Gifted and United

Introduction

Last week, we looked at who we are as a church, what true fellowship is, what it involves, and what it means to love one another with honesty and authenticity, with Christ in the middle of us.

Today, we will continue this journey by going deeper into the heart of serving one another in unity. It is not only about who we are as members of the same body, but even more about what we must show through the powerful work of the Holy Spirit, using the spiritual gifts that Christ has given, for each other, to do the will of God and to glorify Him.

The context of 1st Corinthians

The first letter to the Corinthians does not have one single clear message, but it deals with many problems: divisions into different groups claiming to belong to Paul, Apollos, Peter, or Christ; tolerance of many sins being practiced; disorder in worship and the Lord’s Supper; and the great need for godly order in the church.

Paul is upset and grieved to see that all his time and efforts had not produced the fruits he expected. He speaks to them as children living by the flesh instead of mature believers living by the Spirit.

Their behavior was prideful and rebellious; they even questioned the very legitimacy of his apostleship. Their attitude was far from Paul’s teachings while he was there, as he struggled with them in every situation, trying to disciple them to the best of his ability by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul also answers specific questions raised by the Corinthians, including issues about marriage, food offered to idols, and the role of women in the church. He reaffirms the central place of the cross and the resurrection of Christ as the foundation of the Christian faith. He also addresses the subject of spiritual gifts, explaining them in detail, while pointing out major misunderstandings that existed in the church at Corinth; misunderstandings that are still found in churches around the world today.

Next week, we will continue exploring the theme of spiritual gifts with chapter 13, which focuses on love. This chapter is often quoted at weddings or happy occasions, but its original context is different.

It actually teaches the importance of love among brothers and sisters in Christ. Without this love, no spiritual gift has true value for a child of God. What lasts forever is love, together with faith in Jesus Christ and the hope of His coming again.

What is a spiritual gift in this context?

« Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit »

In everyday understanding, a gift is just giving something we own in the physical world.

A spiritual gift, however, is different. It is a supernatural ability given by Christ through the Holy Spirit to a believer at the moment of conversion. These gifts are not for personal benefit, but to build up and serve the Church (1 Corinthians 12:7).

We should also understand the difference between the gift of the Holy Spirit given to the disciples at Pentecost, which laid the foundation of the Church (Acts 2), and the spiritual gifts given today, which continue to strengthen and edify the Church. Both are important works of the Spirit, but they serve different purposes.

Natural talents are different from spiritual gifts. Talents are abilities we are born with and can develop through effort. Spiritual gifts, however, are given only by God when we are born of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4–11).

Each believer receives gifts in different ways according to the will of the Holy Spirit. We should not expect everyone to have the same gifts, and having a particular gift does not make someone more Christian than others.

It is also important to distinguish between the fruit of the Spirit and spiritual gifts. The fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23), must be visible in every Christian’s life. Spiritual gifts, on the other hand, are given to serve others and glorify God.

Why are spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit to believers?

The purposes of spiritual gifts, or the signs that were given, were to glorify the Father (Acts 4:1) and to build up both Christians and the Church (Eph. 4:12-13).

“And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord ”

There is a distinction between spiritual gifts given to all believers and gifts specifically for ministry.

All spiritual gifts are meant for the common good of the Church of Christ: to build up, train, encourage, help one another, and show love within the Church. In this way, our joy and love as children of God shine in the world as we reach out to lost souls.

When the Apostle Paul urges believers to desire the best gifts, he is encouraging them to seek what God has given them. It is about understanding why God saved us and the purpose for which we are created. The Father has loved us, loves us, and will continue to love us. In response, we are called to love, so that the gifts of the Spirit may be fully expressed within the Church.

Regarding church ministry, passages such as Ephesians 4:11 and 1 Corinthians 12:28 show that Christ called the apostles, the founding leaders of the early Church. 

The word “apostle” comes from the Greek apostolos, meaning “sent ones.” Today, those sent to plant churches and preach the Gospel to the nations are called missionaries, trained and sent by local churches.

Prophets are those who have received and communicated a revelation from God for the times to come. Teachers of the Word are those who have received the gift to explain and instruct others in the doctrines of the Christian faith.

The office of pastor, or shepherd, represents the caretaker of Christ’s flock, overseeing the ministry of the Word through teaching, preaching, and guiding the local church spiritually toward green pastures and peaceful waters.

The evangelist is specifically called to share the Good News of Christ effectively and with clarity. While every believer is called to proclaim the Gospel of Salvation, for the evangelist, this is their primary calling, set apart by the Holy Spirit.

Christ also calls those He has chosen to serve His Church as laborers for the harvest, set apart for spiritual leadership and guided by the Holy Spirit. He invites anyone with a deep desire to serve Him to confirm this divine calling today.

How are spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit to believers?

“There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons”

The diversity of effects, or acts, refers to the variety of ways God works. God is sovereign, and in His sovereignty, He acts according to His will, at the time He chooses, to accomplish His perfect plan. Nothing can stop or weaken His divine purpose, which was determined and declared from the foundation of the world. God chooses both who and for what purpose a person is set apart to fulfill His will.

Do we truly understand our spiritual gifts? Are we aware of what God wants us to do with them? If we cannot answer these questions clearly, it is best to pray about it and seek counsel from a brother or sister more mature in the Lord. Sometimes we hesitate to open up so as not to bother others, but as children of God, we must do this to grow in understanding.

God loves us above all and does not want to see us suffer in places where we are not called to be. Sometimes we may think we are pleasing God through our works, no matter how honorable they seem, but true obedience comes from aligning our actions with His will.

“But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good”

Each Christian has at least one spiritual gift, “But to each one”, and on the other way around, no one possesses all the spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:29–30).

The manifestations of spiritual gifts that the Apostle Paul speaks of refer to what was present at that time, not to future events. When Paul wrote this epistle, he was not addressing whether God would act in the same and exact way 2,000 years later. 

God is sovereign, and knowing this, Paul did not imply that these gifts would continue indefinitely in every place. A spiritual gift is always a gift from God, given through the Holy Spirit, intended for the building up of the Church and the glorification of God Himself.

The situation in the church at Corinth shows the danger when the Spirit of God is not manifest among believers. Instead, a spirit of confusion and disorder prevailed, leading to serious problems and divisions.

The manifestation of spiritual gifts is diverse and depends entirely on the Holy Spirit. Those who think they possess some kind of superpower are mistaken. God’s Word is clear: it is the Holy Spirit who decides whether a gift is manifested. We do not control the Spirit. A spiritual gift is a favor from God, and if the Church does not walk in His will, His favor will not be present.

“For the common good” means that gifts are given for the benefit of all who have sincere hearts, united in the same Spirit, with the same foundation, Christ as Lord and Savior of our souls.

The spiritual gifts

There are two categories of spiritual gifts that were given in the first century: the gifts of apostles, prophets, healing, working miracles, word of knowledge, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. These gifts were given temporarily to confirm the authority of the apostles and the early Christians, and to spread the new revelation and divine power through communication.

Today, God’s Word in its written form (the Bible) meets all the needs of His people engaged in His work.

The permanent gifts that have operated throughout history and continue today are: the gifts of wisdom, faith, discernment of spirits, word of knowledge. And many more in other passages too, encouragement, teaching, exhortation, generosity, hospitality, leadership, compassion, evangelist, pastor, and teacher. 

Let us see the gifts more in details.

The gift of a word of wisdom: This is the ability to apply both human and divine knowledge correctly, by someone who, in connection with God’s wisdom, knows the fear of the Lord.

The gift of the word of knowledge: This appears only twice in the same context in Scripture, likely associated with teaching, and involves the ability to communicate truth to others to build up the community.

The gift of faith: There are three kinds of faith: saving faith, given to all repentant sinners; sanctifying faith, available to all believers for spiritual growth; and the faith referenced here, which is a supernatural ability to trust God and expect great things from Him, the faith that moves mountains.

The gift of healing: This is a supernatural ability to heal human illnesses, whether physical, mental, or demonic in origin. This gift clearly ceased to operate at the end of the first century with the formation of the biblical canon. 

The apostles Paul and Peter had this gift. Its cessation does not mean that God forbids or refuses to heal; rather, what ended was the ongoing, permanent exercise of this gift through a human.

The prescribed apostolic way to pray for healing is mentioned in James 5:14–16: “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.”  However, this method was not emphasized in the Gentile churches.

The gift of effecting of miracles: This is a supernatural ability to perform acts that surpass the natural realm. The three main periods of miracles in biblical history were: from Moses to Joshua, from Elijah to Elisha, and from Christ to the apostles.

The gift of prophecy: This is the act of “prophesying,” which every born-again child of God may receive according to the will of the Holy Spirit. It enables a believer to speak with power, courage, and conviction what God reveals in His Word. Today, prophecy in the Church is meant to build up, encourage, and comfort the brothers and sisters (1 Corinthians 14:3).

The prophets of the Old Testament received direct revelation of future events and often spoke about God’s judgment, blessings, or future plans for His people (Isaiah 1:1; Amos 3:7). While the function, communicating God’s will, is similar, the context and application differ between the Old Testament and the modern Church.

Revelation 22:18–19 warns: “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city described in this book.”

The gift of distinguishing of spirits: This is the ability to discern, examine, and understand the origin of messages or interpretations related to God’s Word, distinguishing truth from falsehood, and separating genuine disciples of Christ from false prophets, ravenous wolves, and servants of Satan disguised as sheep. Anything related to the darkness spiritual real.

The gift of various kind of tongues: This is the divine ability to speak in different languages, which was common in Corinth, a cosmopolitan city, and was also experienced by the apostles on the day of Pentecost where all the nations gathered in Jerusalem.

The gifts of interpretation of tongues: This is the ability to interpret or translate these languages so that visitors and foreign members of the Church can understand and share the same message and prayers

“But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills”

“But one and the same Spirit” means that it is through His work that we are spiritually united if we belong to Christ. When we are united by the Spirit, we act together for the good of all, using the spiritual gifts given to us. The purpose of these gifts is not for personal boasting or worldly success, but to value others above ourselves, serve with love and humility, and lead souls to Christ. This is God’s will, and it is why He has given us the ability to enlighten the lives of others through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

Conclusion

Wayne Grudem explains: Paul’s discussion of spiritual gifts emphasizes the unifying work of the Holy Spirit. While one might think that people with different gifts would not easily get along, Paul concludes the opposite: different gifts draw us closer because they make us dependent on one another. “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you,’ or the head to the feet, ‘I don’t need you’” (1 Cor. 12:21). The unifying work of the Holy Spirit is further seen in the fact that “rivalries… disputes, dissensions, factions” (Gal. 5:20) are desires of the flesh, contrary to being “led by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:18). 

The Holy Spirit produces love in our hearts (Rom. 5:5; Gal. 5:22; Colossians 1:8), and this love “works to bring about perfect unity.” Therefore, when the Holy Spirit works powerfully in a church to manifest God’s presence, one visible sign is a community marked by harmony and overflowing love for one another.