Sunday, October 16, 2011
pm
STUDIES IN 1 CORINTHIANS
(39)
Varieties of Gifts, but the Same Spirit
1 Cor. 12:4-11
Tonight we continue our study of 1 Corinthians.
We have begun an examination of the subject of spiritual gifts as
it affected the church at Corinth.
As with most of this letter, we don’t have to read very far into
this text before we know that there was a problem with unity concerning
this issue. The brethren
were jealous of the gifts others possessed and arrogant with the gifts
they received. Paul seeks to
bring them together so that the gifts they were blessed with would build
up the church (as they were intended to do) instead of tear it down.
In
our last lesson we talked about what spiritual gifts were.
We noted they were gifts provided by the Holy Spirit which in
some way provided a miraculous (supernatural) ability.
This ability would in some way further the gospel and the church.
The word “gifts” was associated with the Greek word for grace.
We noted that such gifts do not exist today (miracles have
accomplished their purpose and are no longer needed), HOWEVER we all do
possess “gifts” from God (i.e. abilities – cf. Rom. 12:4-8, 1 Pet.
4:10-11). As such, the
underlying principles are as applicable today as they were back then –
namely the need to use our abilities with humility and for the good of
others.
Furthermore, in examining the first 3 verses, we noted that Paul
addressed false teachers with the implication that with our “gifts” we
can expose them. In the case
of the 1st century, the various special gifts of the Holy
Spirit would help discern between those true and those false.
Today, we can “test the Spirits” (1 John 4:1) using the Word of
God, “once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3) and described as
“the perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25).
In its completed form it gives us all that we need (2 Pet. 1:3).
That is why we don’t need the specific gifts Paul describes in
the text we will be studying today. (More on this in a future lesson,
e.g. 1 Cor. 13:8-12)
In
our lesson today we want to talk a little more about the specific gifts
the brethren in Corinth possessed.
We will notice some things about these gifts mentioned in the
text AND we will briefly identify the various gifts that are mentioned.
a.
It is interesting that
all 3 persons of the Godhead are mentioned here – noting they are
working together in the distribution of these gifts.
i.
Paul emphasizes their
unity – the “same Spirit”, the “same Lord” and the “same God”.
ii.
God consists of three
persons as identified in many texts –
All were present at creation – Gen. 1:1-2, John 1:1-3
cf. Matt. 3:16-17, 28:19, John 14:16-17 – Jesus promised to pray to the
Father who would send another helper, the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 4:4-6 speaking of unity, all three are mentioned
Heb. 2:3-4, “How shall we escape if we neglect…”
b.
The gifts are described
as:
i.
Varieties of gifts – 4 –
the word from which our word “grace” is derived.
It describes the WHAT is
received from the Spirit.
ii.
Varieties of ministries
– 5, a word associated with serving others.
The ways gifts were used varied (they were used in different
types of circumstances). And
they were used to minister to others.
And regardless of the circumstance, the goal was the same – to
reveal God and His word.
They were NEVER to be used for personal gain.
Always designed to help others – either building them up IN the
faith or converting them TO the faith.
That is why Jesus could not turn stones into bread when He was
hungry (Matt. 4:3-4) and why Paul could not remove his own thorn in the
flesh (2 Cor. 12:7-10)
This was attributed to the Lord
iii.
Varieties of effects –
6, a word that means energy. It describes the RESULT or effect of these
miracles. The purpose of the
gift was accomplished.
Whether prophecy, or healings or tongue speaking, it was done.
It is worthy of note that intended effect could change the one
for whom the gift was needed.
My point is that the right gift was offered at the right time in
to the right audience to maximize the intended purpose.
c.
The SAME Spirit
administers all these gifts.
There was a unity in the efforts of the Godhead and the various types of
gifts. TOGETHER these gifts
would accomplish the single purpose of magnifying God and His church.
Among those administering the gifts (i.e. the Corinthians) there
was NO room for dissention or competition.
IT defeated God’s intent with these spiritual gifts.
d.
He distributes them as
He wills (11). More on this
in a little while.
II.
The Various Gifts Given
(7-10)
a.
Each of these, in some way,
furthered the cause of the gospel.
Bear in mind, at the time of Paul writing this epistle, the
message had been delivered orally, but the written form was yet to be
completed. Furthermore, even
those letters that had been written were taking time to be circulated.
Therefore, there was a need for various “spiritual gifts”
directly from the Holy Spirit within a congregation to help them fully
understand God’s precepts.
The gifts mentioned here all were instrumental in confirming that which
came from God AND distinguishing it from false teachings.
It is likely that ALL of these gifts were possessed by the church
at Corinth, though few, if any possessed every
ability (save the apostles).
b.
NOTE: As we examine each
of these gifts individually there is not total agreement as to what each
one involved. The reason for
this is that we were not there when they were distributed and we did not
witness them. What we HAVE
“witnessed” is the completed product – God’s word and we can take
consolation in knowing that in these various gifts, whatever God
intended was accomplished.
Also, there is no indication this list is exhaustive.
There may have been other gifts, but the ones mentioned are
sufficient for Paul to make his point – ONE Spirit distributes them all
for ONE purpose!
c.
The word of wisdom – the power to reveal principles of thought and behavior.
Some refer to this gift as the complete message of the gospel
itself. This would certainly
be needed both to teach babes and to build up the body.
Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 demonstrates this.
Such a gift would help brethren learn how to discern and apply the
message they had received.
Perhaps an example of this is Acts 15:15-20 where James makes
application and conclusion based upon what had been revealed.
d.
Knowledge
– possibly knowing the facts of the gospel OR it could be special
knowledge in dealing with specific subjects.
This ability could also help to reveal “mysteries” that needed to
be clarified (cf. Eph. 3:3-6)
NOTE: Depending on who you consult these first two “gifts” are often
exchanged with one another.
BOTH accomplished the teaching of God’s word.
e.
Faith
– obviously this would not be saving faith, but the faith necessary to
perform miracles. Remember
how Jesus told His disciples in Matt. 17:20 that with a little amount of
faith they could move mountains.
1 Cor. 13:2 mentions this faith as well.
f.
Healings –
obviously the power to heal illnesses and diseases miraculously.
Such would increase the faith of brethren and it was also useful
in verifying to those around that God’s message was with this people.
g.
Miracles –
healings are a type of miracle, but there were other miracles which
equally demonstrated the power of God within those who possessed them.
Jesus often did supernatural things such as walking on water,
changing water to wine, feeding a huge multitude with insufficient food,
etc.
Perhaps some of these brethren had abilities in these areas which could
convince those outside of the truth or further the gospel of Christ.
Elymas is an example of this – AC. 13:8-12.
Divine judgments with miraculous
consequences – cf. Acts 5:1-11 – Ananias and Saphira were struck dead
for lying to the Holy Spirit; Casting
out demons was accomplished as needed.
And Paul even raised the dead – Acts 20:9-10 and so did Peter –
Acts 9:36-42 where he raised Dorcas (Tabitha) at Joppa.
h.
Prophecy
– when we use this word we often think of one telling of future events.
While such would be included, prophecy could also mean simply
revealing God’s word without error.
Remember, the simple definition of a prophet is a messenger of
God. He revealed God’s
divine word. Remember, the
early Christians didn’t have the completed word of God.
i.
Discerning spirits - how do we distinguish between the genuine and the false?
Some had the direct ability to see hearts and judge whether or
not one’s message was from God or from the devil.
1 John 4:1 tells us to test the Spirits.
Obviously this would be needed, especially in a place such as
Corinth where there was great division.
j.
Different kinds of tongues – the idea of tongues is not some supernatural language, but
simply a foreign language.
Such would be helpful when teaching the lost in foreign locations.
More on this in chapter 14.
k.
Interpretation of tongues – this is the other side of foreign languages.
How do you communicate with someone who speaks to you in a
foreign language? God
provided some with supernatural abilities to do this.
We will deal more with tongue
speaking in chapter 14, but worthy of note in this passage is the word
interpretation. It is
derived from a word that means to translate from one language to
another. That word is found
in John 1:42, 9:7, and Heb. 7:2, “…first begin by interpretation, king
of righteousness.”
l.
NOTICE Paul’s
point with each of these “gifts” – they were distributed by the same
Spirit. IT wasn’t different
spirits, but the One Holy Spirit and as He saw fit.
ALSO notice that apostles possessed many of the abilities from the Holy
Spirit, perhaps all of them.
III.
Vs. 11 – Distributed as
He wills.
a.
1 Cor 12:11, “But
one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one
individually as He wills.”
b.
What is Paul’s point in
this expression at the conclusion of this section?
i.
There is ONE Holy Spirit
(Eph. 4:4) who can distribute each of these gifts at His discretion.
ii.
Yet even though there
were a diversity of gifts, TOGETHER they helped accomplish the same
purpose – strengthening the body and enlarging its borders.
iii.
Note that man had no
choice in WHAT gifts he received.
Nor does he know which gift(s) will be beneficial for him.
But the Holy Spirit would know which gift was best for which
person.
iv.
Considering the
Corinthians and their competitive attitude, rather than furthering the
gospel, they were hindering it.
Paul will address this point more specifically when he speaks of
these gifts in the assembly of the church (and perhaps beyond) in
chapter 14.
v.
ALSO, remember again,
these gifts were NEVER used for selfish purposes.
They were always intended for others.
c.
Today, while we do not
possess these “gifts” in the same sense, whatever “gifts” we do have
come from God in the same way.
Not everyone can do the same thing, but together we are all
important. The LESSONS apply
to us – don’t be arrogant, work together, etc.
Many of these will be borne out in coming lessons (including our
next lesson on the body).
And
thus we can see that Paul has identified how this church was BLESSED
with various “gifts of the Holy Spirit.”
But they needed to use them properly and to help one another, not
to compete. Let us again be
reminded, whatever “gifts” we might enjoy from God, let us use them
together to further the cause of God and not ourselves.
Think about it.