Unit: 1 Corinthians (Part 2)
Theme: The Powerful Church
Lesson Text: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, 27-31
Supplemental Texts: Romans 12:3-16; Ephesians 4:7-13
Aim: Use whatever abilities and opportunities you have to serve the Lord and his kingdom, building up the body of Christ.
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By Mark Scott
Every Christian is a charismatic. But that does not mean that every Christian speaks in tongues. That does not mean that every Christian displays outward evidence of miraculous signs or gifts. And that does not mean that every Christian is a member of a certain denomination. Instead, it means that every Christian has received grace (charis) and therefore has been given gifts (or charisma) from the Holy Spirit to be used in ministry in the body of Christ.
First, consider the context of this letter, 1 Corinthians. Paul was addressing issues about which the Corinthians had written (7:1). He addressed issues related to marriage, singleness, and calling (chapter 7). He addressed issues about eating meat offered to idols and handling Christian freedoms (chapters 8–10). He addressed issues about gender in worship and how to rightly participate in the Lord’s Supper (chapter 11). In chapters 12–14 Paul addressed the subject of “spiritual things.” The Greek text just says “spiritual.” Translators have to supply a noun following “spiritual.” In light of the context and the argument, it is best understood as “spiritual gifts.”
Now, some context about the Corinthian people. As Richard Oster shared in his College Press commentary on 1 Corinthians, any effort to read pro- or anti-Pentecostal thinking back into these chapters would cause one to misread the text. Clearly these chapters were corrective to wrongheaded practices going on in the church of that time. But the background is different from what we see in “charismatic” churches today. The background then was the pagan influences of Delphi (north of Corinth). Prophetic oracles and ecstatic utterances were not uncommon in southern Greece in Paul’s day.
Spiritual Gifts Were Products of the Triune God
1 Corinthians 12:1-3
In Greek paganism, it was believed different gods gave different gifts. Therefore, to have a full quiver of gifts one needed to pander to different gods. Paul called that uninformed. He acknowledged that in their former “pagan” state they were led astray to mute idols. In contrast to the God of Scripture who spoke clearly, the pagan idols were mute (unable to give voice).
All three members of the Triune God are mentioned in this passage, which has caused some scholars to suggest that there is some kind of Triune formula that Paul might be quoting. Whether Paul was quoting or creating matters little. Paul asserted that the Triune God was the originator of spiritual gifts. They are united—unlike the pagan gods and idols. The Holy Spirit would never say through someone that, “Jesus be cursed.” Rather Jesus’ lordship would be affirmed by the Holy Spirit speaking through a believer. Theological solidarity exists with regard to spiritual gifts.
Spiritual Gifts Were Given for Ministry
1 Corinthians 12:4-6
In contrast to how the Corinthians were using their spiritual gifts (i.e., some were using their gifts with great superiority and pride), Paul reminded the church that ministry was God’s real goal in giving spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts were for service, not for show.
Gifts differ in nature and kind. Service for God can be accomplished in a plethora of ways. Workings of the Spirit are as varied as the colors in the rainbow. But the Lord is the giver and the “first cause” of all of them. These verses indicate that not all spiritual gifts are listed in the verses that follow. Not only do other passages list other gifts (Romans 12:3-8; Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Peter 4:10-11), but the ones mentioned in this chapter show that these were the talking points in Corinth (i.e., these gifts were the ones around which controversy swirled).
Spiritual Gifts Were Distributed for the Common Good
1 Corinthians 12:7-11, 27-31
God is the giver of the gifts, ministry is the purpose of the gifts, and edification is the goal of the gifts. Each believer was given a gift (or gifts) for the common good so that the church can be built up. A good parallel text for verse 7 is Ephesians 4:7—they are almost identical.
Paul listed nine gifts in verses 8-10 and then listed eight gifts in verse 28. Some gifts are actually leaders (apostles, prophets, and teachers), some gifts seem miraculous, and some gifts seem rather plain (e.g., helping, which means something along the lines of remuneration). Paul insisted, by how he asked the questions, that all Christians do not have the same gifts (and therefore believers should not be made to feel inferior) and that these gifts should be used to help the church. Certain gifts seem best used in certain settings, but all gifts must be used in love.
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