Serving One Another: A Study of New Testament Gifts: Volume Two: The Manifestation Gifts

By Stephen P. Ansley

God wants His people to know the gifts He has given them.

Gifts appear in Scripture primarily in three passages, each with its own list, with other gifts mentioned individually here and there in other parts of Scripture. This three volumes study of New Testament gifts deals with the three lists separately to honor the uniqueness of each list. You are invited to come along with the author in discovering what God has given to His people, including you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638440567

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Serving One Another

A Study of New Testament Gifts: Volume Two: The Manifestation Gifts

Stephen P. Ansley

Copyright © 2021 by Stephen P. Ansley

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

Excerpts from Ecclesiastical Authority and Spiritual Power in the Church of the First Three Centuries by Hans von Campenhausen, copyright 1969. Used by permission of Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Excerpts from God’s Empowering Presence by Gordon D. Fee, copyright 1994. Used by permission of Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Excerpt from Discover Your God-Given Gifts by Don Fortune and Katie Fortune, copyright 1987, 2009. Used by permission of Chosen Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Excerpts from James Goll’s The Seer, copyright 2004. Used by permission of Destiny Image Publishers, Shippensburg, PA, 17257.

Excerpts from Understanding the Fivefold Ministry, edited by Matthew Green, copyright 2005. Used by permission of Charisma House, Lake Mary, Florida.

Excerpts taken from Are Miraculous Gifts For Today? By Wayne Grudem, Richard B. Gaffin, Stanley N. Gundry, Sam Storms, Doug Oss, and Robert Saucy. Used by permission of Zondervan. www.zondevan.com

Excerpts taken from Gifts of the Spirit by Kenneth Kinghorn, copyright 1976. Used by permission of United Methodist Publishing House.

Excerpts taken from Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, copyright c 2006. Used by permission of Harper Collins.

Excerpts taken from 1 & 2 Peter / Jude, A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition copyright 2018 by Daniel Powers, Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, Kansas City, MO. Used by permission of The Foundry Publishing. All righs reserved. TheFoundry Publishing.com

Excerpts from Beginner’s Guide to Spiritual Gifts by Sam Storms, copyright 2012. Used by permission of Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Excerpts from How to Have a Healing Ministry in Any Church by C. Peter Wagner, copyright 1988. Used by permission of Chosen Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Excerpts from Apostles and Prophets by C. Peter Wagner, copyright 2000. Used by permission of Chosen, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Excerpts from Apostles Today by C. Peter Wagner, copyright 2006. Used by permission of Chosen, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Manifestation Gifts

The Gifts of 1 Corinthians 12:7-11

A Word of Wisdom

A Word of Knowledge

Faith

Gifts of Healings

Workings of Power (Miracles)

Prophecy

Discernings of Spirits

Varieties of Tongues

Interpretation of Tongues

Perspectives

Vocabulary of the Dark Gifts

To Jill, Amy, Amanda, Sarah,

William, Breanna, and Samuel

Among God’s Best Gifts to Me

The Manifestion Gifts

"But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as he wills."

1 Corinthians 12:8-10

19

Introduction to the Manifestation Gifts

The list in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 is said to include nine gifts. However, to observe what is in the Greek text and to speak with precision, gifts of healings, workings of miracles and discernings of spirits are plurals, and tongues are varieties of. Thus four of the gifts are multi-faceted.

Derek Prince notes, Recognizing the plural nature of these gifts is important for understanding how they function (Prince: 2007, 9). The additional observation should be added that not only are these plurals, but they are double plurals.

For convenience I will continue to use the nominal designation of nine gifts.

Paul is dealing with these gifts in terms of Christian community. Max Turner observes, "What is said in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 concerns only those gifts which are manifestations of the Spirit in the assembly…" (Turner: 2005, 269, his emphasis). Clearly in his first letter to the Corinthians Paul’s primary concern was what happens when Christians gather. However, that these are matters of the assembly does not mean that they cannot happen outside the assembly. Healings, for example, can also occur elsewhere as it did in the ministries of Jesus and the apostles and has in all subsequent generations.

In First Corinthians Paul is not addressing church leaders; he is speaking to the whole congregation. Therefore, when he comes to chapters 12-14 to deal with spiritual gifts, he is not suggesting that these gifts belong only to leaders; quite the contrary, they belong to whole body. Neither is he limiting this to one congregation over against others, as if to say, This applies to that Pentecostal group in Corinth. I again quote Max Turner who makes this point by saying, (Paul) does not restrict charismata i.e., gifts, manifestations of the Spirit, to a special ‘Spirit-baptized’ group. The lesson of Paul in 1 Corinthians 12-14…is that the whole body of Christ is differently enabled for mutually supportive acts of service (Turner: 2005, 340).

Several things strike the reader immediately on reading this list. These gifts are the works of the Spirit; they are called manifestations of the Spirit. They are given by the will of the Spirit. The words one and all of verse 7 are juxtaposed (given to each one for the profit of all), though all is only an implied addition to the words for the profit, hence "for the profit of all." These gifts often overlap. Sometimes they duplicate one another. Frequently they are interdependent. Most of them are steward-gifts, but some of them can be non-steward-gifts. There are also other manifestations which are not listed here. Given Paul’s imprecise gathering of the gifts in this list, none of this should surprise us. Before we unpack these things, it will be helpful (1) to review what I have already said with reference to this list, (2) to examine some texts that give us a background to these manifestations, and (3) to look at the context in which 1 Corinthians 12-14 is set.

A brief review of what has already been said of manifestation gifts is in order.

The list of nine gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 is one of three lists in Scripture. It is unique, and its integrity is to be maintained by not combining it with the other lists. It does not duplicate the nature of the other lists nor does it duplicate the gifts of the other lists.

Paul starts chapter 12 with the words, "Now concerning spiritual gifts…" The word gifts is not in the original Greek. It does not do to translate the text, "Now concerning spiritual matters" or "spiritual things" because of content that follows, particularly verses 8-10. It is clear from the context that it is gifts that are in view.

Paul is being correctional, but he offers more than perspective and priority; he also gives information. To say that he is not providing instruction is to overstate the case. To stress correction without acknowledging instruction is to overshadow method by motivation. Correction is Paul’s purpose. Instruction is his method. It is true that his instruction is not systematic and thorough with regard to the number of gifts and kind, but he, in fact, providing new information. If we seek to correct the false take on Paul’s teaching as being systematic, we must be careful not to cause the pendulum to swing so far in the opposite direction by denying the instructive character of Paul’s thoughts.

Unlike the gifts of the other two lists, the gifts of this list are supernatural manifestations of the Spirit. Their supernatural character means that these gifts do not involve activities produced by natural ability; our human mind, heart, or will are unable to achieve the manifestations. Their supernatural character also means that they are miraculous. But it is worth noting that miracles are broader in scope than the manifestation gifts. Christian comedian Mark Lowry quips, This is where you get to learn to live by faith, unless you are a Pentecostal, and then you get miracles. To reject the continuation of the supernatural gifts does not require the rejection of all miracles. Yet Mark’s statement is humorous because it has a measure of truth in it.

I have not come to the conclusion that these gifts are supernatural by means of exegesis (determining the meaning of a text) alone. I do not believe that on this matter exegesis can deliver a definitive conclusion that all the gifts in this list are supernatural, but neither can it prove that they are not. Still, the weight of the context pushes us toward the conclusion that all of these gifts are supernatural because Paul was dealing in a corrective way with a congregation that placed an over-emphasis on supernatural manifestations. To my study of Scripture I have added my own experience. I have seen all of these gifts in operation and have been blessed with some of them in my own life. It has left me wondering if our brothers and sisters in Christ, who deny the supernatural character of some of these gifts, or who believe that all these gifts are no longer given, have come to their conclusions without firsthand observation of their operation in a Christian community or without firsthand experience in their own lives. Experience is never a replacement for Scripture, but it is a valid supplement along with reason and tradition in determining what Scripture means.

I believe that these gifts are still being given. Not everyone agrees. R. T. Kendall comments on this fact in church history when he says, There’s been a silent divorce in the church…between the Word of God and the Spirit of God. As with any divorce, sometimes the children stay with the mother, and sometimes they stay with the father. In this divorce, some have embraced the Spirit, and others the Word… Those on the ‘Word’ side emphasize sound doctrine, expository preaching, contending for the faith… Those on the ‘Spirit’ side emphasize the prophetic word, signs, wonders, miracles, and the power demonstrated in the Book of Acts (Kendall 2005: 151). In general that is true, but I must add that many, if not most, leaders in the Pentecostal denominations and the Renewal Movement who I have known have not come up short in their emphasis on the Word of God. There have also been leaders outside the Pentecostal and Renewal Movement who have been open to these gifts.

Cessationists (those who deny that these gifts are still given) make their argument on the basis of sign gifts and their understanding of 1 Corinthians 13. They believe that signs and wonders were given to authenticate the message of the gospel prior to the establishment of the canon of Scripture and were no longer needed thereafter. This view is reinforced by their interpretation of 1 Corinthians 13:8 and 10, but whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease… and But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. That which is perfect is understood to be the canon, and that which is in part is understood as signs and wonders. Contrary to this teaching, some of us believe in the continuation of the gifts. That which is perfect does not refer to the canon, but to the eschaton (the end of This Age). Until then, we should expect tongues, prophecy, and the other supernatural gifts to continue to be given.

The need for them has not diminished in spite of our possessing the canon of Scripture.

Love is the standard by which all gifts are to operate. That is especially evident with the manifestation gifts by the insertion of 1 Corinthians 13 in the middle of chapters 12 and 14 and with its many references to gifts. These gifts, like the gifts of the other lists, are without value unless they operate in a context of love.

These gifts are to be exercised with the purpose of building up the community. Again, that is true of all three lists, but it is explicit in 1 Corinthians 14:12 with reference to the supernatural gifts, Since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel. Edification is the King James word for building up. Qualitative strengthening is in view, though quantitative growth will surely follow. Gifts are never about oneself, but rather about the community.

The list of manifestation gifts, like the gifts of the other lists, but perhaps even more so, stresses unity in diversity. A variety of gifts is given, but they are to complement one another in a way that builds unity. Diversity is mentioned three times in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 by the repeated words, There are diversities… Unity is expressed in the same text with the words, the same Spirit, the same Lord, and the same God. Furthermore, the body illustration reinforces this duality of unity in diversity. The body is one and has many members (1 Cor. 12:12 ff).

The supernatural gift flows through the person only when the Spirit moves. These gifts are given not only by the will of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:11), but also they operate by the will of the Spirit. All Christians who have a gift of tongues are able to speak at will, and some who have a gift of prophecy claim that they can prophesy at will. They are right with respect to these two gifts; however, it is possible only because the Spirit is willing. This enablement is not the case with most of the gifts, for example, healings. The sovereign Spirit sometimes says No.

Typically a manifestation of the Spirit is brief and dramatic. The effects of these gifts will be lasting, but their actual exercise involves only a moment in time. One minute there is no word of knowledge, the next there is. One moment a person is ill or disabled, the next minute he is not. One moment a situation exists, the next it has been transformed by a work of power, and so on with all the other supernatural gifts.

Possession of one or more of these gifts might or might not be enduring. In general they seem to be permanent. However, in the life of an individual they have also been seen to fade or stop abruptly. Moral failure can be the cause, but that is not always the case. I cannot quote any New Testament text to support this affirmation. For me it is simply something I have observed over the years in the lives of several gifted individuals. The text, The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable (Rom. 11:29) does not apply to the manifestation gifts, but rather to the election of Israel.

Christ-like character is not necessarily involved in the operation of a supernatural gift. This issue is on my list of questions to ask God in heaven, though I suspect it will not longer matter to me at that point. Why was it that members of the Corinthians church were given the supernatural gifts so abundantly? Paul states, You come short in no gift (1 Cor. 1:7), yet they were carnal, selfish, embracing the wisdom of the world, and lacking in love. It still happens today. God does not seem to be as choosy as I would be about who receives these gifts. I do not understand. Nevertheless, understanding is not my first duty; it is my duty to yield to His sovereignty and to trust that He knows what He is doing. That is enough.

None of the gifts are abilities; they are ministry opportunities and responsibilities. Yet, the supernatural gifts come close to being abilities, at least in appearance. The person, for example, who has a gift of discerning of spirits is able (able = ability) to see what spirit-beings are at work. Yet it is not his own ability by which he operates. This manifestation, as with all the supernatural gifts, is a work of the Spirit of God. The individual with the gift is merely a channel of the Spirit’s work. These gifts are not activities that we can produce on our own. Ultimately, they are not human abilities.

This is not a complete list of supernatural gifts. Paul could have added a number of other supernatural gifts to this list, as for example, auditions, exorcisms, interpretations of dreams, raising the dead, transportations, and visions. He included tongues because it was over-valued by the Corinthians. It appears that he expanded the list to emphasize diversity as over against a single emphasis on tongues. He included prophecy because it best illustrates the need for using gifts to build up the community.

Antecedent Scripture

David Hill observes, In the structure of the book of Acts Pentecost holds a place equivalent to that held by the baptism of Jesus in the Gospel and his own affirmation of its significance (‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…’ Luke 4:18). The parallelism in the situation is actually mentioned in Jesus’ final, post-Resurrection encounter with his disciples: ‘John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit…’ (Acts 1:5, 8) (Hill: 1979, 95).

This parallel between Jesus’ baptism in Luke’s Gospel and the baptism of God’s people at Pentecost in Luke’s Acts has led me to see the two other parallels that might be said to be variations on the theme: the anointing of Jesus by the Spirit (Christ means Messiah, the Anointed One) and the anointing of God’s people by the Spirit at Pentecost, and references to David with whom God made a covenant concerning the throne of David’s Seed and Jesus’ eternal reign as the King of the Kingdom of God with the church as the steward of the Kingdom. Multiple references to the Father, the Son, the Spirit, the Kingdom, anointings, baptisms, the gospel, David, David’s throne, power, God’s people, and eternity appear in Luke’s Gospel and Acts, which I will emphasize in these texts to highlight their frequent association.

Luke 1:26-27 and 1:31-33 "Now in the sixth month (of Elizabeth’s pregnancy with John) the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. To Mary Gabriel said, And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end"

Luke 2:26 Luke tells us that when baby Jesus was taken to the Temple to be presented to the Lord, Simeon was moved by the Spirit to be there for "it had previously been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ" (Christ/Messiah/Anointed One).

Luke 3:16 John had said to the multitudes who went out to be baptized by him, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming… He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit…"

Luke 3:21-22 "When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him…"

Luke 4:1 "Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness…"

Luke 4:18 In the synagogue on the Sabbath Jesus read from Isaiah, "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."

Luke 24:49 Luke does not end his Gospel with the Great Commission like Matthew 28:18-20 and Mark 16:15ff. That will be included in his second account, Acts 1:8. But in his Gospel he prepares the reader by reference to Jesus’ command to the eleven, "Behold, I send the Promise (the Spirit) of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."

Acts 1:2-3 "(Jesus) was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God."

Acts 1:4-8 Luke repeats the final thoughts from his Gospel immediately in Acts, "And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’ Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, ‘Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…"

Together these themes form a threefold cord: a. The Baptism of Jesus and the Baptism of God’s People, b. The Anointing of Jesus and the Anointing of God’s People, c. References to David’s Seed and Jesus’ Reign as the King over His people.

The Baptism of Jesus and the Baptism of God’s People

The Spirit descended and rested on Jesus at His baptism. Jesus then poured out the Spirit on the church at Pentecost.

And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions, and also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My spirit in those days. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD (Joel 2:28-31).

And being assembled together with them (the apostles), He (Jesus) commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now’ (Acts 1:4-5).

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:1-4).

Peter stood and explained their experience by pointing to the text of Joel. This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel (Acts 2:16). He continued by proclaiming Jesus, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs… (v. 22), crucified…and raised up… (vv. 23-24), exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear (v. 33), and Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord (the King) and Christ (the Anointed One) (v. 36). When the crowd asked, What shall we do? Peter answered, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call (vv. 37-39).

The question that immediately strikes me is how Peter managed to associate what they experienced, wind, fire, and tongues, with what Joel had prophesied, prophecy, dreams and visions. Has that ever bothered anyone but me? No direct explanation is ever given in Scripture. However, the prior words of Jesus to instruct and assure them that the Spirit would soon come upon them led them to anticipate the Spirit’s coming. Consequently, Peter and his associates had no doubt that the Spirit was being poured out on them as Joel had prophesied. The outpouring of the Spirit Himself is the crucial element in Joel’s prophecy and the fulfillment at Pentecost. The supernatural ways the Spirit is manifested, a rushing mighty wind, fire, tongues, prophecy, dreams, and visions, are part of the promise, but they are secondary to the gift of the Spirit Himself. The particular forms of manifestation of the Spirit would alter even more thereafter in the experience of the community of God’s people as listed by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12 and elsewhere. The Spirit is at liberty to manifest Himself however He chooses.

The key observations may be summarized as follows. (1) The Spirit Himself is central. (2) He was poured out as promised, variously described as outpouring (Joel 2:28), filling (Acts 2:4), baptism (Acts 1:5), a coming upon (Acts 1:8), and endument (Luke 24:49). (3) He was poured out on all of God’s people. (4) The promise extends to subsequent generations, to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call (Acts 2:39). The parameters of this event involve two points in time: Afterward refers to a period of judgment, the time of Israel’s captivities by Assyria and Babylon, and before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD (Joel 2:28 and 31). (5) The Spirit’s presence is manifested by an abundance of supernatural experiences.

The purpose of examining these subjects is that the gifts that the Spirit gives must be understood in light of these antecedents.

While it is possible to think and talk about these three headings separately and in succession, it is difficult to do so without trying to say everything at once. Therefore, discussion about any one of them necessitates some reference to the others.

The Anointing of Jesus and the Anointing of God’s People

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified (Isa. 61:1-3).

This text is echoed at least three times in the Gospels.

Luke tells us that after forty days of temptation in the wilderness, Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee… This is the power He received when the Spirit descended on Him at His baptism. So He came to Nazareth…and He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah (Luke 5:14-17) and read the first part of the passage quoted above (Luke 5:18-19). Then He closed the book…and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’ (5:20-21).

When John the Baptist faced uncertainty about the identity of Jesus, Jesus sent word to him referring to this passage in Isaiah, Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: ‘The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them’ (Matt. 11:4-5).

Jesus own anointing was conveyed in turn to the apostles to preach the Kingdom of God and to bring its authority and power to bear over sickness, death, and demonic possession. These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: ‘as you go, preach, saying The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give’ (Matt. 10:5-8).

Again, a ministry of supernatural gifts flowed from Jesus own anointing to the apostles and was associated directly with the Kingdom of God. Yet at that point it followed the pattern of the Old Testament era, being given only to select individuals for a brief period of time. But the Old Testament also anticipates a new age in which an anointing would be passed to all of God’s people in the gift of the Spirit and the gifts which the Spirit gives. Douglas Oss says, The anointed Davidite, Jesus, passes on his own anointing to those who come under his reign (Oss: 1976, 270).

References to David’s Seed and Jesus’ Reign as the King over His people.

Here we can trace the establishment of David’s throne in the Person of Jesus as King of the Kingdom of God and the corresponding stewardship of the Kingdom by the church.

2 Samuel 7: (4) But it happened that night that the word of the LORD came to Nathan (the prophet), saying, (5) ‘Go and tell My servant David, Thus says the LORD… (12) ‘When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom… (13) I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. (14) I will be his Father, and he shall be My son… (16) and your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.’

This covenant between the LORD and David passed through David’s descendents to Jesus, who was the Seed and who will sit on the throne of David forever. Mark reports, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel’ (Mark 1:14-15). Mark also gives us a chapter on the parables of the Kingdom (4:1-34) and another on the power of the Kingdom (4:35-5:43).

Mark ends with the theme of Jesus’ kingship. Pilate asked Him, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’ He answered and said to him, ‘It is as you say’ (Mark 15:2). And (the soldiers) clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and began to salute Him, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ (15:17-18). Over His cross was the inscription, King of the Jews (15:26). So then, after the Lord had spoken to (the disciples), He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs (16:19-20).

The miraculous signs, which accompanied the preaching of the disciples, trace back to God’s covenant made with David concerning the everlasting reign of his Seed and his throne. These miracles are signs, but they are also more than signs as Jack Deere has observed, These miraculous phenomena were not simply signs of the kingdom of God; they were an essential part of it (Deere: 1993, 225).

The Context and Structure of 1 Corinthians 12-14

I have already commented on the context of chapter 12 by placing it in the overall scheme of the letter. Here I want to expand that perspective to include all of chapters 12-14. I have said that in this letter to the believers in Corinth Paul deals with a series of problems: divisions that result from worldly wisdom (chs. 1-4), sexual immorality (ch. 5), legal disputes (ch. 6), and marriage (ch. 7), etc. All of these subjects involve community and how members of the community relate to one another.

Chapters 8 and 10 have to do with food offered to idols. The idols are not true gods, therefore, eating meat offered to them is allowed. But Paul calls his readers to practice self denial to avoid causing a weaker brother to stumble (ch. 8). This is illustrated in chapter 9 by Paul’s own self denial of forfeiting his right as an apostle to receive remuneration. Chapter 10 then takes the issue a step further warning Christians not to participate in pagan worship where meat is offered to idols because to do so is to fellowship with demons.

Chapters 11-14 deal with a particular kind of community activity, matters of gathered worship. Chapter 11 includes instruction on gathered worship regarding head coverings and the Lord’s Supper. Chapters 12-14 directs attention to spiritual gifts exercised in the assembly with chapter 12 listing the manifestation gifts, and chapter 14 giving priority in Christian gatherings to prophecy over uninterpreted tongues. Chapter 13 stands as the high point of the whole letter as it stresses the crucial place of love, not only in the exercise of gifts, but also on a broader view as the crucial issue that Paul has stressed throughout the letter: all matters of community are to be guided by love; love is central to all that builds up the community, including gifts.

Chapter 15 focuses on belief about death and resurrection (which logically follows 13:10, when that which is perfect is come). Finally, chapter 16 is about the collection for the poor in Jerusalem, Paul’s plans, local leadership, and final greetings, all of which are issues of community.

There are many first rate commentaries on 1 Corinthians, and I would recommend that you read them for details far beyond what I offered in the following, brief comments. They are easy to find by searching on the Internet for Commentaries, 1 Corinthians (or whatever other book of the Bible you are studying). Scholarly commentaries are preferable over ones by non-scholars. It is also helpful if you have some idea of the author’s theological bent, which is easily identified by knowing what church tradition they associate with (e.g., Catholic, Protestant, Reformed, Pentecostal, Dispensational, Fundamentalist, Evangelical, Liberal, etc.) as well as where they teach.

I have a friend who does not appreciate commentaries. He says they are long and boring. He made that statement publically to a group that I had been encouraging to read commentaries. I could not let his statement go unanswered, so with him present I said to the same group: Long commentaries are good, the longer the better. The long ones have more details. To read a commentary is to sit at the feet of the best teachers. Those teachers know more about the book they are teaching than anyone else. As for boring, we are talking about using commentaries to understand the Word of God. There is no subject that is more engaging. Should we do our own inductive study of the Word of God independent of commentaries? Absolutely. But eventually we also need to listen to those who know how to study better than we do. To ignore the teaching of commentators is to ignore a rich heritage that God has given us through the larger community of the church both now and through centuries of the past. It is also to reinvent the wheel.

From various commentators we may glean a suggested title over all three of these chapters. C. K. Barrett, as well as Archibald Robertson and Alfred Plummer, express the overall title concisely as Spiritual Gifts. Richard Hays expands it to reflect both the nature of these gifts and the gathering as the place of exercise, Spiritual Manifestations in Worship. Anthony Thiselton is the most thorough by stressing the nature of the gifts, the purpose of the gifts, and the atmosphere in which they must be exercised, The Gifts of the Spirit for Service in Love.

These three chapters are clearly held together by Paul’s introductory words, "Now concerning spiritual gifts and the way that theme unfolds. Chapter divisions are less important inasmuch as they have been arbitrarily assigned. This is reflected in the way these commentators tend to divide the whole section by paragraphs rather than chapters. Richard Hays alone gives chapter titles, although C. K. Barrett comes close. Richard Hays titles are: Chapter 12, Varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit, Chapter 13, The preeminence of love, and Chapter 14, Regulating spiritual gifts in worship. Since our Bible has chapter divisions, chapter titles may be helpful. I suggest: Chapter 12, Diversity within Unity, Chapter 13, The Preeminence of Love in the Exercise of Gifts, and Chapter 14, The Upbuilding of the Community."

Paragraph divisions are not provided by the original Greek text. Still, they are useful for understanding the message and responding with comments. I have found it helpful to supplement my own work in creating paragraph divisions by comparison to the divisions provided by commentators. My final decisions will be revealed in the commentary section that follows; they are very close to the divisions of Anthony Thiselton.

Commentary Outlines of 1 Corinthians 12-14

Charles Kingsley Barrett. The First Epistle to the Corinthians, 1968: 29.

12:1-14:40, Spiritual Gifts

12:1-3, The Fundamental Test: Jesus is Lord,

12:4-31, Diversity of Gifts in One Body

13:1-13, The Fundamental Test: Love

14:1-40, The Tests Applied to Tongues and Prophecy

Richard B. Hays. First Corinthians, 1997: 206-241.

12:1-14:40, Spiritual Manifestations in Worship

12:1-31a, Varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit

12:1-3, Introduction: The Spirit empowers all Christian confessions

12:4-11, Manifestations of the Spirit: common sources, common aim

12:12-26, The body analogy: Diversity and interdependence

12:27-31a, Application: Gifts and offices in the church

12:31b-13:13, The preeminence of love

13:1-3, Spiritual actions without love are meaningless

13:4-7, Love as the antithesis of the Corinthians’ behavior

13:8-13, Spiritual gifts and love

14:1-40, Regulating spiritual gifts in worship

14:1-25, Prophecy builds up the community

14:26-40, Order in the assembly

Marion L. Soards. 1 Corinthians, 1999: viii.

12:1-3, The Nature of Enthusiasm

12:4-11, Unity and Diversity of Gifts

12:12-31a, The Body of Christ

12:31b-13:13, The Superlative Way of Love

14:1-5, The Practice of Prophecy

14:6-12, The Advantage of Intelligibility

14:13-19, The Desirability of Intelligibility

14:20-25, The Effect of Intelligibility

14:26-33a, Protocol for Practicing Spiritual Gifts

14:33b-36, Women and Order at Worship

14:37-40, Confrontation and Advice

Raymond, F. Collins. First Corinthians, 1999: ix.

12:1-3, A Matter of Principle

12:4-11, Allotment of Gifts

12:12-26, The Body

12:27-31a, Christ’s Body

12:31b-13:3, Not to Have Love

13:4-7, Love’s Rhythm

13:8-14:1a, A Unique Gift

14:1b-5, The Greater Gift of Prophecy

14:6-12, A Trilogy of Cultural Analogies

14:13-19, Praying with Full Participation

14:20-25, Outsiders and Unbelievers

14:26-40, Order in the Assembly

Anthony C. Thiselton. The First Epistle to the Corinthians, 2000: x-xii.

12:1-14:40, The Gifts of the Spirit for Service in Love

12:1-3, All Christians Spiritual: The Christological Criterion

12:4-7, Diversity Grounded in Unity: Varied Gifts from One Source

12:8-11, The Gifts of the Spirit

12:8, Articulate Utterances relating to Wisdom or to Knowledge

12:9, Faith as a Special Gift and Gifts for Various Kinds of Healing

12:10a, Actively Effective Deeds of Power

12:10b, Discerning What Is of the Spirit

12:10c, Species of Tongues and Their Intelligible Articulation

12:12-31, The Image of the Body of Christ and Its Dual Rhetorical Function

13:1-13, Love the Essential and Lasting Criterion

13:1-3, The Fruitlessness of All Gifts without Love

13:4-7, The Nature and Action of Love

13:8-13, The Eschatological Permanence of Love

14:1-40, Love for the Other and Ordered Differentiation in Evaluating Prophecy and Tongues

14:1-25, Intelligible Utterance to Build the Whole Community

14:1-5, Self-Affirmation or Use of Gifts of Utterance for Others?

14:6-12, The Useless of Unintelligible Noise: Four Examples

14:13-19, Communicative Intelligibility and the Use of the Mind in the Context of Public Worship

14:20-25, Maturity as Love for the Other: Gospel and Home for Believers and Outsiders

14:26-40, Does the Spirit Create Order or Anarchy? Controlled Speech and Building Up

14:26-33a, General Principles and Their Practical Application to Various Cases

14:33b-36, A Particular Case

14:37-40, A Particular Warning and General Encouragement

General Reflections on 1 Corinthians 12-14

The Nature and Purpose of Paul’s Writing 12-14

To say that 1 Corinthians 12-14 is completely corrective and not instructional is to overstate the matter. But perhaps the overstatement is somewhat justified to counter an almost universal approach to these chapters as if they were systematic teaching. They are not, as Kenneth Berding notes, The first assumption is that Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 12-14 simply to teach people about spiritual gifts… But Paul is clearly reacting to the Corinthians’ overzealousness for flashy miraculous activities… (Berding: 2006, 140). Paul’s words are, indeed, corrective, but the correction must provide some new instruction, which is why he starts out by saying, I do not want you to be ignorant (1 Cor. 12:1a). The correction Paul provides is instructive to the extent that he is telling the congregation a good number of things they have never heard, and their practices demonstrate an extreme lack of balance in what they have already heard. Therefore, Paul is not dispassionately teaching a seminar on spiritual gifts to the Corinthians; he is writing in order to counterbalance what he perceives to be an overemphasis on the miraculous (Berding: 2006, 141). At the end of the day we have to ask, Is there any systematic teaching in Scripture? Not really. System is a theological construct, not a biblical pattern. This does not mean, of course, that systematic instruction is not valid and useful. But Paul is not is using a systematic approach.

This accounts for the fact that Paul’s list of supernatural gifts is not complete