“Now I Know in Part”
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text is from today’s Epistle Reading in 1st Corinthians. St.
Paul writes, “Now we see but a poor 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.” One question that I as a pastor am asked most frequently is that little
three letter word, “Why?” At a hospital bedside or in the family waiting room, “Why?” Why
this illness, why this accident, why me, why my loved one, why now? When things are going badly within a marriage or family, when
difficulties with work or finances loom on the horizon, “Why?” Why these
problems, why us, why now, why don’t things work out the way we hope and plan? Especially when a loved one dies, “Why?” Why this pain, why this
loss, why this death? All I can answer is, I don’t know the reason why. As St. Paul
says in our text, “Now I know in part.” I know all these things somehow
fit into God’s plan, but God has not fully revealed his plan to me. Although I don’t know the reason why such things happen, I do know what
is NOT the reason why. I am certain, and you can be certain too, that when such
things happen to those who trust in Christ as their Savior, it is not ever a
punishment from God. As Psalm 103 says, “He does not treat us as our sins
deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.” How can we be certain
that the troubles and trials and tribulations in our lives are not ever a
punishment from God? Because God’s Son, Jesus Christ, fully suffered for
our sins and paid for all our guilt on the cross. As the Book of Isaiah says: “Surely he took up our infirmities and
carried our sorrows. We observed him stricken by God, smitten by him, and
afflicted. He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our
iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds
we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned
to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Because of your Savior’s sacrifice on the cross, God forgives you all
your sins. St. Paul puts it this way in 2nd Corinthians: “God was in
Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not counting men’s sins against
them.” So, your troubles could not possibly be a punishment for your sins,
because through faith in Christ your sins are no longer counted against you; God
is not angry with you. That is the central message of the Christian faith: God is not angry
with you. As St. Paul says in Romans, “We have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ.” On account of Christ’s life and death and
resurrection, God forgives you, God loves you, God promises you eternal life.
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” But the question remains, “Why?” If God is not angry with me, if
God is not punishing me, if God forgives me and loves me, then WHY do these
things happen to me? I still don’t know the reason why, but God knows.
Psalm 139 tells us, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.” All these things are part of God’s plan
for you. In this life, his plan is beyond our comprehension, our
understanding. As the Lord says in Isaiah, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither
are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my
ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” As
Psalm 40 says, “Many, O Lord, my God, are the wonders you have done. The
things you planned for us no one can recount to you.” And as St. Paul says
earlier in 1st Corinthians, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has
comprehended what God has prepared for those who love him.” In this life, God has not fully revealed his plan to us, because in
this life his plan is simply beyond our comprehension, beyond our limited
understanding. But, in the life to come, in heaven, we shall have a
perfect knowledge and a complete understanding of God’s plan for our lives.
That’s what St. Paul is saying in our text: “Now we see but a poor 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.” We take high-quality glass mirrors for granted. But, in ancient
times, mirrors were usually made not of glass but of polished bronze. It’s
hard for us to comprehend that most people in ancient times really didn’t have
any idea what they themselves looked like, for mirrors were a luxury, and even
the best mirrors gave a poor, distorted reflection. St. Paul is saying
that in this life, that’s all we can see of God’s plan. From God’s word,
we have some idea what his plan is. But, we often have a fuzzy picture,
and usually we can’t see how it all fits together. “Now we see but a poor
reflection as in a mirror.” But, in the life to come, in heaven, God shall
communicate to us directly, and give us perfect understanding of his plan for
us. “Then we shall see face to face.” “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully
known.” Jesus said, “Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
In this life that kind of perfect knowledge is simply beyond our ability to
comprehend. But, just as the Lord now fully knows us even to the point of
numbering the very hairs on our heads, in heaven we shall fully know and fully
understand his plan for our lives. “Now I know in part; then I shall know
fully, even as I am fully known.” So what about that oft asked question, “Why?” Like a poor
reflection in a mirror, sometimes in this life we are able to see a little
glimpse of God’s plan, sometimes we are able to partially understand why.
But for the most part, the question “Why?” must wait. In heaven we won’t
be asking “Why?” anymore, because we will know and understand why. But, there is one aspect of his plan that even in this life God has
clearly revealed to us. St. Paul puts it this way in Romans. “And we know
that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him.” Know
for certain that you are in the Lord’s hands, and there is no better place to
be. Know for certain that he is working all things together, not for your
punishment, but for your good. But, how can the troubles and trials and tribulations I endure be for
my good? Why does it have to be this way? Why can’t it happen some
other way? Why, why, why! “Now we see but a poor 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.” Return to Top | Return to Sermons | Home | Email Church Office
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