What is the meaning of 1 Corinthians 13:10?
1 Corinthians 13:10
10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
New International Version (NIV)
The answer
1 Corinthians 13:10 means that partial, limited understanding will end when complete, direct knowledge comes—not that love will end. Paul contrasts what believers know “in part” now with knowing “face to face” later (1 Corinthians 13:12). The “complete” is God’s coming full revelation of himself, and the “partial” is our present limited perception of him.
The verse completes Paul’s wider argument about spiritual gifts and love. In 1 Corinthians 13:8-9, he says that gifts such as prophecy, tongues, and knowledge will pass away because they are partial. Verse 10 explains why: “that which is partial will be done away with” when the complete arrives. Verse 12 makes the meaning explicit: “now we know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”
So this is not a claim that God, Christ, or his love will disappear. Rather, our imperfect manner of knowing God will give way to full and direct knowledge. The related image in 1 Corinthians 13:12—“through a glass, darkly”—shows that our present understanding is obscured, whereas the coming reality will be face-to-face.
The promise in Isaiah 60:19-20 points in the same direction: the LORD himself will become his people’s everlasting light and glory. Revelation 21:22-23 likewise presents the ultimate reality as God and the Lamb himself being the temple, with his people seeing his face (Revelation 22:4-5). Paul’s wording is consistent with Scripture’s broader expectation: God remains God, his love remains, but the limits of our present knowledge are temporary.
Answered from Scripture · reviewed November 11, 2026
In 1 Corinthians 13:10, the arrival of 'that which is complete' marks the moment when our present, limited grasp of God gives way to direct, unclouded communion with Him. Rather than teaching that divine love or God's purposes will end, the Apostle Paul shows that our partial knowledge and earthly means of perception will be superseded when we finally behold the Lord face to face. Understanding this verse anchors our hope in the eternal reality of seeing God as He is, while treasuring love as the enduring posture of Christian maturity.
The Immediate Context
The Partial Yields to the Perfect
but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
1 Corinthians 13:10 (NIV)
This verse explicitly states the governing principle that the arrival of the complete supersedes and brings an end to that which is only partial.
In 1 Corinthians 13:10, the Apostle Paul declares the divine principle that governs our present age: when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. The passage does not announce a premature silencing of the Spirit's operations in this present world, but rather contrasts our temporary, piecemeal experience with the consummation of all things. Paul sets this contrast in motion in 1 Corinthians 13:8 by affirming that love never fails, whereas prophecies will fail, tongues will cease, and human knowledge will vanish away. Under our present limitations, our spiritual apprehension remains fragmentary; as 1 Corinthians 13:9 explains, we know in part and we prophesy in part.
To illustrate this progression from inadequacy to maturity, Paul offers the common human experience of growth in 1 Corinthians 13:11, noting that when a child becomes a man, he puts away childish things. The arrival of the complete does not render the previous tools wicked, but obsolete in light of full maturity. Paul makes clear elsewhere that the church continues to need the supernatural administration of the Spirit throughout this interim age. In 1 Corinthians 1:7, he praises the believers who come behind in no gift while eagerly waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Spiritual gifts are God's gracious provision to equip His saints during this earthly watch. For that reason, 1 Corinthians 14:1 commands believers to pursue love while earnestly desiring spiritual gifts, especially prophecy. Paul seals this instruction in 1 Corinthians 14:39 by urging the church to desire earnestly to prophesy and not to forbid speaking in tongues. The partial serves its purpose faithfully until the fullness arrives.
| Passage | What it says |
|---|---|
| 1 Corinthians 13:8 | Declares that love never fails, while spiritual gifts like prophecies, tongues, and knowledge will cease. |
| 1 Corinthians 13:9 | Affirms that our present knowledge and prophetic insight are fragmentary and partial. |
| 1 Corinthians 13:10 | States that when completeness arrives, the partial manner of knowing will be done away. |
| 1 Corinthians 13:11 | Uses the metaphor of putting away childish things upon reaching adulthood to describe maturity. |
| 1 Corinthians 1:7 | Believers do not lack any spiritual gift while eagerly waiting for the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. |
| 1 Corinthians 14:1 | Paul commands believers to pursue love and earnestly desire spiritual gifts, especially prophecy. |
| 1 Corinthians 14:39 | The church is instructed to earnestly desire to prophesy and not forbid speaking in tongues. |
Face to Face
From Dim Reflections to Full Sight
For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
1 Corinthians 13:12 (NIV)
It defines 'the complete' by contrasting our present dim reflection in a mirror with knowing God directly face to face.
The definitive key to understanding what is complete appears in 1 Corinthians 13:12: for now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. Ancient bronze mirrors yielded an imperfect, clouded likeness, perfectly picturing our present earthly condition where divine realities are grasped through instruments of faith rather than unmediated sight. In 1 Corinthians 13:13, Paul explains that faith, hope, and love abide now, but the greatest of these is love precisely because it endures into that unclouded future. This matches the apostolic reality described in 2 Corinthians 5:7, where we walk by faith and not by sight, while 2 Corinthians 5:8 records the joyful longing to be absent from the body and present with the Lord.
This future seeing transforms the believer entirely. In 1 John 3:2, Scripture promises that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Such unhindered communion was only hinted at under the old covenant. In Numbers 12:8, the Lord spoke with Moses face to face, explicitly and not in dark sayings, yet even Moses had boundaries set upon his sight. When Moses asked to behold the divine glory in Exodus 33:18, God declared in Exodus 33:20 that no man could see His unveiled face and live during this mortal state. Romans 8:24 reminds us that hope that is seen is no longer hope, and Romans 8:25 calls us to wait with patience for that unseen fulfillment. What is partial will vanish only when the veil is torn and we behold our God openly.
| Passage | What it says |
|---|---|
| 1 Corinthians 13:12 | Contrasts seeing obscurely through a glass now with seeing face to face and knowing as we are known. |
| 1 Corinthians 13:13 | Concludes that faith, hope, and love remain, with love being the greatest among them. |
| 2 Corinthians 5:7 | Explains the present Christian life as walking by faith rather than walking by sight. |
| 2 Corinthians 5:8 | Expresses the apostolic longing to be absent from the mortal body and present with the Lord. |
| 1 John 3:2 | Promises that when Christ appears, believers shall be like Him, for we will see Him as He is. |
| Numbers 12:8 | God spoke with Moses face to face, clearly and not in dark riddles or shadowy forms. |
| Exodus 33:18 | Moses asks the Lord to show him His glory, anticipating the fullness of divine revelation. |
| Exodus 33:20 | The Lord declares no man can see His unveiled face and live during this mortal age. |
| Romans 8:24 | Hope that is seen is not hope, contrasting present longing with the future reality seen openly. |
| Romans 8:25 | Believers wait with patience for the unseen completion of redemption yet to come. |
Prophetic Anticipation
The Lord Becomes Our Everlasting Light
The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
Isaiah 60:19 (NIV)
Isaiah foretells the day when created lights are swallowed up by the unmediated presence of the Lord Himself.
Centuries before the apostolic letters, the prophets foretold an era when all intermediate forms of illumination would be superseded by God's direct presence. In Isaiah 60:19, the prophet proclaims: the sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. This stunning promise finds its fulfillment in Revelation 21:23 and Revelation 22:5, where the holy city needs no sun or moon because the glory of God illuminates it and the Lamb is its light. Intermediate lights, whether created luminaries or the partial gifts of an imperfect age, are destined to be swallowed up by the unmediated brightness of the Creator Himself.
The same prophetic trajectory is laid down in Isaiah 24:23, where the prophet warns that the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed when the Lord of hosts reigns on Mount Zion. This shadow finds its antitype in Revelation 21:23, where the heavenly city no longer relies on created celestial bodies because the uncreated light of the Lamb reigns supreme. Furthermore, Isaiah 60:20 promises that our sun shall no more go down, nor shall our moon withdraw itself, for the Lord will be our everlasting light and the days of our mourning will be ended. This prophecy reaches its final realization in Revelation 21:4 and Revelation 22:5, where God wipes away every tear and His servants reign with Him under His unending radiance. The prophetic word consistently testifies that our current partial aids belong to the night, but the day of His unveiled countenance will soon dawn.
| Passage | What it says | Fulfilled |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 24:23 | Prophesies that sun and moon will be humbled when the Lord of hosts reigns gloriously. | Revelation 21:23 |
| Isaiah 60:19 | Declares that the sun and moon will be superseded because the Lord will be everlasting light. | Revelation 21:23, Revelation 22:5 |
| Isaiah 60:20 | Promises that mourning ends when the Lord Himself becomes the everlasting light of His people. | Revelation 21:4, Revelation 22:5 |
Consummation
Beholding the Lamb in the New Jerusalem
They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
Revelation 22:4 (NIV)
This verse marks the ultimate fulfillment of seeing face to face, where God's servants behold His face directly.
The climax of all biblical revelation provides the definitive answer to what arrives when the complete is come. In Revelation 22:4, the Holy Spirit unveils the beatific vision promised to every believer: and they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. Here the dim bronze mirror of 1 Corinthians 13:12 is discarded forever. The redeemed do not behold God through shadows, riddles, or secondary channels; they look upon their Redeemer face to face. All temporary gifts, having served their earthly function of building up the body during its pilgrim walk, yield to the glorious reality to which they pointed.
John records in Revelation 21:22 that he saw no temple in the New Jerusalem, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. In an environment of direct and unhindered communion, external structures and intermediate ceremonies are no longer needed. Revelation 21:23 confirms that the city has no need of the sun or moon to shine in it, because the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. Finally, Revelation 22:5 declares that there will be no night there, and they need no candle or light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light, and they shall reign forever and ever. This is the completeness that Paul anticipated in 1 Corinthians 13:10. The arrival of that which is perfect is nothing less than the consummation of the kingdom of God, when our faith turns to sight and we dwell in the unveiled light of Christ.
| Passage | What it says |
|---|---|
| Revelation 21:22 | Notes the absence of an earthly temple because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. |
| Revelation 21:23 | States the city needs neither sun nor moon, for God's glory and the Lamb illuminate it. |
| Revelation 22:4 | Affirms that the redeemed will see His face and have His name written upon their foreheads. |
| Revelation 22:5 | Describes the eternal reign of the saints where no lamp or sun is needed, for the Lord gives light. |
The Spirit's Ongoing Work
The Spirit Distributes His Gifts Until Christ Appears
The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
Acts 2:39 (NIV)
It affirms that the Spirit's covenantal promise extends without restriction to every generation the Lord calls.
The arrival of 'the perfect' in 1 Corinthians 13:10 refers to the consummation of all things at Christ's return, not a premature withdrawal of spiritual gifts. In Acts 2:39, the Apostle Peter proclaims that the promise of the Holy Spirit extends to all whom the Lord our God calls, establishing an unbroken line of divine empowerment spanning every generation until the close of the age.
From the church's birth at Pentecost, this gift was linked inextricably with gospel repentance and the remission of sins. Acts 2:38 declares that everyone who repents and receives baptism in the name of Jesus Christ receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. This distribution of power is neither erratic nor intended for private elevation. According to 1 Corinthians 12:7, the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each believer for the common good of the entire church, knitting the body together in mutual interdependence. Sovereign governance remains entirely with God: 1 Corinthians 12:11 explains that one and the same Spirit empowers all these gifts, apportioning them individually to each believer just as He wills, rather than according to human status or self-appointed merit.
This continuous work of the Spirit is seen tangibly in pastoral care and physical restoration throughout the church's earthly pilgrimage. James 5:14 instructs that anyone who is sick should call for the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. The passage leaves no ambiguity regarding God's power to intervene, affirming in James 5:15 that the prayer offered in faith will restore the sick, and the Lord will raise them up, while granting forgiveness for sins committed. James 5:16 concludes that mutual confession and earnest prayer bring healing, because the prayer of a righteous person possesses great effectiveness. Until believers see the Lord face to face, the Holy Spirit continues to impart His supernatural gifts to sustain, heal, and edify His people.
| Passage | What it says |
|---|---|
| Acts 2:38 | Peter calls hearers to repent, promising forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. |
| Acts 2:39 | The promise of the Holy Spirit is explicitly for all whom the Lord our God calls. |
| 1 Corinthians 12:7 | The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each believer for the common good of the body. |
| 1 Corinthians 12:11 | One and the same Spirit distributes spiritual gifts individually to each person as He wills. |
| James 5:14 | The sick are instructed to call for the elders of the church to pray and anoint with oil. |
| James 5:15 | The prayer offered in faith will restore the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. |
| James 5:16 | Confession and prayer for one another bring healing, displaying the power of righteous prayer. |
Where in the Bible
| Book | Passages |
|---|---|
| Exodus | 2 · Exodus 33:18, Exodus 33:20 |
| Numbers | 1 · Numbers 12:8 |
| Isaiah | 3 · Isaiah 24:23, Isaiah 60:19, Isaiah 60:20 |
| Acts | 2 · Acts 2:38, Acts 2:39 |
| Romans | 2 · Romans 8:24, Romans 8:25 |
| 1 Corinthians | 11 · 1 Corinthians 13:8, 1 Corinthians 13:9, 1 Corinthians 13:10, 1 Corinthians 13:11, 1 Corinthians 1:7, 1 Corinthians 14:1, 1 Corinthians 14:39, 1 Corinthians 13:12, 1 Corinthians 13:13, 1 Corinthians 12:7, 1 Corinthians 12:11 |
| 2 Corinthians | 2 · 2 Corinthians 5:7, 2 Corinthians 5:8 |
| James | 3 · James 5:14, James 5:15, James 5:16 |
| 1 John | 1 · 1 John 3:2 |
| Revelation | 4 · Revelation 21:22, Revelation 21:23, Revelation 22:4, Revelation 22:5 |
The story in order
- God speaks to Moses (c. 1450 BC) · Numbers 12:8 · God spoke with Moses face to face, clearly.
- Moses asks to see God's glory (c. 1450 BC) · Exodus 33:18 · Moses anticipated fuller divine revelation.
- God declares no man can see His face (c. 1450 BC) · Exodus 33:20 · Unveiled face is too glorious for mortal sight.
- Prophecy of everlasting light (c. 700 BC) · Isaiah 60:19 · The Lord will be everlasting light, superseding sun.
- Pentecost and the Spirit's promise (AD 30) · Acts 2:38 · Repentance brings forgiveness and the gift of the Spirit.
- Spirit distributes gifts (c. AD 55) · 1 Corinthians 12:11 · The Spirit gives gifts to each as He wills.
- Paul explains partial knowledge (c. AD 55) · 1 Corinthians 13:9 · Our present knowledge and prophecy are fragmentary.
- Partial yields to the perfect (c. AD 55) · 1 Corinthians 13:10 · When completeness comes, partial knowing will cease.
- Seeing dimly vs. face to face (c. AD 55) · 1 Corinthians 13:12 · Now we see obscurely; then we will see clearly.
- Walking by faith (c. AD 57) · 2 Corinthians 5:7 · The Christian life is lived by faith, not sight.
- Longing to be with the Lord (c. AD 57) · 2 Corinthians 5:8 · Apostolic desire to be absent from body, present with Lord.
- Seeing Christ as He is (c. AD 90) · 1 John 3:2 · When Christ appears, we shall be like Him.
- New Jerusalem's light (c. AD 95) · Revelation 21:23 · God's glory and the Lamb illuminate the city.
- Seeing His face eternally (c. AD 95) · Revelation 22:4 · The redeemed will see His face.
Key words
- complete (teleion, τέλειον)
- The arrival of the perfect, the end of partiality. · 1 Corinthians 13:10
- partial (ek merous, ἐκ μέρους)
- Fragmentary, incomplete, limited. · 1 Corinthians 13:9
- face to face (prosopon pros prosopon, πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον)
- Direct, unmediated, clear vision. · 1 Corinthians 13:12
- know as we are known (epignōsomai kai, ἐπιγνώσομαι καί)
- Full, reciprocal, perfect understanding. · 1 Corinthians 13:12
- spiritual gifts (pneumatikōn, πνευματικῶν)
- Manifestations of the Spirit for the common good. · 1 Corinthians 13:8
Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 13:10 redirects our gaze from temporary spiritual instruments to the ultimate destination of our faith: direct, unbroken fellowship with God. Because love alone endures into that glorious future, believers are called to pursue love today while awaiting the day when faith turns to sight and partial understanding vanishes before His face.
31 passages, each cited once.
Scripture cited
- 1 Corinthians 13:10
- Isaiah 60:19-20
- 1 Corinthians 13:12
- Revelation 22:4-5
- Revelation 21:22-23