1 Corinthians 12:4-7
Ps Paul Cheng
~7 min read
Dear Bethelites,
In a typical FIFA award (Federation International Football Association), the footballer who has displayed excellent sporting conduct and performance will receive a prize. The most prestigious award is given to the strikers and midfielders, not the defenders and goalkeepers. The reason is because they are the ones most likely to score the goals, and thus considered to have contributed to the most exciting part of the game. They are the stars of the team. So, many aspire to be strikers and midfielders, and they want to be like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, David Beckem and so forth. But that does not mean the defenders and goalkeepers are not excellent sportsmen. Without them, the entire team will not be able to function!
In the spiritual realm, this was happening in the church at Corinth. They were comparing and ranking themselves as to who was the most spiritual. And they reckoned that the most spiritual would be the ones with the best spiritual gift. So, they ranked one another according to his spiritual gift, and that was the reason why Paul had to deal with this topic in 1 Corinthians 12:4-7.
I. The gift is given by the same God
1 Corinthians 12:4-6, Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
Notice the repetition of the word diversities or differences, and the repetition of the word same. Indeed, there are diversities of gifts, but they were given by the same God.
The word gifts (charisma) is sometimes translated as grace, diversities mean differences or varieties. In other words, Paul was trying to remind the Corinthians that there were different gifts, but every gift was by God’s grace. The word grace would completely remove any idea or any kind of thinking that spiritual gifts were rewards one deserved or earned from God. God bestowed them with those gifts not because they deserved them but despite the fact that they did not deserve them. It was by God’s grace!
Perhaps you may be wondering why the word “grace” is used here to describe the spiritual gifts. It is because this word “grace” will completely remove any idea or any kind of thinking that spiritual gifts are rewards we deserve from God, or we earn those gifts because of something that we have done. This is not the case with spiritual gifts. God bestows them upon us not because we deserve them but despite the fact that we do not deserve them. It is ours only by God’s grace alone.
What one needs to understand is that every believer is given a spiritual gift; some may be gifted in a number of different areas like teaching, administration, hospitality and so forth. However, the spiritual gift that God gives to each believer is unique. A hundred believers with the gift of teaching will not have exactly the same teaching skills or emphasis. One may be good in public teaching, another may be effective in instructing children, yet others may be gifted to teach one-on-one, and the list goes on and on. No Christian can replace another Christian in God’s plan. He has His sovereign plan for each and every believer as He has specially gifted him accordingly. When the Christian does not exercise his gift faithfully, the ministry of the church suffers in that area because God has not gifted another Christian in exactly the same way for exactly the same work. That is why no Christian should be a “spectator” in the church of Jesus Christ. Everyone is on the same team and is important in God’s plan with his own unique gift and responsibility.
The word administrations (diakonia) is from where we get the English word for “deacons,” which basically means to serve or to minister. God has given different gifts to different people because there are different ministries where they can serve.
When God gives to the believer His spiritual gift, He gives precisely the right one with the precise empowerment to exercise it. As verse 6 confirmed, And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
Both the words operations and worketh come from the same root word where we get our English word “energize” (energema or energeo). It means the ability to work out or operate. Just as spiritual gifts are given supernaturally, so they are operated supernaturally too. The believer, no matter how well-trained and experienced he is, cannot exercise his spiritual gift by his own power. God does not only give us spiritual gifts, but He also gives us the power to use them.
II. The gifts are given for a purpose
Verse 7, But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
Interestingly, spiritual gifts were called the manifestation of the Spirit; manifestation means to disclose or to make known. Every time we are serving in the church, exercising whatever gifts God has given to us, we are showing to the people “this is what the Spirit of God can do.”
The purpose why God gives the spiritual gift/s to the believer is to profit withal which means for the common good. Here, it is in the context of the Corinthian church, and for us, it is Bethel BP church. Instead of feeling proud and comparing our spiritual gifts, we should be asking, “How can I contribute to the common good of the body of Christ, here at Bethel BP Church? How can people profit from my spiritual gifts?”
If spiritual gifts are given for a purpose, for the common good of the people, then what should be our attitude and responsibility toward spiritual gifts? Allow me to cite some practical examples;
- We should not despise the spiritual gifts of others
If God has blessed the believer with the spiritual gift for the common good of the people, and we despise him when he exercises his gift, we are despising the One who has called and gifted him.
b. We should not despise our own spiritual gifts
Some Christians despise their own spiritual gifts because they desire the gifts of others. We can never fulfil the purpose for which God has gifted us if we constantly want to be something that God has not designed us to be.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to serve in different areas of ministry, but it is wrong when we disapprove the way God has made us and in ways He has gifted us. Happy are those who discover God’s gift and give of themselves to serve in what God has gifted them to do – whether it be preaching, teaching, evangelizing, writing, giving counsel or showing hospitality.
c. We should not covet spiritual gifts that we do not have
Some people claim to have certain gifts and try to be impressive, but in reality, they do not possess those gifts. In 1 Corinthians 12:29, Paul asked, Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? If God has not given to us any of those gifts, then we should not pretend to have them nor should we covet them.
d. We should not neglect using our spiritual gifts
There is a common saying, “What you do not use, you lose!” How true! People who do not use their gifts will lose the opportunity to do and to be what God has blessed them with. We are all obligated to use the gifts that God has given to us for the edification of the believers - the common good of the church. Failure to exercise our gifts is a sinful neglect of our calling. The person with one seemingly insignificant gift is as much obligated to use that gift faithfully and fully as the one who has several seemingly prominent gifts.
Dear friend, if you have been blessed with a beautiful voice to sing for the glory of God and you refused to surrender your voice, soon you will grow old and you can no longer hit the same high pitch that you used to be able to. Then you will never be able to render your service in that area again. Do not store up your spiritual gift!
e. We should be willing to exercise our spiritual gifts
Some people do not want to exercise their spiritual gifts because it may require them to sacrifice their time or resources. If they have the gift of counselling, much of their time would have to be spent in visitation. If they have the gift of teaching, they would have to put in much effort in preparing the lessons. If they have the gift of singing, they would have to stay back after church and spend hours practising. When they think of all these sacrifices, they refuse to participate. The question we need to ask ourselves is, “Do we really love the Lord Jesus Christ who died to save us from our sins, do we serve Him only when it is within our own conveniences?”
There is one question that people would often ask, “How do I know my spiritual gift?” God does not give His children gifts without letting them know what those gifts are. If we are unsure of our gifts from God, it is most likely because we have not totally surrendered to Him. When our lives are on the altar of sacrifice, we will have no problem discovering or using our spiritual gifts. Our spiritual gifts cannot be recognized except when we use them. When a believer walks in obedience to the Lord, filled with the Holy Spirit, always seeking to serve the common good of the people, it will become apparent to him and to others what his gift is and how it can bless the body of believers.
With love in Christ,
Pastor Paul Cheng
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