1 Corinthians – Chapter-12

The   Unity and diversity of  Spiritual gifts  of the Holy Spirit.    (Chap.12):

The chapter-12 gives an exhaustive list of the Spiritual gifts.  Spiritual gifts are gifts freely by the Holy Spirit.

The introduction of Spiritual Gifts: (12:1-3):

Our past teaching and experiences have perhaps built a poor understanding of the Holy Spirit and His gifts. It is easy for us to take our materialistic or superstitious views into our understanding of spiritual gifts.

Apostle Paul, in his letters, names three things he does not want Christians to be ignorant of.

1. Don’t be ignorant of God’s plan for Israel (Rom.11:25).
2. Don’t be ignorant of spiritual gifts (12:1).

• Don’t be ignorant about the second coming of Jesus and the eternal state (1 Thess.4:13). Sadly, so many Christians are ignorant on these exact points!

Before speaking of the Spiritual gifts, the apostle Paul wanted to confront those who contradict his message or those brethren who were immature and leading worldly lives should understand the human and divine aspects of the Lord Jesus Christ. Some of the false teachers even played on the immature Christians. Most of the Corinthians were from pagan background  who were worshippers of dumb idols. The false teachers have usurped the minds of simple and innocent Corinthians to deny Jesus’s humanity and thereby to reject the message of Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul gives a very simple thought saying that no person who is led by the Holy Spirit would ever say that Jesus be cursed and no worldly person would ever say from his heart that Jesus is Lord. Only the believers who accept the Lordship and His sovereignty would gladly say that Jesus is their Lord and God.

Even the disciple John had to face this problem in Ephesus when he wrote: “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,  but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist”(1 Jn.4:2-3).

Ex: Only two categories of people that we can find:  i) those  who accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour and ii) those who don’t accept. There cannot be any middle path. Beware of those people who seem to be accepting the Lordship of the Jesus Christ at times of their needs. Such people would be clubbed with false Christians who say, Jesus be cursed and their doom is inevitable.

Spiritual gifts  are  given by the Grace of God and so they can be called “Gracious endowments”  of the Holy Spirit.(Clarke).  The important thing in Spiritual Gifts that we need to verify whether it promotes and glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ or not.  It is always true that the Spiritual gifts only promote and glorify God. If any person does not glorify God through his gifts, he is only a false teacher who is possessed with devil.  Too many preachers use the Spiritual gifts for their own promotion, for name, fame and money. Every believer must discern the gifts whether they are according to the nature of Jesus or not. 

Everything is from God:  (12:4-7):

There are diversity of gifts for diverse ministries and activities. They all are received from one God.  Apostle Paul gives emphasis on the Trinitarian God, i.e. the same Spirit, the same Lord and the same God. The same God works all of them in all men. For “it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose” (Phil.2:13). Paul goes on listing 9-spiritual gifts in the following verses and more  in further. The source of the gift is God, the sphere for administering the gift is from God  and the energy to use the gift is again from God. Therefore we must refrain from glorifying any human being who perform  such spiritual gifts.  It is the weakness and the immaturity of  believers to make hero worship or make groups  which will only lead us to  backslidden state. That’s why Paul was very harsh on the Corinthians when he learned that they were having different groups. Believer must beware of many gifted people  out in this world, only trying to build their own kingdom for their glory.  A gift is a gift,  freely given by the Holy Spirit.  All the gifts are given by the same Lord and  for the manifestation of common good.

Paul makes 3-categories here,   they are:

• Gifts: (general):  These are individual in nature viz. Prophesy, speaking in tongues etc.
• Services (ministries): They are the gifted offices in the church viz, Apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers(Eph.4:1-32).
• Activities (manifestation): They are the manifestation viz. healing, speaking in tongues and giving interpretation, supernatural manifestation etc.