“IT’S A MIRACLE” – SPIRITUAL GIFTS

In I Corinthians 12, Paul began his letter to the Corinthians with these words, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant”. Paul is talking to Christians, because he calls them brethren. These were people who had obeyed the gospel and were part of the New Testament church.

Paul did not want these people ignorant of these gifts that had been given to certain Christians. He wanted them to understand what the gifts were and what the purpose of these gifts was.

The second verse tells us that these people were Gentiles, converted out of idolatry. The idols the people had worshipped had priests that served those idols. Part of their worship was for those priests to claim that they were speaking by the direction of that god.

In the third verse, Paul tells the Corinthians that no one speaking by the Spirit of God would say, “Jesus accursed”. This was a practice of the priests of idols. Paul says that those men could not posses a true spiritual gift. This is the way they would know the difference between false teachers and true servants of the true God.

The spiritual gifts were different, and each of these gifts was given for a specific purpose. In the following verses, Paul names the gifts. I am listing them with a brief definition:

• Wisdom—Ability to reveal divine truth
• Knowledge—Ability to teach without error
• Faith—A miraculous faith
• Healing—The ability to heal
• Working of Miracles—Doing a variety of other miracles
• Prophecy—Speak words guided by the Holy Spirit
• Discerning of spirits—The ability to read the hearts of men and to determine if someone spoke by divine revelation
• Divers kind of tongues—The ability to speak in languages they had never learned
• Interpretation of tongues—Ability to explain the meaning of those speaking in tongues

Paul goes on to explain that these were equal in value but not equally valuable. The gifts were given based on the service of each Christian in proportion to the gift.

In verse eleven, Paul says, “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.” The people were not capable of performing any of the Spiritual Gifts without being given the gift.

First he tells us in verse 12 that the body (the church) is one body. It has many members. Even though there are many members, they all still belong to one body. They were all baptized into one body, no matter what their nationality or whether or not they were slaves. The Holy Spirit had been given to all of them as was promised in Acts 2:38.

“Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”

Paul goes on to show that the way these spiritual gifts work together is like the human body. Then Paul talks about the human body. He talks about the foot being upset because it is not a hand and claiming not to be a part of the body. The ear is upset because it is not an eye, and it claims not to be part of the body. But, Paul says, “If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?”

The explanation is that the spiritual gifts were given to individuals where and when they were needed. Those with one of the nine spiritual gifts had specific responsibilities just as the different physical body parts have their purpose.

One body part can’t say to other body parts, “I don’t need you.” All body parts are important. Just as all the human body parts are important so everyone is important in the church that Jesus built regardless of their gifts. All of this was done so that there would be no divisions in the body of Christ, the church.

So how did someone receive one of the nine spiritual gifts? Let’s turn to Acts 9. There we read of a man named Philip who preached to the people of Samaria. In verse 9, there was a man named Simon who was a sorcerer. He claimed to be a great man, and the people said of him, “This man is the great power of God” (verse 10). Simon had bewitched the people with his tricks.

When the people believed Philip’s preaching and were baptized, Simon also believed and was baptized. Then he followed Philip around and saw that Philip performed miracles.

Back in Jerusalem, the other apostles heard that the people of Samaria had received the word of God, and they sent Peter and John. These men prayed for the people “that they might receive the Holy Spirit. Then the apostles laid their hands on them, and “they received the Holy Spirit.”

Now when Simon saw this, he got really excited. He offered the apostles money to give him the power to lay his hands on people so they could receive the Holy Spirit.

Peter immediately told him that this power could not be bought with money, and that his heart was not right in the sight of God. Then he told him to repent and pray that God would forgive him for what he did. Simon was so overcome with fear that he asked Peter to pray for him so nothing bad would happen to him.

In the last few verses of I Corinthians 12, Paul tells the church at Corinth that God has appointed some to be apostles, some prophets, and some teachers. Only some were given these jobs, yet all were members of the same body.

I want you to look especially at verse 31. Paul said, “But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.” Paul is telling them that there is something coming that is better than these spiritual gifts.

Chapter 13 of I Corinthians tells us that prophecies will cease. Tongues will cease. Knowledge will vanish away. The only way people in the first century could receive spiritual gifts was through the laying on of the apostles’ hands. When the last person died, on whom the apostles laid their hands for the purpose of giving a spiritual gift, all of the gifts ceased. There was no need for those gifts any longer, since we now have the written word, the Bible.

Tongues and prophesying were signs for those that did not believe, I Corinthians 14:22. Those who claim to speak in tongues today, speak something that cannot be interpreted. They aren’t speaking to a group that speaks a different language than they speak. Based on verse 27 of this same chapter, they must have an interpreter. If they don’t, they cannot speak in that language.

Those that claim to heal cannot raise someone from the dead. They cannot, through an immediate miracle, feed 5,000 with 5 loaves and 2 fishes.

It is strange that the ability to speak in tongues and the ability to heal are the only spiritual gifts men and women claim to possess today. The other spiritual gifts present during the first century are not usually mentioned.

In verse 37, Paul says, “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.”

Paul said that the spiritual gifts would cease. He offered a more excellent way, Faith, hope, and love are that which are perfect.

Sandra Oliver