Adult Bible Study – 1st Corinthians
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
Chapter 12
There are three broad topics in chapter 12. They are: 1) gifts; 2) the Spirit; 3) the community. These three elements weave back and forth in the content of this chapter each bound by the other while being held in tension. Once again, the topic of gifts and community turn our attention to the tension between the individual and the community.
What are the gifts?
 | The utterance of wisdom |
| Utterance of knowledge |
| Faith |
| Healing |
| Working of miracles |
| Prophecy |
| Discernment |
| Various kinds of tongues |
| Interpretation of tongues |
To whom are the gifts given?
| These various gifts are given to the various members of the community – to the members of the body of Christ – the church. Individuals bear these gifts. |
To what end are these gifts given?
| These various gifts are given to individuals for the “common good”. |
Where do these gifts come from?
| Here is the pivotal point of this chapter – all of the gifts are given to the various individuals by one and the same spirit. |
That brings us to the second major topic of the chapter, the Holy Spirit. The question most assuredly arose, how do you know when it is the Holy Spirit that is acting? Paul’s answer has to do with the Spirit’s relationship to Jesus. Anyone who is speaking by the power of the Holy Spirit cannot curse Jesus Christ; nor can anyone express faith in Jesus Christ without the Holy Spirit. Those are the two criteria to identify the spirit: 1) Christ is not cursed; 2) faith in Christ is confessed – Jesus is Lord. Where the spirit dwell, Jesus is held as central to all faith and practice.
This now brings into the third topic of the chapter, the community – the Body of Christ – that is the church. Amidst all the variety of the gifts that can be manifested by the spirit, the earmark of all these gifts is that their purpose is unity of the body – and unity of the body’s functioning. There are many gifts – but one Spirit. There are a variety of services – the same Lord. There are a variety of activities – but the same God who activates them in everyone. The gifts do not operate outside of the community. The gifts are not given to set the individual above the others, but to set the community upon steady ground. There are not many bodies, but one body up-held and supported by the many gifted members; and the Spirit is behind it all acting through baptism. It is through baptism that the many become one in Christ. It is though baptism that one Spirit is spread out and dispensed among the many.
Body Image
In order to bring the point to understanding, Paul discusses the body of Christ as though it were a human body, because it works in exactly the same way. The human body is constructed with its many individual and specialized parts because that’s the way it functions. Feet do the walking. Hands do the holding and working. Minds do the thinking. If any of these parts are missing or defective the body simply does not operate at its maximum capability. It is said to be dysfunctional or disabled. That is precisely what happens to the body of Christ if the gifts that are given by the one Spirit are not used to the common good of the body of Christ. The body limps along, unable to do well the work that it is given to do.
© Copy write held by The Rev. Dr. Kipp W. Zimmermann
Thursday, January 15, 2004