Outline Paul's teaching on spiritual gifts. [15 marks]

Answer Details

Paul's teaching on spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12)

Writing to the Corinthian church, Paul did not want them to be ignorant concerning spiritual gifts. His teaching may be outlined as follows:

• One source of all gifts: There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; varieties of service, but the same Lord; varieties of working, but the same God who works all in all. Every gift is given by the one Holy Spirit.
• Gifts are for the common good: To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the profit of all, not for private boasting.
• The variety of gifts: To one is given the utterance of wisdom, to another the utterance of knowledge, to another faith, to another gifts of healing, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.
• The Spirit distributes as He wills: All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as He chooses. No one can claim credit for the gift he possesses.
• The analogy of the body: Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members, though many, form one body, so it is with Christ. The church is the body of Christ, and believers are members of it. By one Spirit all were baptised into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free.
• Every member is necessary: The foot cannot say it does not belong because it is not the hand; the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you." God has arranged the members, each with its function, so there should be no division. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one is honoured, all rejoice together.
• Order and appointment in the church: God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, gifts of healing, helping, administration, and various kinds of tongues. Not all have the same gift, and believers should earnestly desire the higher gifts.

Paul then pointed them to a still more excellent way, the way of love, which surpasses all the gifts (leading into 1 Corinthians 13).