The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 172

The Gifts Part 77

Tongues continued...

1 Corinthians 13:12, “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.”

For now, we know in part, we see in part, we understand in part, we prophecy in part, but when that which is perfect has come, and we see Him face to face, we shall know just as also we are known.

For now we see in a mirror, we look into the word of God, but on that great day when He returns we will see the Word face to face. On that day our understanding will no longer be limited, our sight will no longer be dimmed, our knowledge will no longer be partial, we will know, just as we are known, and the word of God tells us that we are known fully, completely, to the farthest depth of our heart and soul.

These vessels of clay are too weak and fragile to carry the weight of all the treasures that wait beyond the veil. We cannot know, understand or see fully until we are transformed in the blink of an eye, without corruption, without limitations, without inadequacies.

No matter how trained in matters of the spiritual, our minds are too limited to grasp the limitlessness of the things of the Kingdom of God which is to come. Yes, I know, by some men’s estimation we are as little gods and as such can pierce, perceive and process the mysteries of eternity as readily as the one true God, but you and I both know that we are woefully ill equipped to even begin unraveling the mysteries of the Kingdom and all that it contains.

Just because we like to feed the flames of our foolish pride by thinking ourselves miniature deities, or little gods, thinking oneself a certain thing does not necessarily make them so. All the nonsensical clichés we’ve taken to like fish to water, from ‘if you can dream it, you can be it’ to ‘grow into your vision of yourself’ to ‘positive thoughts bring positive results’ comforting as they might be to the flesh, still have their limitations and save for a complete mental breakdown, none of us really believe we are little gods, even if ‘gods’ is spelled with a lower case ‘g’. We are the clay, He is the potter. We are creation, He is creator. We are the work of His hands.

Look into any mirror nowadays, and you will realize the reflection staring back at you is anything but dim. Looking at Paul’s words through the prism of an individual born of this generation one might consider that they are somehow out of place. We look into mirrors all the time and we don’t see dimly. Our reflections are crisp and clear, so much so that often times we would wish for something that would more kindly and less vividly reflect the wrinkles that appear as we age. When Paul wrote these words however, mirrors as we know them did not exist. During those days, men would use polished pieces of metal, whether bronze, silver or copper to look upon their reflections, and that which they saw in the polished piece of metal was indeed dim, unfocused, and unclear.

Taking into account what it was he referred to as a mirror, Paul’s analogy is spot on, and leaves nothing to be desired. We see dimly, we see in part, that which we see is often clouded and ill defined, and it is for this reason that we walk by faith, and not by sight.

Paul divides this verse into two distinct timelines, speaking of the present, the now, and speaking of a future time which he refers to as then. In order to see Him face to face then, we must now live in obedience of God and His word. It is often said that the future is the offspring of the present, and that which we do in the present determines the outcome of the future.

Even though in the present, in the now we see in a mirror, dimly, even though in the now we cannot perceive or process the realities waiting beyond the veil, we have a true and lasting promise that our race will not have been run in vain, that there is a prize waiting for us at the finish line, and that our Lord, our Savior, and our King is waiting for us with arms wide open.

Then, we will have our heavenly bodies, then, we will be able to carry the weight of all the heavenly treasures that await, then, we will know fully, and understand fully, and in so doing, fall at His feet and praise Him and glorify Him for all eternity.

I believe that even now we have but a rudimentary understanding of what it is that Jesus did for mankind. Even now we have a but a rudimentary understanding of what it is He sacrificed, and how much He suffered that you and I might be reconciled unto God. When we see Him face to face however, we will know fully and not just in part, we will understand completely and not just theoretically, and love Him all the more, and thank Him all the more, and praise Him all the more.

The day approaches when we will know Him just as we are known by Him, in the fullness of His majesty, in the fullness of His glory, in the fullness of His authority, in the fullness of His divinity. Until that blessed day however, we must remain ever faithful, ever obedient, being doers of the word of God and keeping our eyes firmly affixed upon the Christ who stands before us.

James 1:23-25, “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.