SSL 7 - 1 Cor. 12:4-12, 21-26
Prayers & Announcements
Last Week: In 1 Cor. 11:17-29, we saw how Paul dealt with the Corinthian Church's improper observance of the Lord's Supper. The way they were observing it not only profaned what the Lord's Supper is intended to represent-a remembrance of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins and the belief that he will come again-but caused further divisions that humiliated the poorer members of the church. Application: There is nothing we do in the church that is more solemn and serious than observance of the Lord's Supper. This is so significant that anyone who fails to approach the Lord's Supper with an attitude of reverence toward Christ and a spirit of fellowship toward other believers in the body is actively inviting God's discipline.
This Week: In 1 Cor. 12:4-12, 21-26, Paul turns to the issue of spiritual gifts in response to questions in the letter he received from the leaders of the Corinthian church. Rather than celebrating one another's gifts, some Corinthian Christians had become prideful concerning certain gifts they considered to be more significant or extraordinary but at the same time, they were trivializing the more down-to-earth gifts of others. By displaying this attitude, they had turned spiritual gifts into yet another set of problems that caused divisions in the church.
Read 1 Cor. 12:4-6 - A Diversity of Gifts: A Unity of Spirit
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
Note-v. 3b: "...no on can say Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit" - Paul makes this statement before he moves into spiritual gifts to underscore the fact that anyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ has the Holy spirit in them, and with it, the assurance that all believers have received one or more gifts.
v. 4: "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;" - The Greek word for "gifts,"
charismaton, is related to the word grace (lit. undeserved favor of God) and is where we get the word "charisma." As used here, it specifically means that receiving a special ability or abilities through the Holy Spirit for the purpose of preparing a believer to serve God in some way. As Paul continues the discussion, he stresses that there are many types of gifts but only one Spirit of God who gives them. Paul is making the point that there is unity through diversity: while members of the body possess diverse gifts, they are all united in the same Spirit.
vv. 5-6: "and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone." - The Greek word for "service," diakonian, refers to a humble, unassuming type of service and is related our word "deacon." Paul uses the same word over and over when he describes himself as a servant of Christ. "Service" in the church can range from the commonplace (seeping the floor) to the exalted (serving the Lord's Supper), but we must be careful not to value one type over the other and must always keep in mind that each type is equally important in the economy of the kingdom of God-all done to serve the same Lord. "Activities" (workings) comes from the Greek word energematon, from which we derive the word energy. This is the "power" from God that makes the operation of the gifts and services happen and produce results that should be obvious.
Comment: In vv. 4-6 Paul places great emphasis on the point that, while there are many good gifts, it is the one God who gives them all-and gives them to everyone. All Christians are "spiritually gifted" in some way. Some, like Paul, may have many gifts; others may only have one or two. We must keep in mind that these spiritual gifts are that-gifts-that came to us by the grace of God rather than any personal achievement on our part. If we view our gifts with that perspective, it will give us a humble spirit, especially if it happens to be a gift that brings attention to us.
Read 1 Cor. 12:7-10 - Particular Gifts for the Common Good
7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
v. 7: "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" - The phrase "manifestation of the Spirit" means that every member of the body of Christ has received a gift that should be evident, but remember that a gift won't be noticeable unless the believer allows himself or herself to be led by the Holy Spirit. The Greek word for "common good" (pros to sympheron) literally means performing a service that benefit others, in this case the church or Christian community. The point of this verse is that all of these gifts are given by the Spirit for the purpose of benefiting the work of the church as a whole, not for the elevation and praise of the person exercising the gift.
v. 8: "For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit" - Greeks, like the Corinthians, greatly prized wisdom and knowledge with an almost religious intensity. But what Paul is referencing here is God's wisdom (vs. human wisdom) and knowledge, which on a practical level, is gifted to those who are responsible for making decisions and planning the work of the church.
v. 9: "to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit" - Faith is at the same time a distinct gift, but one that all Christians possess. It can be viewed as the "umbrella gift" under which the other gifts listed in vv. 8-10 are gathered. While other gifts typically have a specific application, true faith will reveal itself in some sort of action, and the possibilities are endless. The gift of healing accomplishes two things: (1) relieves the suffering of the person healed and (2) equips the church to witness the power of God in its midst. The gift of healing is rare. Paul and other apostles healed, and there is no reason to believe that this gift is still not alive today.
v. 10: "to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues" - The Greek word for "miracles" (dunamis) literally means deeds of power. In Scripture, a miracle is an event that cannot be explained by natural means and is normally an act by which God shows His power and purposes. Jesus' apostles worked miracles to authenticate their ministry, and if God wills it, they are still a valid gift of the Spirit today (i.e., this church property). Most people today think of prophecy as foretelling the future. In our context, "prophecy" is a communication of the mind of God revealed to a believer by the Holy Spirit. It can be a prediction or more often, simply an indication of the will of God in a given situation. "Distinguishing between spirits" means a person has a gift, a special type of discernment, to distinguish the true from the false. Since false prophecies can be inspired by evil spirits, the Holy Spirit can empower a believer to identify it. Jesus said in Mt. 7:16, "You will recognize them by their fruits." Since the Greek word for "tongues" (glȯssa) simply means languages, some understand this gift to denote the ability to speak unlearned languages as the apostles did on the day of Pentecost. The "interpretation of tongues" means that the unlearned language is understood by the people hearing it. You should also be aware that the term "tongues" can refer to heavenly languages (sometimes called unknown tongues), which is sometimes expressed as ecstatic languages of praise and prayer. We see this today in many charismatic/full Gospel churches. Is their professed use of this gift valid? I can't tell you-only God knows.
Comment: Nine gifts were listed in vv. 8-10; however, that list is not comprehensive, because there are other gifts. In Rom. 12:6-8, Paul also list gifts of ministry, teaching, exhorting, giving, leading, and compassion. In Eph. 4:11-12, he adds apostles, evangelists, and pastors. There is some overlap, but each list includes distinctive gifts, which suggests to us that the lists aren't definitive and there are probably other gifts not mentioned in these three lists (i.e., coaching-if you build it, they will come).
Read 1 Cor. 12:11-12 - One Body, Many Members
11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. 12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
v. 11: "All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he will" - Paul once again reiterates the emphasis on the "one Spirit" found in vv. 4-6 and 8-9, connecting with idea that the Spirit gives gifts to particular individuals according to the Spirit's will. The Spirit has a plan (one we can't fathom looking forward) for distributing spiritual gifts, and distributes them accordingly. This places importance on the Spirit's divine authority rather than on the individuals to whom the gifts are given. It's a big picture that we can only see in retrospect once the work of the Spirit is being accomplished.
v. 12: "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ" - The conjunction "For" connects this verse with vv.1-11. Corinthians would be familiar with using the words "body" and "members" as metaphors because they used it similarly with regard to idividuals in their relationship to the Greek state, like all of us as American citizens being members of the United States. In terms of the church, the members represent the great diversity of gifts imparted by the Spirit, and all of these members are unified in one body, the church (I would add both the church at large and the church in particular).
Read 1 Cor. 12:21-26 - Not One Member but Many
Note: We skip vv. 13-20, which is addressed mainly to those who feel their gifts are undervalued. In the Corinthian church, spectacular gifts like tongues were greatly admired while those with less noticeable gifts were deemed to be inferior. Beginning at v. 21, Paul addresses those who feel their gifts are somehow superior, giving them, in effect, a spiritual gift "superiority complex."
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
Synopsis vv. 21-25: In plain language, Paul is explaining that all church members need to remove any spiritual pride they have for the simple reason that we all need each other-no one is indispensible. As we have seen, pride (and arrogance) was a big factor in the overall problems faced by the Corinthian Church. Continuing the human body metaphor, Paul argues that every member of the body is necessary. And there are no exceptions to this-none. He goes on to say that those body parts that are deemed weaker, less honorable, or less presentable (he doesn't name them, but we can guess) are all critically important to the body as a whole. In this, Paul completely rejects and refutes the Corinthian criteria for evaluating which gifts were most praiseworthy. They had chosen the most visible or audible gift for completely selfish reasons. Since the purpose of gifts is to build-up the body of Christ, the only true criterion for the greatness of any gift would be its usefulness to the body of Christ.
v. 26: "If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together" - This is where Paul pulls the whole discourse together and nails it down. Take your own body, for instance: you would agree that when you're sick with a cold or the flu, it affects your entire body? Or how about a case of food poisoning-ever had that? The pride mentioned above works like a spiritual virus, so when one member of the church body suffers, the whole body-the church-is brought down by it. In the last phrase of this verse, "if a member is honored," Paul takes it a step further by explaining that we are so closely bound together as members of the same body, that we share the same feelings-what causes joy for one member imparts a happy feeling to the entire body. In truth, most of us are better at empathizing with those who are suffering than rejoicing with those who are honored. We should all try to be better at that-for the good of all. We should not only yearn for but celebrate the success of others. Final point: Our own measure/self-image for evaluating our own gift should not be recognition by other church members but our own faithfulness in employing our unique gift for the good of the church family itself.
APPLICATION:
1. There are many good spiritual gifts, but it is the one God who gives them all-and gives them to everyone. All Christians are "spiritually gifted" in some way, and we must understand that these spiritual gifts are exactly that-gifts-that came to us by the grace of God rather than any personal achievement on our part.
2. Never underestimate your importance to the body of Christ. No matter how down-to-earth your gifts may be, every member of the body is necessary. And there are no exceptions to this-none.
3. Never overestimate your importance to the body of Christ. All church members should get rid of any spiritual pride they have about their gifts for the simple reason that we all need each other-no one is indispensible. Since the purpose of gifts is to build-up the body of Christ, the only true criterion for the greatness of any gift would be its usefulness to the body of Christ.
4. If one member of the church suffers, all of us suffer together, and if one member is praised for his or her word, it should make all of us feel good. The pride mentioned above works like a spiritual virus, so when one member of the church body suffers, the whole body-the church-is brought down by it. In the same way, we are so closely bound together as members of the same body, that we share the same feelings-what causes joy for one member imparts a feel good experience to the entire church body.
