1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Applebury's Comments

Text

1 Corinthians 12:1-11. Now concerning spiritual gifts. brethren, I would not have you ignorant. 2 Ye know that when ye were Gentiles ye were led away unto those dumb idols, howsoever ye might be led. 3 Wherefore I make known unto you, that no man speaking in the Spirit of God saith, Jesus is anathema; and no man can say, Jesus is Lord, but in the Holy Spirit.

4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are diversities of ministrations, and the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of workings, but the same God, who worketh all things in all. 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit to profit withal. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom; and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit: 9 to another faith, in the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, in the one Spirit; 10 and to another workings of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discernings of spirits: to another divers kinds of tongues; and to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 but all these worketh the one and the same Spirit, dividing to each one severally even as he will.

Commentary
Basic Principles of Spiritual Gifts (1-11)

Now concerning spiritual gifts.For the expression, Now concerning see comment on 1 Corinthians 7:1. We should remember that the italicized word gifts is supplied by the translators. Since Paul is discussing services and workings as well as gifts, there seems to be no good reason for adopting the word gifts to cover the whole subject. Up to this point in the epistle Paul has discussed such things as marriage, meats, idolatry, and worship. He now turns to the things that belong to spiritthe miraculous powers which were present in the early church and the subject of the resurrection of the dead. He wanted them to know the truth about these things because certain abuses and misunderstandings had caused strife and division in the church. This was true in particular of the gift of tongues.

Ye know that when ye were Gentiles ye were led away.The section form chapter twelve through chapter fourteen should be studied as a unit. Paul presents basic principles in chapter twelve that must be kept in mind when reading chapter fourteen. It is possible to get a different view of the subject of tongues if we begin with chapter fourteen instead of starting with chapter twelve where this gift is listed among the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Again, chapter thirteen should not be taken out of context and used only as a lesson of the great theme of love, for it is an essential part of the discussion of the issue of tongues that confronted the church at Corinth.

Before the Corinthians became Christian they were accustomed to being led away to speechless idols. Paul is now to point out the contrast between the pagan oracle and the divine revelation given to the church through the Spirit of God. He had explained in chapter two how the apostles were enabled to reveal the Word of God: they were under the control of the Holy Spirit. Converts from paganism would remember that their priests had claimed to give divine direction from the pagan gods. They had been carried away by popular belief and custom like so many prisoners to their execution. It was like being carried away by some irresistible flood. False doctrine does the same thing today. Many are being swept off their feet by the pressures of popular religious movements which claim to have the power of the Holy Spirit just as the apostles and the early church did.

The problem faced by the church at Corinth was: How could they know that those who had the gifts were actually speaking under the direction of the Holy Spirit? How could they know that it was not deception just as that to which they had been accustomed under paganism? The issue was clear: Under the Spirit of God one could not say ANATHEMA JESUS. Why? Because the Holy Spirit which Jesus called the Spirit of truth would not permit one under His direction to utter a falsehood. Note the case of Balaam whom God did not permit to pronounce a curse on His people (Numbers 24:11-13). On the other hand, no one could say LORD JESUS under the direction of a spirit except the Holy Spirit. Pagan pretenders did not confess Jesus as Lord. Of course, anyone might utter these phrases, but one did not need to assume that such a person was under divine direction in doing so. The test was for those who claimed to speak under the power of God's Spirit. Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, He shall glorify me (John 16:13). It must not be assumed that the utterance of pious words and references to the Holy Spirit and claims to be led by the Spirit today are valid proofs that one is speaking under the power of the Spirit. Certainly God's Spirit, the Spirit of truth, will not lead one to say things today that are contrary to that which He caused to be written in the Bible. The spiritual gifts enabled the Corinthians to recognize the pretender in their day; the truth of the Bible enables one to do the same today!

unto those dumb idols, howsoever ye might be led.Pagans assumed that their gods communicated with them in three ways. (1) Through their priests who interpreted various kinds of signs. In this way they were led to believe that the gods were pleased or angry. (2) Through those who uttered unintelligible sounds in a state of ecstasy. Under emotional stress induced by various methods the priest or priestess was supposed to deliver a message from the gods to the one seeking guidance. (3) Through attempted or actual communication with the spirits of the dead. The Old Testament gives some basis for the assumption that this may have been possible. God had legislated against familiar spirits (Deuteronomy 18:11). In the days of Saul, those who had familiar spirits were put out of the land, but, in the end, Saul himself sought information from the woman of Endor (1 Samuel 28:7). Demon possession in the New Testament period may also indicate that evil spirits were permitted to communicate with the living. Paul indicated that the idolaters were actually worshiping demons (1 Corinthians 10:20). The apostle John said, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits whether they are from God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world (1 John 4:1). The criterion by which they were known was their teaching about Jesus Christ.

The Corinthians must have been thoroughly familiar with this pagan procedure. Lest there be any doubt about the source of a communication, Paul gave them the rule by which to test any one who claimed to speak by the Holy Spirit. A person speaking under the direction of the Spirit of God could not say ANAMETHA JESUS, and no one could say LORD JESUS except by the Holy Spirit. This meant, of course, that no one under the power of an evil spirit could say LORD JESUS.

This is an important distinction between paganism and Christianity. God did speak to the fathers in the Old Testament days and at the end of the days of revelation He did speak with finality and completeness and authority through the one whose exalted character is seen in the name Son (Hebrews 1:1-2). Since God spoke the message, it was authoritative; since it was spoken through the Son at the end of the days of revelation, it was final; since it was final, it had to be complete. This divine communication came through the Holy Spirit who spoke through the inspired apostles and prophets. The Bible is the written record of that communication. The issue is: Do we accept the Bible as the final, complete, and authoritative revelation of the will of God? This is not a plea for blind submission to authority, but a plea for an intelligent, loving, and obedient submission to God.

no man speaking in the Spirit of God.The ability to speak in or under the control of the Holy Spirit is mentioned throughout the Bible. Jesus plainly taught that the Holy Spirit would speak through His apostles (Matthew 10:20). Peter mentions the fact that the Holy Spirit spake by the mouth of David (Acts 1:16). On the Day of Pentecost, the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:4). The record of what was said at that time is given in the second chapter of Acts. When Paul had laid his hands on the twelve men at Ephesus who responded to his instruction and were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit came upon them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied (Acts 19:6).

The Holy Spirit did speak through men to give an intelligible message for the guidance of those who were seeking to do the will of God and follow His truth. (John 16:13-14). How to distinguish this from the pretended claims of the pagan priests was the problem which the Corinthians faced.

Jesus is anametha.Anametha means accursed or completely devoted to destruction. Those who hated Him in His lifetime sought to do this very thing, but God raised Him up from the dead. Those who also hated Him as He was proclaimed by His apostles cried ANAMETHA JESUS. But Paul reminded the Corinthians that this could not be done by one who spoke by the Spirit of God.

Jesus is Lord.The ancients were used to the phrase LORD CAESAR. It suggested complete devotion to the emperor and implied that he was deity. But the Christians said LORD JESUS and by so doing acknowledged Him as God. To say that He is Lord and mean it is to say that He is to have complete direction of one's life.

diversities of gifts.The charismatic gifts mentioned in this chapter were the various miraculous powers distributed by the Holy Spirit to individuals in the church upon whom the apostles had laid their hands. They were to serve during the period in which the New Testament was being written. The word that was spoken through the Lord was confirmed by them that heard, God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders, and manifold powers, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will (Hebrews 2:3-4). The apostles went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs that followed them (Mark 16:20). The word gift in other contexts means simply gracious gifts. Eternal life is God's gracious gift to the believer in Christ (Romans 6:23). Paul wanted to impart some spiritual gift to the Romansprobably the encouragement that his faith would be to them (Romans 1:11). He mentioned the fact that each one has his own gracious gift from Godself-control (1 Corinthians 7:7).

Diversities actually refers to the fact that the Holy Spirit distributed the various gifts, the Lord distributed the services, and God distributed the workings which effectively accomplished His purpose. These distributions enabled those who received them to perform the necessary work for the benefit of the whole church. For example, there were the apostles, prophets, and teachers who had the gifts of wisdom and knowledge; these and others worked miracles and healed the sick to prove that God was directing the church by the Holy Spirit. Some spoke in foreign languages, others translated, and still others had divine power to decide correctly concerning the spirits that spoke.

the same Spirit.All the gifts were given by the same Spirit; all the services were rendered under the direction of the same Lord; and all the effects produced by divine power were from the same God. Since the apostle mentioned the same Spirit, the same Lord, and the same God, the Corinthians could easily see that there was no excuse for anyone to have a spirit of jealousy or arrogance because of any gift that he might have received. Division over tongues would have been avoided if they had remembered that service and not personal honor was the principle involved in the distribution of these gifts.

the manifestation of the Spirit to profit withal.The apostle stresses the fact that the Holy Spirit had distributed these gifts and powers. They were to help the whole church and not just the individual who received them. They enabled some to speak in foreign languages to convince the unbeliever that God was with them; miracles were performed to confirm the spoken word; the gift of discerning of spirits was exercised to protect the church from the spirit or error (1 John 4:6).

word of wisdom, word of knowledge.These gifts had to do with the revealing of the truth of God. For the meaning of wisdom see the comments on Chapter s one and two. The word knowledge, which we may not be able to define with absolute accuracy, was probably the ability to understand the revealed message of wisdom. The Corinthians who possessed these gifts knew exactly what was meant by each of these terms. Our uncertainty in some instances is a positive proof that we do not possess them. An example of the meaning of wisdom and knowledge is given in Peter's message on Pentecost. It came by direct revelation through the Holy Spirit. But the expression, to you is the promise, and to your children and to all that are afar off, was not completely understood by the apostle. Later the Lord had to give him a demonstration that this meant Gentiles as well as Jews. See Acts 10:15; Acts 10:34-35. This helps us see why the early church needed the gift of knowledge. We have the information in the whole Bible to guide us in the understanding of any given problem today.

faith, healings, miracles.The second group of gifts pertained to the confirmation of the revealed message of wisdom.

Faith, as it is used in this context, is the belief through which the power to perform miracles was made operational for those to whom such power had been given. J. W. McGarvey, in the New Testament Commentary on Acts, says that no amount of faith ever enabled one to perform a miracle to whom such power had not been given. It was the Spirit who distributed these gifts. He did it through the laying on of the apostle's hands (Acts 8:18; 2 Timothy 1:6). One should distinguish carefully between the use of faith in connection with miracles and the faith that saves. The latter is the belief that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, based on the testimony of the Bible, expressed in obedience that leads to eternal life. Faith may also refer to the whole body of Christian doctrine that is to be believed. See Galatians 1:22-23 and Jude 1:3. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews presents faith as the acceptance of God's instruction upon which the great men whose names are mentioned there built their lives that were characterized by trust in God and victory through obedience to Him. Faith is a complete commitmentintellectual, volitional, and emotionalto the Lord through obedience to His Word. For faith to remove mountains see notes on 1 Corinthians 13:2.

The gift of healings had to do with miraculous recovery from illness. All healing, of course, comes from God, but this was miraculous. Miraculous means that it occurred instantaneously. No long period of convalescence followed the healing as in the case of ordinary recovery from sickness. We often hear the word miraculous applied to those cases today in which some unexplained change takes place, such as an unexpected passing of a crisis. But this is not the same as the Bible miracle. In the apostolic period, miracles were performed by the apostles and others upon whom they laid their hands. Complete and instantaneous recovery is the mark of the genuine Bible miracle. James 5:15 is often cited to support the claim of faith healing today. A full translation of that verse will help us to see what it means: The prayer of that kind of faith will heal him that is sick. The article used with the word faith indicates that it was the faith of the eldersthe same faith about which we read in 1 Corinthians 12:9that produced a miraculous healing. James cites the miracles in the days of Elijah to prove his point. No elder today has had the apostles-' hands laid on him, and we can confidently say that no elder has that power of miraculous healing today. That gift was for the primary purpose of confirming the Word. See John's plain statement of the purpose of miracles in John 20:30-31. But let us thank God for those trained doctors and nurses who are doing so much to relieve the sick today, and thank God also for His Word which He demonstrated to be true, for it tells us how to be made free from sin so that we may hope for that glad day when death and pain and mourning will be no more (Revelation 21:4).

Working of miracles had to do with miracles other than healings. A good example is the miracle by which Elymas was punished for his interference with Paul's effort to bring the gospel to Sergius Paulus (Acts 13:6-12).

prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues.Prophecy was more than prediction of future events. But for prophecy in the sense of prediction, see the reference to Agabus in Acts 11:27-30. The primary work of the prophet was to proclaim the message of God, that is, to speak forth under the direction of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:19-21). In this way, the prophet edified the church (1 Corinthians 14:4).

Discerning of spirits enabled the one who possessed this gift to diagnose a case of demon possession. This required divine power for the symptoms of demon possession were often exactly like those of some physical or mental illness. See Luke 9:37-43; Luke 8:26-39. This gift enabled the early church to protect itself against false teachers who claimed to speak for God. The truth in the Bible enables us to do the same today!

The gift of tongues was the gift that enabled one to speak an intelligible message from God in a foreign language. See notes on chapter fourteen for a full discussion of this gift.

Interpretation of tongues was the ability to translate a foreign language. It was not some power to interpret nonsense so as to make sense out of it. Two examples of the meaning of the word interpret are seen in John 1:41-42, where it clearly means translate. worketh the one and same Spirit.It was necessary for the apostle to point out that all these gifts were the work of the Holy Spirit in order to offset the claims of some that the gift of tongues was an indication of superiority of the one who possessed the gift. It was the Spirit Himself who distributed the gifts. There was, therefore, no excuse for the spirit of arrogance which some who possessed the gift manifested.