Spiritual Gifts (4)

© 2025 C. O. Bishop

1^st Corinthians 12 

¹ Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. ² Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. ³ Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. ⁴ Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵ And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. ⁶ And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

Introduction:

We have spent the last three weeks discussing the gifts of the Spirit, including also those called the gift of God, and the gifts of Christ. Today let’s consider the gifts listed in 1^st Corinthians 12.

Categories of Gifts:

Notice that Paul listed three “categories” in verses 4-6:

• Gifts, all by the same Spirit
• Administrations, all by the same Lord, and
• Operations, all by the same God.

We may not understand these ideas, but we can at least recognize that the categories exist. We saw the four administrative “gifts” given by Christ, in Ephesians 4:7-11. All four are human servants of the Church: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, and Pastor/Teachers. These may be the ones Paul calls “administrations,” in verse 5.

Purpose of the Gifts

But the same principle applies to all the gifts: They are for the benefit of all. (See verse 7.)

⁷ But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

Other translations say, “…for the common welfare.” The idea is that God has given every single believer one or more gifts by which the whole body of Christ is to profit in some way. In this chapter, we find that “there is one Body of Christ,” and every single believer is a part of that one Body, and every single member has a function. We are all designed to function. God has not called us to “just attend church.” Rather, we are all called to personally serve the Lord Jesus.

We already learned elsewhere (Romans 8:9, John 14:16, 1^st Corinthians 6:19, etc.) that every believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, so the question now, is: “Because I am indwelt by the Holy Spirit, what should I expect in terms of function?” Paul lists some “gifts of the Spirit.”

⁸ For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; ⁹ To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; ¹⁰ To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: ¹¹ But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

• Word of wisdom
• Word of knowledge
• Faith
• Healing
• Miracles
• Prophecy
• Discerning of Spirits
• Tongues
• Interpretation

Notice that the Holy Spirit distributes all the gifts as “He” wills. We do not get to “choose.”

Sign Gifts

It is strange that usually when people start stating their gifts, they want to claim one of the sign gifts. But of all those who have told me they “have the gift of ____,” it has never proved to have identifiable results in their lives. I have not seen miracles brought about by some other believer “having the gift of miracles.” The same goes for the other “sign gifts.”

Do I believe that those gifts still exist? Yes, I do! The “perfect” in 1^st Corinthians 13:10, which Paul says is yet to come, is in reference to the completion of the Body of Christ. After the completion of the church, we will no longer need the miraculous gifts, or the sign gifts. We will see Him face to face! But for now, evidently the gifts still exist.

Where or when should I expect to see the sign gifts? Probably only when someone first carries the Gospel into a given geographic area,. Or, perhaps when there are unbelieving Jews present. Jesus commented that the Jews always were asking for a sign, and Paul confirmed, “…the Jews require a sign….” (1^st Corinthians 1:22)

Can the Holy Spirit manifest Himself in one of the above ways, without giving the believer any gift in that area? Surely He can! He is God! In light of that, it does not bother me to know that most believers can look back over their lives and remember one or more times when God miraculously intervened, and either saved their life, met a physical need, or simply gave them the words they needed to answer an unbeliever’s challenge.

All In One Body, and All Under God’s Authority (v. 12-31)

Physical Body as an Object Lesson

¹² For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. ¹³ For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

¹⁴ For the body is not one member, but many. ¹⁵ If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? ¹⁶ And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? ¹⁸ But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. ¹⁹ And if they were all one member, where were the body?

Individual examples

²⁰ But now are they many members, yet but one body. ²¹ And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. ²² Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: ²³ And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. ²⁴ For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked.

The Reality of the Body of Christ

²⁵ That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. ²⁶ And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

²⁷ Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. ²⁸ And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? ³⁰ Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? ³¹ But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

Examples in the Body

Paul lists a number of gifts, as examples, with the intent of demonstrating that all are for the Body’s general health and function. They are not for the glory of the individual believer. God does not give us gifts for our own enjoyment: They are for the blessing and health of the whole Body of Christ. I will not give a “scholarly discourse” on the meaning and function of every gift, here, but I would like to use this same figure of a “body” in a slightly more graphic way:

Let’s consider a single human cell, taken from the living body of an athlete, an inventor, a ruler, a teacher, a fashion model, or any other person. But let’s say that it is a cell from the body of someone extraordinary in some way: the reason for their prowess is immaterial. The point is that this single cell, examined under a powerful microscope, displays none of the characteristics of “greatness” that we saw in the tissue donor. It will simply look like a tiny, ugly, essentially shapeless, and seemingly useless blob of tissue. That is a simple fact.

Every Part is a Picture of The Whole

But, it is also a fact, that, regardless of the location within the body from which you took the sample, whether it was from the brain, the nasal mucous membrane, the stomach lining, or whatever, every single cell from that same human body has, in its nucleus, the entire genetic code for the whole body. Ponder on that idea, for a moment, and consider how it might apply to the relationship between an individual believer and the whole Body of Christ:

God may have designed that particular cell (from a human body) for a single task: producing a specific endocrine, perhaps, or to help form the protective layers of the skin. But all the cells, collectively comprised the whole body, and, along with the collective experience of the whole body, they produce the person.

In our physical bodies there are parts we use all the time and other parts we completely forget about until we need them. None of them “feel left out!” They all do their jobs as planned. We nourish all the parts through the same stomach, heart and lungs. The brain connects withall the parts. Some responses require thought: others are automatic and involuntary. But they all work together for the benefit of the whole body.

God’s Object Lesson

God chose to use the physical human body as an “object lesson” as to how the Body of Christ is to function. We worry a lot about defining and identifying gifts. In the human body, most people do not know the “technical names” for each of their teeth… and no one planned or organized their own teeth: The teeth developed in God’s timing and by His assignment. Whether we know the proper terminology for them or not has no bearing on their function. We have them because God gave them, and we (mostly) use them for the benefit of the whole body, as we eat.

What about the Body of Christ? Each individual believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit: In fact, according to John 14:15-23, we can see that we are each indwelt by the entire Trinity, in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Individually, then, we each possess the key (or code) to what makes the entire Body of Christ what it is…we have Christ!

God makes the Church (collectively) to be the Bride of Christ, though it is incomplete, as yet. Collectively, the Spirit is building us into the Temple of God, though, for now, we are scattered across time and space.

Personal Knowledge and Satisfaction

I do not have to know how all the gifts work together: A living human cell, which, with others like it, comprises a hair follicle, for example, knows nothing about the workings of the neuron to which it is connected. But those neurons ultimately connect it to the brain! And, if a tiny weight, so much as a fruit-fly, lands on the hair that hair follicle has produced, the brain will immediately sense it, and make a decision as to whether the touch is a threat, an irritant, or something which may safely be ignored.

Lack of Satisfaction does not mean Lack of Blessing

The prophet Jeremiah had an incredibly unsatisfying ministry: He knew (though he embraced it very reluctantly) that he had been selected as a prophet; a “mouthpiece for God.” God had called him to communicate to the unbelieving, backsliding house of Judah, as well as other nations.

But, as far as we know, only two people believed his messages during his ministry. Did that mean he was ineffective, or even a “failure,” perhaps? No: it means that humanity, as a whole, habitually rejects the word of God. But, the false prophets of his time were quite popular, by comparison. (Give that some thought! Is it also true today? On the radio, say, or on the internet?)

And, even in Ezekiel’s case, though he was always faithful to bring only what God said, it turned out that the people were coming for the entertainment value, not because they were receptive to the Word of God. (Ezekiel 33:30-32)

Your gifting may not be particularly obvious, and it may not result in human praise. We are only called to do what God calls us to do: We are to be a blessing to one another, in ways that will profit the body of Christ, which will help or bless those in our circle of associates, and which, above all else, will honor God.

Choosing to Function

Sometimes it is very satisfying, to function: sometimes less so. Some gifts are fairly obvious, some are less so. Commit yourself to honoring God, and serving Him with your life, and He will reveal how he intends for you to function at your best. That does not mean you will only do that one thing: Paul was an Apostle, and a teacher, and a prophet; but he was also a tentmaker. When God required it of him, he served in that capacity. Was he honored by people, as a tentmaker? Perhaps he was… at least enough that he earned the money for himself and his entourage to proceed with their journey. But, was he honored as an apostle?

Sometimes he was, yes!…But, at other times he was savagely attacked: he was beaten, stoned, whipped, and imprisoned. Nearly everywhere he went, he was verbally abused, and, eventually, he was executed! Was he being faithful to God? Absolutely! Was he always happy and comfortable in the process? Nope! I don’t think so!

In Romans 12, and in 1^st Corinthians 13, Paul told how all the gifts are to be used: The core principle is to be the Agapé Love. And, in 1^st Corinthians 14, he said orderliness was to rule the use of the gifts—if the Holy Spirit is in charge, there will be neither disunity nor disorder.)

That is what we hope to see, here in our little assembly. We want the Holy Spirit to be in charge.

Lord Jesus, please help us to follow You closely, and to be submissive to Your hand, so that we begin to see how we are being used by Your Grace and Wisdom to bless others.