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Intro
The members of the Corinthian church were holding some in higher regard than others because of the spiritual gifts they had.
In this study, Paul reminds us of the necessity of diversity for the sake of unity.
Start with
What was the initial role of the Holy Spirit in our lives?
He convinces us to the truth of Jesus Christ.
Can the Holy Spirit ever leave a true follower of Christ?
The Greek phrase used here, tōn pneumatikōn, could refer generically to “spiritual things” or to “spiritual people.”
Based on the reference to gifts in v. 4, the term is most likely referring to the gifts of the Spirit.
But what about this?
12:1.
Paul began with the expression now about spiritual gifts.
The terminology now about (peri de) indicates that Paul responded to questions or issues raised by the Corinthians themselves.
He did not reveal their precise concerns, but stated emphatically that he did not want them to be ignorant or unaware of this topic.
Once again, Paul created a familial mood by addressing the Corinthians as brothers.
they are crucifying the Son of God all over again.
By willfully embracing the kind of belief that nailed Jesus to the cross, they accept responsibility again for killing him.
subjecting him to public disgrace.
12:2–3.
Paul provided a central criterion for distinguishing the Holy Spirit’s work from the experiences of pagan religion.
He did this by setting up a contrast between the times when the Corinthians were pagans … and led astray to mute idols, and their Christian experience of speaking by the Spirit of God.
How do we know when it is the Holy Spirit speaking in our lives?
Although the former outlook may not be ruled out entirely, several considerations support the latter view: (1) Mystery religions popular in the Mediterranean world at that time practiced ecstatic speech.
(2) In this passage, Paul did not focus on Jews, but on Gentiles who were likely to have been involved in such idolatrous religions.
(3) Paul said that the Gentile believers were formerly influenced and led astray by someone or something.
(4) He described the idols as mute, which in this interpretation would be a great irony.
(5) The general context of this verse focuses on the nature and restrictions that apply to speaking in tongues, a Christian experience similar to the ecstasy of pagan religions.
It would appear, therefore, that Paul reminded the Corinthians about their past extraordinary religious experiences of idol worship.
Paul drew attention to these past experiences to deduce general instructions on distinguishing the Holy Spirit’s gifts from pagan religious experiences.
First, the Holy Spirit never leads anyone to say, Jesus be cursed.
If someone in the church at Corinth spoke such words (even under supernatural influence), he was not speaking by the Spirit of God.
Second, the Holy Spirit empowers those who proclaim that Jesus is Lord.
If a religious experience does not honor Christ as Lord, then it is not from the Spirit.
If it does, then the Holy Spirit may be behind the experience.
the content is edifying, not blasphemous; it affirms that Jesus is Lord.
Jews considered idols to be senseless objects (see Psa 115:4–8; Hab 2:18–19; compare Isa 41:1–29; 46:1–13).
This may allude to an overemphasis on speaking in tongues among the Corinthians.
Paul asserts that when a person speaks by the Spirit,
Refers to the utterance of a curse against Jesus.
The exact meaning and use of the phrase is uncertain.
Paul may be presenting the statement as a hypothetical contrast with the true confession of faith, “Jesus is Lord” (e.g., Rom 10:9, 12).
It is possible that such anti-Christian curses were known from the pagan idol worship mentioned in 1 Cor 12:2.
In that case, the curses that spew from demonic spirits are contrasted with the truth inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is Lord Refers to the fundamental confession of the Christian faith.
See
Move to
Notice Spirit.....Lord......God
12:4–6 There are different kinds of … different kinds of … different kinds of.
Beginning new clauses the same way is called anaphora.
Spirit … Lord … God.
Like a good orator, Paul emphasizes his point here by repeating it in three parallel ways (in this case including the Spirit, Jesus and God the Father).
Diversity and unity coexist.
There are different kinds of gifts, different kinds of service, and different kinds of working.
The three terms—gifts, service, and working—relate closely to one another, but they are not synonymous.
Each item is the source of the one that follows: service comes from gifts, and working from service.
The term gifts appears frequently in this epistle with reference to the various manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers.
The gifts of the Spirit empower each Christian to function in the body of Christ.
Service derives from terminology that Paul used frequently to describe a variety of ministerial activities occurring within the church (diakonia).
Working (energema) (e-NER-yi-ma) is an uncommon noun in the New Testament.
Its verb form generally connotes effectual work.
Thus, it may be better to translate the noun as “results” or “effects” rather than as “working.”
Although humans perform services in the church, only God the Father brings about the results of the gifts that are used in service.
Are their followers of Christ who do not have any gifts to offer?
In other words, all kinds of people—men, women, old, young, Jew, Gentile—receive gifts of the Spirit and perform ministries in the church through which God produces results.
God blesses all Christians with gifts, ministries, and results.
What was the Corinthian church doing that Paul had to gently remind them they were wrong?
1cor14.18
12:4 The Corinthian believers overemphasized the gift of tongues in worship (14:18–19).
Paul reminds them that there are various kinds of spiritual gifts —all of which come from the Holy Spirit.
12:4 The Corinthian believers overemphasized the gift of tongues in worship (14:18–19).
Paul reminds them that there are various kinds of spiritual gifts —all of which come from the Holy Spirit.
It’s not just spiritual gifts
The Greek word for “gift” here is charisma, which means “something given by grace.”
Paul uses it 16 times in his letters.
His broad use of the term indicates it is not a technical term for “spiritual gifts.”
Believers should use whatever gifts they have received in a way that serves others and reveals God’s grace to them.
12:6 All things Refers to the gifts, ministries (or offices), and activities mentioned in vv.
4–6.
12:6 same God at work.
God gets the credit for all the gifts, so no one can boast over their gift versus another’s.
Finish with
How should we view the gifts God has given us?
12:7 Speakers sometimes emphasized a matter by bracketing it; v. 7 and v. 11 together reinforce the dependence on God’s Spirit to empower the activities in vv.
8–10.
Paul’s emphasis is on the community as a whole.
What is beneficial The gifts exist for the benefit of the church community, not the status of an individual.
Manifestation of the Spirit God reveals the Spirit through the various gifts provided to believers.
What is beneficial The gifts exist for the benefit of the church community, not the status of an individual.
Paul indicates that every believer has some display of the Holy Spirit’s presence in his or her life.
Also, the manifestation of the Spirit has a particular goal: the common good (cf.
).
The gifts of the Spirit are not principally for the edification of the individuals who receive them, but for the good of all believers.
12:8 message of wisdom … message of knowledge.
Corinthian culture valued speaking (in rhetoric), wisdom (in philosophy) and knowledge.
12:8 The Greek phrase used here, logos sophias, likely alludes to Paul’s discussion from 1:17–2:16 and should be understood in light of his teaching about wisdom from the Spirit in 2:6–16.
The emphasis is not on wisdom itself but on the word or message produced by that wisdom.
Wisdom is characterized by observing the natural order of things, or cause and effect.
Biblical wisdom involves discerning what God would have someone do as a result of that observation (e.g., Prov 8:1, 20–21, 22–24; compare Jas 1:5).
The phrase either means a “word full of wisdom” or a “message characterized by wisdom.”
According to Paul’s argument from 1 Cor 2:6–16, true wisdom lies in the Spirit-led recognition that Christ crucified represents the culmination of God’s plan of salvation (see 2:7–10).
Paul’s reference to wisdom at the beginning of his list of manifestations of the Spirit probably addresses the situation at Corinth, where human wisdom was overemphasized (compare 1:17–31).
In that context, it is unlikely that this phrase indicates any special insight or intuition, but this gift (along with the following concerning knowledge) is sometimes understood to entail unique intellectual insight.
This gift appears to specifically address the Corinthian overemphasis on knowledge while highlighting the pride that characterizes their knowledge (e.g., 8:1–7).
It likely has to do with enriching others, particularly in light of the testimony of Christ working among people (1:4–6).
12:8–10.
Paul next listed several manifestations of the Spirit’s gifts.
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