The Body of Christ
What is the most significant of spiritual gifts? How about the least? Quite possibly, those who appeared to function in the more obvious and flamboyant of gifts were viewed as being more spiritually blessed while those who operated in the less seemly of gifts went unnoticed. Would this picture be that much different than the church today? Yet, we cannot all be Pastors, Evangelists, Apostles or Prophets. So, what did Paul mean in 1 Co. 12:31 where he states that we should desire the best gifts and that he has a more excellent way to show?
What are the “best” gifts? What makes one gift better than another? Paul states that all the gifts come from the same spirit, and that the Holy Spirit distributes the gifts as He wills. (1 Co. 12:11) He states that we all share in the same faith, and that we all serve the same Jesus. So then wouldn’t the person who operates in the gift of service be just as important as the person who claims that they have a word from God for His church? How well will a visitor receive the Pastor’s eloquent sermon if they weren’t greeted well by the person who functions in the gift of hospitality or, if they were offended by a rancid smelling restroom? Does anyone ever notice the person who is gifted in intercession, even though they may have literally prayed fruitfulness upon the evangelist’s efforts to organize an outreach? No one in the church may ever see the impact of the gift of mercy when a believer goes to the retirement home and visits the forgotten souls but are they not heroes in the sight of our Lord?
In vs.7 Paul states that the manifestation of the spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. Could this mean that when the moving of spiritual gifts is present in the church it is never just about the person through whom the gift is flowing? When a person is healed I would say that the healing is always what is important not the person whom God uses to pray for the healing. When a prophesy is given it is all about God speaking to His church with direction and hope for what and how God wants to move His people closer to Himself. So then prophecy is about the church not the prophet, just as healing is about the healed.
With this in mind, what then is the purpose for seeking the best gifts as Paul says in vs. 31? In Romans 12 Paul discusses the gifts in relation to the body of Christ as well. As we compare lists we can see that the order he gives in 1 Co. 12 is not necessarily a hierarchy of importance, because he does not even list the same gifts for the Romans as he does for the Corinthians. The crossover is limited to prophecy and teaching. However he does follow up on his writing about the gifts in the Body of Christ with a clear exhortation towards love in both epistles! If we consider the gifts as listed in Ephesians 4 as well then we see that while the gifts listed are not identical in any of the three epistles the following attributes are almost unanimously accompanied.
The gifts as mentioned in Eph.4, Ro 12 and 1Co. 12-14 all are stated by Paul as being appointed by God, Christ or the Holy Spirit. All 3 epistles refer to unity, the body of Christ and the importance of love while Paul discusses the gifts. Edification is mentioned in Ephesians and 1Corinthians as a motivator for the gifts. Grace is mentioned in Ephesians and Romans as an enabling force in the administration of the gifts. This brings me to the more excellent way that Paul mentions at the end of 1Co.12 in prelude to chapter 13.
The best gifts are not necessarily defined by title but by function. Do they function to bring strength, unity, love or hope to the body of Christ? Are the motivated by God’s Holy Spirit in order to in some way unify His church for the vision of God’s commission or purpose? Do they feed, encourage or strengthen the church as a whole? Is the functioning of the gift relevant to the immediate need of the church or the individual the gift is being ministered to? If so then they likely are the best gifts.
What is the most significant of spiritual gifts? How about the least? Quite possibly, those who appeared to function in the more obvious and flamboyant of gifts were viewed as being more spiritually blessed while those who operated in the less seemly of gifts went unnoticed. Would this picture be that much different than the church today? Yet, we cannot all be Pastors, Evangelists, Apostles or Prophets. So, what did Paul mean in 1 Co. 12:31 where he states that we should desire the best gifts and that he has a more excellent way to show?
What are the “best” gifts? What makes one gift better than another? Paul states that all the gifts come from the same spirit, and that the Holy Spirit distributes the gifts as He wills. (1 Co. 12:11) He states that we all share in the same faith, and that we all serve the same Jesus. So then wouldn’t the person who operates in the gift of service be just as important as the person who claims that they have a word from God for His church? How well will a visitor receive the Pastor’s eloquent sermon if they weren’t greeted well by the person who functions in the gift of hospitality or, if they were offended by a rancid smelling restroom? Does anyone ever notice the person who is gifted in intercession, even though they may have literally prayed fruitfulness upon the evangelist’s efforts to organize an outreach? No one in the church may ever see the impact of the gift of mercy when a believer goes to the retirement home and visits the forgotten souls but are they not heroes in the sight of our Lord?
In vs.7 Paul states that the manifestation of the spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. Could this mean that when the moving of spiritual gifts is present in the church it is never just about the person through whom the gift is flowing? When a person is healed I would say that the healing is always what is important not the person whom God uses to pray for the healing. When a prophesy is given it is all about God speaking to His church with direction and hope for what and how God wants to move His people closer to Himself. So then prophecy is about the church not the prophet, just as healing is about the healed.
With this in mind, what then is the purpose for seeking the best gifts as Paul says in vs. 31? In Romans 12 Paul discusses the gifts in relation to the body of Christ as well. As we compare lists we can see that the order he gives in 1 Co. 12 is not necessarily a hierarchy of importance, because he does not even list the same gifts for the Romans as he does for the Corinthians. The crossover is limited to prophecy and teaching. However he does follow up on his writing about the gifts in the Body of Christ with a clear exhortation towards love in both epistles! If we consider the gifts as listed in Ephesians 4 as well then we see that while the gifts listed are not identical in any of the three epistles the following attributes are almost unanimously accompanied.
The gifts as mentioned in Eph.4, Ro 12 and 1Co. 12-14 all are stated by Paul as being appointed by God, Christ or the Holy Spirit. All 3 epistles refer to unity, the body of Christ and the importance of love while Paul discusses the gifts. Edification is mentioned in Ephesians and 1Corinthians as a motivator for the gifts. Grace is mentioned in Ephesians and Romans as an enabling force in the administration of the gifts. This brings me to the more excellent way that Paul mentions at the end of 1Co.12 in prelude to chapter 13.
The best gifts are not necessarily defined by title but by function. Do they function to bring strength, unity, love or hope to the body of Christ? Are the motivated by God’s Holy Spirit in order to in some way unify His church for the vision of God’s commission or purpose? Do they feed, encourage or strengthen the church as a whole? Is the functioning of the gift relevant to the immediate need of the church or the individual the gift is being ministered to? If so then they likely are the best gifts.
RSS Feed