1 Corinthians 12-14 The Love Sandwich

These three chapters elicit little curiosity from nominal Christians who think Christianity can be summed up as kindness to neighbours, dismay from Evangelicals who believe in the inspiration of Scripture but apparently not the inspiration of believers themselves, and child-like delight amongst Charismatic Christians who can be like children unwrapping gifts at Christmas.

And then there’s Paul’s statement about women keeping silent in church, which needs to be faced.

And the middle chapter, Love.

Paul is one for building arguments with a strong foundation or premise, and he does this in the opening verses of chapter 12.

‘You were Gentiles carried away to dumb idols, however you were led, but I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit’

Previous to their conversion from paganism, the Corinthian believers were used to ‘being led’ by a spirit and ‘carried away’ by such spiritual experiences. They have since abandoned their idolatry to believe in God through Christ and received the Holy Spirit.

Instead of any previous spiritual manifestations, Paul is reminding them that their heartfelt revelation and confession of Christ can only have come about via the Holy Spirit revealing the truth concerning Jesus.

That’s the foundation: that true believers are inhabited by the Holy Spirit.

He has stated this in earlier chapters of the letter, picturing the church as the temple of the Holy Spirit and, indeed, every believer’s body as a temple for the Holy Spirit.

The question then arises: how does the Holy Spirit manifest His presence in the church and in individual believers? Paul goes on to describe gifts and ministries that should be present in the church and the life of individual believers:

‘There are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit and differences of ministries but the same Lord’

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are then listed: word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healings, miracles, prophecy, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. And it is clear from 1 Cor 14 v 26 that Paul expects to see these gifts manifesting in the church when it gathers together.

‘Whenever you come together each of you has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, an interpretation…let two or three prophets speak…’

In my childhood, I was taken to the local Anglican church. The congregation consisted of ‘nominal Christians’ who, if they had any true faith, it was considered the Christian faith to be an entirely private matter. From my admittedly limited viewpoint, they were there ‘because it was Sunday’ rather than due to any deep convictions. The Creed was recited, but was it believed? I doubt it. Consequently, there was no evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit in terms of the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Two miles from the Anglican church stood an Evangelical church that preached that when the canon of New Testament was completed and the apostles had died, the ‘perfect had come’. As a consequence, the gifts of the Spirit were for the early immature church, but now that we have the Scriptures, there’s no need for childish gifts such as speaking in tongues and prophecy.

‘We know in part and prophesy in part, but when the perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away with. When I was a child, I spoke as a child…but when I became a man, I put away childish things’

This argument and its corollary – opposition to the baptism of the Spirit after conversion – effectively put up a No Entry sign to the gifts of the Spirit. Consequently, there were no manifestations of the gifts in their church services and gatherings.

A further two miles from the Evangelical was a Baptist church.

The pastor and elders had all experienced the baptism of the Spirit many years after their conversions to Christ, some during Billy Graham’s crusades in their youth. Along with thousands of other believers in all denominations, having been baptised in the Spirit, the plurality of gifts and ministries of the Spirit began to manifest in individual believers and during church services.

Paul, in writing 1 Corinthians has had to tackle various issues within the church of immorality, division and party spirit, and ‘free for all’ chaotic worship services, in which believers were manifesting the gifts e.g. speaking in tongues and prophecy but, as with their inability to wait for others before eating, were all speaking in tongues and/or prophesying at once.

Paul’s analysis of their practice around the Lord’s supper and the chaotic use of the gifts was a lack of spiritual maturity and love.

He had already been blunt:

‘Brothers, I could not speak to you as spiritual but as fleshly, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food…and even now you are not able to receive solid food. You are still fleshly…there are divisions among you’ 3v1-3

Paul’s recipe for correction was not to stamp out the gifts any more than a parent would permanently remove toys from a child, but to keep directing the child to enjoy the gift at the right time…and tidy away! Moving beyond the analogy of children and gifts is the instruction to use the gifts not for yourself but to build others up, to build up the church:

‘You are zealous for spiritual gifts but let it be for the edification of the church…desire earnestly to prophesy and do not forbid speaking in tongues but let all things be done decently and in order’ 14v12,39,40

These three chapters are a Love Sandwich. Chapter 12 sits at the heart. It is often quoted at wedding services and is a beautiful description of the love we all need and all need to express to others.

So…next time you feel your heart thumping because the Holy Spirit has revealed something to you to share in the form, for example, of a prophetic picture or a prophecy of words or a song, it will be because the Holy Spirit is about to bless someone else – or your whole church. It is an awesome thing, really. Whilst it may be exciting, thrilling even, for you to initially receive the gift, the gift is actually only in your hands temporarily, it is to be passed on.

Like throwing a bouquet at a wedding, someone will catch it!

Occasionally, you may know who to address a gift to e.g. a word of knowledge, but in the context of a church service, it is less likely. Throw the bouquet!

Lastly, if this has not been within the orbit of your church experience, ask the Lord to reveal the truth of what the scriptures say and how to handle any revelations that come with love in your congregation.

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PS ‘Let women keep silent in the churches, they are not permitted to speak but are to be submissive’ 14v34

Whatever your interpretation of this verse, please bear in mind that Paul has already stated in chapter 11 ‘…every woman who prays or prophesies…’ therefore, the verse in chapter 14 cannot mean a blanket ban on women speaking in church!

The best conclusion I can draw is to consider the context: Paul is attempting to bring order to chaos. It looks as if their gatherings were chaotic. If there was food, the Lord’s supper was being dishonoured as one group would eat before another. And spiritual gifts were being manifested with little attempt to ensure that everyone could hear and benefit. It had become a free for all. Within that context, maybe the women in the church had grown so frustrated that they’d grouped together and were using the time to talk to each other. Whatever the truth is, it is clear that Paul is not banning women from exercising gifts or ministries such as prayer or prophesying.