1 CORINTHIANS 12:7-31—SPIRITUAL GIFTS
1 Corinthians – Part 20 — 1 Corinthians 12:7-31
Stonebrook Sunday AM, 06/14/26, Brad Barrett
2000 years ago in ancient Greece, including in the City of Corinth, it is well-documented
from historians that the pagan world in the first century emphasized spiritual experiences.
People would supposedly be in close touch with the “divine,” some so-called gods, and
they believed they had special spiritual abilities. We would say today that many of their
experiences were demonically inspired. At times they would behave in unpredictable
ways. They would throw their bodies around. They spoke strangely in a frenzied manner.
Their energy and enthusiasm was supposedly the mark of the “divine spirit” within them.
Again, we might call it all demonic.
We are in a sermon series written to the church in that ancient City of Corinth. Many
people caught up in all that pagan idolatry and practices were turning to Christ. Their lives
were changing. But many of them were later falling back into old habits, including some
of those old spiritual experiences. True Christian, Spirit-led activities were being mixed—
hybridized—with old pagan practices.
A big part of Spirit-led activities had to do with using spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit.
So the church was getting very confused and disobedient in both attitude and practice.
The Christians in Corinth were so confused that Paul has to write at length to correct them.
Chapters 12, 13, and 14 are all part of that correction to get the church in Corinth back on
track with what is true and important.
DIVERSITY AND UNITY
1 Corinthians 12 (CSB)
Two weeks ago, we read vs. 1-7. So we will read them again today, but this morning we
will focus from vs. 7 to the end. Let’s read vs. 1-11.
Verse 7 is a key to the entire topic of spiritual gifts.
What is the purpose of this whole discussion on spiritual gifts? It’s quite straightforward:
“A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good.” The phrase
“common good” literally means, “for the good of everyone.” For the benefit of the ALL
people of God. The Church.
What are spiritual gifts? One way to describe them is this: Spiritual gifts are Spirit-given
abilities to help the church to grow in love and faith and knowledge. They are primarily for
the good of the Church, not for self.
This is so important to remember this. If you have believed in Jesus Christ, you have been
given the riches of heaven. Forgiveness, adoption, justification, glorification—these are all
yours. And he has sealed you for eternity—his pledge that he has saved and will save
you—is his Holy Spirit. Every believer has the Spirit of the living God dwelling in him or
her.
This is one of the more astonishing truths of the gospel: God Himself through His Spirit
lives inside your spirit. You will never be the same again. The Holy Spirit fills us,
strengthens us, sanctifies us, comforts us.
In addition to all that glorious work, the Holy Spirit also gives every Christian a gift. An
ability that is perfectly suited to help the people of God, the church, grow in love, faith,
and knowledge.
This is a key point to Chapters 12, 13, and 14. And in Ephesians 4 which also talks about
this. You have been given a gift—not for yourself, but for others. So we need to employ
that gift.
Then in vs. 9-11, Paul gives us a list of 9 gifts, and then at the end of the chapter, he lists 8
gifts. Here are all 17, including some overlaps.
•Message of wisdom
•Message of knowledge
•Faith
•Healing
•Miracles
•Prophecy
•Distinguishing between
spirits
•Tongues
•Interpretation of tongues
•Apostle
•Prophet
•Teacher
•Miracles
•Healing
•Helping
•Leading
•Tongues
Two other passages in the NT offer lists of gifts: Romans 12 and Ephesians 4. It’s a long
list, which is helpful.
Nowhere are we given precise definitions of the gifts. Multiple spiritual gift inventories
I’ve taken have very precise definitions. While good intentioned, I believe we should be
slow to get too detailed.
I won’t take time to go through them all, but here are a few:
•Message of wisdom and message of knowledge—the word “message” is the
Greek word, logos- which simply means, “word.” So a “word” of wisdom and a
“word” of knowledge.
One possible purpose of this gift of wisdom may be to have the wisdom to say the
right word at the right time. And for the word of knowledge, perhaps it is similar.
An ability to know biblical truth and apply it with words at the right time to help
someone to grow.
We hold that none of this is new revelation from God. The worldwide church has
largely held the belief that God’s revelation—the Scriptures—has been closed since
the first century. We have all we need for revelation. So any gifts from the Spirit
are founded upon that and are not revealing new truths from heaven.
So a word of wisdom or knowledge may simply yet powerfully be taking such
biblical truths in wise and knowledgeable ways, and helping the Body of Christ
grow in faith and love.
•Faith. Now every Christian has faith. We are saved and justified when we have
faith—trust—in Jesus Christ. So this gift may be speaking of a greater ability to
trust God and his promises in a way that helps the Church to grow.
•Healing and miracles seem more obvious as to what they are.
•Prophecy—We will talk about that in two weeks in Chapter 14.
•Distinguishing between spirits—This may be an ability to know if a teaching or a
philosophy is actually from God or if it has demonic origins. As I said earlier, in
Corinth there were many “spirits” causing people to do and say all sorts of things
in their world. So great discernment would have been critical to distinguishes
between words and actions that were sourced in heaven or sourced in the
demonic.
•Tongues. This is perhaps the most curious and intriguing of them all. And highly
debated.
If we use Acts 2 to help with our understanding, this would be a Spirit-given ability
to speak a language unknown to the speaker, and upon translation would help
point an unbeliever to Jesus Christ. This gift is so intriguing that the Corinthians
were enamored by it. From Chapter 14, we will see hints that they placed this gift
near the top of desirable gifts.
We don’t have time to go through more. And again, nowhere are we given precise
definitions. Why not? I’m not sure, but one speculation is that even within one gift, say
“faith”
, there could be a variety of ways that gift is employed in the Church. Paul hinted at
that in vs. 4-6: “different gifts, ministries, and abilities.” So the same gift could look
somewhat different in others.
And it’s possible there are more gifts than what we have listed in the Scriptures.
The larger point that we can see from our chapter today that the Spirit gives the Body of
Christ, Jesus’s Church, a wide variety of gifts. Again, WHY? “For the common good.” To
help the people of God to grow. Every Christian has a crucial, God-given role to play to
help others mature in Christ.
Discovering a name for your gift may be useful. There are “spiritual gift assessments” out
there that you can take to help. you think it through. I took a few of those decades ago,
and it was somewhat helpful.
Personally, I think a better way to know your gift is by your effect in ministry already.
Where are you having the most fruit? How are you drawn to help others? What do other
believers you known well say to you about the impact you are having as you serve?
The most important question—the ultimate question— is this: “How can I help God’s
people in greater ways? How can I help others to grow in love with Jesus? How can I
strengthen and comfort and serve others?” We want to start and end there.
So many of you here at Stonebrook are already at work using your gifts to serve. You are
helping, serving, caring, comforting, instructing others. You might not even be able to
articulate a name for your gift. But you’re doing the work. That’s the reason the Spirit has
enabled you to do certain things well.
ONE, MANY, AND ALL
Let’s continue reading. Paul continues to emphasize both diversity and unity.
In vs. 12, Paul introduces an analogy. The body. He begins by talking about our physical
body. Our bodies have many parts. Eyes, ears, fingers, toes, livers, blood vessels, nerves.
Yet you are one person. Many parts, one body.
When I came here this morning, I didn’t leave any parts at home. I didn’t leave an ear or
the little toe on my left foot. All of me came. That sounds funny, doesn’t it? Of course my
whole body came. It’s always that way.
Paul now makes his point. He says, “The Church of God is like that. They are the body of
Jesus.” The Church of God is made up of many people with diverse gifts, but they are all
one. There must not be any independence in the Body of Christ. To say either, I don’t
need you or you don’t need me is like saying I don’t need or want my left arm.
I have read and re-read this chapter 10-12 times in the past two weeks. And I couldn’t
help but notice how often three words were used in this Chapter: “many”
.
“all,” and
“one”
. ALL of us. MANY parts. ONE Spirit. ONE body. And not only these 3 verses but
throughout Chapter 12, a strong emphasis is also on “one Spirit,” “one God.” All these
gifts have one Source. One Giver.
What this all points is Paul’s emphasis on two major things: diversity and unity.
DIVERSITY in that there are many, diverse spiritual gifts.
UNITY because Jesus Christ through his Holy Spirit has united us all into one body.
Everyone matters. Everyone is needed. Everyone is important.
Paul beats this drum through the entire chapter because the Corinthian church was
fragmented and divided.
NO ONE IS UNIMPORTANT
Paul now speaks to those Christians who feel unimportant because their gifts seem less
valuable or even unneeded.
Many of us have struggled with contentment over how God has gifted us. Perhaps we
have what some have called,
“gift envy.” We see someone else who has a gift that seems
more noticeable, more public, more useful. So we envy them. We wrestle with
discontentment. Perhaps even resentment. Maybe anger with God that he didn’t give us
something else. And like some in Corinth, we think like vs. 15, “I don’t belong.
”
In the strongest terms possible, Paul debunks that view.
Since Paul uses the analogy of a physical human body, let’s talk about that.
If we think about our own bodies, I doubt any of us would be willing to lose some part.
The only way we make that happen is in a surgery that ends in “ectomy”
. Appendectomy.
Mastectomy. I know I would prefer to have every part. Each one is important. I’m
unwilling to part with any body part, any organ. Even the lowly appendix, which was once
thought worthless has a purpose: helping our immune system.
So in the Body of Christ. Every part matters to the highest degree. After all, Christ died
for you, his chosen ones, his beloved. All are adopted. All receive the Holy Spirit. All are
part of his kingdom. All are promised the resurrection. Any message contrary to that
seems to me to be of the devil.
So a message we can take from this portion of Chapter 12:
•Be content and encouraged, for you are needed.
•Don’t downplay what God has given.
•Use what you have to build up the Body
Let me emphasize: God Himself has given you something unique for the good of
everyone else. He has not made a mistake with you. Vs. 18, “God has arranged each one
of the parts JUST AS HE WANTED.” A good, wise God who gave the greatest gift to you,
his Son, loves you. Do not doubt his love. So thank him. Worship him. He does good and
only good.
NO ONE STANDS ALONE
Now, in contrast to what we just read, Paul speaks to those who feel they are better than
others. Their gifts are superior—so they say—and they don’t really need others who have
lesser abilities, who have “uncool” gifts.
Some of the Corinthians had an independent, even an arrogant attitude towards others.
They thought they the important or flashy gifts. So why would they need others?
Both this attitude and the previous one—feeling unimportant—can easily be imagined in
the church in Corinth when we read the previous 11 chapters. The church was filled with
factions. “I’m better than you” attitudes. Divisiveness. “I don’t like you.”
It’s a sad, sad story in this church.
So Paul says in vs. 22, even those parts of the body that are weaker are indispensable.
They are necessary.
If some parts seem less honorable, God himself will give them honor. Why? Vs. 25, “so
that they would be no division among Christ’s people, but that everyone would be
concerned for one another.”
This really is nothing more than one of the most foundational commands in the NT: “love
one another as Jesus has loved us.” This is Christianity 101. And 401. And 501.
Introductory Christianity and PhD Christianity.
There should be so much Christlike love that when one part of the body—the Church—
suffers, everyone feels it. If one part has joy, everyone shares in that joy.
I think there is a lot of that Christlike love at Stonebrook. Of course we’re not perfect.
Never will be. We have failed and will fail one another. But with regularity, I hear stories
of someone suffering. Illness, death, trials at work or school, financial struggles. And you
all get behind them. And if someone has good news, others are happy for them.
It’s one of the reasons we have Community Groups.
This is the body at work.
THE BETTER WAY
In vs. 27, one more time—in case we haven’t caught it yet—Paul tells us of unity and
diversity. We are all part of one body, the people of Christ. We all play a unique role in
serving that one body. One. And all. Unique. And diverse.
Then Paul lists more gifts in vs. 28. As I mentioned earlier, some of these are repeated
above.
Now he asks some rhetorical questions rapid fire in vs. 29-30: Does everyone have every
gift? The answer is obviously no. He has made that point so many times so far in the
chapter that if the Corinthians haven’t grasped it yet, they must be sleeping.
When we get to vs. 31, we want to remember that chapters 12, 13, and 14 are really one
unit. Paul writes this entire section to correct them in several important ways.
So he wraps up his argument so far. The direction they are going is basically destructive to
the church as a community. Selfishness, divisiveness, and pride.
So they are being called to seek the good of others before oneself. What he says now
gets our attention: “I will show you an even better way.”
Many of us are intrigued by this topic of spiritual gifts. And that is important, to be sure.
God says it is. But Paul says, “I have some better. Way better.”
What is it, we ask with great curiosity? Well, what is Chapter 13 about? It’s about LOVE.
Love is the better way.
Paul’s point here will not be to pit love against gifts. We don’t abandon one for the other.
But he is about to tell us that there is a higher priority than just having gifts. Gifts are
important. But there is something you must ensure you have on top of it all.
So come back next week. Pastor John is going to take us into Chapter 13. Some call it
“the love chapter.”
And some of us hear this primarily at weddings. And that is certainly a great passage for
that.
But the chapter is far richer and its impact is far broader than just marriage. Everything we
do, think, and say—everything, including spiritual gifts—needs to have Chapter 13 as its
heading.
You will not want to miss that sermon. VBS is over on Friday, and you might be exhausted
by all the fun. So get well-rested on Saturday, if you are able. And then come prepared
Sunday in prayer and expectation for God’s Word to be driven into your soul as a sharp
sword.
APPLICATION
Let me give you three important applications we can take home from Chapter 12.
1.Rejoice in the diversity and unity in the Body, Jesus’s church
So on the one hand, if you feel proud like you are better than others and perhaps you
don’t need others, humble yourself. You need others. God Himself has designed it so
that you need others. Yield to God and stop fighting God’s design.
And on the other hand, if you feel you aren’t that important or needed, be
strengthened in the Lord from what he has told you here in this passage. You are
needed. You are loved. And blessed. The Spirit of the God of glory has given you
something unique for the good of his Church. What a glory!
Let us all together rejoice in the remarkable work of God in us all. The Spirit of the
living God will use us all according to his wise plan to bring his Body, the church of
God, into greater maturity.
Rejoice in both the diversity and unity in the Body.
2.Serve the Body
Many of you are already doing this, so well done!
But if you are not, simply get engaged with the people of God at some level.
•If busyness prevents you from serving God’s people in any meaningful way, that
needs to change.
•If past hurts are keeping you from serving one another, those hurts need to be
resolved now. Reach out to someone for help. I am willing to help you, if you
desire.
•And even if you don’t have a “name” for your gift, no worries. Just get busy
and do something. The name of your gifts is far less important than simply
presenting yourself to others in service. Your simple prayer should always be,
“Lord, here I am. Use me to help your people.”
3.Serve the body.
Pray for the Body, his church
Pray that every single one of us would work together. That we would recognize with
humility and joy our place in God’s family. Pray for Oneness. Pray that we would grow
in love and maturity. We are one Body. We have to learn how to live as one. So pray
every day, “Lord, whether in small or large ways, whether in noticeable or behind-the-
scenes ways, use us all to love your beloved people, and to help the church grow up in
the faith.”
CONCLUSION
I want to end with these words from the Apostle Paul, words that relates to Chapter 12.
Ephesians 4:15–16 CSB But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into
him who is the head—Christ. From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by
every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up
in love by the proper working of each individual part.
May the Lord Jesus do a great work here at Stonebrook as we build one another up in love
to go deeper in faith and the knowledge of God.
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