Results for "spiritual_gifts"
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1 Corinthians 12:20
20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
The apostle is about to hammer away at the reality of our spiritual family *again*, and this verse is a short breath. It seems like Paul has said enough, but we are thick-skinned, self-sufficient people. Not many of us live in conscious dependence upon others, and many relationships are built upon things other than our shared hope in Christ. So, again, he reminds us -- there is only one Body, even though there are believers with different interests, backgrounds, giftings, and personalities around the world and even within a local gathering of believers. Perhaps the most difficult reality is that there are believers all over the map in maturity. The mature are called to help and teach the weak; but how many 'mature' Christians have patience and love enough to bear with the wrong opinions, character flaws and inconsistencies of young Christians? The weak, if they are young in age or faith (or both), still have the same powerful Spirit and perhaps even powerful gifting that is for the Church. How many of these, especially those with great visible gifts, learn to be teachable and commit Paul's next chapter to heart (I Cor. 13)?
Bookmarked 14 days ago.
1 Corinthians 12:15-18
15If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.
15If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.
We all may go through times where our usefulness to the Master may seem pathetic compared to others, especially those who look very gifted. The truth is that God will judge us not by our gifting but by our faithfulness. The gifts are His alone; how we will use what we have is our responsibility (Matthew 25:14-30). Then it is no business of ours to declare that we have no place in the Church and in Christ's Kingdom. If we come to despair and are gripped by this lack of faith, we may end up as the man who buried his talent. We must hold a steady faith in God's goodness and the reward laid up for those who live for him, even if we sometimes believe that we do not have the ability or resources to follow Him. False humility leaves us at "I am nothing; I have nothing to offer God." But the meekness that comes from Christ says, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). God has arranged the Body in such a way that all may be weak in themselves but fully supplied and built up as we walk together in the Spirit and under the shadow of the Cross, using our gifts to encourage and bless one another through every test and trial.
Bookmarked 26 days ago.
1 Corinthians 12:10
10to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,Or languages; also in verse 28 and to still another the interpretation of tongues.Or languages; also in verse 28
10to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,Or languages; also in verse 28 and to still another the interpretation of tongues.Or languages; also in verse 28
If we wonder at the things God might do through us, we only have to look to the men and women of faith of the Bible. Moses was enabled by God to perform signs and wonders in order to confirm the blessings and judgment of God to both the Israelites and the Egyptians (Exodus 4). There are many other examples of miracles wrought through God's messengers as well (think Elijah, Elisha, etc). Prophesying was an important part of the vision and leading of Israel; (see the seventy elders of Moses in Numbers 11, or Deborah as judge and prophetess in Judges 4). Proverbs tells us that without prophetic vision people are discouraged or are led astray (see ch. 29). Peter gives us the standard for prophetic speaking -- "For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:16-21). As in all spiritual gifts, seeking to be 'carried along' by the Spirit or walking in step with the Spirit through humble communion with God will protect us from falling victim to fleshly desires and fallen mindsets. The false prophets spoke on their own, and we would not do well to fall prey to that prideful deception (Jeremiah 14:14, 23:16-21). Likewise, discernment of spirits is a gift that we must seek humbly and use for the building up of the church -- not to prove that we are somehow spiritual and have access to all of the knowledge of God. God gives varying gifts of discernment to protect the church from insidious, demon-inspired teaching and behavior, and He gives discernment ultimately to help the Church distinguish good from evil and love from lie (Hebrews 5:14, Philippians 1:9-11). Discernment is often paired with wisdom, but wisdom is distinguished as having to do with what is best, God-honoring, or righteous rather than what is of God versus what is of the devil. Tongues is another manifestation of the Spirit for the common good, as well as the interpretation of tongues -- and so they must be somehow included in church life and not only relegated to private devotion. In all of these things, we must both have the desire to be carried along by God as we speak or pray or decide for the Church's behalf; but we must humbly submit to the Spirit's empowerment and not think too highly of the gifts themselves and especially not of ourselves. The glory of God is our high goal, and the meekness that comes from the Spirit of Christ is to be our standard for true spirituality at all times.
Bookmarked 28 days ago.
1 Corinthians 12:11
11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
Paul both opened up and closed this thought with the unity of God and His faithfulness to watch over and provide for the Church. What a comfort, and a great encouragement for every believer! But before moving on to the big picture of the body of Christ, Paul makes sure to remind them that it is the Spirit within them all that is one Christ and one God. God is dwelling in the new hearts and lives of all those who were baptized into Christ Jesus, who have been crucified alongside Him in his death and raised with Him in His resurrection (Romans 6:1-14). All Christians are walking in the same plan of salvation -- even the apostle entrusted with the mystery of the Gospel hidden for ages (Ephesians 3:1-13). For "we all," Paul says, "with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image [of Christ]..." (see all of 2 Corinthians 3). The building up of the Church into the image of Christ (to the glory of God) is the purpose of the spiritual gifts, and this is the goal that we labor for together as one body of Christ blessed with one Spirit, one Lord, and one God who watches over and arranges all things for His purpose and our joy.
Bookmarked 28 days ago.
1 Corinthians 12:12
12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
What makes sense of Paul's teaching here is the truth that believers are spiritually united with Christ. Paul teaches that "...as many of you as were baptized into Christ have *put on* Christ." We are all wearing the same clothes after all, for "all are one in Christ." No distinction can be made because of race or class, or any external thing for that matter; the presence of Jesus in the heart marks every true Christian (Galatians 3:26-29). More so, we identify with only one 'body' that is maintained by the unifying power of the Holy Spirit. When Paul says that there is one body he isn't just speaking figuratively -- Christ is present among us and lives within us, and indeed is displayed through us as the Church. Christians have a deeper bond than blood relation, which is a truth that few of us really appreciate; we are all members of a new family and share citizenship in the Kingdom of God. Paul makes this clear in v.26 of this chapter: why else would the suffering of another Christian cause us to suffer? Do we suffer for the suffering of the countless martyrs of our day or for those who are going without food or clothes while we have plenty? We are perhaps too busy and concerned with things other than the well-being of the body of Christ. Open our eyes, LORD!
Bookmarked 5 months ago.
1 Corinthians 12:9
9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
We have all have received some measure of grace in Christ (Romans 12:3, Ephesians 4:7). Some teachers deny the more apparently supernatural gifts, perhaps out of fear for spiritual pride or out of ignorance -- and yet *all* spiritual gifts are granted to us through the working of God's power in the midst of our weakness. Some of us have received and are growing in extraordinary trust in the promises of God, resulting in greater boldness and many answered prayers. Some of us find great confidence and hope in God's desire to heal and save miraculously and have tasted the great power of His love in this way (see John 14:14, 1 John 5:14 for encouragement). However, both of the gifts in this verse hinge upon prayer and, therefore, upon a broken and humble spirit. See the healing prayer of Elijah (1 Kings 17:17-24) or the conquering faith of Gideon (Judges 6-8). These were not supermen, but humble servants called by God to seek His glory. Faith and healing are enabled by the Spirit for the good of the Church, and so one should try to grow in these specific gifts by praying not only for his or her own faith but also praying with others in hope that God would work wonders and miracles as we seek Him together. Ultimately, Paul doesn't teach that someone who is gifted with faith will see every prayer answered or that someone gifted with healing will have an inherent and inerrant ability to heal people. Jesus is still Lord of the church and the Holy Spirit directs the use of these gifts for God's glory. We must boast in Jesus Christ and seek to use our gifts so that others would boast in Him as well.
Bookmarked 5 months ago.
1 Corinthians 12:8
8To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
8To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
Wisdom and knowledge are paired elsewhere in Colossians 2:3, where Paul expresses his deep concern for the church at Colossae and Laodicea -- that they might reach a deeper knowledge of Christ and a fuller sense of assurance in regards to the salvation that is in Him. To understand Christ and to remain focused upon His person is to find oneself immersed and abiding in the one mediator between God and man who holds the treasures of all wisdom and knowledge of God the Father and the mysteries of His salvation. The gifts of knowledge (a Spirit-given depth of insight into all truth) and the utterance of wisdom (specific, Spirit-led instruction for life in accordance with sound doctrine) are gifts given freely by the sovereign Spirit. And yet those who seek to know Christ more fully and sacrifice their lives for the sake of knowing Jesus through study and meditation upon God's heart as laid out in the Scriptures will find their reward. These are perhaps the most important gifts that qualified leaders of the church must possess if they are to shepherd and teach the Church of God.
Bookmarked 6 months ago.
1 Corinthians 12:7
7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
When he says, 'to each is given', Paul has in mind here every single member of the Church of Christ -- that is, all those who share in the gift of the Holy Spirit through life-giving faith in the Savior. The underlying premise here is that the Spirit is not a power, but a Person. *He* is given to each member of the Church, and in the local churches the Spirit is the One whose presence assures growth, unity, true intercession, power and protection from all evil. And yet we must realize that God has made it so that all members of the local church work for that unity together -- the strong working with the weak, the wise with the foolish. The Corinthian church had seemed to consider the Spirit merely as a power wielded within a person's life measured by signs, miracles, or passionate corporate worship. Yet however anointed their corporate worship might have seemed, the church was under a spell of spiritual pride. The result was a gradation of members from the least apparently gifted to the most. Paul reminds them that the spiritual gifts are never an end, but are a means to building up the Church -- and the Spirit is not a power for our own glory but rather a Person given to us so that we may become like the One God who was manifested to us in the flesh in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Bookmarked 6 months ago.
1 Corinthians 12:4-6
4There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.
4There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.
Here Paul uses a trinitarian formula to remind the Corinthians that God is One (see the 'shema' at Deuteronomy 6) -- and so all of His work in this world should point to this unity, especially His work in the Church universal and local. No one will be saved by the Son of God apart from the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, just as no one can know and love the Father except through knowing and loving the Son (see John 5:37-38). If we understand God's trinitarian nature that is seen so clearly in the love, obedience, and joy of the Son toward the Father -- as well as the unity of thought and heart that comes to us through the Spirit's peaceful presence -- then we will begin to understand how to live in deep fellowship with believers. As the church, we are to be 'one' in the same way that the Godhead is One, always seeking to uphold and increase the unity of the Church by our efforts of love. This is a consistent theme running through the entire letter (see 1 Corinthians 1:10). We must never look only at our own giftedness; rather, we should marvel at how we might take part in building upon this huge work of God that is Christ's blood-bought and beloved Church.
Bookmarked 6 months ago.
1 Corinthians 12:1
Chapter 12
Spiritual Gifts
1Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. The message of the previous chapters has been that we must live for the glory of God and for the good of others. But we must not think that these are merely ethical demands. Paul clearly taught that the work of the Holy Spirit is the only foundation for life in Christ (see especially Romans 8). Knowing that life in the Spirit *is* the Christian life, we must not be ignorant of spiritual gifts. We must seek to fan them into flame within each believer around us and within ourselves, always striving to be used by God to bless, uplift, teach, exhort, or rebuke. We must also be wise in regards to the spiritual gifts, always remembering the purpose of God in giving them -- to unify and build up the body of Christ, that she might glorify her Savior. The Corinthians were mostly ignorant in this regard; some of the members knew of the gifts but did not have any real knowledge of Christ (see Paul's harsh rebuke at 1 Corinthians 15:34). The simple phrase remains the clearest command we have in regards to these things -- let us not be ignorant! We must pray for insight and discernment so that we are not led astray and can be useful for Christ and His Church.
Bookmarked 6 months ago.
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