14 february 2019

King James version (en)

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.

Comments:

Wesley's Notes

The necessity of love is shown, 13:1-3.
The nature and properties, 13:4-7.
The duration of it, 13:8-13

Now we see - Even the things that surround us. But by means of a glass - Or mirror, which reflects only their imperfect forms, in a dim, faint, obscure manner; so that our thoughts about them are puzzling and intricate, and everything is a kind of riddle to us. But then - We shall see, not a faint reflection, but the objects themselves. Face to face - Distinctly. Now I know in part - Even when God himself reveals things to me, great part of them is still kept under the veil. But then I shall know even as also I am known - In a clear, full, comprehensive manner; in some measure like God, who penetrates the centre of every object, and sees at one glance through my soul and all things.

Notes

Paul's words on the fact that we see the realities of the spiritual world in our current state, as a darkly reflection in a dusty mirror, echo the thoughts of certain philosophers of the heathen world. And comes in mind first of all, of course Plato with his image of the cave and the shadows on its walls. But indeed, the apostle does not speak about the not transformed world, from where the spiritual reality after the fall is really if distinctive, then with difficulty, but about the Kingdom and its life, where this kind of ambiguity cannot and should not have any place: because the Kingdom by its nature "is not of this world", it belongs completely to the spiritual world, or more exactly, it is itself the spiritual world, at least in that its measure, with which it gets in contact with man.

And all the same the inhabitants of the Kingdom in the current stage of its history are not yet totally transformed, do not yet possess in fullness this new nature, without which to become inhabitant of the Kingdom is impossible. That is not surprising: because the Kingdom also has not yet revealed itself to the world till the end, in all its fullness. We live at the time of transition, at the time of the Kingdom to come. And if we are Christian, the spiritual fate of each of us is connected to the history of the Kingdom.

Paul as we see, understands that perfectly: he knows that his own spiritual way will not end the day of his death, but the day of the return of the Savior, the day of the final and complete triumph of this Kingdom, of which he consecrated his entire life to witness. And until this day every Christian, as the apostle, lives on the border of two worlds, which deform the perception of the realities of the spiritual world. Of course, here it is not what Plato has, because in the cave of Plato, except the shadows, we see nothing generally. Of this border of the worlds, where today every Christian has to live, the Kingdom is visible quite as is visible from there the not transformed world.

Here is only before the complete transfiguration of the physical nature each of the living on earth sees the Kingdom deformed, just as a man without special glasses or with mask sees the submarine world: as our physical sight is not adapted for the adequate perception of the submarine world, so our spiritual sight is not adapted (and cannot be adapted till our full transformation) for an adequate perception of the Kingdom. But it is not so terrible: because God leads each considering the peculiarities of such kind of perception. The main thing is to listen to Him, without relying completely on your own spiritual sight inclined to aberrations.

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