Part 7 of 10 of the theme 'The Holy Spirit in the NT ' by Gijs van den Brink
In this series, we talk about the meaning of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit in the NT. Last time, we talked about the listing of spirit gifts that Paul gives in 1 Cor. 12:8-10. That is the most commonly cited list and these gifts are rather special in nature. That particularity was precisely what most captivated the Corinthians and what they longed for.
After this, Paul goes on to talk about the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12-27) and explains that every believer has a gift, and that gift is the one that fits him, just as each member of our body has a distinct function.
And then Paul concludes his argument by listing gifts again in 1 Cor. 12:28, now arranged slightly differently.
"Now God has appointed in the church all kinds of men, first apostles, then prophets, and further teachers; furthermore, there is the gift of doing miracles, healing, helping, governing, and speaking in languages.
Two things stand out here. Apparently, Paul wants to correct the Corinthians on two points:
- He sets clear priorities: first, second...
- Next, it is striking that he makes no distinction between more ordinary gifts and special ones. The gift of speaking in tongues or foreign languages and the gift of good government stand side by side.
Being a gift is important
A very important message emerges here. The most important thing is not to have a gift, but to be a gift. Has the congregation received in you, in you someone who is a blessing to the congregation, who contributes to the building up of the congregation?
That this is the intention is evident from the ranking of gifts Paul makes here: the first gifts are people.
Not only do they have a gift, they themselves are a gift to the church. We also read this in the letter to the Ephesians (4:11), 'And it is he who appointed apostles, and prophets, gospel preachers, pastors and teachers.
Next time discuss a third listing of gifts Paul gives in Rom. 12:6-8
Author: Gijs van den Brink
From: Study Bible Magazine
This is part 7 of 10 concise blog on the topic of "The Holy Spirit in the NT" from Study Bible Magazine, Some of which we will be posting online in the near future. We hope this will help you understand the Bible better!
