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 will know fully, even as I was also fully known.
WEB
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.
KJV
What 1 Corinthians 13:12 means
Paul says that in this life our knowledge of God is real but partial, like a dim reflection, and that one day it will be clear and complete.
Paul wrote this to a divided church in Corinth that prized spiritual knowledge and display. In the ancient world mirrors were polished metal, so a reflection was dim and imperfect, and he uses that everyday object to describe how we know God and one another now: only a partial, clouded view.
The promise is that this is temporary. One day, he says, we will see face to face and know fully, even as God already knows us fully. It is a call to humility about how much we grasp now, and a hope that the partial will give way to the whole.