Study Guide on First Corinthians 12-14

 

 

I.  LARGER CONTEXT:  The phrase "now about" in 12:1 indicates that Paul is turning to yet another question raised by the Corinthian church, this time regarding spiritual gifts.  Although Chapter 12 (with its well-known analogy of the diversity of members within the body) and Chapter 13 (the great "love" chapter of the Bible) are often considered in isolation, in their original context Chapters 12 through 14 form one single block of teaching dealing with the Corinthians' misuse of the spiritual gifts they had amply received (1:4-7).

 

• Working backwards, Chapter 14 describes in some detail the confusion caused in their worship assemblies because the Corinthians were using their gifts selfishly, for personal self-aggrandizement, for pridefully "showing off" their Spirit endowment.

 

• Chapter 13 eloquently describes the supremacy (the "most excellent way," according to 12:31b)  of agape love to ALL things, and especially spiritual gifts (see verses 1-2, 8-10), thus implicitly rebuking the misuse of such gifts to unlovingly cause division in the church. 

 

• Chapter 12 makes the point that ALL the gifts are granted by the same Spirit (verses 4-11);  ALL of the Corinthians are essential and valued parts of the same body, regardless of the particular gift they have received (verses 12-24);  and therefore NONE of the individual members should cause division in the body (verses 25-26), even though NOT ALL have the same gift (verses 27-31).

 

The KEY VERSE in this three-chapter block of teaching comes near the beginning, at 12:7:

 

"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the COMMON GOOD."

 

 

II.  THE PURPOSE OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS.  The Holy Spirit functioned in three ways to build up the early church:

 

1. REVELATION:  Guiding the apostles and prophets into "all truth"  (John 14:24-25, 2 Peter 1:20-21, 1 Peter 1:10-12, etc.)

 

2. CONFIRMATION:  Miraculously verifying the truth of the gospel message (Mark 16:17-20, Hebrews 2:1-4, 2 Corinthians 12:12, 1 Thessalonians 4:5, Exodus 4:1-5, Mark 2:10-11, etc.)

 

3. EDIFICATION:   READ Ephesians 4:7-11

 

a.                Verse 7              Who determines the specific gift – or measure of grace – that each Christian received?  __________________ (See Romans 12:3-8; 1 Peter 4:10-11)

 

b.                Verses 11-12a   Why did God "gift" the church with apostles, prophets, evangelists, etc?  _________________________________________________

 

c.                Verse 12b         What effect would these leaders have on the "body"?  _________________________________________________

 

d.               Verses 13         How long would these gifts last?   What would be the sign that their purpose had been fulfilled?  __________________________________________________________   ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

III.  SPIRITUAL GIFTS IN THE BODY (Chapter 12):

 

1.  READ Verses 1-3             What was the sign that someone is speaking by the HOLY Spirit (as opposed to an UN-holy idol)?  ________________________________________________

 

2.  READ Verses 4-6             What CONTRAST does Paul make repeatedly in these verses?  ________________________________________________________________

 

 

INSIGHT:  Note that the Father – Son – Holy Spirit are all listed as the source of the Corinthians' spiritual gifts. This reflects the essential unity/equality between them.  Cf. Matthew 28:19; 

 

 

 

3.  READ Verses 7-11           LIST the differing gifts Paul mentions in these verses:

 

a.       ___________________________________________

 

b.      ___________________________________________

 

c.       ___________________________________________

 

d.      ___________________________________________

 

e.       ___________________________________________

 

f.       ___________________________________________

 

g.      ___________________________________________

 

h.      ___________________________________________

 

i.        ___________________________________________

 

 

                      

THOUGHT QUESTION:  As you review Verses 4-11, in what ways is Paul trying to combat the Corinthian sin of PRIDE because of the spiritual gifts they possessed?  ______________________________________

 

 

4.  READ Verses 12-13         How does the Holy Spirit make us "one body"? _______________________

 

 

5.  READ Verses 14-26         THOUGHT QUESTION:  Why would it be foolish for any Corinthian Christian to feel superior to his or her fellow Christians because of the spiritual gift he/she possessed?

 

 

6.  READ Verses 27-30         THOUGHT QUESTION:  There are some today who insist that the "sign" of salvation and/or sanctification is "speaking in tongues" – i.e., they assert you can know that you have been given the Holy Spirit if you speak in an unusual utterance.  Based on Paul's comments, how would you answer that?

 

--Dan Williams, El Dorado, Arkansas

 

Proverbs 19:20

"Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of
your days" (Proverbs 19:20). The ability to listen and be open to advice are
crucial to living wisely. This includes listening to correction and rebukes
we may not like to hear at the time. Hebrews 12:11 tells us: "All discipline
for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have
been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of
righteousness." When we close ourself off from advice and the sorrow of
discipline, we are also closing ourselves off to the peaceful fruit of
righteousness. We should never be so arrogant to think we have everything
handled and need no advice.

Jeremy Sprouse

Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.”

 

Isn't it great to be alive today? We awake each morning to embark on another day of great adventure. It is an adventure because we know not what the day is going to bring forth. It may be joy and happiness or it may be pain and heartache. It could be success or it could be failure. All may go well with us or nothing could seem to go right. But understand this, whatever adventure comes our way, as a child of God, we should be rejoicing in the Lord. Our sins have been forgiven, we have been washed clean in the blood of the Lamb and thus have the hope of one day living in the beautiful paradise of heaven (John 14:1-3, 2 Cor. 5:1).We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood a peculiar people who have been called out of darkness into marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9, Col.1:12-14). Why should we not be rejoicing in the Lord always?

 

We should rejoice and be thankful that we have the privilege of being a child of God. Every day we should be on our knees thanking God for his love that makes this possible (1 John 3:1). Our hearts should swell with great gratitude that while we were sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8).

 

We should be rejoicing because we have through obedience to God, been added to his church and thus are numbered among the saved (Acts 2:47). A word to the wise here. In our rejoicing, we must strive to be actively involved in the work and worship of the church (Rom. 12:1-2, 13-21, 1 Cor. 15:58, Matt. 5:16, James 1:25). In our rejoicing, we must ever be dedicated to maintaining peace, harmony and unity within the church (Psalms 133:1, Eph. 4:3, Rom. 12:16-18, Rom. 14:19, 1 Cor. 1:10).

 

We should rejoice because we are walking in the truth (2 John 4, Eph. 5:8, 1 John 1:7). Walking in the truth means that we know the truth and obey it to the best of our ability. It is this walk that makes us free (John 8:32).

 

Rejoice and again I say rejoice. The blessings of God upon us are many and constant thereby giving us the hope that sustains us each day whatever the day brings forth (1 Pet. 5:7, 1 Cor. 10:13, Heb. 13:5).

 

When you really think about it, as children of God, we ought to be the happiest people on the face of this earth.

 

Charles Hicks

White House, Tn.

Upgrade to Windows 8

Last Wednesday, on a whim, I decided to upgrade to Windows 8. The price was right ($39.99) and the desire to have a cleaner computer along with a longer battery life. Well, the upgrade did not go as expected. Immediately following the upgrade about half of the software on my computer would not run and the computer was moving at 50% of normal speed. Following the events of Wednesday, the laptop was out of control on Thursday – Saturday.

Thanks to a friend in the IT business, the Windows 8 upgrade process is becoming a little better. After a Windows 8 refresh, the computer is running smoothly and quicker than Windows 7.

Soon after the Windows 8 craziness, the battery on my wife's cell phone cause an issue where it would shut down quite frequently and give false battery readings. After a quick examination of the battery, we found it swollen and unable to hold a charge.

After putting up with several technological issues, I am thankful that God made the plan to live with him simple. There is not a technological aspect to the plan God has shown to man through His Son Jesus.

God knew man would not be able to save himself, because we were created to make our own choices and in such cases, we choose to leave the foundational principles of the Word of God and make our own path. Salvation through God is simple, but sometimes man creates the problem. Consider those on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2…

Each person was committed to following God because they had made the journey from other regions to be there for the Pentecost celebration. While celebrating the feast, Peter (along with the 11) became Spirit-filled spokesman for the Almighty God. The message was personal and pointed. During Peter's message, the people realize, "What shall we do?" Peter's answer was simple and pointed.

Peter's words were…

(1) Repent
(2) Be baptized.

I am glad God's plan is not technical, but simple.

Just my thoughts,

Chris Gallagher

 

Elisabeth Malloy

As the name indicates, "backcountry skiing" is skiing in remote areas not
within ski area boundaries on unmarked and ungroomed slopes. Unlike groomed
slopes that one would find at a ski resort, the land and the snow pack are
not monitored, patrolled, or maintained. Backcountry skiing can be
hazardous due to avalanche, exhaustion, weather, cliffs, rock fall (falling
rock), and tree wells (voids or areas of loose snow around the trunk of a
tree enveloped in deep snow into which skiers can fall).

For people like Elisabeth Malloy and her boyfriend, Adam Morrey, the thrill
of backcountry skiing is worth the risks. Last Saturday, the couple did
some backcountry skiing in the mountains east of Salt Lake City, Utah, when
they triggered and were engulfed by a 700-foot wide avalanche.

Morrey had skied downhill only about 10-15 feet before being knocked over by
the slide. He emerged with his head and chest out of the snow. He
immediately began calling for Malloy, but there was no answer. Frantically,
he freed himself from the snow and his skis and began looking for her. He
soon found her by using avalanche rescue beacons that both of them were
wearing. Using an avalanche shovel, Morrey dug in the snow and found
Malloy's foot and then the rest of her body. She was unconscious, but
Morrey revived her by performing CPR. Then, with the aid of another skier,
they made their way down the mountain. A rescue helicopter spotted them
about 2 ½ hours later. The skiers were taken to a hospital in Salt Lake
City where Malloy was treated for frostbite in her toes and fingers.

The allurement of backcountry skiing to some adventuresome skiers can very
well describe the enticement that EACH of us faces regarding SIN....

James describes the pernicious process: "But each one is tempted when he is
drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived,
it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death"
(James 1:14-15; see also Romans 3:23; 6:23). The Apostle Paul also
describes the "avalanche" that results when people leave God out of their
minds and stray from His Word (Romans 1:18-32).

Make no mistake about it: sin IS alluring. The tempter (Satan) emphasizes
the temporary thrill - the "passing pleasures" (Hebrews 11:25) - but not the
deadly consequence of sin.

Morrey confessed that they knew about the risk of avalanche that day they
went skiing. "Our judgment was overwhelmed by the pursuit of having more
fun and skiing the steeper slopes and the great Utah powder," Morrey said.
That pursuit almost led to their deaths.

The pursuit of the passing pleasures of sin is always deadly, "for the wages
of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).

But God loves us so much that He gave His only Son to die on the cross for
our sins (John 3:16). Through Jesus we can have the forgiveness of our sins
and the gift of eternal life (Ephesians 1:7; Romans 6:23).

Jesus will rescue from the avalanche of sin those who will: place their
faith and trust in Him (Acts 16:30-31), turn from sin in repentance (Acts
17:30-31), confess Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized
(immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sin (Acts 2:38). Those who
continue to trust in Him and follow Him faithfully, He will lead to eternal
glory (John 14:1-6).

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the beacon that sounds forth the Good News of
salvation from sin, and if YOU will answer His "call" through your trusting
obedience, He will come to your rescue.

Won't YOU?

David A. Sargent

Henry Ford Detroit Automobile company

If you were asked to choose one word that would cause someone to think about the Biblical author Solomon that word would no doubt be "vanity." He used that word 40 times in two of his books. By my count, it's found four times in Proverbs and 36 times in Ecclesiastes.

The main thrust of his message in Ecclesiastes was that everything regarding man's endeavors towards earthly things were nothing but "vanity." As a matter of fact, for the sake of one more bit of Bible trivia, he used the phrase "all is vanity" 6 times in that book and pretty much wrapped up his inspired thoughts with that phrase.

At this point I should probably explain why I chose this topic to opine about today and it's because of a little story I heard the other day that involved a "vain" person and another well-known, historical individual of the industrial/business world - Henry Ford. In a moment I'll relate this story to you in sort of a condensed version and then try and tie it in to a spiritual lesson for us.

Besides making me think of Solomon, the story also reminded me of a parable of our Lord, told in Luke the 12^th chapter. To me, that parable is a classic picture of a person consumed in "vanity." Let me relate the story first and then we'll look at the parable referred to as the "rich fool."

The story involves an auto race that took place way back in October of 1901. Hard to believe that there were enough cars to race back then, isn't it? Auto racing was in it's infancy, as the industry itself was pretty much in the same boat. This race was to take place in Detroit, Michigan with the grand prize being $1,000. Not much today, but a great deal back then.

Now in January of 1901, before this race was scheduled, Henry Ford's "Detroit Automobile Co." had gone bankrupt. He was a failure in the auto business and had to move his family back in with his parents. He needed money, capital, in order to restart the business.

The race could provide him with investors if he could enter a car and make a good showing. He got a small team together and built his race car. For you car enthusiasts, it had a 2 cylinder engine that displaced 538 cubic inches and developed 26 horsepower. Wow! He couldn't afford to hire a driver so he decided to drive it himself.

The country's leading and best race driver was a man named Alexander Winton who also was a successful car company owner (Winton Motor Carriages). He was so good that he was automatically considered to be the winner of any race he entered. The purse of $1,000 was not enough to get him interested in this race, but the race promoter wanted him in it so as to draw fans.

Now here's where Alexander Winton ties into our parable, thus into our lesson today. He agreed to enter the race on the condition that he got to choose the trophy that accompanied the $1,000 winner's purse. He wanted the trophy to be a beautiful, cut-glass punch bowl and cups because he had a special place in his house for it. In his mind, it was as good as already there.

The end of the story: the race, originally set for 25 laps around the horse racing track, ended up being shortened to 10 laps due to most of the cars breaking down during preliminary races. When the main race started only Winton, Ford and one other racer started. Ford caught and passed Winton on the 8^th lap and won the race. He got the money and the trophy plus investors and, as we often say, "the rest is history."

Today, everyone knows of Henry Ford, but how many have ever heard of Alexander Winton? Or, for that matter, ever seen or heard of a Winton car? Perhaps, in his "vanity," Alexander might have been counting his "punch bowls" and building a place for them before he should have, don'tcha think?

In Luke 12:15, in response to a request from a person "in the crowd," Jesus answered with these words: "Take care and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist of the abundance of his possessions." He then went on to tell the crowd the parable about the "rich man" who had so much already that he didn't have room for anymore.

So, in his vanity (my words), he just assumed that he'd get even more possessions so he'd tear down his old barns and build bigger ones to house all the "stuff" that he knew that he'd be gaining. But, he never thought about losing anything, especially his life. You'll notice that God referred to him as a "fool" for this way of thinking. He was making all kinds of plans for his "worldly" gain, but made no plans for a "spiritual" gain. (Is it just me, or does anyone else see a picture of "covetousness" and "vanity" holding hands?)

We sometimes sing an old hymn entitled "At Calvary" and the first few words of this song are, "Years I spent in vanity and pride, caring not my Lord was crucified." There again we have another word association: "vanity" and "pride." When we use the word "vanity" today, it's mostly seen in the context of pride, or of boasting. Sometimes we see it as being conceited.

"Vanity" as used in the Bible doesn't mean "pride," it's a word that means things like: worthless, empty or unsatisfactory. The Hebrew definition that I particularly like for "vanity" is "transitory." As I mentioned earlier regarding Solomon's message in Ecclesiastes of all of man's worldly endeavors being "vanity," doesn't the definition "transitory" fit like a hand in a glove?

Well then, what's the main gist of this lesson? My intention is, and I hope that it can be understood, that by looking at our two examples of "vanity," the famous race driver and the rich man in the parable, any effort towards worldly accomplishments is "worthless" if we neglect efforts towards "spiritual" gain.

I fear that there will be far too many people who do exactly that during their lifetime on earth. And when the "race" ends or the "barns" collapse (parabolically speaking) they will hear the same charge laid on them by God - "Fools."

They will be like the folks spoken of by the prophet Hosea (8:7) when he said "For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind." I see "vanity" as being as worthless an endeavor as "sowing the wind." After all is said and done, it's an effort in futility. We should direct our efforts towards "sowing the good seed" (Mt. 13:37). I started this with good old Solomon and I'll end it with his words:

             "The wicked worketh a deceitful work; but to him that soweth

                righteousness shall be a sure reward." Proverbs 11:18

Ron Covey

　

Christ's love controls us

----- Original Message -----
From: "Russ Lawson" <rlawson@mfth.net>
To: <Brad@abiblecommentary.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2013 4:30 PM
Subject: Messages From The Heart - All Men


ALL MEN

Kids are wonderful for their insights, which sometime causes us adults, to
take another look at what we say or believe. Often I have observed that
their insights stem from some misunderstanding, such as singing the song:
"Up from the grave he arose," substituting the word "gravy".

I enjoyed the insight from the following story from one father. "When my
daughter said her bedtime prayers, she would bless every family member,
every friend, and every animal (current and past). For several weeks, after
we had finished the nightly prayer, Kelli would say, "And all girls." This
soon became part of her nightly routine, to include this closing. My
curiosity got the best of me and I asked her, "Kelli, why do you always add
the part about all girls?" Her response, "Because everybody always finishes
their prayers by saying 'All Men'!"

To a child I can understand where the misunderstanding might arise. Perhaps
"Amen" might sound like "all men" to her, as if only a certain segment of
our society can be saved. Paul in writing to Timothy recommends prayer for
their leaders so that peace would be sustained. The reason he gives for this
is found in 1 Timothy 2:4, where Paul writes, "Who will have all men to be
saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth". (KJV) Just in case you
are wondering the Greek word Paul uses is 'anthropos', meaning 'human
beings' or 'mankind'.

Sometimes we have the tendency to focus on people "just like us" to share
the Good News with. In a way that is understandable, it is human nature to
gravitate to people with which you have a common bond or something in
common. However God doesn't give us that luxury of picking and choosing
folks "we like" for salvation.

Paul deals with this very problem in 2 Corinthians 5:14-16, where he writes,
"Christ's love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we
also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so
that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves.
Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. So, we
have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we
thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know
him now!"(NLT)

So, ending a prayer, "all men," or "all girls," may not be strictly
according to the pattern we have learned, but "Amen" (let it be so) anyway.

Russ Lawson