"Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But each one is given the manifestations of the Spirit for the common good!" (Corinthians 12:4-7, NASB)
In the last four chapters of I Corinthians (chapters 8-11), the apostle Paul has been addressing various issues raised by, or "problems" otherwise observed concerning, the Corinthian believers, including the question about "eating meat that was offered to idols"! Paul took the opportunity (in chapter 8) to forbid the believers from participating in pagan feasts and eating the meat offered to idols if doing so might cause a weaker brother to stumble! "Limit your liberty out of love," was the principle he offered! In chapter 9, he used the analogy of an Olympic athlete to encourage them to "run the race set before them to win...exercising self-control and disciplining their bodies"! In chapter 10, he instructed them "not to grumble and try the Lord, as some of them did and were destroyed" (referring to the time of Moses and the children of Israel in their wilderness journey)! Then to "flee idolatry," and to "drink the cup of blessing and not the cup of demons"! Then leading off chapter 11 with the challenge for them to "be imitators of him, as he was of Christ!" Then, charging women not to be influenced by the "feminist movement" of their day (as many are in our day!), by questioning their origin as women and therefore their calling, and duty, to function under the authority of their husbands! But recognizing God's "divine order," established in the beginning, that "Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ"! A God-given principle of male authority and female subordination (but not one of "inequality"!) for the purpose of order and complementation, and not on the basis of the innate superiority of male!
Then, in last week's lesson on I Corinthians 11:17-34, the apostle Paul wrote how he heard that not only were there divisions and factions among them, but also that they had turned their "coming together" for meals as a church body into "gluttonous, drunken revelries," and since it was connected with the partaking of the Lord's Supper, it had become a flagrant desecration of the holy ordinance! And so, he used the occasion to remind them of what the Lord's Supper is really all about and how it should be celebrated as a most sacred time of worship--and so, recited the beautiful words of Jesus, which he said "he received directly from the Lord" when He instituted the Lord's Supper! How "the bread represented His body which was given for them," and how "the cup was the new covenant in His blood," and how all believers needed to "eat the bread and drink the cup in remembrance of Him"! Noting that "as often as they would do this, they would be proclaiming the Lord's death until He comes"! Paul then gave a solemn warning that whoever does this in an "unworthy manner," (as some of them apparently were doing!), "shall be guilty of (or dishonoring!) the body and blood of Christ," and suffer serious consequences! And so, a man "must examine himself, and judge himself rightly" before he partakes, noting that "many of them are weak and sick, and a number sleep," because of their failure to judge themselves before partaking! (These words speak strongly to us!)
And so, all that set the scene for our lesson last night where the apostle Paul exposed yet another "impropriety" in the way the Corinthians were conducting themselves when "coming together' for worship! And this concerns their failure to fully understand the role of the Holy Spirit in the life and workings of the believer, and of the church! And specifically concerning how the Holy Spirit gives a variety of "spiritual gifts" to believers to be used--and not abused--in carrying out the ministry of the church!
And he begins by wanting to make them aware of the clear and important distinction between the spiritual gifts, and their effects, given by the Holy Spirit to believers and the mystical, ecstatic, emotional, frenzied, sensuous and bizarre effects that were experienced by those who worshipped the pagan gods of the false religions of Corinth! Many of the Corinthian believers had come out of that pagan culture and so after they had become believers were still not completely freed from these dramatic practices and so misunderstood and were confused about the true work of the Spirit of God as compared with the former pneumatic and ecstatic experiences of the pagan religions! MacArthur suggests perhaps misinterpreting the words of Joel 2:28-29, where the prophet Joel prophesied about a time coming when "God would pour out His Spirit and their sons and daughters would prophesy...old men would dream dreams, young men would see visions..." Constable suggests that "many of them had heard first-hand from Peter about the miraculous events of Pentecost, with the tongues of fire and speaking with other languages (in Acts 2), and were so determined to experience these same signs and wonders that they tried to manufacture them themselves"! He further suggests that "they were particularly attracted to the more dramatic gifts, like speaking in tongues, since they appealed to their emotions and reminded them of the exotic experiences and ecstasies they once experienced and gleefully practiced with the pagans"!
Paul wanted them to know how they could make that all-important distinction between truth and error, and so he writes, in verse 3, that "no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, 'Jesus is accursed' (as some of them may have said, or been tempted to say, under the demonic influence of pagans); and that "no one can say, 'Jesus is Lord,' except by the Holy Spirit"! "It's by virtue of what someone expresses verbally about Jesus that gives evidence of whether he (or she!) is under the control of the indwelling Spirit of God, or of a demonic spirit," Paul's was saying! And "whether what he (or she!) says is in harmony with the basic confession that Jesus Christ is Lord," Constable adds! And further noting that "confessing Jesus Christ as Lord has always been understood as confessing Jesus as God! And that "Lord" implies sovereign authority, and rulership"! MacArthur writes that "the Lordship, deity, and sovereignty of Jesus Christ is central to true faith, and that such affirmation is the work of the Holy Spirit"! (Maybe that's why some people put bumper stickers on their cars and otherwise proclaim that "Jesus Christ is Lord," or simply, "He is Lord!")
But just what "spiritual gifts"? MacArthur notes that they're "not just natural talents and abilities, which all people (believers and unbelievers alike) have, but are special capabilities bestowed on believers by the Holy Spirit to equip them to minister supernaturally to others...given by God at the time of their salvation... and the means through which believers are to grow, worship, witness, and serve"!
Walvoord writes that "spiritual gifts are capabilities that make it possible to do things far beyond one's natural abilities by the indwelling Holy Spirit! So that it's an expression of the power of the Spirit rather than of the individual!"
I like the way the Phillips translation translates verses 4-7: "Men have different gifts, but it is the same Spirit who gives them! There are different ways of serving God, but it is the same Lord who is served! God works through different men in different ways, but it is the same God who achieves His purposes through them all!"
MacArthur writes that "each gift which the Holy Spirit now gives to believers had its perfect expression in Jesus' own life and ministry. His church continues to live out His life on earth through the power of His Spirit working through His gifted people!"
The Bible Hub expresses how I Corinthians 12 "beautifully illustrates the unity in diversity within the body of Christ, underlying the importance of every believer and their unique contribution to the community. Regardless of the nature of our gifts, we are reminded, it says, that we all have a place and a purpose within the body! We're interdependent, and it's through our collective efforts, each performing his God-given role, that we manifest the love and power of Christ in our communities. Using the metaphor of a body with many parts, it emphasizes the interdependence of believers, highlighting that every gift no matter how great or small, contributes to the functioning of the whole body--the church!"
The apostle Paul specifically lists and describes some of the gifts in verses 7-11, but it's important to realize that this passage doesn't include the complete list! In fact, they are also listed variably, or referred to, in Roman 12:4-8, and in Ephesians 4:11-13, and in I Peter 4:10-11, as well as in I Corinthians 12:27-31 (which we'll get into in our lesson next week) and, most emphatically, in I Corinthians 13 where Paul describes "the greatest gift of all"!
MacArthur states, I believe correctly, and consistent with the teaching and constitution of our church, that the spiritual gifts can be divided basically into two categories: "permanent gifts," which are given to edify the church and which will continue to be given throughout the duration of the church age; and "temporary gifts," which were given as signs to authenticate the apostolic message and confirm the word of God until the Scriptures were written and completed, and became self-authenticating!
The permanent gifts which apply to us today include a combination of verbal and nonverbal gifts, listed in one or more of the passages listed above (which we read and alluded to last night). The verbal, or speaking gifts, include prophecy, knowledge, wisdom, teaching, and exhortation, while the nonverbal ones include leadership, helps, giving, mercy, faith, and discernment! And the greatest one of all: love!
The temporary "sign gifts"--which we believe were limited to the apostolic age and therefore ceased after that time--include healings, the effecting of miracles, tongues (or languages), and the interpretation of tongues!
Last night, however, we limited ourselves to dealing with the gifts listed and described in I Corinthians12:1-11!
Paul writes in verse 8 that "...to one is given the given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit..." MacArthur says that the 'word of wisdom' is the ability to understand God's word and His will, and to skillfully apply that understanding to life; while the 'word of knowledge' is the ability to understand and speak God's truth, with insights into the mysteries of the Word that cannot be known apart from God's revelation"! Constable adds that knowledge "majors in grasping the meaning of the truth; while wisdom emphasizes the practical conviction and conduct that applies it!"
Thank God for the gift of "faith"! Romans 10:17 says that "faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ!" Romans 5:1 says, "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ!" And Habakkuk 2:4 says, "But the righteous shall live by faith!" Jesus said to His disciples (in Matthew 17:20) that "if you have faith the size of a mustard seed...nothing will be impossible to you!" Wow!
MacArthur writes that faith "is exercised in persistent prayer and endurance in intercession, along with a strong trust in God in the midst of difficult circumstances;" and that those who have the gift of faith "have a special ability to lay claim to the promises of God!"
Well, what about the gifts of "healings," and the "effecting of miracles"? Again, we believe these were temporary gifts to authenticate Christ and the apostolic preachers of the gospel so people would believe, prior to having the Scripture! John 2:11 says that when Jesus "turned water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee," it was the beginning of "His earthly ministry, and of signs to manifest His glory! And that the apostles also performed miracles as confirming signs of the gospel message!
And it's important to realize that although Christians aren't specifically given the gift of healing today, God still heals and restores the sick, as James 5:15-16 says, "through prayer offered in faith" (there's the gift of faith at work again!)--and noting that "the prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much"!
And that brings us to the gift of "tongues," and the "interpretation of tongues" which Paul will say more about in lessons to follow but which basically involved speaking languages the speaker had not previously learned (to spread gospel)--not the "gibberish" that pagans spoke! And again, temporary signs and, we believe, not for today!
We'll deal with more signs in next week's lesson on verses 12-31 where Paul, interestingly, ends by referring to the greatest gift of all! The gift of love, and puts all other gifts in proper perspective by concluding that "if I have the tongues of men and of angels...and the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge...and (even) have all faith, so as to remove mountains...and (even) surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing!" Nothing! Wow!
We need discover and use the gift, or gifts, that God has graciously supplied to us!
But first, and foremost, to love God, and one another!
Lowell
In the last four chapters of I Corinthians (chapters 8-11), the apostle Paul has been addressing various issues raised by, or "problems" otherwise observed concerning, the Corinthian believers, including the question about "eating meat that was offered to idols"! Paul took the opportunity (in chapter 8) to forbid the believers from participating in pagan feasts and eating the meat offered to idols if doing so might cause a weaker brother to stumble! "Limit your liberty out of love," was the principle he offered! In chapter 9, he used the analogy of an Olympic athlete to encourage them to "run the race set before them to win...exercising self-control and disciplining their bodies"! In chapter 10, he instructed them "not to grumble and try the Lord, as some of them did and were destroyed" (referring to the time of Moses and the children of Israel in their wilderness journey)! Then to "flee idolatry," and to "drink the cup of blessing and not the cup of demons"! Then leading off chapter 11 with the challenge for them to "be imitators of him, as he was of Christ!" Then, charging women not to be influenced by the "feminist movement" of their day (as many are in our day!), by questioning their origin as women and therefore their calling, and duty, to function under the authority of their husbands! But recognizing God's "divine order," established in the beginning, that "Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ"! A God-given principle of male authority and female subordination (but not one of "inequality"!) for the purpose of order and complementation, and not on the basis of the innate superiority of male!
Then, in last week's lesson on I Corinthians 11:17-34, the apostle Paul wrote how he heard that not only were there divisions and factions among them, but also that they had turned their "coming together" for meals as a church body into "gluttonous, drunken revelries," and since it was connected with the partaking of the Lord's Supper, it had become a flagrant desecration of the holy ordinance! And so, he used the occasion to remind them of what the Lord's Supper is really all about and how it should be celebrated as a most sacred time of worship--and so, recited the beautiful words of Jesus, which he said "he received directly from the Lord" when He instituted the Lord's Supper! How "the bread represented His body which was given for them," and how "the cup was the new covenant in His blood," and how all believers needed to "eat the bread and drink the cup in remembrance of Him"! Noting that "as often as they would do this, they would be proclaiming the Lord's death until He comes"! Paul then gave a solemn warning that whoever does this in an "unworthy manner," (as some of them apparently were doing!), "shall be guilty of (or dishonoring!) the body and blood of Christ," and suffer serious consequences! And so, a man "must examine himself, and judge himself rightly" before he partakes, noting that "many of them are weak and sick, and a number sleep," because of their failure to judge themselves before partaking! (These words speak strongly to us!)
And so, all that set the scene for our lesson last night where the apostle Paul exposed yet another "impropriety" in the way the Corinthians were conducting themselves when "coming together' for worship! And this concerns their failure to fully understand the role of the Holy Spirit in the life and workings of the believer, and of the church! And specifically concerning how the Holy Spirit gives a variety of "spiritual gifts" to believers to be used--and not abused--in carrying out the ministry of the church!
And he begins by wanting to make them aware of the clear and important distinction between the spiritual gifts, and their effects, given by the Holy Spirit to believers and the mystical, ecstatic, emotional, frenzied, sensuous and bizarre effects that were experienced by those who worshipped the pagan gods of the false religions of Corinth! Many of the Corinthian believers had come out of that pagan culture and so after they had become believers were still not completely freed from these dramatic practices and so misunderstood and were confused about the true work of the Spirit of God as compared with the former pneumatic and ecstatic experiences of the pagan religions! MacArthur suggests perhaps misinterpreting the words of Joel 2:28-29, where the prophet Joel prophesied about a time coming when "God would pour out His Spirit and their sons and daughters would prophesy...old men would dream dreams, young men would see visions..." Constable suggests that "many of them had heard first-hand from Peter about the miraculous events of Pentecost, with the tongues of fire and speaking with other languages (in Acts 2), and were so determined to experience these same signs and wonders that they tried to manufacture them themselves"! He further suggests that "they were particularly attracted to the more dramatic gifts, like speaking in tongues, since they appealed to their emotions and reminded them of the exotic experiences and ecstasies they once experienced and gleefully practiced with the pagans"!
Paul wanted them to know how they could make that all-important distinction between truth and error, and so he writes, in verse 3, that "no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, 'Jesus is accursed' (as some of them may have said, or been tempted to say, under the demonic influence of pagans); and that "no one can say, 'Jesus is Lord,' except by the Holy Spirit"! "It's by virtue of what someone expresses verbally about Jesus that gives evidence of whether he (or she!) is under the control of the indwelling Spirit of God, or of a demonic spirit," Paul's was saying! And "whether what he (or she!) says is in harmony with the basic confession that Jesus Christ is Lord," Constable adds! And further noting that "confessing Jesus Christ as Lord has always been understood as confessing Jesus as God! And that "Lord" implies sovereign authority, and rulership"! MacArthur writes that "the Lordship, deity, and sovereignty of Jesus Christ is central to true faith, and that such affirmation is the work of the Holy Spirit"! (Maybe that's why some people put bumper stickers on their cars and otherwise proclaim that "Jesus Christ is Lord," or simply, "He is Lord!")
But just what "spiritual gifts"? MacArthur notes that they're "not just natural talents and abilities, which all people (believers and unbelievers alike) have, but are special capabilities bestowed on believers by the Holy Spirit to equip them to minister supernaturally to others...given by God at the time of their salvation... and the means through which believers are to grow, worship, witness, and serve"!
Walvoord writes that "spiritual gifts are capabilities that make it possible to do things far beyond one's natural abilities by the indwelling Holy Spirit! So that it's an expression of the power of the Spirit rather than of the individual!"
I like the way the Phillips translation translates verses 4-7: "Men have different gifts, but it is the same Spirit who gives them! There are different ways of serving God, but it is the same Lord who is served! God works through different men in different ways, but it is the same God who achieves His purposes through them all!"
MacArthur writes that "each gift which the Holy Spirit now gives to believers had its perfect expression in Jesus' own life and ministry. His church continues to live out His life on earth through the power of His Spirit working through His gifted people!"
The Bible Hub expresses how I Corinthians 12 "beautifully illustrates the unity in diversity within the body of Christ, underlying the importance of every believer and their unique contribution to the community. Regardless of the nature of our gifts, we are reminded, it says, that we all have a place and a purpose within the body! We're interdependent, and it's through our collective efforts, each performing his God-given role, that we manifest the love and power of Christ in our communities. Using the metaphor of a body with many parts, it emphasizes the interdependence of believers, highlighting that every gift no matter how great or small, contributes to the functioning of the whole body--the church!"
The apostle Paul specifically lists and describes some of the gifts in verses 7-11, but it's important to realize that this passage doesn't include the complete list! In fact, they are also listed variably, or referred to, in Roman 12:4-8, and in Ephesians 4:11-13, and in I Peter 4:10-11, as well as in I Corinthians 12:27-31 (which we'll get into in our lesson next week) and, most emphatically, in I Corinthians 13 where Paul describes "the greatest gift of all"!
MacArthur states, I believe correctly, and consistent with the teaching and constitution of our church, that the spiritual gifts can be divided basically into two categories: "permanent gifts," which are given to edify the church and which will continue to be given throughout the duration of the church age; and "temporary gifts," which were given as signs to authenticate the apostolic message and confirm the word of God until the Scriptures were written and completed, and became self-authenticating!
The permanent gifts which apply to us today include a combination of verbal and nonverbal gifts, listed in one or more of the passages listed above (which we read and alluded to last night). The verbal, or speaking gifts, include prophecy, knowledge, wisdom, teaching, and exhortation, while the nonverbal ones include leadership, helps, giving, mercy, faith, and discernment! And the greatest one of all: love!
The temporary "sign gifts"--which we believe were limited to the apostolic age and therefore ceased after that time--include healings, the effecting of miracles, tongues (or languages), and the interpretation of tongues!
Last night, however, we limited ourselves to dealing with the gifts listed and described in I Corinthians12:1-11!
Paul writes in verse 8 that "...to one is given the given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit..." MacArthur says that the 'word of wisdom' is the ability to understand God's word and His will, and to skillfully apply that understanding to life; while the 'word of knowledge' is the ability to understand and speak God's truth, with insights into the mysteries of the Word that cannot be known apart from God's revelation"! Constable adds that knowledge "majors in grasping the meaning of the truth; while wisdom emphasizes the practical conviction and conduct that applies it!"
Thank God for the gift of "faith"! Romans 10:17 says that "faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ!" Romans 5:1 says, "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ!" And Habakkuk 2:4 says, "But the righteous shall live by faith!" Jesus said to His disciples (in Matthew 17:20) that "if you have faith the size of a mustard seed...nothing will be impossible to you!" Wow!
MacArthur writes that faith "is exercised in persistent prayer and endurance in intercession, along with a strong trust in God in the midst of difficult circumstances;" and that those who have the gift of faith "have a special ability to lay claim to the promises of God!"
Well, what about the gifts of "healings," and the "effecting of miracles"? Again, we believe these were temporary gifts to authenticate Christ and the apostolic preachers of the gospel so people would believe, prior to having the Scripture! John 2:11 says that when Jesus "turned water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee," it was the beginning of "His earthly ministry, and of signs to manifest His glory! And that the apostles also performed miracles as confirming signs of the gospel message!
And it's important to realize that although Christians aren't specifically given the gift of healing today, God still heals and restores the sick, as James 5:15-16 says, "through prayer offered in faith" (there's the gift of faith at work again!)--and noting that "the prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much"!
And that brings us to the gift of "tongues," and the "interpretation of tongues" which Paul will say more about in lessons to follow but which basically involved speaking languages the speaker had not previously learned (to spread gospel)--not the "gibberish" that pagans spoke! And again, temporary signs and, we believe, not for today!
We'll deal with more signs in next week's lesson on verses 12-31 where Paul, interestingly, ends by referring to the greatest gift of all! The gift of love, and puts all other gifts in proper perspective by concluding that "if I have the tongues of men and of angels...and the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge...and (even) have all faith, so as to remove mountains...and (even) surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing!" Nothing! Wow!
We need discover and use the gift, or gifts, that God has graciously supplied to us!
But first, and foremost, to love God, and one another!
Lowell
RSS Feed