NL 246: Gifts of the Spirit

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1 Corinthians 12:1-13

Initial Thoughts

  • An important supplement to the Pentecost story. Answer the question: “So what?”

    • As in: The disciples received the Holy Spirit. So what?

  • The gift of the Holy Spirit is not a one-time deal that happened to a bunch of people a long time ago.

    • The Church is not “interest accrued” from the original investment of the Spirit.

    • The gift of the Spirit keeps happening. 

    • We are a people of Pentecost as much as we are a people of Easter

  • Context of “Spiritual Gifts” is an answer to a specific problem - the correct order of worship, and the “hierarchy” of leadership.

  • Spiritual Gifts are just that - gift - not achievements. Faith is primary gift, all else flows from there. 

  • Diversity of gifts is more important than a ranking of gifts.

  • Diversity and unity seem to be competing values, but the unity of Christ is only achieved through diversity. This is true of Spiritual gifts, but it clearly has implications beyond these attributes.

Bible Study

  • Part of a larger section (chapters 11-14) on how the Corinthians should conduct themselves during worship - what is faithful worship behavior

  • While chapter 11 deals with many of the practicalities of worship (what to wear and how to share the Lord’s Supper) chapters 12-14 address the spiritual manifestations of worship

    • 12:1-31a - congruent role of spiritual gifts within the diverse body of Christ

    • 12:31b-13 - the supremacy and universality of love over and above all other spiritual gifts

    • 14 - the problem: people speaking in tongues

  • Context 

    • Context of letter - “stress in diversity” is important to note. For a people struggling with hierarchy, status, and diversity, this letter is an antidote.

    • Previously understood that the “lesser” (blue collar workers, drones, serfs, commoners, poor, etc) should be subservient to and serve the “greater” (rich, powerful, strong, military, commercial or political leaders, etc)

      • Very prevalent in Hellenistic world where the client was expected to support and obey their patron

      • Very prevalent when CEO are valued more than factory workers or janitors and senior pastors are valued more than CE directors (Lee C Barrett, Feasting on the Word)

      • A question of value. See more below in thoughts and questions

    • Paul’s letter turns this upside down and places equal value on all the parts of the body (if not greater value on the inferior parts - see 12:22-24)

  • Paul is addressing Spiritual gifts but does not deny the spiritual gifts themselves- just the interpretation of these gifts

  • Spiritual gifts as opposed to Spiritual things

    • Addressing the divisions in the early church over who has the best Spiritual “things”

    • The Corinthians are having issues with Spiritual things (Gk: pneumatika; verse 1) and seeing these spiritual “things” as evidence of their spiritual sophistication and superiority

    • Paul quickly reframes these “things” as gifts (Gk: charismata; verse 4) which moved from being personal possessions or achievements and instead re-frames these spiritual manifestations as “gifts” of God grace (Gk: charis). 

    • In other words: You cannot boast about your spiritual gifts because, like grace, you did not thing to earn them- they are just that-a gift from God. Therefore glory is to God, not you.

  • Verse 7- the purpose of these gift is for the common good

  • Regarding Speaking in Tongues by Michael Dowd, a more progressive understanding of Speaking of Tongues.

  • Does it proclaim “Jesus is Lord”?

    • YES-Spiritual Gift

    • NO- Not a spiritual gift

    • There is no “best” spiritual gift

    • You may have divisions in the church between different factions: Outreach and worship, Youth Group and Music, Stewardship and Fellowship etc.

      • Radical message: ALL ARE NEEDED! and all are valued

    • Preaching and teaching is only one of many equally valued spiritual gifts - priesthood of all believers!

  • The radical notion of vv. 12-13

    • Do we truly believe this? On a universal scale?

    • Even if we see this as speaking solely to Christians - how often do we affirm the members of the Christian body who are in prison, or waiting for asylum at the border, or live under oppressive occupation in Palestine, or whose children are working in factories in Bangladesh. It is just as radical today to declare the Spirit baptizes us into one body as it was at the time of Paul.

      • One body - American or developing world, gay or straight, documented or undocumented, incarcerated or free, gender conforming or non-cis, rural or intercity… - what would you add?

      • “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” (MLK Jr.)

      • “In a real sense all life is inter-related. All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be...This is the inter-related structure of reality.” (Letter from a Birmingham Jail, MLK Jr)

    • “For Paul, life ‘in Christ’ or life ‘with the Spirit’ means the exact same mode of transfigured Christian life committed to the justice of equality. The baptismal formula commits the baptized person to the life principle that whether you come into the Christian community as Gentile or Jew, slave or free, female or male, you are equal to one another within that community.” (Borg and Crossan,  , emphasis is the authors’, p. 111-112)

Thoughts and Questions

  • When we think of spirituality as a thing to be owned, then we enter into a scarcity mindset that leads to an inward self-centered approach. When we see the spirit as a gift we enter into the abundance of God which moved us outward into service and self-sacrificial love.

  • In what ways do we forget that our ecclesial achievements are not spiritual things to be owned and praised, but that gifts which are entrusted to us? 

    • How do we determine what is a true spiritual gift and what is not?

  • Bigger conversation - what does it mean to proclaim Jesus as Lord? What does it mean to proclaim in word or action that Jesus is cursed?

    • A good question to ask of all our programs and activities in and outside of the church. Does _______ proclaim Jesus is Lord? If not- then perhaps we should not be doing it.

Year 2Eric Fistler1 Corinthians1 Comment