Many Gifts, One Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:1-11)
At Christmas, Papaw Lee always gave each of us three boys a $50 bill, and that was a decent chunk of change when I was little. We boys spent at least six months every year deciding what we were going to get with Papaw’s money.
One year, Atari released a new game console, and we boys desperately wanted that gaming system. And if we boys pooled our money together, we had enough to purchase a new Atari and buy a few games to go with it. That’s exactly what we did, and as much as I can recall, we shared that Atari rather well.
I imagine some of you have experience with shared gifts, too. Did you ever pool your allowance with your siblings to purchase something everyone wanted? Did you and some coworkers ever complete a project together and then you each received a share of a bonus? I’m sure you’ve bestowed a single gift on more than one person—haven’t you bought a wedding gift for a couple?
God gives gifts, too, and this morning’s text speaks about God’s giving gifts in a miraculous age. You understand that the spiritual gifts in this passage aren’t available in the modern church; you know there isn’t a single person among us who has wisdom or faith or healing powers or prophecy or tongue speaking miraculously through the Holy Spirit. However, we want to explore an important principle in this passage: “Your unique gift is for the common good.”
Papaw gave each of us boys $50, and we used those individual gifts for the good of all three of us. God has given you a gift, and he has given me another gift. And God expects us to put those gifts together for the good of all of us. “Your unique gift is for the common good.”
Scripture (1 Corinthians 12:1-11)
verse 1:
The Corinthians wrote Paul a letter and asked numerous questions (cf. 1 Cor 7:1). “Now concerning” begins a section where Paul answered questions posed from the Corinthians’ letter.
verse 2:
When these Christians were pagan, they “were led astray to mute idols.” The Greek term for leading astray carries the connotation of a moment of ecstatic utterance in heathen religion. There were many ancient religions which claimed that the god would overtake someone and speak through him, and Paul seems to have been saying that some of these Christians had experienced such worship.
verse 3:
Apparently some in or around Corinth cursed Jesus and claimed to do so through the Holy Spirit.
verses 4-6:
Using the terms Spirit, Lord, and God, Paul emphasized the unity of the Triune God in bestowing different gifts on different people.
verse 7:
Each one’s gift was for the “common good” of the body. Whatever gift someone had didn’t make him better than anyone else; whatever gift someone lacked didn’t make him inferior to anyone else. One also must not use his gift for his own aggrandizement; his gift is to help the entire church.
verses 8-10:
Paul mentioned numerous gifts that the Spirit gave to different people in the first century.
verse 11:
Paul said that all these gifts come from the same Spirit, “who apportions to each one individually as he wills.” God, and God alone, determined what miraculous gift one received. You couldn’t ask for a specific gift or expect a specific gift; it was God’s sovereign choice.
Application
“Your unique gift is for the common good.” The context of this passage is miraculous gifts of the Spirit, gifts that are no longer available in the modern world. If you want to speak in tongues, take a language course; if you want to heal people, graduate from medical school; and if you want any other of these gifts, you’re just out of luck.
The question then becomes: “How do we apply this passage about miraculous gifts to a non-miraculous age?” Just because God no longer gives miraculous gifts doesn’t mean God doesn’t give gifts. Romans 12:6-8—Yes, Paul mentioned prophecy, but the other gifts are certainly non-miraculous. 1 Peter 4:10-11.
The principle from this morning’s text that “Your unique gift is for the common good” remains valid in a post-apostolic age. Let’s think about how to apply that principle today:
One: You must Seek your gift.
You Seek your gift by finding out what gift God has given you. God has given each of us abilities; in the Parable of the Talents, the master divided his property between three servants “each according to his ability” (Matt 25:15).
God gave you some ability—some talent—to be used for the good of this congregation. And you need to find what that ability is. You may need to try different things and see how you do. You may need to move beyond your comfort zone, but Seek your gift.
Two: You must Study your gift.
Paul began this section of Scripture by saying, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed” (1 Cor 12:1). Granted, Paul was speaking about the need for the Corinthians to understand the nature of spiritual gifts. However, you must Study your specific gift.
Ask two questions about your gift:
- What do the Scriptures say about my gift?
- How did Jesus and the apostles model my gift?
Don’t be ignorant of your gift, but Study your gift so you know its purpose and how you can most effectively use it.
Three: You must recognize the Source of your gift.
God is the Source of every spiritual gift. Paul made that abundantly clear: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone” (1 Cor 12:4-6). Whatever gift you might have comes from God, and God chose which gift you should have: “All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills” (1 Cor 12:11).
Because God gave you your gift, you cannot feel inferior to others who might have a more “showy” gift than you have. You also cannot feel arrogant because you have some great gift. No, your gift came from God for the good of the entire congregation.
Conclusion
How are you using your gift this morning? Do need to come this morning and begin using your gift?
This sermon was originally preached by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr., at Church of Christ Deer Park in Deer Park, Texas.