03.06. Chapter 12
Chapter 12 can be summarized as follows, · The Holy Spirit imparts gifts to Christians · These are gifts · The Holy Spirit sovereignly chooses to whom each gift is given · Each gift is important · No believer has all of the gifts · No believer should feel that his gift has made him superior · All gifts are given for the good of the body Verse 1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. The challenge presented by this verse is the definition of the term translated in most of the popular versions as, spiritual gifts. The Greek term is ton pneumatikon (tw~n pneumatikw~n), the genitive, plural form of the adjective, pneumatikos (pneumatiko>v). Since the genitive plural of this adjective is spelled the same way for masculine, feminine, and neuter objects, the meaning has to be determined by the context. The term translated literally is, the spirituals, but that doesn’t make any sense. If it is the masculine form, then the term refers to spiritual men. If it is the neuter form, then it refers to spiritual things. Paul used this term both in the neuter and masculine genders in Chapter 14 (neuter in verse 1 and masculine in verse 37).
Some would argue for spiritual men, since one of the conditions that Paul faced was the Corinthians’ contention that they were spiritual men, whereas Paul was lacking. The repeated, you, of verses 2-3, and the fact that Paul speaks of, to each one, as he lists manifestations of the Spirit in verses 7-10, point toward spiritual men. Furthermore, the point of 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; 1 Corinthians 14:1-40 is the management (not control) of these manifestations, which requires the obedience of men. The immediate context, however, would allow for spiritual things. Howard M. Ervin suggests, Now concerning supernatural endowments, brethren…
39 as a means of encompassing both the spiritual things and the spiritual men (and women) who were manifesting the spirituals.
39 Howard M. Ervin, These are not Drunken as ye Suppose (Plainfield, NJ, Logos International 1963) p19 Verses 2-3 You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the dumb idols, however you were led 40. Therefore I make known to you, that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. As pagans, they had worshipped inarticulate idols. However, these idols did represent evil spirits (1 Corinthians 10:20-21) who spoke through their devotees.
41 Thus, inspired speech was not evidence of being led by the Holy Spirit. They already knew that from their pagan past. The cognitive content of speech was the evidence of being led by the Holy Spirit.
Many pages could be written wrestling with the various explanations of Paul’s citing someone as saying, “Jesus is cursed” (when, where, why, who, etc.) and being able to say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit, which is something that even a hypocrite could say. One way that this could be explained is that this refers to making such a confession in truth requires revelation from the Holy Spirit (as described in 2 Corinthians 2:10-13). It is not profitable for us to get involved in this discussion here. It is important, however, that we not miss the point of this paragraph. Gordon Fee has written, 42 …it continues to stand as a particularly important word for the church, in which many of these spiritual phenomena are recurring. The presence of the Spirit in power and gifts makes it easy for God’s people to think of the power and gifts as the real evidence of the Spirit’s presence. Not so for Paul. The ultimate criterion of the Spirit’s activity is the exaltation of Jesus as Lord. Whatever takes away from that, even if they be legitimate expressions of the Spirit, begins to move away from Christ to a more pagan fascination with spiritual activity as an end in itself.
43 Verses 4-7 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
40 Verse 2 is one of the most difficult verses in the Bible, because it is an anacoluthon (it doesn’t follow grammatically) since the “when” clause has no main verb. As Gordon Fee comments, “Either something dropped out in the transmission of the text, or else Paul himself intended his readers to supply a second ‘you were’ at some point in the sentence. Literally, the verse reads, you know that when you were pagans, to mute idols whenever you would be led, being carried away. The best solution is to repeat the verb ‘you were’ with the final participle ‘carried away,’ so that the sentence reads, When you were pagans, you were carried away, as you were continually being led about to mute idols.” Gordon Fee, First Corinthians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Wm B. Rerdmans Publishing Company 1987) pp. 576-77.
41 One clear difference between the inspired speech of idol worshippers was the ecstatic state of idolaters, when uttering inspired speech. Idolatrous inspired speech occurred when the devotee was possessed by the spirit of the idol and spoke in an ecstatic state (not in control of himself). Paul points out that the believer is responsible for his behavior, even when speaking in tongues or when prophesying (the entire argument of Chapter 14 assumes this to be true, or else the chapter makes no sense).
42 Gordon Fee, one of the finest exegetical scholars of our generation is an ordained Assemblies of God minister.
43 Fee, op. cit, p. 58220 The question has to be asked: “Are the members of the Trinity (the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and God), each mentioned in connection with one of the three terms, gifts, ministries, and varieties of effects, because each of them individually is the source of the element described, or is Paul using a rhetorical device for emphasizing unity in diversity?”
If Paul meant to describe each Divine Being’s part in this arena, then here is the delineation, · The Holy Spirit bestows varieties of supernatural abilities on believers.
· The Lord determines when, where, and how these abilities are to be used.
· God the Father determines the results.
Whether or not Paul intended to make such a partitioning of roles can be debated. However, the main points of the paragraph are clear, · The charismata are manifestations of the Holy Spirit. In other words, the manner in which the Holy Spirit ministers to the Church is through human instruments who have control over their own behavior.
· There is unity (the Divine source) in diversity (different believers manifest different charismata); · The purpose of the charismata is to bless the corporate church.
Verses 8-10 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.
Because the Corinthians were experiencing the nine manifestations listed, and probably even more than nine, Paul is not concerned with the question as whether or not the manifestations were valid. What Paul is moving toward is the conclusion that there should be unity in diversity. Because in our day there is confusion and controversy concerning the nine listed gifts, it is fitting for us to consider them individually.
· The Word (Logos) of Wisdom (Sophia): literally, Utterance of Wisdom The phrase means either, an utterance conveying wisdom or an utterance originating in wisdom. It is significant that this gift does not occur again in any other list or discussion. The reason seems rather clear. The language points back to the earlier portion of the epistle in which Paul addresses their viewing of wisdom (as characterized by the Greek Gnostic understanding of the term) as a mark of spiritual superiority. Because of this, many rejected Paul’s Gospel (1:17-2:16). Paul defined true wisdom, not as some special understanding or deeper mystery (as the Greek Gnostics would define it), but the recognition that Christ crucified is the true wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:30-31; 1 Corinthians 2:6-9). Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that this revelation (more than mere 21 intellectual acceptance of facts) can come to us only by the Holy Spirit. So, any spiritual utterance that declares what God has done in Christ fits Paul’s description of an utterance of wisdom.
However, can the term be limited to this? The question is not easy to answer. Since the gift of wisdom occurs only here, and is not included in the spontaneous charismata described in Chapter 14, we are not compelled to consider it as something restricted to the occasional manifestations described in that chapter. Personally, I have known individuals who have wisdom beyond their years. They could not have gained it from experience, the normal source of wisdom. An example is Bruce Clutter, one of the elders at TCF. Bruce was ordained an elder in September, 1983, one week before his 29 th birthday. Even though a young man, Bruce at that time had the wisdom of a man who was in his senior years. I believe that this wise man is a gift of wisdom to the church.
· Word (Logos) of Knowledge (Gnosis) In the opening paragraph of the epistle, Paul had thanked God that the Corinthians in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge (1:5). Speech and knowledge, the Greek terms logos and gnosis, are the same the terms that describe this charismata. It seems that this is another effort by Paul to rescue them from their Greek fascination with wisdom, knowledge, and rhetoric (the point of 1:182:16), as well as confronting the pride that accompanied these obsessions.
How this gift differs from revelation is not clear. In 14:6 this gift is listed between revelation and prophecy, so it is clear that the word of knowledge and revelation cannot be the same thing. This also is one of the gifts that Paul states will cease when the perfect comes (13:8). Some have argued that since gnosis (knowledge) is in the descriptive genitive case, that this refers to the Holy Spirit’s imparting of insight into Scripture. However, because of its location in the lists just cited, it usually is understood to mean more than this.
Most would consider this gift to refer to manifestations such as Peter’s knowledge of the misdeeds of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11), or Jesus’ knowledge of Nathaniel’s whereabouts before they met (John 1:47-50).
· Faith Elsewhere, Paul speaks of saving faith as being the work of the Spirit.
44 Here, however, as confirmed by reference to this gift in 13:2, this is the gift of faith to move mountains. Jesus spoke of mountain moving faith on two occasions,
44 The Greek word, pi>stiv (pistis) is the word that we translate as, faith. Note that in each of the following passages, faith has a different meaning.
Galatians 1:23 but only, they kept hearing, “He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.” In this sentence, faith means the Gospel22 1. Matthew 17:20, after casting out a demon 2. Matthew 21:21, after cursing the fig tree (also reported in Mark 11:22). This measure of faith is a gift, something imparted by the Holy Spirit. This not something that can be worked up or volitionally exercised. In Romans 12:3, as a prelude to a discussion of functional gifts of the Holy Spirit, Paul wrote of God’s having allotted to each a measure of faith. We readily think of men such as George Mueller, to whom God gave faith for providential provision for the care of thousands of orphans and the legendary Smith Wigglesworth who seemed to know in various situations what God was doing and in that knowledge ministered supernaturally.
· Gifts of Healings In the Greek text, both gifts and healings are plural. This guides our understanding of this manifestation. Often people pray for The Gift of Healing, as if they can become endowed with the ability to heal. The terminology here is better understood as describing a group of healing gifts that the Holy Spirit presents to a particular believer for him to distribute to others. God stays in control. He hands the person chosen to administer these gifts, a gift of healing to be given to this sick person, and another gift of healing to be given to that sick person. The one to whom the Gifts of Healings are given has the privilege of dispensing the gifts. A sick person may come to the servant of God chosen to distribute the gifts, receive the laying on of hands, and not be healed. Our Sovereign God had not given His servant a Gift of Healing for that particular individual. If someone, with all good intentions, approaches church leadership, asking for the laying on of hands in order to receive the Gift of Healing, the appropriate question should be, “Why, are you sick?”
· The Effecting of Miracles (Literally: operations of powers) In 2 Corinthians 12:12, Paul wrote of himself, The signs (semeia - shmei~a) of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs (semeia - shmei~a) and wonders (terata - tera>ta) and miracles (dunameis - du>nameiv).
It is interesting to observe that in this self-description Paul made a distinction between signs, wonders, and miracles. The term translated miracles is the common Greek word
Romans 14:23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin. In this context, faith refers to the conviction that this is what God wants me to do.
1 Timothy 5:11-12 But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry; Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith. (KJV) In this passage, faith refers to a pledge or a promise made to the Lord. In both the NIV and the NAS, the “dynamic equivalency” style is used in this verse. Therefore, neither of these versions have the word, faith, in their translations. The NAS says, pledge; the NIV first pledge. In the Greek, however the word is faith (pi>stiv)23 for power. Once again we must note that both terms, operations and powers, are in the plural. This would imply that there are varying operations of powers. Certainly this would include supernatural healing, exorcism, and any of the broad range of events that we would call, miraculous. Jesus’ ministry was filled with such manifestations. In the post-Pentecostal apostolic ministry, most miracles were healing miracles. One has to ask if the healings resulting from this gift are a different manifestation than the gifts of healings. It would seem to be so. For example, cloths that had touched Paul’s body were distributed in Ephesus and everyone who touched the cloths were healed (Acts 19:11-12).
Peter and the apostles had such a flamboyant and consistent healing season in Jerusalem, that sick people were placed beside the path, hoping that Peter’s shadow would fall on them (Acts 5:12-16).
45 Be that as it may, Paul wrote that the Holy Spirit gives to certain ones the operations of powers. This can only describe a ministry that is characterized by supernatural activity.
· Prophecy After the close of the Old Testament canon (Malachi), prophecy ceased in Israel.
46 On the Day of Pentecost, Peter declared that prophecy was restored, in fulfillment of Joel’s prediction (Acts 2:16-18).
… but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: ’And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ’That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; and on My male slaves and My female slaves, I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit and they shall prophesy. The Greek term, propheteia (profhtei>a), refers to speech that emanates from divine inspiration and declares the purposes of God. It can include prediction, but that is not the essential nature of prophecy. Joel declared that when God’s Spirit was poured out, prophecy would not be restricted to prophets but that it would become a widespread phenomenon among God’s people.
45 The Western Text of this verse 15 concludes with, “for they were being set free from every sickness, such as each of them had.”
46 Here are some quotes from I Maccabees, the most reliable history book of the Jews, written during the intertestamental period, 4:46 and stored the stones in a convenient place on the temple hill until there should come a prophet to tell what to do with them.
9:27 Thus there was great distress in Israel, such as had not been since the time that prophets ceased to appear among them.
14:41 And the Jews and their priests decided that Simon should be their leader and high priest for ever, until a trustworthy prophet should arise…24 · The Distinguishing of Spirits The Greek term rendered, distinguishing or discerning, is the term, diakrisis (dia>krisiv), which has as its primary meaning, a separation, thus, a judging. Since the term is in the plural, a literal rendering is discernments of spirits.
Interestingly, the term rendered discernments is the noun form of the verb used in 14:29, which speaks of judging whether or not prophecy is from God. Thus, discernments of spirits must include judging of prophecy. 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 and 1 John 4:1 ff fit into this category.
1 Thessalonians 5:19-21a Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully.
1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. In II Thessalonians, Paul declared the necessity of judging the spirit behind both doctrinal teaching and miracles: that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, … that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:2-3, 2 Thessalonians 2:9) Thus, Paul states that some believers will be given the ability to discern spirits, whether it be the spirit behind a prophecy, a teaching, or a miracle.
· Various Kinds of Tongues The Greek terminology is important. Gene glosson (ge>nh glwssw~n), translated literally, families of languages, fits the Acts 2:1-47 experience, in which the disciples began to speak with other tongues (languages that were not their native tongue) and were understood by visitors from various countries. The term refers to actual languages, not just ecstatic utterances, a phenomenon seen in pagan rites.
47 Because of the terminology, we must conclude that tongues refers to a language spoken somewhere in the world, or formerly was spoken somewhere in the world, or a language spoken by angels (13:1). It is neither gibberish, nor uncontrolled mutterings.
48
47 Many modern commentators have sought to demonstrate that the expression, tongues, refers to the ecstatic speech or unintelligible speech, found in the Greek religions. In a very detailed scholarly work, Christopher Forbes has demonstrated that this is not case: Christopher Forbes, Prophecy and Inspired Speech in Early Christianity and its Hellenistic Environment (Peabody, Mass, Hendrickson Publishers, 1997) 48 The renowned scholar, A.T. Robertson makes the following comment: Acts 2:4 - With other tongues (ejte>raiv glw>ssaiv) Other than their native tongues. Each one began to speak in a language that he had not acquired and yet it was a real language and understood by those from various lands familiar with them. It was not jargon, but intelligible language. Jesus had said that the gospel was to go to all the nations and here the various tongues of earth were spoken. One might conclude that this was the way in which the message was to be carried to the nations, but 25 This manifestation never was used for preaching or proclamation of the Gospel. It always was manifested in praise or prayer. Interestingly, in the earliest days of the Pentecostal movement, the belief persisted that God would give earthly languages to baptized believers so they could quickly evangelize the world. Those who went to foreign fields with this expectation experienced failure.
49 In this present era, there are many credible reports of the Holy Spirit’s bestowing a “foreign” language upon a believer, which was understood by an auditor. Dr. Howard Ervin, a respected scholar whom I know personally, has written of his own experience in this realm. We include this extensive quote because of the controversy over this point. In our own day, there is an increasing number of testimonies by Christians who have spoken known languages “in the Spirit.” On one occasion the present author was participating in a healing service in a church on the West Coast of the United States. As he prayed in tongues, an Armenian Baptist woman listened to his “tongue,” and identified it as prayer in Russian. Again while praying with a small group for the healing of a missionary who speaks Spanish fluently, the missionary identified his “tongue” as a Spanish dialect. The vocabulary was clearly identified, but the inflections were strange to her. On another occasion, while praying for the healing of the little daughter of a Japanese Buddhist woman, he spoke a “tongue” she later identified to mutual friends as Japanese. Still more recently, in a ministry service in his own church, an Armenian man, for whom he prayed, identified two foreign languages spoken in prayer. The one was a dialect spoken by the Indian colonial troops of the British Empire which he had heard as a young man in the seaport cities of the Orient. The second language he described as Kurdish, a language he himself speaks. Most recently of all, in fact just a few weeks ago, the future developments disprove it. This is a third miracle (the sound, the tongues like fire, the untaught languages).
There is no blinking the fact that Luke so pictures them. One need not be surprised if this occasion marks the fulfillment of the Promise of the Father. But one is not to confound these miraculous signs with the Holy Spirit.
They are merely proof that he has come to carry on the work of his dispensation. The gift of tongues came also on the house of Cornelius at Caesarea (Acts 10:44-47; Acts 11:15-17), the disciples of John at Ephesus (Acts 19:6), the disciples at Corinth (1 Corinthians 14:1-33). It is possible that the gift appeared also at Samaria (Acts 8:18). But it was not a general or a permanent gift. Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 14:22 that “tongues” were a sign to unbelievers and were not to be exercised unless one was present who understood them and could translate them. This restriction disposes at once of the modern so-called tongues which are nothing but jargon and hysteria. It so happened that here on this occasion at Pentecost there were Jews from all parts of the world, so that some one would understand one tongue and some another without an interpreter such as was needed at Corinth. The experience is identical in all four instances and they are not for edification or instruction, but for adoration and wonder and worship. A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, 6 Volumes, (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1932) III Page 22 49 Charles Parham, first advocated this view. The leaders of the Azusa Street revival also had this expectation.
These sent out missionaries based on this premise. However, they found difficulties when putting the belief into practice. For example, A.G. Carr, the first white man to speak in tongues at Azusa, went to India, expecting the Spirit to enable him to speak Hindi. When this didn’t happen, Garr and his wife moved to China and studied Chinese. The consistent experience of the early Pentecostal missionaries was that if foreigners did understand them, it was a rare exception, rather than the rule.26 phenomenon repeated again. While praying with a young man, acquainted with both Spanish and Portuguese, the writer prayed in a language identified by the young man as Portuguese. When asked what was said, he replied: “You told God my need in high Portuguese.” Needless to say all of these languages are unknown to the writer, and consequently were spoken “as the Spirit Himself gave utterance.” The same author identified the last sentence of a song sung “in the Spirit” as Biblical Greek, although the man who was singing knows no Greek. A Norwegian woman received the baptism in the Holy Spirit at a service in the present writer’s church. The next day she prayed in tongues in the presence of some Italian friends who identified the “tongue’ speaking as Italian, a language with which she is not conversant. In charismatic services in the author’s church, other languages have been identified on several occasions. It is also significant to note that each participant in these services prays in a distinctive and clearly recognizable tongue.
Vocabulary, inflections, intonations are all distinctive and clearly distinguishable.
50 We have to disagree with those who speak of a “prayer language” as something other than the same manifestation as was experienced on Pentecost (see footnote 20).
· The Interpretation of Tongues Those who claim that tongues are ecstatic utterances, rather than genuine languages, argue that tongues require interpretation, rather than, translation.
51 This is a faulty argument. The Greek term, ermeneia (eJrmhnei>a), can mean either interpretation or translation. It is much the same in idiomatic English. When a missionary travels among people whose language he does not know, he works with an interpreter, whom the missionary trusts to translate.
52
Thus, we have to conclude that this manifestation is an Holy Spirit given ability to translate/interpret the languages being spoken by the tongues speakers. This becomes more evident and crucial in Chapter 14.
50 Ervin, op. cit. pages 127-128 51 Paul’s statements in Chapter 14, which instruct tongues speakers and those prophesying to regulate their activity, clearly speak against an ecstatic state.
52 Kittel cites all of the possible understandings of eJrmhnei>a. He then concludes that in this passage, it must mean interpretation rather than translation, since tongues speakers are in an ecstatic trance when manifesting a tongue. He argues that tongues are “non-speech.” This violates the Paul’s description of the phenomenon as argued above.
Gerhard Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, (Grand Rapids, Wm. B. Rerdmans Publishing Company, 1964) Volume 1, pages 661-66527 Verse 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. The three truths of this verse are foundational to our understanding of this section, · The Holy Spirit is the source of the charismata · The Holy Spirit gives charismata to individual Christians · The choice of the charismata that is given and the choice of the individual to whom it is given rests solely in the will of the Holy Spirit. This verse is a verse of great hope. As Gordon Fee has written, The hope, of course, lies with verse 11, that the one and the same Spirit will do as He pleases, despite the boxes provided for Him …
53 Verses 12-26 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body, which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our unseemly members come to have more abundant seemliness, whereas our seemly members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
Much could be written concerning the controversies that have arisen over verse 13, For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. The questions raised by these expressions are not the topic of this study. Be that as it may,
53 Fee, p. 60028 the point of this paragraph is quite apparent. Paul is arguing for unity in diversity and in this section, he emphasizes diversity. The Holy Spirit has given diverse manifestations to diverse individuals, and each of these manifestations has been given for the good of the church. No one “has it all.” Each one is deficient without the others. This is by Divine design.
Realizing our common origin, the common possession of the Holy Spirit which makes us one, and the common source of our gifts, there should be no division among us. When we care for one another and rejoice when one of our members is honored, either by God or man, we really are caring for and rejoicing for ourselves – for all of us constitute the body. This paragraph is a virtual summary of Romans 12:1-21 (or vice versa).
Verse 27 Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it · You (plural – the local church at Corinth) are Christ’s body; · Individually (focusing on each individual Christian) are members of it Verse 28 And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.
Paul continues to emphasize the diversity. The first three, apostles, prophets, and teachers, he ranks, one, two, three. Paul saw these as the order of precedence in founding and building up the church.
Miracles and gifts of healings are in the reverse order of Paul’s previous list, thus suggesting the irrelevancy of rank in the list from this point on.
Helps and administrations are not mentioned in the list of charismata, nor are they mentioned anywhere else in the New Testament.
54 Paul ends the list with various kinds of tongues. It is not surprising that he lists tongues last, since this charismata, and the pride associated with it, was the source of controversy in Corinth. The manner in which Paul constructed this list, mixing charismata with ascension gifts (Ephesians 4:11), listing things not listed elsewhere, and listing them in a different order from the other lists in this section, emphasizes the point that he is making – diversity.
54 Kube>rnhsiv, here translated as helps, means to govern, or to offer wise counsel. A related word from the same root, kubernh>thv, means helmsman or sailing-master. This is a different term from the one used in Romans 12:8, proista>menov which means, the one taking the lead.
Ajnti>lhyiv, here translated, administrations does not occur in any other New Testament passage. However, it is found in the Septuagint with the meaning of aid or help. Romans 12:1-21 has a different term, diakoni>a, which conveys a similar idea. Because Romans 12:7 uses the term, diakoni>a some argue that this is referring to the work of deacons. Although this may include the work of deacons, it certainly cannot be limited to deacons.29 Verses 29-30 All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they?
All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? The rhetorical questions in verses 29-30 are questions to which Paul anticipated a negative answer. We know this by the manner in which he asked the questions. In Greek one can ask a question in a manner that indicates whether the questioner anticipates a “yes” or a “no.” If a “yes” is anticipated, the question begins with ou (ou)j. If a “no” is expected, the question begins with me (mh)>. By using this technique, Paul thus stated that not everyone is an apostle, not everyone is a prophet, not everyone is a teacher, not everyone works miracles, not everyone has gifts of healings, not everyone speaks in tongues, and not everyone interprets tongues. God determined that it should be so.
Paul made these statements for one purpose – to emphasize the diversity in God’s design and the mutual dependency of believers. Paul declared that this is so because of the will of the Holy Spirit. This is God’s deliberate decision. For our era, his statements are important for an additional reason. The contemporary assertion, made by some Pentecostals and Charismatics, that everyone can and should speak in tongues flies in the face of Paul’s argument. If everyone could or should, then Paul’s argument that God willed this diversity, would be a failed argument. Of special interest is the inconsistency in the lists found in Chapter 12.
· Paul lists nine charismata in verses 8-10 · He presents a mixed list in verse 28, including two that are not found elsewhere · In the rhetorical questions in verses 29-30, the list is different from the previous two lists.
Because of this, we should not assume that any of the lists exhausts the manner in which the Holy Spirit manifests Himself in the Church.
Verse 31 But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way.
What are the greater gifts? Dr. Ervin, argues that the greater gifts are those enumerated in verse 28, God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, etc.
It intimates that when he said, “first apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers,” he was expressing a value judgment upon this specific category of gifts. The apostles therefore are possessors of the most important spiritual gift…55
55 Ervin, p. 14130 Dr. Ervin’s position doesn’t fit the context of Paul’s discussion in Chapters 12-14. Paul is correcting and instructing the church concerning the manifestation of gifts in the public service.
Exhorting all of them to have an earnest desire to become apostles would be totally irrelevant and even contradictory to the point that he is making. It also would be contrary to the heart attitude of any true apostle.
56 Much more appropriate is the traditional understanding of the greater gifts, i.e, those mentioned in Chapter 14 as being more beneficial to the church in its public meeting.