Now
concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
Ye
know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were
led.
Wherefore
I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth
Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy
Ghost.
Now
there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
And
there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
And
there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all
in all.
But
the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
For
to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom;
to
another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
To
another faith by the same Spirit;
to another the gifts of healing by the same
Spirit;
To
another the working of miracles; to another prophecy;
to
another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues;
to
another the interpretation of tongues:
But
all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit,
dividing
to every man severally as he will.
Though St. Paul is
sometimes rough in his admonishment of the saints in Corinth through his
epistles, chapters 12 through 14 are a master class in the role and purpose of
the Holy Spirit’s gifts to the Church. Paul
began by reminding the previously heathen Corinthians that they were once drawn
away by all sorts of spirits into all kinds of incoherent errors, but that the
Holy Spirit who indwells Christians is one and the same for all. Not only does the Holy Spirit bring forth in
a person the faith to declare Jesus as Lord, but no one can have such faith
apart from the Holy Spirit, since only the Word and Spirt of Christ are
effective unto salvation. There is no
Christian apart from the Holy Spirit’s work to create faith in his heart, and
no Christian can claim to have some other spirit which is at odds with
Jesus. After correcting this ignorance
in his readers, Paul continued to teach that the same Holy Spirit is the author
of various and sundry gifts among the people of God, and that all are of the
same Body of Christ, with every gift given to each individual for the
edification of the whole. While the Holy
Spirit’s administration of gifts among individuals is diverse, He is not divided
against Himself, and all that He does is united in His testimony of Jesus and
the care of His people.
The wedding feast at Cana
has a similar point. While the revelry
had consumed all the wine and disgrace might have come upon the patrons of the
feast for running out of libations, the real point of Jesus’ turning over 100
gallons of water into the best wine anyone had ever consumed, was to point
people to faith in Him. There was grace
for the patrons of the feast, of course, and joyous celebration for the drunken
wedding guests (note here that Jesus certainly wasn’t a teetotaler, and was
derided by Pharisees later as a “wine-bibber,”) but like His later miracles of
healing and even raising Lazarus from the dead, the earthly benefits were not
the primary objective. Everyone who
drinks wine and parties today, will be sober later; just as everyone who is
healed of a disease today, will be sick or injured again someday. What is much more important than the fleeting
pains and sorrows of this earthly realm, is the condition of the soul which
lives forever, either in the friendship or under the judgment of Almighty God. Jesus knew this, and worked toward the edifying
of all who would hear Him, so that the Holy Spirit would work faith unto
eternal life in those who would receive Him.
Like the people of 1st
century Corinth, a cosmopolitan city full of industry, trade, and wealth, modern
Christians also can lose the point of why the Holy Spirit gives His gifts to the
Church. No gift is given to anyone for
their own glorification or exultation, anymore than the Holy Spirit exults
Himself in the work of creating saving faith in the hearts of those who trust
in Jesus through His power… and the Holy Spirit is worthy of all honor, glory,
and praise, because He is fully God, together with the Father and the Son, the Most
Holy Trinity, unto ages of ages without end.
The gifts given to people by God, are for the glory of God and the care
of His people, that others might have that same gift of saving faith in Jesus which
surpasses every earthly treasure. Just
as the Holy Spirit works to produce faith and repentance in the hearts of those
who will hear the Word of Christ, so, too, do all His various and sundry gifts
working through the Body of Christ, testify of the same. There is no gift given to an individual that
is intended for the glory of the individual, though human pride will often try
to take honor and glory it does not deserve.
Every gift of God to a person is reason to rejoice and give thanks to
God for His providence and grace—not to elevate or celebrate the one through
whom God has chosen to work.
Also worth noting, is
that St. Paul did not provide an exhaustive list of gifts, but noted that each
is given to accomplish the good of the whole Body of Christ. For the farmer and the teacher, the doctor
and the preacher, the engineer and the mechanic, the artist and the novelist
and the song writer, every gift given to them is to be used for the glory of God
and the edification of others. The work
we do to provide our families, care for our neighbors, support our local congregation,
defend our country, and every other talent and gift under heaven, are all for
the good of our neighbors and the testimony of God’s good will toward men. God has given to each person His own gifts
for the vocational duties He has given them, that they might produce good
fruits and accomplish the good works He ordained for them from before the
foundation of the world. Yet chief among
those good and salutary works, is the testimony of Jesus Christ crucified and risen
for the salvation of the world—that all may come to a saving knowledge of the
Truth which seeks and saves everyone who will repent and believe. Every good gift comes from God, and every
good gift is a testimony of His love and grace, pointing toward eternal life by
grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
Be of good cheer, dear
Christian, for the Lord of Glory has not left His people orphaned in this tumultuous
world, but rather has given them every gift necessary to accomplish His good
and loving will, through the power of His Holy Spirit which testifies to salvation
in Jesus. Give thanks to God for the
gifts He has given you, and see in your neighbor the purpose for which He has
given them to you: that all may be edified
and made stronger in faith, receiving the gift of salvation which surpasses
every temporal pleasure and every transient desire. For the Lord has given His good gifts to you
for the good of your neighbor, just as He has given His good gifts to your neighbor
that you, too, might be strengthened in grace, faith, and life everlasting, all
through the Lord Jesus Christ. Soli Deo
Gloria! Amen.
