contrasts the gifts with love from the standpoint of time. Prophecy, tongues, and knowledge belong to the present, in which we know and speak "in part," and they will one day cease, but love remains. In verses 11–12, Paul compares a child with a grown man, and seeing "through a glass, darkly" with seeing "face to face."
Interpretations
- The Second Coming and final consummation: This interpretation understands "that which is perfect" (Greek to teleion) as the Second Coming of Christ and the consummation of the kingdom of God. It takes the phrases "face to face" and "then shall I know" in verse 12 as referring to the time when believers stand before the Lord. This view is held not only by Pentecostal and charismatic churches but also by many scholars who are themselves cessationists.
- The completion of the canon: Some cessationists understand "that which is perfect" as the completed New Testament and cite the passage as evidence that prophecy and tongues ceased when the apostolic age ended and Scripture was completed. They note that teleion is neuter in gender and therefore more readily refers to a thing than to a person (Christ).
- The maturity of believers: On the basis of the analogy of the child in verse 11, another view holds that the passage refers to the maturing of the church or of individual believers.
Debate and Issues
This passage features prominently in the debate between cessationism and continuationism. Continuationists counter that Paul's original readers could hardly have had the completion of the canon in mind, while most cessationists ground their position less in this passage than in Ephesians 2:20 (the foundation of the apostles and prophets) or in the nature of the apostolic signs. Among Korean Protestant churches, some conservative Presbyterian denominations hold to cessationism, while Full Gospel and charismatic churches hold to continuationism; in Methodist, Holiness, and other traditions, both views are found.
Related Passages
See also 6
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