Spiritual Gifts

NOVEMBER 30, 2022 STUDY NOTES “SPIRITUAL GIFTS” 1 CORINTHIANS 12:1 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES INTRODUCTION 1 Corinthians12-14 A study of spiritual gifts requires a study of 1 Corinthians 12-14 The main subject of 1 Corinthians 12-14 is “Spirituality and Spiritual Gifts” Paul begins chapter 12 by showing us the importance of the Holy Spirit in our life Spiritual gifts are an important part of the ministry of the Spirit in our life There are many different spiritual gifts, 1Co 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. (The giver of all spiritual gifts is the Holy Spirit) Because there are so many different areas of ministry there are many different gifts, 1Co 12:5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. All spiritual gifts serve the same Lord (vs 5) Spiritual gifts are effective and powerful in a great variety of ways, 1Co 12:6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. The results accomplished by spiritual gifts is because God is working in us (vs 6) The exercising of a spiritual gift reveals the presence of the Holy Spirit, 1Co 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. Every believer receives a spiritual gift from the Holy Spirit (vs 7) Spiritual gifts are for the common good and profit of all believers (vs 7) Every believer is gifted but not all believers have the same gifts (1 Cor 12: 8-10) All gifts work through the energy of the Holy Spirit, 1Co 12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. The Holy Spirit distributes the gifts to every believer as he desires (vs 11) The Church is One Spiritual Body made up of many Spiritual parts (1 Cor 12:12-31) The sure sign of Spirituality is God’s Love at work in your daily life (1 Corinthians 13) The love of God working through us will reveal the presence and power of the Holy Spirit No spiritual gift will be effective without the love of God working through it The last verse of chapter 14 reveals the purpose of that chapter, 1Co 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order. Satan is going to try and prevent God’s people from serving God in an orderly manner SATAN—As Christians we must be able to identify the person and work of Satan Satan does not want us to understand the spiritual life or exercise our spiritual gift Satan works to confuse and counterfeit the true spiritual life and true spiritual gifts Satan wants believers to remain ignorant of our God-given spiritual gifts He wants us to ignore or neglect a study of our spiritual gifts and the practice of them Satan knows that when we exercise our spiritual gift God is glorified Through spiritual gifts the Church is edified, and Christians are ministered too God meets the needs of the Church family by Christians exercising their spiritual gifts So, beware of Satan if you have a sincere desire to learn of your spiritual gift Be warned if you have a sincere desire to exercise your spiritual gift for the glory of God The spiritual battle is on, Satan is coming after you in-an attempt to defeat you spiritually Satan knows the importance, power, and effectiveness of Christians exercising their spiritual gift ANOTHER WARNING--Spiritual gifts are often an area of problems within the church of today Page 1 of 5 A study of 1 Cor. 12-14 will reveal that the Corinthian church had problems in-the area of gifts The problems of the church in Corinth still cause the same problems in some churches today They all wanted to be spiritual, but they did not want to walk together in the unity of the Spirit There was division in the church because of jealousy, envy, selfishness, and pride Some were not satisfied with the attention they were receiving for their spiritual gift Some envied others because of the spiritual gift they had, wishing it was theirs Some wanted to make a public display of their gift and show off as a super spiritual saint Paul deals with those problems and teaches us how to minister our gift in a spiritual way We are individual Christians gifted in a unique way to serve the same Lord We are not to separate ourselves from what God is doing through others Satan causes disunity among believers, the Spirit unites believers to Christ and to one another, 1Co 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. SOME CAUTIONS—As Christians we must be cautious, as a church we must be cautious There are some things we must watch out for as we serve God through our spiritual gift Being aware of these things will help us to continue serving without being defeated spiritually Do not think that everyone else is going to be as excited about your ministry as you are Do not think that you are more spiritual than they are because of your excitement Do not expect everyone to be serving God, or ministering in the same way that you are Do not think that they are lost or backslidden because they are not serving with you Do not criticize others because they do not have the same spiritual gift that you do Do not think that you have now reached spiritual perfection because of your spiritual gift Pray that you will always be spiritually minded as you minister your spiritual gift Don’t try to be a professional minister because of your gift, be a gifted servant Paul was proud to be a gifted servant of Christ, Rom 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (There is no higher calling than that of a servant) CONCERNING SPIRITUALITY--1Co 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. In chapter 12 Paul now begins a new area of discussion, a new topic with the Corinthian church He is probably answering another question that was sent to him from the Corinthian church Evidently, they had written Paul asking him several question, such as, 1Co 7:1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. In the Corinthian Church they had many questions that needed to be answered They had many problems that needed to be solved In every chapter Paul wrote and instructed them concerning misunderstandings and problems: Chapter 1--Faction in the church; cliques and division Chapter 2--Spiritual immaturity Chapter 3-- Worldly and carnal Christians Chapter 4--Rebellion against leadership--Living as though they were unaccountable Chapter 5--Gross immorality and sexual sins within the congregation Chapter 6--Unable to solve problems among themselves Filing lawsuits against each other Chapter 7--Divorce and remarriage was common lifestyle Chapters 8-10--They had the problem of pride, idolatry, and the abuse of Christian liberty Chapter 11-- Misconduct in the church concerning headship--Abuse of the Lord’s Supper Chapters 12, 13, 14--The spiritual life and spiritual gifts which they must understand Chapter 15--Paul teaches the truth of the resurrection body which they did not understand Page 2 of 5 Chapter 16--Paul instructs concerning the churches collections The Corinthian’s were experiencing many problems in their worship services Those problems were because of their attitude towards the exercising of spiritual gifts Paul writes to instruct, inform, and correct us in-the area of our spiritual life and ministry “Now concerning” goes back to the “First of all” in, 1Co 11:18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. Paul then wrote to correct their errors related to the Lord’s Supper So, we can read the “Now concerning” in 12:1 as “Now second of all” Paul writes concerning “Spirituality” which concerns “Spiritual gifts” Notice that in the King James Version “gifts” is in italics In the King James Version words written in italics are not for the purpose of emphasis The italics mean that the word was not in the original Greek manuscript There is no word for “gifts” in verse one in the Greek text, the original reads “spiritual” The words written in italics are not from the old manuscripts of the inspired scripture They were added by the translators for the purpose of clarity, which does help us understand The translators inserted these words in-an attempt to better explain what was being said Without a word study we could be confused and not fully understand what Paul is telling us The word translated “spiritual” in verse 1 is not the same word translated “gifts” in verse 4 The word translated “spiritual” in verse one can refer to spiritual things or spiritual persons The word means that which is controlled or characterized by the Spirit Things which belong to the realm of the Spirit Things that originate with God and are given through the Spirit That which operates through the Holy Spirit That which is influenced by the Holy Spirit The word “spiritual” identifies the things that originate with God; are in the realm of Christ; and are administered by the Holy Spirit Things that are “spiritual” come from God, are in Christ, and are through the Holy Spirit The same term is used again in, 1Co 14:1 Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. The spiritual things that Paul is concerned about in 1 Corinthians 12-14 are the gifts of the Spirit, 1Co 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. The translators were correct in adding the word “gifts” for the purpose of our understanding “Gifts” fits the context of the passage, spiritual gifts that the Spirit bestows upon the brethren “Spiritual” should identify with all Christians, but all Christians do not attain spirituality Even after some Christians begin to mature spiritually, they fail to maintain daily spirituality Paul has already taught that truth, comparing spirituality and carnality within the Christian, 1Co 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. “Carnal” refers to that which is of the flesh, that which satisfies the flesh is worldliness Paul said that the Corinthians were acting in a worldly manner, 1Co 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? The opposite of carnality is spirituality, 1Co 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. In chapter 12 Paul is speaking to the ‘brethren,” because only the brethren are spiritually gifted Paul is concerned about the Christian life and that which is known as “spirituality” So, he writes concerning the realm of our spiritual life in Christ He wants to teach us and instruct us of things that are “spiritual” Paul used the same word in, 1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. Page 3 of 5 He was saying that only the Holy Spirit can teach us the truth of spiritual things And that the spirit life of the believer is the only life that can receive spiritual things So, Christians must be living a spiritual life and not a carnal life to receive things from the Spirit The spiritual man is not only saved, he is living under the control of the Holy Spirit, 1Co 2:15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. The spiritual man is-able to do what the carnal man cannot do He can investigate, examine, appraise, and evaluate all things pertaining to life Through the influence of the Holy Spirit, he can put a value on the things of life The spiritual person has a special insight into life, he can see life as God sees life He has a special spiritual understanding and appreciation of life today as well as forever And that is what Paul wants us to understand, to understand and appreciate “spirituality” He makes a strong point, “I would not have you ignorant,” and he is speaking to the brethren “Brethren,” I don’t want you to be people who don’t know the truths of the spiritual life” The church of today is filled with people who don’t know the Bible, they are not even reading it Many are satisfied with a daily Bible reading guide that gives you a few verses a day to read They are not taking the opportunity of Bible study, coming together to study and learn the Bible Such as Sunday School, preaching services, Bible study services, Bible study classes and groups The Bible is our source of learning what God wants us to know, which Paul points out to us He uses the same words in, 1Co 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; Paul wanted us to understand the history of the children of Israel and to learn from them, why? 1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. (Written to correct us and encourage us) To warn us, to give us an example, a pattern to imitate, and a warning to heed, 1Co 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. The next verse is a most popular verse often quoted, 1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. In what way has God provided our ability to hold up, bear with, and abide under the trials of life? We are to learn the truths of spirituality and the purpose of spiritual gifts Paul used the same words to call attention to how important the subject really is, “I would not have you ignorant” (1 Corinthians 10:1 and 1 Corinthians 12:1) Calling to their attention how important it was to pay attention to what was being said He was talking about something that they did not fully understand, but they could It was not only possible for them to understand, but understanding was a must They were not ignorant of God’s chosen people or the existence of spiritual gifts They were ignorant of the purpose God had for God’s chosen people and God’s gifted people In the context of 1 Corinthians 12:1, what does Paul want them to know? Paul said, “as a Christian, I want you to know and understand spirituality and spiritual gifts” Christians, we must not be ignorant concerning our spiritual gifts, we must understand them We must know how important they are to our spiritual life and the ministry of our church The church cannot properly minster without the exercising of our God-given spiritual gifts We cannot minister to one another or to the lost apart from the work of the Holy Spirit’s gifts The church cannot function as the “True Church” apart from the true gifts of the Spirit Which is why Satan counterfeits the spiritual gifts attempting to defeat their purpose We must study together, learn together, and share together the gifts of the Spirit Together we must come to the point of the last verse of chapter 12, 1Co 12:31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. The same point found in, 1Co 14:1 Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may Page 4 of 5 prophesy. (“Desire” is the same word translated “covet earnestly”) An earnest desire that must come from the understanding of spiritual gifts and their purpose As good stewards of the grace of God we must all minister through our God-given spiritual gifts, 1Pe 4:10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Page 5 of 5