God's Gifts

The word "gifts" in 1 Corinthians 12:1 is not in the Greek, but is supplied by the translators for clarity. While it is true that this entire chapter is about spiritual gifts, this addition in the first verse is not necessary and serves to limit Paul's broader spiritual concern to the subject of gifts. I understand Paul to have meant that he did not want his Christian brothers to be uninformed about anything spiritual, including spiritual gifts of course, but not limited to spiritual gifts. Having then referred to the general case (anything spiritual), he now turns in chapter twelve to the specific example of spiritual gifts.

1 Corinthians 12:2 provides the context for Paul's discussion. Prior to their regeneration they were not Christian, and did not have any Christian experience or understanding, nor did they have access to the Holy Spirit. They were thoroughly pagan (Gentile). The Greek word translated as "pagans" (ethnos) simply means that they were not Jewish. However, Paul used the word to mean that they were not of Israel in the sense of Romans 9:6. Of course some of the Corinthians were genetic Jews (by birth), but Paul's point was that they had not been raised in a culture that honored the God of Scripture. They had turned their backs on their true heritage as the people of God. They had no experience or training in biblical truth, nor had they been regenerated by the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Thus, they were pagan in all their beliefs and practices.

All of their cultural teaching and social practices prior to becoming Christians had been directed toward idols that were nothing. Those idols were deaf and dumb. They had no life whatsoever -- spiritual or otherwise. Idols could not hear, nor could they speak.

The last clause of verse 2 tells us that any and all of the arguments that may have been used to describe or analyze their idols had been entirely Godless. It didn't matter what those arguments were, they were without the illumination of the Holy Spirit and as such were spiritually futile. In whatever ways they had been led to appreciate Pagan idolatry, they had been led to false gods with false logic that led to false conclusions. People today can relate to this.

Human wisdom could not and would not lead to the Christ of God. Add to this the fact that all speculation about things divine will always fall short of God's revelation in Scripture. So, the only way that information about the only real God -- the God of Scripture -- could be made available to humanity was through the personal revelation of God. God would have to provide it Himself, and He had done exactly that through the Old Testament, and now through Jesus Christ God had fulfilled that Old Testament prophecy.

Christ was/is the key to all knowledge and wisdom, both knowledge about God Himself and all true knowledge about the world in which we live. There is nothing that does not reflect, refer, originate or conclude apart from Jesus Christ because all authority has been given to Him (Matthew 28:18).

Paul goes on to say that "no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says 'Jesus is accursed!' and no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except in the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:3). Of course Paul knows that people can lie, that people can believe and say all sorts of foolish nonsense, and that people are often inconsistent and liable to various logical disconnections. So, Paul was not talking about merely saying a thing, but about actually believing it. No one can believe that Jesus is accursed if s/he is "in the Spirit of God." And conversely, belief that Jesus is Lord necessarily arises from regeneration, from the Holy Spirit Himself who abides in His people. 1 Corinthians 12:3 simply reiterates the necessity of regeneration by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. There is no such thing as orthodox belief apart from regeneration, regardless of the intellectual content of such belief.

The fact that the Jews, represented by the Pharisees and others, hated Jesus and accused Him of all sorts of vile and evil things is well attested in history. And the Jews were very influential. Add to this the accusations of the foolishness of the gospel by the Greeks and those who had been captured by Greek philosophy, and you had a lot of people in Corinth who badmouthed Jesus. No doubt many of the Corinthian converts had been previously counted in that number. The faithful Christians in Corinth were besieged from without and from within. How could they know who was with them (with Christ, actually) and who was against them?

Paul answered this question in 1 Corinthians 12:3 by providing the first Christian creed or statement of faith: Jesus is Lord! To accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior requires that faithful Christians accept the gift and grace of salvation or face the necessary default of their own damnation. People's response to Jesus Christ provided evidence of their belief or disbelief.

The idea of "speaking in the Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:3) is another allusion to regeneration. The idea is that one's speech is directed and guided by the Holy Spirit, or that the Holy Spirit Himself, who overshadows those whom He regenerates, speaks through the regenerate. This idea, however, does not suggest or lead to the infallibility of the Christian. It does not mean that everything a faithful Christian says is "of the Spirit" because the process of sanctification or growth in grace is long, arduous and incomplete in this Fallen world. Nonetheless, the Holy Spirit is real and has a real effect in the lives of believers. Denial of this is a confession of one's own shallowness.

In addition, the activity or influence of the Holy Spirit is not the same in all believers. The Spirit works differently in different people. As Paul said, "there are varieties of gifts" (1 Corinthians 12:4). Again, the topic of this chapter is spiritual gifts. In verse 1 Paul used the Greek word pneumatikos, and there the English word "gifts" has been added for clarity, as I said earlier. Pneumatikos refers more generally to spiritual things, more than to gifts specifically, but it includes gifts. So, the translation is okay. Just note that all of the rest of the time Paul uses the word "charisma," which is translated as "gift(s)." It is interesting to note that Paul does not use the two words together (i.e., spiritual gifts) in this chapter (or the next).

The Greek word, charisma, like the English (which is a simple transliteration rather than a translation) suggests a God-given gratuity, or a deliverance from danger or passion, or a spiritual endowment, or a supernatural faculty. To be charismatic is to be influential, generally speaking. A person who has charisma is a person who is attractive and influential among others. Paul's usage of the word in this chapter (and the next) suggests that spiritual gifts are used by God for the purpose of evangelism, attracting people through the means of Christian service. In other words, evangelism is an outgrowth or overflowing of Christian service. Christians engage in service and others experience it as evangelism.


About the Author
Phillip A. Ross founded http://www.Pilgrim-Platform.org in 1998, which documents the church's fall from historic Christianity. Demonstrating the Apostle Paul's opposition to worldly Christianity, he published an exposition First Corinthians in 2008. Ross recounts how Paul turned the world upside down in his book, Arsy Varsy -- Reclaiming the Gospel in First Corinthians.