Exploring the Text: Unity in the Spirit
A significant portion of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians deals with the gifts of the Spirit. Paul begins discussion this topic in chapter 2. Even though there are different types of gifts and different types of service, they all come from the same Spirit, the same Lord. It is the same God who empowers them all. The Corinthian Christians focused on the different gifts, but Paul wanted them to focus on what brought them together. Paul tells the Corinthians that the gifts are the Spirit are given for the common good, to build up the entire church, and the Spirit gives these gifts according to his plans and his purposes.
We sometimes have the same issue the Corinthians. We get caught up in the gifts and forget their purpose. We sometimes focus on the differences and forget that they all come form the same Spirit. The gifts of the Spirit should not create division or competition they way they did in Corinth. The gifts of the Spirit are intended to build up the body of Christ, the church, in accordance with his plans and his purposes, not ours.
The gifts of the Spirit are still being used in church today just as the were in Paul's time. And just as in Paul's time, the purpose is more important than the gift.
David Dalton
A significant portion of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians deals with the gifts of the Spirit. Paul begins discussion this topic in chapter 2. Even though there are different types of gifts and different types of service, they all come from the same Spirit, the same Lord. It is the same God who empowers them all. The Corinthian Christians focused on the different gifts, but Paul wanted them to focus on what brought them together. Paul tells the Corinthians that the gifts are the Spirit are given for the common good, to build up the entire church, and the Spirit gives these gifts according to his plans and his purposes.
We sometimes have the same issue the Corinthians. We get caught up in the gifts and forget their purpose. We sometimes focus on the differences and forget that they all come form the same Spirit. The gifts of the Spirit should not create division or competition they way they did in Corinth. The gifts of the Spirit are intended to build up the body of Christ, the church, in accordance with his plans and his purposes, not ours.
The gifts of the Spirit are still being used in church today just as the were in Paul's time. And just as in Paul's time, the purpose is more important than the gift.
David Dalton
Exploring the Text: The gifts of the Spirit
There are nine gifts of the Spirit listed in this passage. They are:
Over the years there has been much confusion concerning this passage, however this does not need to be the case, for “God is not the author of confusion” (1 Corinthians 14:33).
All of these gifts work together to accomplish the will of God. If there is an emphasis in the church of one gift over another, a spiritual imbalance occurs. Let’s look at an example.
Let’s assume that someone comes to the pastor for prayer. Elders are asked to join (James 5:14). The individual is sick and is seeking healing. Obviously the gift of healing is applied here. Another easy application can come from someone with the gift of miracles. In order to pray for these needs, the gift of faith is also exercised. While praying, it may become apparent that there are some spiritual needs that are contributing to the physical problem. Now we can see that prophecy and discerning of spirits are needed. There may even be a message given to the person in tongues. Tongues and interpretation of tongues are now used. Certainly, wisdom and knowledge are a part of all of this.
We can see here that all of the spiritual gifts are used. There may be other instances when some of the gifts will be used, but not all of them. The point is to use whichever gift or gifts are necessary to minister to the need.
We need to remember that God is in charge of all of this. He distributes gifts at His will. He will also use willing Christians in the use of these gifts. The key is to be willing to be used by God in whatever way He desires. You will be amazed at how many ways God can use you, in various places and at various times.
Hopefully, this clears up some of the confusion with this item. When used properly the spiritual gifts provide for effective ministry to all.
Rick Heinrich
There are nine gifts of the Spirit listed in this passage. They are:
- Wisdom
- Knowledge
- Faith
- Healing
- Miracles
- Prophecy
- Discerning of Spirits
- Speaking in tongues
- Interpretation of tongues
Over the years there has been much confusion concerning this passage, however this does not need to be the case, for “God is not the author of confusion” (1 Corinthians 14:33).
All of these gifts work together to accomplish the will of God. If there is an emphasis in the church of one gift over another, a spiritual imbalance occurs. Let’s look at an example.
Let’s assume that someone comes to the pastor for prayer. Elders are asked to join (James 5:14). The individual is sick and is seeking healing. Obviously the gift of healing is applied here. Another easy application can come from someone with the gift of miracles. In order to pray for these needs, the gift of faith is also exercised. While praying, it may become apparent that there are some spiritual needs that are contributing to the physical problem. Now we can see that prophecy and discerning of spirits are needed. There may even be a message given to the person in tongues. Tongues and interpretation of tongues are now used. Certainly, wisdom and knowledge are a part of all of this.
We can see here that all of the spiritual gifts are used. There may be other instances when some of the gifts will be used, but not all of them. The point is to use whichever gift or gifts are necessary to minister to the need.
We need to remember that God is in charge of all of this. He distributes gifts at His will. He will also use willing Christians in the use of these gifts. The key is to be willing to be used by God in whatever way He desires. You will be amazed at how many ways God can use you, in various places and at various times.
Hopefully, this clears up some of the confusion with this item. When used properly the spiritual gifts provide for effective ministry to all.
Rick Heinrich