1 Corinthians 12-13

What’s Happening?

The Corinthians are competing and dividing over what was meant to unify them—spiritual gifts. This is because their pagan past gave them a warped view of spiritual gifts. The pagan gods were portrayed in powerful images known as idols, which depicted the unique abilities that made them divine (1 Corinthians 12:1-2). Pagan worshippers strove to become like these superhuman idols through their own mighty deeds. They believed that different gods granted different powers—or spiritual gifts—to their favorite followers. People competed for these divine gifts, which might allow them to become like the gods. 

That mindset crept into the church, and the apostle Paul aims to correct it. For as Corinthian pagans started to see and follow Jesus, they became like him. They were given his Spirit, and with him the ability to be like God in the world. The Spirit of God enabled them to build up his body of Jesus among them as they hear God’s voice, perform miracles, and speak his words to the nations (1 Corinthians 12:4-5). Paul calls these outward signs of their inward divine relationship gifts of the Spirit. Spiritual gifts reveal Jesus to the church and build them up into the image of Jesus (1 Corinthians 12:6-10). 

But instead of using these gifts to build up the church in Christlikeness, the Corinthians were dividing the church over whose gifts were greatest. They saw their gifts as ways to prove they were better than others and closer to attaining divinity. Instead, Paul reminds them that the Spirit is not given individually for the building up of the one, but the Spirit is given collectively to all believers for the building up of the church (1 Corinthians 12:11-13). 

Paul explains that there is no place for competition in the church. For them there is one God, who gives his own Spirit to his people. He is the one source of all spiritual abilities and he gives his Spirit to every member of his church, not just a select and elite few. The Spirit has not given every Christian the same gift. This is not because those gifts or believers are less valuable, but because the church needs many different gifts to function properly. The same is true of the human body. If we had only eyes, we couldn’t hear. If we had only ears, we couldn’t smell. There are vast differences between each part of our bodies, yet each one is necessary and important. Certain parts of our bodies may seem more important, but they cannot function without the rest of the body. An eye may have a place of honor in the body because it has the invaluable gift of sight. Yet it is useless unless it is connected to a body. Conversely, there are parts of the body that seem less honorable or weaker. Yet they make the body function and hold it together. It is good news that not everyone has the same gifts. Instead of using gifts to stratify and divide, the Corinthians should use these gifts to unify and build up the church. 

In that vein, Paul says the most desirable gifts are not the ones that selfishly elevate the individual, but the ones that lovingly elevate the whole body (1 Corinthians 12:31). The most desirable gift is love. The pagans think their mighty deeds that build themselves up and make them like the gods are more desirable. But Paul says, what makes us most like God is love for each other. If we perform the most incredible deeds without lovingly building up the church with them, we will not become like Jesus (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). True spiritual gifts reveal the love of Jesus and form the church into the image of Jesus.

Where is the Gospel?

The good news about spiritual gifts is that the pagans had it wrong. We do not have to climb up to heaven to be like God. Instead, God came down to earth to make us like him. Jesus is in the midst of his people as his Spirit empowers us to live as his body in the world (Galatians 2:22). We do not have to try and gain something by outdoing one another with our gifts. That is because Jesus has already given us the greatest gift. Jesus has given us his love, invited us into his body, and is making us like himself through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Therefore, since there is no need for achievement or competition, we can lovingly use our gifts to build up others in the body of Jesus and help form them into the image of Jesus. 

When the church uses the gifts of the Spirit to love each other and the world, we get to be part of giving the greatest gift—Jesus himself. When the body of Jesus acts with the love of God through the gifts of the Spirit, we do what pagan idols could never do. We show the world what God actually looks like (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). And when the church uses their gifts in love to build each other up, we get to do what we were made to do—collectively look like Jesus on earth. 

But spiritual gifts are just a faint reflection of what we will one day experience in full (1 Corinthians 13:8-10). Spiritual gifts reveal Jesus and help us become more like him. But one day, Jesus will return and make us like himself. When this happens, there will be no more need for spiritual gifts that reveal him because we will see him for ourselves (1 Corinthians 13:11-12). Our faith and hope in this passing life will dissolve into Jesus’ eternal love for us. For we will see what our faith believes and receive what our hope longs for. The only thing that will last is the love we have for Jesus and the love he has for us (1 Corinthians 13:13). Love for God and one another is the greatest gift from the Spirit that the church has. 

See for Yourself

I pray that the Holy Spirit would open your eyes to see the God who gives his people everything they need to be built up. And may you see Jesus face to face when everything else has passed away.