What's this about Gifts

Ever been with a child on their birthday or on Christmas day. What usually do you find that they are most excited about? GIFTS obviously. I remember my grandparents in particular always joking about that. We’d have our meal and if it was a birthday maybe we’d eat the cake then he’d usually tell us Happy Birthday or Merry Christmas followed by well it’s getting late, time to head home. Of course, as a kid, we’d come to expect that on these days something else usually came with them. So when he state to head out toward the door, we’d say something along the lines of, hey grandpa, aren’t you forgetting something. He liked when we did that. He was the kind of grandpa that liked to egg us on so to speak. And so he’d say oh ya, the presents but you don’t really want those do ya? To which we of course made much noise about that. Yes, we do… kids love and adults too love getting gifts, but often times, God wired us to enjoy giving them as well.

What makes giving gifts especially fun and thrilling. It’s getting them something they really like and seeing the excitement they have when the open it. How do you get them something they like, you spend time watching, and listening, and thinking about them. Seeing their interests and searching for that special something. The more time you spend on it, only makes you all the more excited for them to open it, right? That’s especially true when you make them something home made. I remember the first time I made my Dad a gift. It was a Kubb set… if you don’t know what that is, come tonight to our evening service at the park and find out. I remember buying the wood, and cutting it, carving it out, staining them, painting them, and engraving all the kids name in them. It took me awhile to make it all, but I was thrilled to have my Dad open it. I’ve given my Dad several gifts over the years but I have anticipated none of those other gifts as much as I anticipated that gift I made for my father because I put so much time into it, it had significance, and it was meaningful!

The not only does the more time and thought and meaning of the gift make it important but also how it aids and helps them in life. When you see a gift that truly benefits a person and those around him, giving them a necessity they couldn’t afford, leaving them speechless and sometimes in tears, that also is what makes gifts special, the benefit they bring to the recipient. When speaking about spiritual things. God has given us incredible gifts as well. Gifts that are thoughtful, meaningful, beneficial, necessary, and unobtainable on our own. Gifts of life, and salvation certainly come to mind. But one that we cannot in no means ignore, is the gifts of the Holy Spirit or call them Spiritual Gifts. These are valuable, important, meaningful, beneficial, and essential for living our lives and for the health of the body of Christ.

That is why Paul now directs his attention to answering the questions concerning spiritual gifts. This matter is so crucially important that Paul will take a lengthy section of his writing to devout himself to this topic (in our English Bibles, that’s equates to 3 chapters, chapters 12,13,and 14 and 84 verses given to it.)

Just as children eagerly await the opportunity to open their gifts on those special days, I hope that we eagerly long to receive, understand, and use the gifts God has given as we consider “What’s this about Gifts, found in 1 Corinthians 12:1-13. This week we will be talking about the Unity found within the Spiritual Gifts. Next, week will be looking at the Diversity of the Spiritual Gifts, and in July the 17th, I’ll have one Sunday there to address the maturity of the Spiritual Gifts found in chapter 13.

Before we begin in the passage, let’s pray

Read 1 Corinthians 12:1-13

1 Corinthians 12:1–13 ESV

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

I. Unity within the Spiritual Gifts

As we read again in verse 1, again, Paul writes:

1 Corinthians 12:1 ESV

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.

The greek word here for uninformed: agnoeo (ag-no-eh’-o)- not to know (through lack of information or intelligence) by implication to ignore (through disinclination- basically not caring)- to be ignorant like the KJV translates it. So whether they were with little knowledge on the subject, or needed a reminder because they had forgotten, or if they purposely chose to ignore it, Paul clearly wanted them to be set straight on this major question. He didn’t want them to have any doubts or uncertainty. What made this question and subject so important and what made Paul jump into this topic after such a hot rebuke for their handling of the Lord’s table is the fact on how much spiritual gifts have to do with unity. A problem as we spoke on last week, they had greatly messed up on and were still struggling with. Paul in his mindset continues with some solutions to their divided problem by relating to them a proper understanding of Spiritual Gifts which when properly understood and applied will create a unity amongst them.

Don’t see how spiritual gifts has to do with Unity. Look again at verses 2-13. How many times do you see the word “same” appear? How many times do you see the word “one” appear? Depending on the versions you read, you would see the word “same” appear at least 6 or 7 times and the same is true of the word “one”. That’s like 12-15 times in these few verses that Paul wants them to see how united things should be (as we know repetition equates with importance). Paul places a special emphasis on the “oneness” believers in the church should have. He pointed out four wonderful bonds of spiritual unity that we have that bring us together.

Four Bonds of Spiritual Unity

I(A). We Confess the Same Lord (v. 1-3)

Reading verses 2 and 3, what is Paul’s meaning here?

1 Corinthians 12:2–3 ESV

You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.

What Paul is doing here is challenging their views on the spiritual gifts. They had them all confused.

1 Corinthians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Chapter 28: The Background and Testing of Counterfeit Spiritual Gifts (12:1–3)

Just as the Corinthians had perverted almost everything else, they also had perverted the nature, purpose, and use of spiritual gifts. This perversion, as the others, largely was due to ideas and practices they had dragged from their pagan society into the church. The old life continually contaminated the new. They had not separated themselves from their former ways and were still handling, in fact strongly holding on to, that which was “unclean” (2 Cor. 6:14–17). Although they were rich and complete in spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 1:7), they were poor in understanding them and irresponsible in using them.

Unfortunately, here in this page… the Corinthians were not using their gifts correctly or it could be said that these were not gifts at all, counterfeit perhaps. Before we go too much farther into describing what these Corinthians were doing. It would be good that we stop for a minute and give a good definition of what a spiritual gift is.

1 Corinthians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Importance of Spiritual Gifts

Spiritual gifts are divine enablements for ministry, characteristics of Jesus Christ that are to be manifested through the body corporate just as they were manifested through the body incarnate

As Paul begins, he contrasts their old way of life with their new way. In there old, pagan lifestyle, they were led astray. Greek word for led astray was often used of prisoners being taken under armed guard to prison or execution. (Acts 12:19 or 2 Tim. 3:6). Before a person is saved he is a captive of Satan and of his own depraved sin nature. He cannot help but be led into idolatry.

Ephesians 2:1–3 ESV

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Romans 6:6 ESV

We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

Romans 6:12 ESV

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.

Unbelievers not only are bound in sin but are blinded in sin. They cannot see their chains.

Ephesians 4:17–18 ESV

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.

The point is they cannot escape but by God’s power. Slave to idols that cannot help them.

And why is this relevant to the topic of spiritual gifts? Why does Paul bring this up? Paul gives them two tests to show whether these gifts are true or not.

1. “No on speaking in the Spirit of God ever says, ‘Jesus is accursed’”- Doctrinal Test

He says wherefore… understand this… a man claiming that he is speaking by God’s Spirit cannot say Jesus is accursed. In others, this man who claims he is using a Spiritual Gift given to Him by the Holy Spirit can say something so blasphemous. The sad part here is that the Corinthian church didn’t scold him it appears. And they even allowed his voice to be heard because it came “from the Spirit of God.” They thought the Spirit of God gave this man the gift of prophecy or teaching to make these claims so they respected it and allowed him to do it.

1 Corinthians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Negative Test

Corinthians had come to judge the nature and use of gifts on the basis of experience rather than content. The more impressive, showy, unusual, and bizarre, the more a practice was accepted and respected. They had fallen back so deeply into ecstasy and enthusiasm that their judgment was completely warped. As long as it took place in the church and was presented by someone who claimed to be a Christian, any teaching or practice was accepted without question. Content was ignored, even to the extent of disregarding that which was obviously immoral and blasphemous.

Paul seems to be asking, “How can you possibly be so confused? When you were pagans you could not help being blind and deceived. You could not help being led astray. But how can you who are truly Christians fail to recognize those who so obviously are not? How can you who have been so blessed with spiritual gifts be so utterly incapable of recognizing Satan’s counterfeit gifts? How can you even believe that cursing the Lord and Savior could be of the Holy Spirit?”

There’s only one thing that could explain how they could allow such teaching to be even remotely considered and that is the teaching of gnosticism which was very prevalent at this time. Gnosticism taught that everything physical and natural is evil and that everything supernatural and spiritual is good. When this teaching found it’s way into the church, it taught that supernatural Christ was good and natural Jesus was bad. The human Jesus was imperfect, evil, and a poor representation of the spiritual Son of god, who, because of his divine nature, could not possibly have taken on physical form. Christ’s Spirit descended upon Jesus at His baptism but returned to heaven before the crucifixion. There Jesus died an accursed death as no more than a mere man. So while glorifying the divine Christ, the Corinthians may have felt justified in cursing human Jesus since it also agreed with Jewish teaching on anything being hanged on a tree is accursed.

Deuteronomy 21:23 ESV

his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.

So is this true? I hope all of us would see the false-ness of these claims. But this heresy of gnosticism continued in the church for many years. Paul would have to address it again in chapter 15 regarding the resurrection of the body which gnostics would have a huge problem with.

What about you Christian. There’s a life lesson here. Have we allowed things in our church in our life just because they look “spiritual”. We base our lives more on experience than the Word. This is how the church of Corinth was invaded by wrong doctrine. And we can be too if we are not careful. We should always compare a teaching or practice with God’s Word. That is the test of it being of the Holy Spirit. If it is scriptural, it is Spiritual. These two things cannot disagree. So it is essential that we know our doctrine and can be ready to defend it.

The church’s integrity is at stake and it can easily fall if we are careful to let any false thing slip in amongst it. One bad apple ruins the lot. That’s true of the church as well.

Now Paul turns to the second test

2. “No on can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit”- Sincere Confession Test

1 Corinthians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Positive Test

An unbeliever can easily utter those words. Jesus warned, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21). True confession is based on true faith, of which obedience to God’s Word is the true mark. Confessing Jesus as Lord means nothing unless it involves affirming who He really is and obeying what He commands.

1 Corinthians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Positive Test

Lord implies sovereign authority. There is overwhelming biblical evidence that the word means rulership. If the Lord is creator, sustainer, and controller, He obviously is sovereign.

Someone who truly claims Jesus as Lord, will no doubt give absolute control of His life over to the divine ruler and this will be evident in their walk with Him.

Understanding these truths, would pluck out so to speak those that do not teach and exercise true spiritual gifting. Understanding that those that truly follow Christ have a true confession of faith. It is the same confession. Not a different confession. We are not divided in that. We are united. Understanding that our brothers and sisters in Christ confess the same Lord genuinely should bring us a oneness that the world cannot know.

I(B). We Depend on the Same God (v. 4-6)

Reading these verses again....

1 Corinthians 12:4–6 ESV

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.

I want you to first notice something here as it pertains to unity. Notice the God-head in this passage. The Spirit, the Lord, and God are all three mentioned. In perfect harmony. In complete unison. Gifts, services, and activities that are all being directed by the Godhead to mankind and they all agree on exactly what to give to us regarding these gifts, services, and activities. Yet, we can hardly agree on the silliest little decisions it would seem, let along how the actual ministry of the church should move along. Can you imagine being in charge of handing out all the spiritual gifts to people in the church, all the ways they can serve, and all the activities and places to use those gifts. And you had to do it with two other people and agree perfectly. Yet, that is the absolute picture of what God did for the church already and it is the example He laid down for us.

John 17:22–23 ESV

The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

Furthermore, in these verses, we see another reason these spiritual gifts should bring us unity and not division. When we hear someone teaching or preaching and the Word resonates with our hearts, what do we tend to say? Some variation of, “That preacher really gave a great message.” At face value, it would seem like we’re giving the messenger the credit. What we really mean or should do is to testify of how God worked through that person and their spiritual gift. When a gift is used, it is God that should be blessed. God graces the instrument and gives them strength to carry out a ministry, so God again gets all the credit.

When we remember that God is the one who empowers all our ministry, it helps us to preserve the unity with other believers. Our attention is off of ourselves and is put on the Giver of the gifts. Remember, all the spiritual gifts are employed through Christ and for His purposes. We do all these things by His strength, by the “manifold grace of God, “ so God needs to get all the credit.

We may individually have different gifts, ministries, and ways of working, but it is

Philippians 2:13 ESV

for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

The source of the gift is God; the sphere for administering the gift is from God; and the energy to use the gift is from God. Why, then, glorify men? Why compete with one another.

Warren Wiesbe- Exposition Commentary 1 Corinthians

I(C). We Minister to the Same Body (v.7-11)

As we mentioned before, spiritual gifts is essential for unity. But spiritual gifts are essential for growth in the church as well. The church cannot function, and it certainly cannot mature, without properly and faithfully using the gifts God gives His people for ministry. Satan will try to counterfeit the Spirit’s gifts, and he will try to induce believers to ignore, neglect, misunderstand, abuse, and pervert them but a believer must by all means be responsible to use them to profit everyone.

I(D). We Experienced the Same Baptism (v.12-13)