“SPIRITUAL GIFTS” 1 CORINTHIANS 12: 4-27
1 COR. 12: 1-3, 4-7, 8-10, EPH 4: 11-13, 1 COR. 12: 11-13, 14-18, 19-20, 21-22, 25-27.
PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO 1 CORINTHIANS 12.
Paul wrote 1 Corinthians about A.D. 55. He sent it to the thriving congregation he had founded in Corinth about five years earlier during his second missionary journey. Paul had learned about a number of difficulties that were disrupting the church. His letter was written from a pastoral heart full of love and concern for them.
One reason Paul wrote was to correct problems associated with the exercise of Spiritual Gifts, which he addressed in chapters 12-14. He emphasized that the Holy Spirit has given spiritual gifts to all believers for the good of all the other members of Christ’s body. He taught that there is both unity and diversity in the gifts of the Spirit. He further taught that, just as with the human body, no member of the body of Christ is more important than another is.
One of the growing areas of interest in the church today is Spiritual Gifts. Unfortunately, the information that is being taught leads often to confusion instead of to clarity. What is the purpose of the spiritual gifts? And how are we to use them? This text in 1 Corinthians 12 is the best N.T. answer to that question.
Thus far in the letter Paul has dealt with problems of a carnal nature. The remaining problems relate to more spiritual matters. Today’s lesson is about the stewardship of spiritual gifts. The Theme is that the Holy Spirit empowers all believes with spiritual gifts that they should use to glorify God and edify His people.
The Life Question this lesson addresses is, What is the purpose of spiritual gifts and how can I use mine in a way that pleases God?
The Biblical Truth is that spiritual gifts are to build up the body of Christ, the church, not to build up the individual exercising the gift.
The Life Impact is to help us discover and exercise our spiritual gifts.
1 TEACHER READ 1 CORINTHIANS 12: 1-3.
The Corinthians, in 1 Cor. 7:1 had sent Paul a letter that asked about several issues. In reply Paul quoted something from their letter, but he did not quote what they said or asked in 12:1. We can only guess what they wrote by reading how Paul responded in Chs. 12-14.The Greek words in vs. 1 translated now about or now concerning imply that Paul was answering questions about spiritual gifts. The questions likely came to him in the report of members of Chloe’s household. A great deal of confusion existed in the church concerning spiritual gifts, and the church wanted Paul to clear the air. In chapters 12-14 he dealt with the issue. Paul does not want them to be ignorant about the gifts which the Holy Spirit gives.
To correct the abuses of gifts Paul shows in Ch. 12 that the purpose of the spiritual gifts is the edification of the church; in Ch. 13 that the way to exercise spiritual gifts is in love; and in Ch 13 that the relative value of spiritual gifts is to be tested by their usefulness to the church. Ch. 13, the famous love chapter, is actually the apex and the centerpiece of an extended discussion on spiritual gifts.
In 1 Cor. 12:1, Paul was introducing the subject of the Holy Spirit and how He works in the body of Christ—the church. Vs. 2-3 seem out of place because they do not mention spiritual gifts. They reveal how the Corinthian Christians, when they had been pagan, had been led astray to “mute idols.” They were enslaved in idolatry but by the Holy Spirit they were able to confess Jesus as Lord. These verses, however, actually set up Paul’s teaching that God is the source of spiritual gifts.
LET’S LOOK NOW AT THE SOURCE OF OUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS.
2. PLEASE READ 1 CORINTHIANS `12: 4-7.
In Eph. 4:8 we read, “When He ascended upon high He led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men.” The central theme of today’s lesson is that the H.S. gives a variety of spiritual gifts that enable us to contribute to the common good of the church. Spiritual gifts were not confined to the first century church. Such gifts are still being exercised in our church today.
The carnal nature of the church at Corinth is evident it that even gifts of the Holy Spirit had become a problem. They prided themselves on their possession of these gifts, but their attitude caused more divisions than unity. They centered their attention on the gifts that called attention to the one who possessed the gift.
The N.T. contains several lists of spiritual gifts: (Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12: 8-10, 18-30; and Eph. 4:11). Actually Eph 4: 11 lists gifted leaders whom God had given to the church. When the lists of gifts and gifted leaders are placed in columns, only one gift is found in all of them—prophecy or prophets. Teachers are found in all but one. There is rich variety in the lists. Paul did not seem to have one official list of all spiritual gifts. He named representative gifts in some cases (as in Corinth) concentrating on the gifts about which the church was most concerned. Thus the list in Romans 12:6-8 is probably the most general of all the lists. 1 Cor. 12: 4-11 emphasizes that the Spirit is the source of spiritual gifts, that the purpose is the common good, and that gifts are varied.
Paul wanted the Corinthians to know about the nature of spiritual gifts and that each person is gifted by the Holy Spirit for the common good of all.
Paul reminded his readers that they were not the source of their salvation. God was. Apart from the Holy Spirit’s power, they were unable to confess that Jesus is Lord. Paul’s point was that the only way anyone could confess that Jesus is Lord was by the Sprit’s power. The Spirit gives us the new birth, a new nature, and His presence and power that move us to want to obey Him. When we experience salvation, it is not self-produced. Salvation comes from God.
Paul wanted the Corinthian believers to realize that what is true in salvation is also true with Spiritual Gifts. Spiritual Gifts do not come from us. We cannot earn them or produce them. They come from God. In 1 Cor. 12: 4-6 Paul explained that God’s Spirit gives a variety of spiritual gifts to Christians. With three parallel statements Paul indicated that while different kinds of gifts, service, and work exist, the same Spirit, Lord, and God work them all in all believers.
The word gifts, in vs. 4, comes from the Greek word for grace and is the normal term for “gift”. In a general sense grace means “unmerited kindness, “mercy”, “favor”, or “good will”, with an emphasis on the giving’s voluntary nature. By definition a gift expresses one person’s unmerited goodwill toward another. In a Christian sense grace expresses God’s kindness and its being God’s gift to us. It is unmerited and unearned. When Paul wrote in Eph 2: 8 “it is by grace you have been saved,” he meant salvation is ‘the gift of God.” So the word chosen for spiritual gifts focuses attention on God as their source.
Spiritual gifts are more than mere natural talents. They are divine enablements for the ministry that the H.S. gives in some measure to all believers and are to be completely under His control and used for the building of the church to Christ’s glory. They are gifts bestowed by the H.S. on Christians to be used specifically for serving the Lord. All gifts are important because they are given by God as He chooses to give them. Everyone has a gift but no one has all the gifts.
The term service in vs. 5 is related closely to the Greek word for servant. It describes the way spiritual gifts become real in practice. Now spiritual gifts are not earned by service; they are given for the purpose of service. Each person determines the effectiveness of his or her gifts, or the lack of it. God calls Christians to serve one another. He gives different gifts according to the tasks He wants done and the people He wants to do them.
The Greek term translated working in vs. 6 stresses the divine power that flows through believers as they use their spiritual gifts to serve others. The person working is not emphasized. The emphasis is that God does His work through people. Though different ministries and gifts exist. God is the source of the power that makes them effective.
Since God is the source of spiritual gifts, why did He give them to Christians? Paul wrote in vs. 7 that God gave spiritual gifts so He could work through each Christian uniquely for the good of the whole church. The phrase “each one” means that every Christians has at least one gift. Paul had several gifts: healing, prophecy, and teaching, for example. Of course, he was an apostle. In reality God can give as many or as few gifts as He sees fit, depending on the ministry He has called someone to perform. Each Christian does have at least one gift.
In 1 Corinthians 12: 8-10 Paul now turns to the discussion of “Kinds of Spiritual Gifts.” These will be grouped into three categories: Speaking gifts, Service gifts, and Sign gifts.
3. PLEASE READ 1 CORINTHIANS 12: 8-10.
We cannot choose which gift we want to receive. It is God’s prerogative to choose for us. While we are held accountable for the use of any gift the H.S. gives us, we have no responsibility for the gifts we are not given. There are many things I cannot do very well, but that it because I was not given that gift. Every believer has at least one gift, which is uniquely his. Thank God for your gift.
The word “manifestation” in vs. 7 does not move the subject away from gifts. Paul stressed that gifts ultimately are ways God’s Spirit manifests His activity through the church’s members.
The phrase “the common good” points to the ultimate purpose for believers having gifts. The gifts are not for personal glory or profit. God wants the entire church to be blessed and built-up. He could have done this any way He desired; Yet He chose to use people’s serving one another as the channel of His grace through them for the church’s good. So God is the source of spiritual gifts, and He gave them for the church’s common good. In Eph. 4:11 Paul named the ministry gifts—people gifted to accomplish God’s purpose in vs. 12.
To understand the different kinds of service to which God calls believers, we need to see that He has given the church many different spiritual gifts. In vs. 8 we begin our study of the “Speaking gifts”. Notice the words “Word of wisdom” or “wise speech”, the “word of knowledge” or “intelligent speech.” The Greeks especially cherished these two factors---wisdom and knowledge. The Corinthian Christians showed their cultural background. There was human wisdom and human knowledge, but these represent special gifts by the H.S. for the purpose of magnifying the gospel about the cross.
“WORD OF WISDOM” is more than philosophy. It is speech filled with God’s wisdom in the Spirit. “Word of knowledge,” is logical insight. When we abide in Jesus, we gain God’s wisdom and insight into everyday questions that people have about Christian living. Thus the message of wisdom is the Spirit’s enabling believers to understand and to declare God’s eternal
purpose in Christ. Practically, it helps Christians see how God fulfills His eternal purpose in the everyday situations believers encounter.
The Spirit gives the message of knowledge for the benefit of the Christian community. Thus the message of knowledge is the Spirit’s enabling people to know God deeply through His Word and to share that knowledge.
In vs. 9 we look at the Service gifts.” A third gift is “faith”. The word “faith” in this context denotes working faith, not saving faith. This is an extraordinary type of faith that enables one to do extra ministry for Christ. This is the kind of faith that Jesus said would move mountains. Through a believer’s exercise of faith, others are encouraged to trust God.
The word “healings” may or may not refer to medical practices, or even to what faith healers do, but may refer to a ministry of serving sick people and helping them to gain their health and to have hope in times of illness. You probably know Christians who are especially gifted in this area. I was reading where one Doctor said to another “you moved up the schedule on that surgery. Why? Was it an emergency? “O yes,” the other doctor replied, “In a few more hours she would have recovered without the surgery.”
In vs. 10 Paul turned to the “Sign Gifts.” There are five spiritual gifts named in this verse. “Miracles” or “wonder workers” is literally God’s power expressed through another. In this context it is “power working wonders” or “miraculous deeds” by those so gifted by God. Since not all miracles are healings, such miracles might include casting out demons as well as other mighty works. The word power emphasizes the display of God’s mighty power in the miracle.
The word “prophecy” does not simply refer to predicting future events, but rather to the proclamation of the gospel or the ability to preach with power.
The “discerning of spirits” refers to the ability to distinguish between the spiritual utterances, as if to know whether they are from God or not; The ability of judging between gifts or spirits to see if they are of the H.S., or of some nature or diabolical force. Believers with this gift are mature or spiritually sensitive, able to discern between true or false teachings. The first test of a true teacher is they acknowledge or proclaim that Jesus is God incarnate in human flesh.
Dr. W.B. Toler says “the words ‘divers kinds of tongues’; appear to refer to ecstatic languages, but may refer to foreign languages.”
Dr. Herschel H. Hobbs says, “Tongues” was then, and even now is the subject of much misunderstanding and confusion. The Greek word “Glossa” is used for the organ of speech, languages, or here as a gift of the Holy Spirit. You can see why its interpretation is a bit confusing.”
Dr. Hobbs continues, “all but Pentecostals see ‘tongues’ at Pentecost in Acts 2: 4-11 as the gift of the H.S., whereby the apostles, perhaps others, were able to speak a language other than their own without having studied it. People from sixteen parts of the Roman Empire outside Palestine were present at Pentecost. If they were led to receive Christ, they would carry the Gospel to their own lands.”
Therefore, the H.S. enabled the apostles to speak “with other tongues”, or “languages” of a different kind than their own. Acts 2:11 says, that these people heard the gospel in “our own tongues.” Acts 2:6 reads that “every man heard them speak in his own language or dialect.”
Dr. Hobbs says “some interpreters see tongues at Corinth as a heavenly language spoken in an ecstatic state. I see it as the same phenomenon as at Pentecost, except that the Corinthians regarded the gift with spiritual pride. They abused this gift as they did all other gifts of the Spirit. The gift of tongues is not intended to glorify the one possessing the gift.”
“Interpretation of tongues” was the gift whereby some interpreted what was spoken for those who did not understand the language. Whereas some regarded the gift of tongues as the supreme gift, in all of Paul’s lists of spiritual gifts that included tongues, he placed that gift last (here along with the interpretation.) Apparently the apostle regarded it as least important.
In Ephesians 4: 11-13 certain Spirit endued men i.e. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are themselves gifts whom the glorified Christ bestows on His body the church for a varied service. In 1 Corinthians the gifts are spiritual enablements for specific service; in Ephesus the gifts are men who have such enablements.
4. PLEASE READ 1 CORINTHIANS 12: 11-13.
Vs. 11 deals with the “Authority of the Spirit.” While there were many different kinds of gifts, there is only one H.S. The Spirit had to give and use all these gifts, and notice it was according to the will of the Spirit that they were given.
In some Christian groups individuals are urged to seek certain gifts, especially tongues. This is contrary to vs. 11b. The H.S. distributes the Spiritual Gifts to Christians “as He wills” or “wishes”. Whatever gift He chooses to give is to be used in the Lord’s service and for His glory.
The wide variety of spiritual gifts is under the sovereign control of God through His Spirit. These words just read in vs. 11-13 reaffirm that God is the source of the spiritual gifts, that He gives the gifts through His Spirit, and that this one source creates a unity within the church.
Although the Spirit gives gifts to all members of the church, He deals with us one by one individually. This is the meaning of the words in vs. 11, “dividing to every man severally”, or “distributing to each one.”
This reinforces the point in vs. 7 that each person is given at least one gift. The main emphasis in vs. 11 comes in the words “as he will.” That is “he gives them to each one, just as he determines.” The Contemporary English Version reads “But it is the Spirit who does all this and decides which gifts to give to each of us.” We don’t choose what gifts we want; we seek to discover which gifts God has chosen to give us. This is His work, and He apportions individual gifts according to His will and purpose.
In vs. 4-6 Paul stressed the oneness of the churchy. In vs. 7-11 he wrote of the variety of spiritual gifts in the church. Vs. 12 brings together both the oneness and the diversity. Paul focused attention on the body as a whole, recognizing that “The body is one, and hath many members.” And “The members of that body being many, are one body.” When we are emphasizing the unity and oneness of the church, we must remember the many parts. Likewise, when we focus on the diverse parts, we must remember they are parts of one body, the body of Christ.
Vs. 13 emphasizes the oneness of the church but in terms of Christians experience of the one Spirit. “By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body.” Paul was not focusing on water baptism but on Spirit baptism. The same point is made by the words “have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” Paul was describing our experience with the Spirit in two ways, but his point is the same. We cannot experience the same spirit without being related to others who also have experienced Him.
Paul’s message is clear. If you truly belong to Christ you belong to His people. Your personal relationship with Christ cannot remain private. You are part of His body, the church, whether you like it or not. Every Christian is inescapably and organically a member of it. Only by disobeying the Lord can a Christian refuse involvement with other believers in a local church. As Christians, we are to be committed both to Christ and to our local churches. We are to use our Spiritual Gift to extend the ministry of the church.
This oneness and belonging to the Lord takes precedence over the usual things that separate people. In normal society Jews and Gentiles went their separate ways. Each group often harbored negative feelings toward the other group. Yet believers from both groups experienced the same Spirit and thus were spiritually members of a more important group than their ethnic identity. First-century society drew sharp distinctions between slaves and free people: yet in the one Spirit their spiritual oneness made no distinction between bond and free. The squabbling Corinthians especially needed this call to oneness. Nearly everything became a subject of controversy among them. Their diversity became divisive. They argued about everything from loyalty to leaders to meat sacrificed to idols. Spiritual Gifts had become another battlefield for them.
In these next verses, continuing the analogy of the human body, no one member or kind of a member, is the whole body. Just as each is essential for the human body, so each of the diverse members of the church is essential for the body of Christ.
5. PLEASE READ 1 CORINTHIANS 12: 14-18.
In vs. 12 Paul had said that, “the body is one, and hath many members.” Now, in vs. 14 he reversed the figure to say that, “the body is not one member, but many members.” But a body is not many members piled up or scattered about with no organization. For these parts to comprise a body they must be brought together in orderly arrangement. Paul was laying the groundwork for a spiritual application, which provided the key for the entire problem of church life locally and generally.
Paul’s central point in vs. 14 is that as the human body needs every part, so the church needs each member. None of us is everything but each one of us is something. The good of the whole requires that each member be effective and functioning. We should not try to force everyone to confirm to our standard. Rather we should recognize our diversities and then find unity in the divine purpose, which is greater than all of us. Each should find his place of service.
Having emphasized the unity of the church, Paul again stressed its diversity. He probably had in mind those in the church who thought of them selves as the church but had little room for members who were different from them in some way. In chapters 12-14 they were the ones who considered their spiritual gifts to be superior to others’ gifts. Vs. 14 states clearly that the body is not one member but many.
In vs. 15-16 Paul described an imaginary conversation between parts of the human body. His talking foot and talking ear are humorous, but they make a serious point. Clearly the foot and the hand are equally necessary. Suppose, however, Mr. Foot is jealous of Mr. Hand. “I want to be a hand,” says Mr. foot. {Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body.”) This is ridiculous. Mr. Foot cannot opt out. He cannot cease to be part of the body because he is a foot. How horrible if someone were to cut off a foot because he wanted a hand there instead! Similarly Mrs. Ear should not be envious of Mrs. Eye. “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body.”
In vs. 17 Paul attempted to correct the problem at Corinth by stressing the importance of all members with their respective functions. He asked the rhetorical questions. The way he framed these questions makes us aware of the answers. Just suppose the whole body were an eye. How could the body have the sense of hearing? It could not! Suppose the whole body were an ear. Could that ear sniff like a nose? No! The body without the sense of smell has lost a vital function. The spiritual point is clear. The local church operates properly only when each member fills the role God has given him or her.
God the Creator designed the human body with amazing and intricate detail. Paul noted God’s special care in planning the parts in the body. They are a He desired. The analogy carries over into the church. God has arranged for different Christians in the body of Christ to exercise various roles and gifts. Each member of the local church is, as God wants him or her to be. If we could ever convince individual Christians that they do indeed have the enabling power of the H.S. indwelling their lives it would transform our churches.
Just as God designed all the diverse parts of the human body to perform essential functions for the body, so He has given different kinds of people with diverse gifts to make up the body of Christ. Each is part of God’s designed plan for the church. God has a task for you that no one else can do. The body is crippled without all its members doing their part. We should each glorify Christ with our bodies and our spiritual gifts. Remember, the Holy Spirit is sovereign in giving gifts. He chooses for us.
Each of us should recognize our gift or gifts and determine where we can best serve in the church body. You received your spiritual gift when you were saved. God then placed you in His church (the body of Christ) where He would have you serve.
God has a unified purpose for His church and all members are needed. For a Christian to choose not to be involved in a local church is to reject God’s design for the believer and for the church. You are not in your church by accident. God placed you there for a purpose. God has no first and second-class citizens in His Kingdom. We are all of equal value if we are yielded to his will for our lives.
6. PLEASE READ 1 CORINTHIANS 12: 19-22.
Vs. 19 is another rhetorical question for which the answer is evident. If every member were one part, “Where would the body be?” The answer: A body would not exist. A church with only preachers would be like an army with all generals or a car with only a steering wheel. Each member is responsible for the role God has planned. Not to fill that role is to reject God’s sovereignty in arranging the members of Christ’s body.
Elton Trueblood wrote: “Perhaps the greatest single weakness of the contemporary Christian Church is that millions of supposed members are not really involved at all, and, what is worse, do not think it strange that they are not.”
In vs. 14-20 Paul taught that every local church needs each member’s contribution. The church it not entirely healthy and complete without each member’s contribution, even as the human body does not function well without each part’s contribution. If the whole needs the part, that each part needs each other part is equally true.
The very thought of body parts that think they can function independently from the rest of the body is ridiculous. Yet individual believers sometimes think they can declare their independence from the church. They claim to worship and serve God in the privacy of their own homes, via television, or by communing with nature. Indeed, a person may worship in isolation, on retreat from the cares and distractions of the crowd. The kind of ministry to which Jesus called His disciples however, requires being in touch with people who have needs---sharing good news, making disciples, baptizing and teaching. Such things can be done only in relationship with others.
Similarly, Jesus asserted in Matt. 22:34-40 that the highest good, the essence of the law of God is to love God and to love others. He also taught His disciples in John 13:34-35 that the mark of genuine Christianity is the love that believers have for one another.
Paul already had implied that no part of the body should think of itself as unimportant, and similarly no individual should think that participating with the body as a whole is unimportant. His point centers not on the relative merit of a hand or eye but on the arrogant disdain that one might have for the other.
Lest someone miss the specific points he wanted to make with the body analogy, Paul abandoned the analogy and in vs. 25-26 expressed himself more directly.
First, there should be no division in the body. A healthy body has diversity, but diversity never is an excuse for divisive behavior. Since all in the body serve the same Lord, their diversity should enable them to cooperate and accomplish things as a group that none of them could do alone. Members should collaborate rather than compete and focus on building bridges rather than barriers.
Second, members of the body should have equal concern for each other. Believers who are “concerned for” or “who care” for others act constructively. They do not tear down one another and thus damage the Lord’s church. They reflect the Father’s own care. When members seek the best of others, they seek the best for Christ’s church.
Third, the parts of the body and the body as a whole share the same fate. When one suffers, the whole suffers. When one is honored, the whole body rejoices. We cannot cause pain to one part of the church without doing damage to the whole. Members who are not involved in their congregations should realize they are hurting themselves and their churches. We are the body of Christ and each one of us is a part of it.
NEXT SUNDAY WE BEGING A 4 LESSON SERIES CALLED “That’s Encouraging” The first lesson is “Encouraged by Enduring Love.” A.V. DAUGHERTY SS06-27-04
altav@swbell.net web page—www.theweeks.org/av/