1 Corinthians 12:27-31 says...
Today's verses are 1 Corinthians 12:27-31, which read,
v.27, 28 - Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.
Paul is concluding this word picture of the physical body and its many members and how they are to work together and for the benefit of one another. He says the physical body is to represent Christ's body, the church, and it has many members, the believers in Christ, that are to work together and for the benefit of one another.
Paul then gives us another list but this time the spiritual gifts are attached to persons within the church. Some of the list is in title form of the spiritual gifts like apostles, prophets, and teachers while others are of the action of the spiritual gifts like miracles, gifts of healings, helps, administrations, and various kinds of tongues.
The phrase "appointed by God" again gives us and the Christians in the Corinthian church the source of where these spiritual gifts have come from. Paul is never far from that fact.
v.29, 30 - All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?
Paul gives us a list of questions that are rhetorical and the answer to all of them is "no." This is the whole point of the word picture of the physical body. The whole body is not an eye or a hand or a foot. No, the whole body is a combination of all those things. The church body is not all one spiritual gift but rather a combination of the spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit. Do you get a sense that the Corinthian church was trying to be all of the same spiritual gift? One had risen to the top in their minds and all were claiming that they had that one gift. Paul is saying to them that it doesn't work that way.
Then Paul ends with these two final phrases before chapter 13.
v.31 - But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way.
I have heard this preached so many times for us to earnestly desire the greater gifts and then a list of them is given but that is not in context with the rest of the chapter or with the next statement. This is a proclamation of what they were doing wrongly. They were earnestly desiring gifts that were not given to them by the Holy Spirit that they had deemed more important than others. They had taken the giving of the spiritual gifts out of His hands and created some way to obtain something similar for the sake of themselves rather than the good of the rest of the body. They had become a one spiritual gift church but since the Holy Spirit is the one who gives the gifts, then a lot of them were displaying something that was not of the Holy Spirit. This was their way and now Paul is going to show them a still more excellent way.
What is that more excellent way to handle the spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit as He desires is in chapter 13. We think of it as the "love" chapter and said so many times at weddings but it is in response to a church who was promoting themselves through one spiritual gift above others. It was spoken to a church that was using the appearance of that gift to promote themselves and not God. They were using the sign of the gift to exhibit pride that was causing divisions and factions in the church. Nothing really about weddings here, so sorry if the context will make you think of the real setting of those words the next time you are at a wedding.
"Lord, a more excellent way is coming and may our ears and minds and hearts be open to hear it when it comes to spiritual gifts and the body of Christ. Our pride has gotten in the way of the more excellent way in the church. Help us to lay down the way of the world of pride and pick up the way of the You. Amen."
Pastor Adam
v.27, 28 - Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.
Paul is concluding this word picture of the physical body and its many members and how they are to work together and for the benefit of one another. He says the physical body is to represent Christ's body, the church, and it has many members, the believers in Christ, that are to work together and for the benefit of one another.
Paul then gives us another list but this time the spiritual gifts are attached to persons within the church. Some of the list is in title form of the spiritual gifts like apostles, prophets, and teachers while others are of the action of the spiritual gifts like miracles, gifts of healings, helps, administrations, and various kinds of tongues.
The phrase "appointed by God" again gives us and the Christians in the Corinthian church the source of where these spiritual gifts have come from. Paul is never far from that fact.
v.29, 30 - All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?
Paul gives us a list of questions that are rhetorical and the answer to all of them is "no." This is the whole point of the word picture of the physical body. The whole body is not an eye or a hand or a foot. No, the whole body is a combination of all those things. The church body is not all one spiritual gift but rather a combination of the spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit. Do you get a sense that the Corinthian church was trying to be all of the same spiritual gift? One had risen to the top in their minds and all were claiming that they had that one gift. Paul is saying to them that it doesn't work that way.
Then Paul ends with these two final phrases before chapter 13.
v.31 - But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way.
I have heard this preached so many times for us to earnestly desire the greater gifts and then a list of them is given but that is not in context with the rest of the chapter or with the next statement. This is a proclamation of what they were doing wrongly. They were earnestly desiring gifts that were not given to them by the Holy Spirit that they had deemed more important than others. They had taken the giving of the spiritual gifts out of His hands and created some way to obtain something similar for the sake of themselves rather than the good of the rest of the body. They had become a one spiritual gift church but since the Holy Spirit is the one who gives the gifts, then a lot of them were displaying something that was not of the Holy Spirit. This was their way and now Paul is going to show them a still more excellent way.
What is that more excellent way to handle the spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit as He desires is in chapter 13. We think of it as the "love" chapter and said so many times at weddings but it is in response to a church who was promoting themselves through one spiritual gift above others. It was spoken to a church that was using the appearance of that gift to promote themselves and not God. They were using the sign of the gift to exhibit pride that was causing divisions and factions in the church. Nothing really about weddings here, so sorry if the context will make you think of the real setting of those words the next time you are at a wedding.
"Lord, a more excellent way is coming and may our ears and minds and hearts be open to hear it when it comes to spiritual gifts and the body of Christ. Our pride has gotten in the way of the more excellent way in the church. Help us to lay down the way of the world of pride and pick up the way of the You. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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