1 Corinthians 12
1 Now concerning spiritual {gifts,} brethren, I do not want you to be unaware.
2 You know that when you were pagans, {you were} led astray to the mute idols, however you were led.
3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed"; and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
We need to be aware of the existence of spiritual gifts and how to use them in the church.
The unbelievers do not have a living God that directs them and empowers them to build His kingdom, but we believers do.
Paul points out that the first thing to understand is that we need to be able to discern whether something that is being done in the church, or anywhere, is coming from God or from other sources. In that regard, he says that our God will never direct us to work against Him, or to destroy His true church. And no one can build His church without His direction and help.
To say this in another way, because of the value of spiritual gifts, Satan will create counterfeits. The mark of true spiritual gifts, those that come from the Holy Spirit, is that they will exalt Jesus as Lord, and will never put Jesus down.
Spiritual gifts are spiritual in nature – that is, they edify the spirit. In other words, they will bring people closer to God, and make people more like Jesus.
They are gifts in the sense that they can’t be bought with money or any other thing.
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord.
6 There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all {persons.}
All spiritual gifts come from the Holy Spirit, and their use is governed by the Holy Spirit.
7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
The reason that we are given these gifts is to build the church, not to exalt ourselves.
8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit;
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
10 and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another {various} kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.
Here, Paul lists some of the gifts.
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.
The Holy Spirit distributes these gifts as He pleases. If you want a specific gift you can ask Him for it, and He may or may not give it to you.
12 For even as the body is one and {yet} has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
14 For the body is not one member, but many.
The human body is a good picture of how spiritual gifts are to operate in the church. Just as many parts form the human body, so also, many gifts are available to build the church.
15 If the foot says, "Because I am not a hand, I am not {a part} of the body," it is not for this reason any the less {a part} of the body.
16 And if the ear says, "Because I am not an eye, I am not {a part} of the body," it is not for this reason any the less {a part} of the body.
No gift is more important.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?
18 But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.
19 If they were all one member, where would the body be?
20 But now there are many members, but one body.
21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; or again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."
No gift is less important.
22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary;
23 and those {members} of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable,
24 whereas our more presentable members have no need {of it.} But God has {so} composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that {member} which lacked,
25 so that there may be no division in the body, but {that} the members may have the same care for one another.
Some gifts have more prominence. For example, the prophet and teacher get a lot of visibility, whereas the help and administrators do not.
To prevent division, the church needs to make it a point to bring to prominence those who don’t have visibility.
26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if {one} member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
The members of the local church are tied with each other quite strongly, and what happens to one affects all the others.
27 Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it.
The church is defined as the body of Christ. Christ is our head, and we do what He wants.
28 And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, {various} kinds of tongues.
29 All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not {workers of} miracles, are they?
30 All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?
The gifts derive value from how many people they bless spiritually.
Apostles are most valuable because they start up a church where there was no church before. Prophets are next because they guide the church by letting the church know what God thinks of them and what He wants them to focus on.
Those that provide spiritual benefit are more valuable than those that provide non-spiritual benefit. For example, the prophet is more valuable than the administrator.
Nevertheless, the administrator is essential, and cannot be ignored or minimized.
Skills, like administration, are seen even in unbelievers, and can be used for non-spiritual benefit. When the skill is directed by the Holy Spirit then it becomes a spiritual gift.
31 But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way.
We can seek for the more valuable gifts. In fact, we are asked to earnestly desire them.
Every believer can receive spiritual gifts. The only requirement is a sincere desire to build God’s kingdom by the power of the Spirit and for the glory of God.
It is important for each believer to identify his gift, to develop his gift, and to use it effectively for the kingdom of God. It takes time and effort to attain mastery. God will evaluate us based on the potential He has put in us.
Whatever gifts we may have, unless we use them along with a key ingredient, we operate ineffectively. That key ingredient is love, about which Paul talks about next.
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