December 2: 1 Corinthians 12-14

December 2, 1 Corinthians 12-14

1 Corinthians continued… for the intro on Corinthians, click here… Remember, Paul is writing to the Corinthian church about a bunch of things that he has heard about them, from the report from Chloe’s house… and is setting them straight. 

1 Corinthians 12 Spiritual Gifts. Paul wants the Corinthians, and us, to be well informed in regards to spiritual gifts. It seems, that at the time, they were emphasizing a few gifts and not all of them - in a sense looking down on some that didn't have the same gifts. Paul is correcting that. When they were pagans, or non-Christians, they were led astray. Now that they have Christ and the Spirit, they should know better. There is different spiritual gifts, given by God, to His people - they are all given by God to His people. God wills how He gives them out - for His purpose! “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.” There are different gifts given to different people from the same God for His Glory. 

One Body with Many Members. “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” Paul gives the analogy of a human body and how we need all the parts of the body to fully function and operate. There is no insignificant part of the body because we need all the parts. So it is with Christ and His people, who make up the church, or the body. “If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body…” And he goes on to say in regards to the body, “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” That is the body - all together for one purpose, Jesus Christ.

After that, Paul reaffirms how God has set up the order of gifts. “And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.” Not all have the same gifts, but all have gifts nonetheless. We are to desire the higher gifts from God. Then Paul finished off this chapter with “And I will show you a still more excellent way.” What is Paul talking about? Love and that is what the next chapter is about

1 Corinthians 13 The Way of Love. This chapter is often used in marriage ceremonies as a sermonette. It is a great chapter on the definition of love. Now, we must also remember, that the context that Paul is referring to is desiring spiritual gifts and using them for God and the Body, the church body. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” We can have the gifts given by God, but if not done in love, they are nothing.

So, what is love then? Lets find out!

“Love is patient and kind

Love does not envy or boast

Love is not arrogant or rude

Love does not insist on its own way

Love is not irritable or resentful

Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 

Love is selfless and a mirror image of Christ with the heart of a servant, always looking out for the next guy. Another thing, “Love never ends.” Tongues, prophecy, knowledge.. they all pass away, but not love. “For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.”

Where do we go from here then? “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” When we grow in Christ, we mature and see things differently. Faith is great. Hope is great. The greatest is love. How do we do this? Read the above list on the definition of love given to us by God and live it out. See where you are failing and work on it in all aspects of your life.

1 Corinthians 14 Prophecy and Tongues. Orderly Worship. Paul then goes on to urge them (and us) to pursue love and earnestly desire spiritual gifts. Bakers Commentary breaks down this chapter this way… “After writing his letter on love, Paul teaches his readers to follow in the way of love, to strive for spiritual gifts, among which the gift of prophesy is outstanding. Anyone who speaks in a tongue addresses God, but the person who prophesies addresses the people and edifies them.

By using analogies taken from the areas of music and language, Paul illustrates the purpose of tongue-speaking. He mentions the flute, harp, and trumpet and explains their function; and he states that languages are not without meaning. But if spoken words make no sense to the listener, both he and the speaker remain foreigners to each other. Paul then urges the readers to seek those spiritual gifts that edify the church.

Tongue-speaking should be interpreted so that it may be useful. Christians must pray and sing with full use of their minds, for only in this way can they ensure that their prayer and praise are understood. And understanding allows listeners to say “amen,” and to be edified. Paul notes that he would rather speak five words and be understood than ten thousand words that are unintelligible.

Urging the readers to be infants in regard to evil, Paul quotes from the prophecy of Isaiah to show them that the language of the Assyrians was a sign of impending judgment for Israel. In a similar way, tongues are a sign to an unbeliever, but prophesying causes him to be convinced that he is a sinner. Conviction of sin and repentance make him fall down to worship God.

Paul instructs the Corinthians to follow guidelines for orderly worship so that the members of the church are strengthened. Only two or at the most three tongue-speakers may speak, provided that someone interprets. Two or three prophets should speak in turn for instruction and encouragement… He concludes his discourse by exhorting the Corinthians to be eager to prophesy, not to forbid tongue-speaking, and to do everything in a decent and orderly manner. For God is a God of order and peace.”

Side note - Paul in no way is saying anything that is an embarrassment to women. There is a couple things going on here that needs to be brought to light. Paul is telling women to honor their husbands and not disgrace them in public, but to follow the way set up by God that the man is the head of the house. Paul encouraged women to sing and to speak Psalms and the like, so he is not anti-woman at all. I believe that Paul was quoting part of the letter that was sent to him from Chloe’s household and is correcting their misunderstanding because the next verse says “Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached?  If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord.” Paul was addressing their issues and correcting them. The other hint is that the law is referenced for reasoning and Paul didn't speak that way…

Bob Utley, a commentator, puts it this way, “This verse has become a major theological issue in certain segments of the modern church. The modern western social, cultural trend toward individual rights and equality has made the NT, and especially Paul, seem judgmental and negative on this issue. In Paul’s day his theology relating to women was radically positive (cf. Eph. 5:22–23). Paul obviously worked with many women, as his list of co-workers in Rom. 16 shows.

Even in this context, Paul states the balance, 11:5 versus 14:34. Somehow vv. 34–35 relate uniquely to Corinth and the first century. The theories are legion how it relates to our day is problematic. Dogmatism and proof-texting are inappropriate. The biblical witness is not uniform or monolithic on this issue.

Paul limits several groups in the Corinthian worship setting (“keep silent,” vv. 28, 30, 34). There was a problem in public worship at Corinth. Christian women were a part of that problem. Their new freedom in Christ (or their being part of a Roman societal woman’s freedom movement) was causing cultural, theological, and evangelistic problems. In our day the opposite may be true. Gifted women leaders will help the twenty-first century church reach the world with the gospel. This does not affect the God-given order of creation, but it does show the priority of evangelism (cf. 9:22). This issue is not a gospel or doctrinal issue.” He goes on to explain:

SPECIAL TOPIC: THEORIES RELATED TO “WOMEN KEEP SILENT”

I. This is not a statement from Paul, but a later addition (cf. Gordon Fee, New International Commentary, “I Corinthians,” pp. 699–708) usually based on some Greek manuscripts (MSS D, F, G; one MS of the Vulgate; Latin church Father Ambrosiaster, after a.d. 384) which put vv. 33–34 after v. 40.

I. Paul is quoting the letter from the Church, which states the false views of the factious group. Paul quotes it to deny it. However, this protracted discussion (vv. 33–35 or 36) does not fit Paul’s earlier “slogans.” It is not a simple statement modified by Paul, but a sustained argument.

II. Paul is referring to a problem group of women who are disrupting the worship service either by tongues, prophecy, or questions. Their exuberance in their new freedom in Christ was causing cultural difficulties in evangelism and worship.

III. Paul is limiting women, not in public prophesying, but in evaluating other prophets’ (male prophets) messages, thereby implying an authority over them (James Hurley, Men and Women in Biblical Perspective, pp. 185–194 and Wayne Grudem, The Gift of Prophecy in I Corinthians, pp. 239–255).

IV. Paul is dealing with different situations in 11:5 and 14:34.

A. One is a house church (11:5) and one is the gathered church (14:34).

B. 11:5 is addressed to single women and 14:34 to married women.

C. Some women were unruly or too outspoken. The variety and number of interpretations shows the uncertainty of modern interpreters related to the worship practices of Corinth and for that matter, first century Christian congregations. Was the problem

1. local (uniquely to Corinth)

2. first century Roman culture

3. abuse of giftedness

4. attempt to dominate by women

5. attempt to impose a Jewish structure

6. false view of a factious group at Corinth

To sum it all up: 

• Whatever your role is in Christ, do it with all your heart and never cease doing it. Others rely on you and need you to do your part.
• Spiritual gifts. Earnestly desire them and God gives certain gifts to all people - don't lose hope if you haven't been able to develop yours yet, but God will reveal it to you. Pray for it and seek God so that you can build up others and glorify God. 
• I always try to remind myself and my kids, we only see in part, so don't be too quick to judge. Paul tells us the same thing this morning.