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[Previous: Regarding Head Coverings] Regarding the Use of Spiritual Gifts (12:1-14:25)All Gifting is Important (12:1-31a)Paul now moves to the next issue: spiritual gifts and in particular, speaking in tongues. Evidently, the Corinthians had come to believe that the best spiritual gift was speaking in tongues, and that the exhibition of this gift demonstrated a superior spirituality. The Corinthians had turned what was supposed to be a gift for the benefit of the body of Christ and made it a litmus test for spiritual achievement. Paul reminds the Corinthians that there are many different gifts, not just tongues (12:4-7). The Holy Spirit gives these various gifts as He sees fit and it is not on evidence of a person's spirituality (12:11). Paul reminds the Corinthians of the need for unity, for they are all part of the body of Christ, whether Jew or Greek, slave or free (12:12-13). Therefore, one can not say their gifting is less or more important than another. All parts of the body are important, and are connected to each other (12:14-26). Not everyone can be an apostle or a prophet or a teacher, or do miracles, or speak in tongues (12:27-31). The Superiority of Love to Spiritual Gifts (12:31b-13)Spiritual Gifts without love are useless (13:1-3)Paul uses a series of hyperboles or exaggerations in 13:1-3 to drive home his point: if love is not the motivation, than the ministry has no purpose, doesn't do anyone any good, and is of no value whatsoever. It doesn't matter how exciting or excellent your gift, it doesn't matter the power of your ministry, it doesn't matter the depth of sacrifice you make. Without love, your ministry, your service to the church, has no value. The Character of Love (13:4-7)Paul then provides a list that describes the character of love in 13:4-7. These character qualities are not so much a definition of love as it is a picture of what love looks like. We run a danger in methodically analyze each of these character qualities, for as the preacher Ray Stedman says, analyzing these beautifully poetic words is "almost like taking a beautiful flower and tearing it apart. [1]" Instead we should see the big picture and ask ourselves if our ministry is characterized by love or by selfish motivations?
Love Endures. Spiritual Gifts Do Note (13:8-13)Next Paul tells us here that the spiritual gifts are going to disappear (13:8-10). There is considerable debate among bible scholars as to when these gifts will disappear or even if they maybe already have. Most all biblical scholars would agree that after the return of Christ, when we will dwell with him in a new heaven and new earth, we will not have the need for spiritual gifts anymore. On this earth there are many things we don't understand, and we need supernatural gifting to help. But then, "we will see everything with perfect clarity," so these gifts will not be necessary anymore (13:12). Like the Corinthians, it is easy to glamorize our ministry. It is easy to let ministry become an end unto itself. We become focused on keeping a program alive, keeping a tradition going. Instead of asking, how can we love people more effectively, we hang onto the same old strategies. But programs will die. Strategies will become ineffective. Spiritual gifts will disappear. If we base our service to God on programs, strategies, and spiritual gifts, they will not endure. But if we base our ministry on faith, hope and love, our ministry will last forever. The Purpose of Spiritual Gifts (14:1-25)Superiority of Prophecy to Tongues (14:1-19)The Corinthians had placed undo importance on the gift of tongues. So in 14:2-5, Paul contrasts the gift of prophecy with the gift of tongues. Paul says that tongues, as practiced by Corinthians, are spoken to God and therefore don't help the church. But prophecy is spoken to men, so it can edify, exhort and console. Tongues only benefit the one speaking, whereas prophecy builds up the whole body. If a spiritual gift, like tongues, is to benefit the whole body, it must be easily understood and not be confusing to people (14:6-8). Prophecy, however can be understood and therefore helps the body. Speaking in tongues is being used as an emotional experience that the Corinthians see as some grand spiritual encounter. But Paul would rather that we use not just our emotions when exercising our gifts, but that we also use our minds (14:14-15). If the exercise of our gift is just an emotional experience, then it is not building up the body (14:17). Therefore, Paul would rather they speak few words with their minds than thousands of words in tongues (14:19). Purpose of Tongues (14:20-25)Originally the gift of tongues was given at Pentecost to communicate the gospel to those spoke in foreign languages (Acts 2). The gift of tongues is a sign not to believers, but unbelievers (14:22). The way the Corinthians exercised tongues, this gift no longer helped bring the gospel to unbelievers, but had the opposite effect. Unbelievers watching how the Corinthians used tongues, would think them crazy (14:23). But prophecy is clear and might convict an unbeliever of their sin and bring them to worship God (14:24-25). Regarding Order & Dignity in the Assembly (14:26-39)Church Should Be Orderly (14:26-33)It seems that the Corinthian church was more characterized by disruptions and chaos. When one person was sharing, somebody else might get up and start talking at the same time. Someone might start singing a song or when another begins praying loudly with some strange sounding words. During the Lord's Supper, some of the church members were drinking so much of the communion wine that they were getting drunk. Then there seemed to be a group of women sitting in the back talking to each other, gossiping and chit-chatting, and not really even paying attention to the meeting at all. Paul desires the Corinthian church to be characterized by deference, not domination. Paul wants the Corinthians to allow many people to speak, to allow everyone to exercise their gift (14:26-27). The assembly needs to be done in an orderly and dignified manner, and not be chaotic (14:30-31, 33). Women Should Be Quiet (14:34-35)If a church service is to be orderly, then women must also be quiet in the church service (14:34). This is a very controversial passage. This passage has been used throughout the history of the church to berate women and to disqualify women from ministry. However, this is not a prohibition against women exercising their gifting or ministering to the body. First, there is evidence that Paul allowed women to serve in church. In 1 Corinthians 11 mentions the appropriate manner in which women should prophesy in church. Paul often praised women for their service to the church in his epistles (Romans 16). Secondly, the Greek word translated as “speak” in 14:34 is not the word which would be most often used to mean to preach, teach, or proclaim. Instead it is a conversational speaking. In classical Greek, this word is often used for “chit-chat,” or gossip. Therefore, this is not a prohibition for women to serve in church, but is a prohibition for women to be engaging in chitchat or gossip during church services. If a woman has a question, rather than whisper it to her neighbor, she can ask about it when she gets home rather than disrupt the service (14:35). Don't Presume to Speak for God (14:37-40)Finally, Paul warns the Corinthians that when they exercise their spiritual gift, they should not presume that God only speaks through them (14:36). God works through others, and therefore all should have an opportunity to share. Furthermore, if someone does not recognize Paul's instructions as being from the Lord, they should not be allowed to share their gift (14:37-38). If someone believes God only works through them, and they do not recognize that the Lord's command comes through the apostles, if someone does not recognize the authority of the scripture over and above their own, then they should not be allowed to exercise their gifting. Finally, Paul concludes this section by reaffirming that it is okay to prophesy and to speak in tongues, but it all must be done appropriately and in an orderly manner (14:39-40). Footnotes[Next: Regarding The Use of Spiritual Gifts]
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