1 Corinthians 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.
(I will be picking up my study in 1 Corinthians where I left off in September 2016.)
Paul shifts to another topic, marked by “now about” (peri de). This begins a new section of the letter that includes chs. 12-14. There are many helpful insights in this part of the letter that can guide us in the develop of our churches. The focus is on community life as the gathered community. How do believers interact with one another? The Corinthian church was spiritually immature in many ways. They had misinterpreted what it means to be in Christ. They allowed their pagan environment to determine their worldview. They needed to cross over to a new type of life guided by the Holy Spirit. They evidently had some misunderstandings about how the Holy Spirit fills and empowers people for service and ministry within the church and out in the world. Paul wants to clear up their questions and confusions in these chapters. It appears that some of their problems of division are directly related to misunderstanding of the work of the Holy Spirit.
The word for “spiritual gifts” is charismata. It has as its root the idea of grace (charis). God’s grace comes to us through what Jesus had done through the cross and resurrection and is experienced personally and corporately through the Holy Spirit. This grace is experienced differently because God has created each of us differently. There are many things that enter into what we call “spiritual gifts,” including our personality, natural inclinations, strengths, and talents. The Holy Spirit works through each of these to impact the church and world through our obedience. Paul wants the Corinthians to come to a better understanding of these gifts. It is important also for us to understand our own gifts and the gifts of others so that we can more effectively serve God wherever we are. Ignorance can lead to misinterpretation and problems like the Corinthians experienced.
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