Tag: Spiritual Gifts

This passage is not about people trying to find their gifts, but rather about a church riven by jealousy and competition in the realm of gifts. Corinthian paganism was marked by ecstatic experiences, and there were some gifts that seemed to mirror this, but not all.

These differences were seized upon by the various factions in the church to add to the dissension. This obviously misses the point of spiritual gifts, but there is a place for trying to understand our own gifts. We all are connected to God’s spiritual network and all contribute in different ways. What is natural to you? What energizes you or stresses you out? Where have you been effective in the past? It isn’t necessarily the same as what you enjoy or even where your method is impeccable, but about the results the Holy Spirit brings about through your service.

Note that spiritual gifts are different than spiritual disciplines. The latter, we are all expected to do, though there are gifts that overlap with disciplines, such as prayer and encouragement.

So back to what Paul really is talking about. He addresses two temptations he wants the Corinthians to stop falling for: rugged individualism and gift envy. Some people look at the church and, being insecure, decide that it does not need their gifts.

Others do not work in the church at all so that they do not see it or otherwise neglect their gifts. Sometimes, churches do not give people sufficient opportunity to exercise their gifts, whether it doesn’t fit into pre-existing boxes or only fits into certain roles that are already filled. Others look at the church and, being prideful, decide that they don’t need the church’s gifts. This means that their gifts aren’t represented in the church, which means other people have to step into gifts that are not theirs, leading to burn out and collapse.

Paul’s point is that the gifts that are seen as less important are actually vital, and no individual, no matter how impressive their gifts seem to be, is complete without the rest of the body. This means that “gift envy” can be just as damaging as individualism.

Paul lists a number of gifts, not in order of importance, but rather chronologically, starting with the opening of the church by the apostles and moving through the other gifts that became necessary as the church progressed. The church would not function if all of these gifts were not in play.

So, when people in the church are seeking after specific, more highly honored gifts rather than living in their own gifts, again, we get gifts lacking in the church and dysfunction, not to mention the problem that envy itself brings along with it.

Then we get to verse 31, and it seems a bit unclear. Paul has just been saying that all the gifts are a result of grace, not our desire, and that all the gifts are vital. Then, suddenly, he tells us to desire greater gifts? Most likely, this is sarcasm from Paul, again, rebuking the Corinthians, again. “You eagerly desire the ‘greater gifts’ – but I’m going to show you something better.”

There is nothing wrong with trying to get better at something or even desiring particular roles. But we are not to see some gifts as better than others, or to feel pride for our own gifts or envy for others.

–Sermon Notes, Brent Rood, Seed Church, Lynnwood, WA

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

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Humans, generally speaking, have an innate need purpose, whether consciously or unconsciously, whether in grand scale or small things. Knowing God gives us a leg up in this struggle for purpose, because we know the purpose of both our beginning and our ultimate end.

However, we also have our own individual purposes and spiritual gifts – this is made clear throughout the New Testament. This is not just saying that everyone has different abilities, tastes and talents. There is something else going on here – but there are some frustrations.

First, we don’t have a consistent list of gifts. Second, we don’t have descriptions of what most of these gifts mean – yet, somehow, we have books, inventories and tests that tell us in great detail about each of them. Third, it’s unclear what the difference​ is between spiritual gifts and natural talents. We may say that a teacher has the spiritual gift of teaching, but what about a mailman or a cook?

Another issue is that some of the gifts seem much more supernatural than others. The gift of prophecy, for example, seems a lot cooler than the gift of hospitality.

Then there is the question of gifts throughout history. Some people believe that all gifts ceased after the destruction of the temple in AD 70. Others believe that the church abandoned miraculous gifts until the mid-19th century and the development of the Pentecostal movement. Others believe that the miraculous gifts ended, but the others carry on.

So let’s go back to what Paul is saying, and to whom. He was speaking to people in a hierarchical society with limited options, where the notion of being unique and special was entirely new. He opens the conversation about “spirituals” – the word “gifts” has been added by translators clarity, but it could mean spiritual gifts or it could mean spiritual people – and it probably means both.

Paul then gives a framework for the conversation, first by comparing Christian versus pagan spirituality. False religion and spirituality mimic real religion and spirituality, but the key difference is the “mute idols” versus the Holy Spirit. Paganism is a narcissistic cycle where we create our own values and have them reflected back to us by our rituals and spiritual experiences. He goes on to center the contrast to that on the confession that “Jesus is Lord.”

This also gives us a center point to the discussion of spiritual gifts. The goal of these gifts, versus natural talents or abilities, is that they are designed to enable people to discover, know or remember that Jesus is Lord. There are different kinds of gifts (grace), service and workings (energizing).

The first gift given to Christians is the person of the Holy Spirit, as promised by Christ. That then leads to these other gifts, distributed by the Holy Spirit, for the purpose of community and unity among the people of God, again by returning our focus to the eternal truth, “Jesus is Lord.”

So are they separate from our own natural abilities? Probably not entirely. Remember that God directs our very creation and has a cosmic plan, so there is no reason not to believe that our genetics have some relationship to our ultimate spiritual gifts. At the same time, in many situations, that might not be the case. Many people have secular talents that do not translate to the spiritual realm, whereas many others have gifts that work in a spiritual way that could not possibly work in a purely secular realm.

Your spiritual gifts are those positive effects you have on others’ spiritual wholeness. Obedience is more important than gifting – if someone’s house is on fire, you don’t take a gifts assessment to see if you have the gift of rescuing. However, you should have some idea of your gifts. Just because you should rescue people when it becomes urgent, it doesn’t mean you should get in the way of trained firefighters.

Understanding your gifts will help you better recognize your purpose, organize your priorities, and serve God and others more effectively.

– Sermon Notes, Brent Rood, Seed Church, Lynnwood, WA

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

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