Well, I don’t, because my disability makes it difficult. If we asked around, we’d hear “hypocrites” or “the preaching” or “the music” or “time” or a dozen other reasons. But lurking beneath them all lies that notion that church isn’t really necessary. Or to say it another way, I can do fine, just Jesus and me.
With that in mind, here’s today’s text . . .
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way (1 Corinthians 12:27-31).
WHO WE ARE
“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (12:27).
A stunning statement this. The church is the earthly, visible expression of the heavenly, unseen Christ. Paul’s not painting an idealized, romantic view of the church. He’s proclaiming what the church actually is. The Spirit lives in every believer who comprises the church. He literally “connects” the church to Christ. We can even dare to say the church is the “incarnation” of Christ.
GOD’S APPOINTMENTS
“And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues” (12:28).
“Appointed” translates the Greek etheto, which means “put in place”. Paul uses it of money he wants the Corinthians to “put aside” as part of his collection for the poor (16:2). Thus God has “put in place” particular persons with particular gifts for the good of church, Christ’s body.
So now we see the church not only as the body of Christ (his visible “incarnation” on earth “connected” to him by the Holy Spirit. But we see the church as the “body” in which God has put in place persons with particular spiritual gifts for the common good (“To each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good”–12:7).
For the first time he names persons as gifts: apostles, prophets, and teachers. Then he reverts to gifts (despite the NIV making them all persons): miracles, gifts of healing, helping, administration and various kinds of tongues. These represent a wide range of ministries of the body of Christ.
ARE ALL ALL?
“Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?” (12:29,30).
Literally the Greek asks, “All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? (Etc . . .) ” Grammatically his questions expect a “No” answer. And Paul wants them to apply this to themselves and to their enthusiasm for tongues (chapter 14).
All are not all. Christ’s body has been given a diversity of gifts. No one member has them all.
GREATER GIFTS, EXCELLENT WAY
“But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way” (12:31).
If we understand Paul to be previously ranking gifts, then “eagerly desire the greater gifts” makes sense. But, except for “first, second, third” in 12:28 which may be ranking, Paul continually points, not to the ranking of gifts, but to their diversity. If so, how are we to understand this imperative about desiring (Greek zayloute–to set one’s heart on, to eagerly seek) the greater gifts?
Again, Paul is confronting the Corinthians’ abuse of tongues. “Greater gifts” are intelligible gifts, not a gift no one can understand (tongues without interpretation). Paul will make that clear in chapter 14.
Since his second exhortation in 14:1 is “eagerly desire the spiritual gifts”, chapter 13 is something of a self-interruption. However, Paul isn’t showing them a better gift, but a better way to use those gifts. This he will do in chapter 13.
In 12:27-31, then, Paul mostly repeats himself by way of concluding what he wants to tell the Corinthians in this part of his letter. The church is the one body of Christ. Each of them belongs. And not all have all gifts. Desire gifts, yes. But let it be the greater ones.
TAKE-AWAY
Earlier this morning I read the news and commentaries–plenty of politics, too much about transgenderism, woeful reports about Middle East wars and global terrorism and so on. The jump to spiritual-gifts-talk feels like a jump to irrelevance. An escape to religious talk that has little to do with life in today’s world.
Then I think: not so. While we can wander into the weeds of spiritual minutiae, spiritual gifts are very much relevant–not just to the church, but the church in the world. One might argue that the church in America has little influence on public life (such as in the universities). And how are we doing making converts? The church needs to be stronger, more robust in getting out the gospel and in living it before a watching world.
And God gives spiritual gifts for the strengthening of the church. (“ . . . since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church”–14:12).
But, as noted in the opening paragraph above, many of us aren’t part of the church. This not only weakens the church, it weakens us. Of course we can study the Scripture and worship alone. But we can’t have all the Spirit’s gifts alone. Many of those gifts reside in my fellow believers. I have mine, but I don’t have theirs. I don’t have it all.
Paul is reminding Corinthians within the church: “The Spirit gives a diversity of gifts. No one believer has them all.” Implication: we need one another to enjoy the benefits of all the Spirit’s gifts.
I’m extending that to say, “Believers who exclude church miss much of what the Spirit gives for our common good.” For the church to be strongest for Christ in world, we all need to participate, because we each bring our giftedness. And for the single believer to be strongest for Christ, he/she needs to participate, because we can receive others’ giftedness.
Otherwise, the church is like a body missing a foot or a finger. And the believer is like a foot or a finger floating alone against the world.
29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
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