1 Corinthians 12:28-13:3 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 12:28-13:3. Let’s go!
1 Corinthians 12:28 (NIV)
28 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.
On 12:28: Here Paul lists a number of roles and spiritual gifts that God has given various individuals in His Church. Looking at the first three that Paul mentions, an apostle is someone who is gifted and commissioned to start new churches and ventures and oversee their development. A prophet is someone who senses when the Holy Spirit is giving a message to strengthen, encourage or comfort other people and communicates that message effectively to the people. A teacher is someone who teaches God’s people by interpreting, explaining and applying the Bible in a way that causes them to learn. The teaching role can also involve the ability to equip and train other believers to serve God effectively. Truly it takes different types of individuals and different abilities and gifts to build God’s church.
1 Corinthians 12:29-30 (NIV)
29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
On 12:29-30: In verses 29-30 Paul asks rhetorically “are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?…” The obvious answer is no. Not everyone has the spiritual gift of being an apostle, a prophet, a teacher, etc. because God has a unique gift set for every person. As Paul established earlier in 1 Corinthians 12, the Holy Spirit intentionally gives each of us different sets of gifts so that we can work together, leverage each other’s strengths, cover each other’s weaknesses, and rely on each other as God builds His church through us.
1 Corinthians 12:31 (NIV)
31 But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.
On 12:31: What are the “greater gifts” that Paul is referring to? Remember that a major theme in 1 Corinthians is not seeking our own good but the good of others (1 Corinthians 10:24). Thus, it is safe to conclude that the greater gifts are those that help others and not just ourselves.
Here Paul might be alluding to a problem which he will address in greater detail in 1 Corinthians 14, which is that the church of Corinth tended to overemphasize and over-glorify the gift of speaking in tongues above other spiritual gifts. Paul will clarify in 1 Corinthians 14 that the gift of speaking in tongues is a wonderful gift worth desiring, but it is a gift that is most commonly used to edify oneself rather than to help others. For this reason Paul would rather that the Christians in the church in Corinth desire more eagerly gifts that directly serve and help others.
While it is true that the Holy Spirit is the one who determines what spiritual gifts we will have, the fact that Paul says “eagerly desire the greater gifts” suggests to me that it is okay and in fact good to eagerly desire and ask the Holy Spirit for an increase in spiritual gifts, provided that your motive for asking is to help people and serve God more effectively. As Jesus says in Luke 11:13, “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NIV)
1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
On 13:1-3: As important and useful as spiritual gifts are, Paul confirms in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 that how we love is far more important than what spiritual gifts we have. In fact, if I don’t learn to love, it doesn’t matter what I say (“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love” – 13:1), what I know (“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge” – 13:2a), what I believe (“if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love” – 13:2b) or how much I give (“If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love” – 13:3). None of it matters if I don’t live a life of love. In the end it all comes down to love. That is why Paul calls love “the most excellent way” (12:31).
Heavenly Father, I pray for every person reading this GAME sharing, that we would excel in using our spiritual gifts, but even more may we excel in how we love You, love one another, and love those who are far from You. May we be people who excel in the most excellent way, which is love. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
