1 Cor. 12 The Gifts of the Spirit

Spiritual Gifts

Already, at the beginning of his letter, Paul has expressed his pleasure that God has so richly endowed this local church with persons having spiritual gifts (1:4-7). In other ways as well, he has indicated earlier in this letter his eventual intention to develop that subject. Now he does so. Can gifts from God be a source of trouble in the Church? Perhaps not the gifts themselves, but how they are used. Paul's major emphasis in this letter, as indeed in all his teaching, is that all coming together and interacting of believers—what Paul calls "fellowship" (Greek koinonia)—should produce mutual encouragement and spiritual growth. For this, which he subsumes under the single word "love" (Greek agapē), Paul will devote many words in chapter 13. This is "the most excellent way" (12:31).

1 Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

In the pagan world phenomena not unlike the more sensational gifts of the Holy Spirit—prophecy and speaking divine thoughts in unintelligible language—existed. And each manifestation was attributed to a particular god or goddess, usually Apollo of Delphi. Because of these believers' earlier association with pagan worship, which often involved such "messages from the gods," Paul wishes to impress upon them that it is not a trivial matter whether or not such "messages" received in Christian gatherings honored Jesus and conformed to both OT Scripture and the authentic traditions of what Jesus taught and did. It is impossible to claim that the Holy Spirit inspired one to curse Jesus.

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

Lest the new and relatively untaught believers in Corinth imagine that different manifestations in their midst had different sources, Paul makes it clear that one God, the God of Jesus, "works all of them in all men." Paul will return to this thought, as it implies that persons having a particularly sensational gift should not consider what they do superior to what humbler and less conspicuous believers do with their gifts.

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

What are the gifts of the Spirit? Paul lists several here:

1. message of wisdom,
2. message of knowledge,
3. faith,
4. gifts of healing,
5. miraculous powers,
6. prophecy,
7. distinguishing between spirits,
8. speaking in exotic languages,
9. interpretation of those languages

This list is not intended to be exhaustive. Elsewhere in his letters Paul includes others that are very practical, like "helps" and "hospitality." The ones he lists here probably were ones that the Corinthian assembly claimed to have. This list can be compressed into three categories of gifts: (1) speech in the gatherings that is inspired or prompted by the Holy Spirit (1, 2, 6, and 8) together with the supernatural ability to evaluate and "interpret" these utterances (7 and 9); (2) ability to perform miracles (3, 4, and 5), including healing—Paul's use of the plural "gifts" implies different kinds of healings—and probably exorcisms are to be included in either 3 or 5, as Paul himself exorcised demons in both Asia Minor (Ephesus) and Greece (Philippi). Prophecy (6), as we sometimes see it exercised in the Book of Acts, could be predictive and therefore of "one time" usefulness, or didactic—in which case others in the assembly (taught in the Scriptures) had to be able to evaluate the teaching (7)—or exhortative (words of encouragement and challenge). The gift of prophecy in the NT should not be confused with the giving of new revelations such as Paul received from the ascended Jesus.

12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

These words of Paul would, of course, be true and relevant, no matter what subject he was addressing. But remember that here the immediate context is the exercise of the spiritual gifts that the Corinthian believers had—or thought they had.

If there are two themes that best characterize the unique message of Paul, they are (1) that the total number of believers in Jesus throughout the world are one mystical body of which Christ is the Head, so that each believer is "in Christ," and (2) the Triune God (Father, Son and Spirit) indwells every believer. Much of the rest of Paul's teaching can be derived from these two premises.

21The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

If each believer is part of the Body of Christ, Paul reasons, then they are like the various "members" of the human body, some more conspicuous and seemingly more important, others hidden by clothing and thought to be less valued. Yet no human body can function unless all members are well, healthy and working together. The lesson is that all believers must value each other and each other's efforts to serve Christ within the local congregation. There can be no pride or discrimination. And no boasting.

27Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31But eagerly desire the greater gifts.
And now I will show you the most excellent way

It would appear at first glance from these verses that some members and their gifts were in fact more important than others ("first… second … third… then"). But only in the sense of a working and efficient allotment of responsibility. I say that, because I agree with many NT scholars who believe that Paul uses the word "apostles" (Greek apostoloi) here in the sense of "missionaries," not in the sense of The Twelve, whose leadership position is made clear in the opening chapters of Acts. If this is so, then it is entirely possible that all of these mentioned gifted persons functioned in Corinth: Paul, Priscilla and Aquila, Apollos, and Paul's associates, were all missionary "apostles." Local persons as well as visitors could temporarily function as "prophets" (see my remarks above). Paul's rhetorical question "Do all …?" is intended to stress the fact that these abilities are allotted by God to various members, and that no one person, having them all, is self-sufficient and needs no one else.

All of what he has said now leads up to the conclusion that we believers need each other, just as we need God Himself. Christian growth can, of course, emerge from solitary study and prayer. But the normal way is by interaction with other believers, by "church", if you will. And since, as Paul reminded these people in chapter 11, "coming together" can be not for the better but "for the worse," we need to prepare ourselves spiritually by private prayer before we go to Christian meetings, asking God to purge our minds of selfish ambition and an unloving attitude, so that our "coming together" will be for the best!

ⓒ2008 Harry Hoffner