{"id":589,"date":"2008-11-10T00:01:42","date_gmt":"2008-11-10T00:01:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2008\/11\/the-ministry-of-the-spirit-in-1-corinthians-12-14.html"},"modified":"2008-11-10T00:01:42","modified_gmt":"2008-11-10T00:01:42","slug":"the-ministry-of-the-spirit-in-1-corinthians-12-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/11\/the-ministry-of-the-spirit-in-1-corinthians-12-14.html","title":{"rendered":"The Ministry of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12-14"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 3 of series: Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ
\n<\/em>Permalink for this post<\/a> \/ Permalink for this series<\/a>
\nSo far in this series on Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ<\/em>, I\u2019ve explained that the Holy Spirit is like a bodybuilder who seeks to build up the body of Christ. The Spirit does this, in part, by empowering members of the body with what we call spiritual gifts. In 1 Corinthians 12-14 we find substantial teaching about these gifts.
\nWhen we seek to understand the bodybuilding ministry of the Spirit by studying these chapters, we confront a couple of knotty problems. First of all, Paul’s discussion was not intended as a systematic theology of the Spirit’s ministry, but rather as a specific response to a troublesome situation in Corinth. Many essential points about the Spirit were not mentioned by Paul because they were not immediately relevant to the problem at hand. Plus, some of what Paul said is very difficult for us to interpret because we don’t know exactly what behavior he was addressing (for example, the passage about women in 14:34-35). As we attempt to derive instruction on the Spirit for ourselves from 1 Corinthians, we must keep in mind the original purpose and focus of Paul’s counsel. (Photo: A picture of the remains of ancient Corinth.)
\nSecond, because Paul’s discussion of spiritual empowerment is situational and not systematic, those who attempt to construct more general teaching on spiritual gifts do not agree on many of the details. Wise, well-educated, Christ-centered, Bible-believing, Spirit-filled Christians have come up with different interpretations of 1 Corinthians 12-14. There is no widespread consensus on many of the particulars in this passage and its application to the church today.
\nNevertheless, I do believe that we can derive a solid understanding of spiritual gifts from 1 Corinthians 12-14. In my interpretation of these chapters, I will try to be faithful to the text of Scripture. As I explain this passage, I will also note some of the differences of opinion among Christians so that you can weigh my interpretation carefully in light of other options. You will find that the rest of this blog series will stick closely to the content and order of the biblical text.
\nThough scholars and pastors differ on some of the details concerning spiritual gifts, most are agreed on the main points, and these are what really matter for our purposes here. Putting secondary concerns aside, this passage teaches that the Holy Spirit empowers all members of the church for the purpose of building up the church, the body of Christ<\/em>. Your assignment as an individual Christian, therefore, is to contribute to this bodybuilding process through faithfully exercising the gifts that the Spirit gives you.
\nWhat are Spiritual Gifts?<\/strong>
\nWhat are spiritual gifts? Paul includes “gifts” among the empowerments provided by the Holy Spirit:<\/p>\n

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of serving, and the same Lord. And there are varieties of energizing, but the same God who energizes everything in everyone. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the common good (1 Cor 12:4-7, my translation).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Among that which God provides, Paul includes “gifts” from the Spirit, that which we call “spiritual gifts.”
\nThe Greek word translated as “gift” is, literally, charisma<\/em>. It does not carry our connotation of “charisma,” however, as when we say, \u201cThat political candidate has lots of charisma.\u201d Rather, charisma<\/em> refers to something that has been freely given. A charisma<\/em> is not the Christmas present you have to give because it’s expected of you, but something you give freely and joyously because you want to. In fact the Greek word charisma<\/em> comes from the Greek word charis<\/em>, or “grace.” A charisma<\/em>, therefore, is a little bit of grace. When we become Christians, we receive a giant, once-never-to-be-repeated gift of grace in our salvation (Eph 2:8). Yet that does not exhaust God’s giving to us. Throughout the rest of our lives as believers, the Spirit keeps on giving still more grace, tidbits of grace, instances of charisma<\/em> \u2013 what we call “spiritual gifts.”
\nUnfortunately for our purposes, Paul never gives a definition of these bits of grace. In 1 Corinthians 12 he does provide a list of examples, and from this list we can more-or-less figure out a definition of spiritual gifts. To this list I\u2019ll turn in my next post in this series.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 3 of series: Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series So far in this series on Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ, I\u2019ve explained that the Holy Spirit is like a bodybuilder who seeks to build up the body of Christ. The Spirit does…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spiritual-gifts"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Ministry of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12-14 - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=589"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/589\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}