Different Gifts, Same Spirit-1 Cor 12:1-11

1 Corinthians, New Testament, Sermons

  • Just how spiritual are you? What does it mean to be spiritual (1 Cor 12:3)?
  • How would you gauge your own and someone else’s spirituality (1 Cor 12:3)?
  • Are you aware of the Giver of your/others’ gifts (1 Cor 12:4-6, 11)?
  • Why were you given your gifts (1 Cor 12:7, 25, 27)?
  • What particular spiritual gift(s) do you/others have (1 Cor 12:8-10, 28)?

On Spirit gifting and being people of the Spirit [Spiritual manifestations in church] (12:1–14:40). Since ch. 8, Paul deals with worship matters. In 8:1-10:22, Paul absolutely forbids them to participate in temple meals, followed by 3 issues involving their own gatherings for church. Ch. 12-14 deals with the spiritual gifts during church. It’s probably the most important, as the differences between him and them come to a head over what it means to be people of the spirit (1 Cor 3:1). This and the final issue–the future resurrection of believers (ch. 15) bring the letter, with all of its preceding arguments, to a fitting climax.

  • Being “people of the Spirit” in the present means to edify the community in worship (ch. 12-14),
  • for the perfect has yet to come (13:8-13); and when it does, it’ll include
  • the resurrection of the body, albeit as a “‘spiritual‘ body” (ch. 15), i.e., the same body adapted for eternity.

The crucial issue: they were against Paul as to what it means to be pneumatikos–“spiritual” = “people of the Spirit.” They not only denied the material/physical side of Christian existence (hence ch. 15; 1 Cor 15:12), but had elements of “spiritualized” or overrealized eschatology; some consider themselves to already be like angels (1 Cor 13:1), thus truly “spiritual” needing neither sex in the present (7:1-7) nor a body in the future (15:1-58). Speaking angelic lingo by the Spirit was evidence for their new “spirituality,” hence their singular passion for this gift. But …

Life in the present must be conditioned eschatologically by the life of the future that has already begun with Christ’s death and resurrection (4:1-5; 7:29-31), but that life has only begun, it’s not yet consummated. Thus, times of church worship must be for mutual edification (1 Cor 14:3, 5, 12, 26), not for heightened individualistic spirituality.

An abuse of the charisma of tongues (1 Cor 12:10, 28; 13:1; 14:6). Placing inordinate emphasis on and singular enthusiasm for showy displays of spirituality, esp. speaking in tongues disrupt/dominate church meetings by disorderly spirit-inspired utterance that is unintelligible to others in the church. Paul’s long response [ch. 12 -14] shows that this matter is highly important and sensitive. He exercises considerable pastoral tact in dealing with it. The 3-part structure is reminiscent of his treatment of the idol-meat problem [ch. 8–10].

  • Opening section frames the issue in general terms by describing the complementary role of spiritual gifts within the one body of Christ (12:1–31a);
  • Middle section extolling the preeminence of love appears to be a digression but actually provides the norm governing all spiritual manifestations (12:31b—13:13); and
  • Closing section gives specific correctives for regulating the gifts, especially the gift of tongues, in worship (14:1–40). Paul’s emphasis on intelligibility is:
  • both for the sake of believers (14:1-19), since only what is intelligible can build them up, and
  • for the sake of unbelievers (14:20-25), since only what is intelligible can lead to their conversion]
  • and good order (14:26-40) in worship, which is corrective, not instructional or informational.

Only in ch. 14 does the “presenting problem,” the role of tongues and prophecy in worship, surface. The theological reflections in ch. 12 and 13 provide the essential presuppositions for the specific advice that’s finally given in ch. 14. Thus, reading the 2 preliminary ch. should always keep in mind the particular pastoral goal toward which Paul is working: He’s seeking to bring their disorderly and self-centered worship practices under control so that the church as a whole may be built up (1 Cor 14:5, 12, 26, 40).

On Spirit Gifting and Being People of the Spirit (12:1-14:40)

  1. The Criterion–Jesus is Lord (12:1-3)
  2. The Need for Diversity (12:4-31)
  3. Diversity in the Godhead and the Gifts (12:4-11)
  4. The Body–Diversity in Unity (12:12-14)
  5. Application of the Metaphor (12:15-26)
  6. Once More–The Fact of Diversity (12:27-31)
  7. The More Excellent Way (13:1-13)
  8. The Necessity of Love (13:1-3)
  9. The Character of Love (13:4-7)
  10. The Preeminence of Love (13:8-13)
  11. The Need for Intelligibility in the Assembly (14:1-25)
  12. The “Greater Gift”–Prophecy (14:1-5)
  13. Analogies that argue for Intelligibility (14:6-13)
  14. Application for Believers (14:14-19)
  15. Application for Unbelievers (14:20-25)
  16. The Ordering of Gifts (14:26-40)
  17. The Ordering of Tongues and Prophecy (14:26-33)
  18. Conclusion–Confrontation and Summary (14:36-40)
  19. On Women Remaining Silent (14:34-35)

Varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit (12:1-31a). Ch. 12 establishes Paul’s theological categories for evaluating spiritual gifts in the church. Broad outline [The broad contours and implications of Paul’s discussion are crystal clear, but some points along the way require explication and further comment.]:

  1. Introduction: the Spirit empowers all Christian confession (1–3). Jesus is Lord.
  2. Manifestations of the Spirit: common source, common aim (4–11). Diversity in the Godhead and the gifts.
  3. The body analogy: diversity and interdependence (12–26)
  4. The body–diversity in unity (12-14)
  5. A 2fold application of the metaphor (15-26)
  6. Application: gifts and offices in the church (27–31a). Once more–the fact of diversity.

Different Gifts, Same Spirit (12:1-11). Definitely Diverse and Different yet United (12:12-31)

Introduction: The Spirit empowers all Christian confession (12:1–3): Jesus is Lord. The new subject [“now concerning” (1 Cor 7:1; 7:25; 8:1)] is likely a topic raised in their letter to Paul, as there’s no indication in ch. 12–14 that Paul is responding to reports about them (cf. 1 Cor 5:1; 11:18). They likely addressed public manifestations of the Spirit in worship, expressing joy and pride in entering the heavenly sphere and speaking with “tongues of angels” (1 Cor 13:1). Paul’s response is cautionary and corrective, but he never disputes the authenticity of their experience or of the gifts that they have received from God.

The translation “spiritual gifts” [almost all English renderings of 1 Cor 12:1] is an interpretive paraphrase. “Now concerning spiritual things” (Gk, or “spiritual persons”; 1 Cor 14:1).

“Gifts” (charismata) first appears in 1 Cor 12:4. This is significant. Likely they used pneumatika to describe spirit manifestations like tongues and prophecy. They may be following Paul, who employs such language for his own ministry: “We speak … in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things [pneumatika] to those who are spiritual [pneumatikois]” (1 Cor 2:13). Or in 1 Cor 9:11, he observes that he has “sown spiritual things [pneumatika]” among them. So, when Paul writes that he doesn’t want them to be “ignorant / unimformed” (NIV, NEB) about pneumatika (1 Cor 12:1), it’s irony. They think themselves authorities already. But they treat these Spirit manifestations as their own spiritual sophistication and power. So, shifting to charismata (1 Cor 12:4, 9, 28, 30, 31) emphasizes that Spirit displays must be interpreted as God’s gifts of grace (charis), NOT their personal achievement. Then, 12:4–11 stresses God‘s sovereign initiative in allocating and empowering all spiritual gifts in the church.The difference between the Holy Spirit‘s activity and other Spirit “inspiration” in the church. Recalling their recent pagan past, Paul says forcefully, “You know how, in the days when you were still pagan, you were swept off to those dumb heathen gods, however you happened to be led” (1 Cor 12:2, NEB; cf. the emphatic disavowal of idolatry in 10:14–22). In contrast to being blown about by various spiritual powers (Eph 4:14), they’re now rooted in Christ. The one certain criterion of the Holy Spirit’s inspiration is that it empowers the simple confession “Jesus is Lord” (1 Cor 12:3). This has 2 important implications.

  1. Anyone who utters [affirms–NOT just mouthing] the confession “Jesus is Lord” IS living by the Holy Spirit’s power. Exalting oneself for possessing spiritual gifts–tongues, words of wisdom and knowledge (1 Cor 12:8)–shouldn’t suppose that those lacking them lack the Spirit. 1 Cor 12:3 anticipates 1 Cor 12:12–13: All in Christ enter the realm of the Spirit, and no one should be despised.
  2. Paul’s immediate concern: discernment necessary to discriminate between various Spirit experiences. The Holy Spirit is at work only where the lordship of Christ is authentically confessed. Paul hypothesizes: “No one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says, ‘Jesus be cursed’” (1 Cor 12:3a). Commentators seek to explain how persons in church might say such a thing: Gnostic Christians cursing the fleshly Jesus or Christians cursing Jesus to escape persecution. [Anachronistic: in Paul’s time there was no persecution of Christians by Rome, nor Gnosticism, for Paul would’ve responded to stop it!] Paul may be recalling his former life in Judaism when he, persecuting the church, cursed Jesus under the Torah’s curse (Gal 1:13; 2:17; 3:13). So, Paul emphasizes that those inspired by the Holy Spirit will speak and act to glorify the lordship of Christ. By this criteria Paul critiques those whose behavior denies the lordship of Christ while speaking in “tongues”—though the actual critique is in ch. 14.

You‘re part of Israel. The Gentile Christians were made part of Israel (1 Cor 12:2). In English, the opposite of “pagan” is “Christian”—a word Paul never uses. Ethn (Gk-Gentiles) opposite is “Jews.” “When you were Gentiles you were carried away to mute idols. …” is Jewish polemic against Gentile idolatry. Being no longer Gentiles, they’ve turned away from idols to serve the living God of Israel (1 Thess 1:9) and grafted into Israel (Rom 11:17–24). Thus, Israel in the wilderness are “our fathers” (1 Cor 10:1): Gentiles can rightly claim ancestry from the Israel of the OT. This is Paul’s ecclesiology and understanding of his converts in relation to the people of Israel.

Manifestations of the Spirit: Common source, common aim (12:4–11) lays the foundation of spiritual gifts in the church. They are, first of all, gifts (charismata), signs of God’s free grace, distributed in diverse ways. The church is never homogeneous; it’s made up of various individuals with different gifts and ministries “for the common good” (1 Cor 12:7). Paul explains this by means of a trinitarian formula (12:4–6)–varieties of:

  • gifts (charismata) — but the same Spirit
  • services (diakoniai) — but the same Lord
  • activities (energmata) — but the same God who activates all of them in everyone.

Paul had no explicit doctrine of the Trinity, which was articulated 100s of years later. He experienced God as Trinity, describing God’s activity in 3 synonymous parallel clauses as the working of the Spirit, Lord Jesus and God. The point isn’t to parcel out different activities to different persons within the Godhead but to insist that the many different divinely inspired manifestations in the church have one single source. [The confessional statement of 1 Cor 8:6 declares that all things are “from” the one God, the Father, and “through” the one Lord, Jesus Christ.]The 3 terms describing God’s work in the church (gifts, services, activities) shouldn’t be sharply distinguished from one another. “Services” is intended to broaden their vision. They concentrated on “charismatic” spiritual manifestations, but Paul points to humbler service (linked with the Lord Jesus, who for Paul exemplifies servanthood) as manifesting God’s presence. The 3 fold repetition of “varieties” emphasizes diversity in the church. The creative imagination of God is so many-faceted that God’s unitary power necessarily finds expression in an explosion of variegated forms.The point in ch. 12–14 is 1 Cor 12:7. The 3 fold formula is summed up: “To each is given the manifestation [phanerosis] of the Spirit for the common good [to sympheron]” (1 Cor 12:7). “Spirit” stands for all 3 persons of the Trinity. “Manifestation” includes “spiritual gifts” in the narrower sense as well as other activities inspired by God in the church. The emphasis is at the beginning and end of the sentence: the manifestations are given to each, and these manifestations are for the common good. All members of the church receive gifts of the Spirit, NOT just a few super-endowed special spiritual leaders. Also, the whole purpose of God’s distribution of these gifts is for the benefit of the church as a whole, NOT merely the private edification of the individuals who receive the gifts (1 Cor 6:12; 10:23).

9 examples of the “manifestations of the Spirit” (1 Cor 12:8-10). This is not an exhaustive list of spiritual gifts (Rom 12:6–8; Eph 4:11–13; 1 Cor 12:28–30). The gifts here simply represent the diversity of the workings of the Spirit. So, it’s futile to speculate about the precise meaning of each gift, because Paul doesn’t give enough information to construct a clear picture. It’s possible to see some significance in the grouping of the 9 gifts here. The key is to note the divisions in the list marked by Paul’s use of a different word meaning “another” [Gordon Fee]:

  1. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom [sophia],
  2. and to another (all) the utterance of knowledge [gnosis] according to the same Spirit.
  3. To another (hetero) faith by the same Spirit,
  4. to another (allo) gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
  5. to another (allo) the working of miracles,
  6. to another (allo) prophecy,
  7. to another (allo) the discernment of spirits,
  8. to another (hetero) various kinds of tongues,
  9. to another (allo) the interpretation of tongues.

Allos means “another of the same kind” while heteros means “another of a different kind.” It appears that Paul may have used heteros here to mark pauses for breath, thus dividing the list of gifts into 3 groups.

  • The 2 gifts in the 1st group [1,2] are the word of wisdom (sophia) and the word of knowledge (gnosis)—precisely the characteristics in which the “strong” Corinthians especially pride themselves (ch. 1–4 and 8).
  • The 2 gifts in the final group [8,9] are tongues and interpretation of tongues—the spiritual manifestations that are the particular target of Paul’s discourse in chapters 12–14.
  • The remaining 5 gifts in the middle group [3-7], then, appear to be a random list of supernatural workings of the Spirit; presumably “faith” here refers not to ordinary Christian faith in God but to the sort of special faith that can “move mountains” (1 Cor 13:2), that is, perform miracles.

Thus, Paul brackets a general list of gifts with more pointed references to the spiritual gifts that particularly shape the self-conception of the superspiritual Corinthian Christians whom Paul seeks to correct. By ordering the list in this way, Paul implies that the gifts on which they are fixated are by no means the only gifts operative in the church.Overly intellectual and irrationally emotional. Today Christians who prize philosophically informed wisdom and knowledge might also display enthusiasm for speaking in unknown tongues; the former seems soberly intellectual, while the latter seems irrationally emotional. These are modern stereotypes on the ancient situation. There’s ancient evidence to demonstrate that esoteric “angelic” speech was sometimes seen as a mark of refined spirituality and high status in Jewish and Christian circles (Dale Martin, Corinthian Body, 87–92). In such a context, to speak under the inspiration of the Spirit in unintelligible “tongues of angels” (1 Cor 13:1) might be entirely appropriate for the person gifted with spiritual illumination and wisdom. Thus, the tongue-speakers in the church may be the same “strong,” affluent persons claiming special knowledge that set them apart from the community in various other ways as well.“Each one” (1 Cor 12:7) is empowered by the Spirit with one of these extraordinary gifts. The church as a whole is envisioned as a charismatic community in which the power of the Holy Spirit is palpably present, operating through the complementary gifts of its various members. Healings, miracles, and revelatory speech are portrayed as everyday occurrences within this Spirit-endowed community. Any study of 1 Cor 12 must hold this image of the Christian community up against his or her own church community and reflect seriously about the differences.

No boasting. The conclusion of this section repeats Paul’s central point that no one can miss (1 Cor 12:11): the diverse gifts—12:8–10 are only a sample—are all “the work of one and the same Spirit,” and they’re allocated in the church just as the Spirits wills to distribute them. Having any gift is NOT a matter of individual merit or worthiness but of the sheer free grace of God. The implication is clear: There is no ground for boasting about being “spiritual,” no matter what gifts one may possess. All the manifestations of the Spirit are to serve God’s purpose for the common benefit of the church.

REFLECTIONS. How can 1 Cor 12 speak to the church in our time?

  1. The confession of Jesus as criterion of spirituality. Not everything that presents itself as “spiritual” is consonant with the gospel. As “spirituality” becomes a buzzword, Christians should question which voices are really inspired by the Spirit of God and lead us astray to idols (1 Cor 12:2). Paul’s criteria is simple (1 Cor 12:3). Those who confess Jesus is Lord are under the influence of the Holy Spirit; those who deny his lordship are not. This won’t resolve all questions. But it calls for critical discernment. The Corinthians left a pagan past to follow a new Lord. The confession “Jesus is Lord” meant that Caesar was not, that other gods and lords were nothing (8:4–6), and that they’re giving themselves to a new allegiance. The danger in church is a self–indulgent religiosity where anything that comes to us under “religion/spirituality” will be uncritically embraced. The simple confession “Jesus is Lord” remains the Spirit-inspired watchword that separates the work of the Holy Spirit from the work of deceiving spirits. Also, this confession unites the church at the most basic level. In the midst of serious disagreements, we must recognize that all those who share the confession of Jesus’ lordship are our brothers and sisters to whom we are bound by the one Spirit.
  2. Spiritual manifestations as gifts distributed by God by the work of the Holy Spirit. We can easily regard these gifts as if they are our natural capacities or talents, for which we claim credit or take pride in. “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?” (1 Cor 4:7) Every gift of the Spirit is given “for the common good” (1 Cor 12:7), for the sake of ministry to the whole community. But if you treat gifts as possessions for personal honor, they become corrupted and cause dissension. Ask each other, “What are your spiritual gifts?” This can be helpful, but they run the risk of turning Paul’s lists of gifts (12:8–10, 28) into a spiritualized Myers-Briggs inventory of personality types. You shouldn’t gaze in the mirror and ask what gifts you have, but simply use your gifts in service of the church.
  3. The church is a charismatic community. The church is where the Holy Spirit operates in powerful palpable ways through gifts of healing, miracles, and revelatory speech, including tongues and prophecy (1 Cor 12:6-10). Pentecostal churches that have experienced charismatic renewal recover such gifts as an integral part of Christian worship and ministry. They have characterized the rapidly expanding Third World churches. But most churches in the Protestant traditions—such phenomena are unknown and may be perceived as threatening. For such churches, 1 Cor 12 may look like strange. Paul is aware the Holy Spirit isn’t limited to the more spectacular “charismatic” manifestations. But we shouldn’t domesticate the Spirit’s power by excluding such gifts—as though it’s only about serving on the finance committee or planning the Sunday school curriculum. If unfamiliar with the manifestations of the Spirit that Paul describes (12:8–10) visit a contemporary community where tongues and prophecy are part of the worship service. The Spirit has chosen to distribute these gifts in churches all around the world. Ask seriously whether 1 Cor 12 does not summon us to open ourselves more radically to the possibility of such manifestations of the Spirit in our midst.
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