What does this verse mean: "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."

What does it mean to know just as I also am known?

Does it mean that when we enter into glory, we will know everything? Everything about ourselves? ???

__________________
Rev. Andrew J. Barnes
Husband of Dena
Father of Oliver
Master of Bruce
Pastor of Tchula Presbyterian Church

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Ancient mirrors were not the polished glass and practically perfect reflective backing that we enjoy today. They were polished silver and brass affairs. So the image they allowed was dim, and of course reversed as always. But we aren't talking exclusively about self-knowledge here, but of the quality of the image--of whatever is in the mirror.

Our awareness of everything in the spiritual and eschatological realm is, in this world, imperfect. Because we are seeing the image of it. It is still a "virtual reality", and not the thing itself.

"Knowing in part now," I think has especially to do, then, with divine revelation. These are eternal things we are handling and looking into. But we don't "get it" as well as we might, because of sin and the finite present state. So we spend a lifetime trying to grow in the grace and the KNOWLEDGE of our Lord.

But, then, later in glory, we will know that revelation as well as we possibly can. No, not perfectly all at once, but without that barrier, the mirror-image, but face-to-face with him. And we will continue to grow in quantity, already having perfect quality, over all eternity.

See, he already "knows" us without any barriers. His knowledge is perfect already. Ours, not quite yet.

__________________
Rev. Bruce G. Buchanan
ChainOLakes Presbyterian Church, CentralLake, MI


When posting friends, kindly bear those words of earthly wisdom in mind:
Oh, that God the gift would give us
To see ourselves as others see us.
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I wonder if this means the completion of the Bible which brings us face to face to God.

__________________
Yigang Xu
Husband of Yele, Father of Anna (07/17/08)
Westminster Presbyterian Church, Free Church of Scotland (Continuing)
Bethesda, Maryland

"Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness. They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side." Psalm 65:10,11

YX,
I don't quite think that's the point of this verse, although I do think that the "perfect" of v10 is almost certainly speaking of special revelation, and the fact that it is coming to perfection. So, there is a tie-in to my comments re. v13.

But that perfection of revelation will not (did not, starting by the end of the 1st century) result in face-to-face vision, only attainable in a glorified state. It would be an "over-realized" eschatology to think that we have not still to deal with sin-obscured vision.