Concerning the Spiritual Gifts: You Are the Body of Christ

1 Corinthians 12: 1-31

Through this passage, Paul continues to address the issue of division in the Corinthian church. The church is meant to consist of many members joined as one body in Christ. No single member is more or less important to the body. Just like how our eyes are designed to see and ears to hear, each member of the church holds a special function to assist the body (v. 15-17) and cannot be replaced by the other. To fulfill our purpose as members of the body of Christ, God provides each of us spiritual gifts. In the Corinthian church, some members saw their spiritual gifts as more important or impactful than others. For example, a member could think that their gift to speak in tongues was more valuable. This mindset is rooted in pride and leads to oversight on why God gives us spiritual gifts.

Q: Based on your understanding, how would you define a spiritual gift?

So how can we root ourselves correctly in our understanding of spiritual gifts?
1. We need to understand that a spiritual gift is a gift from God. Like any other gift, we didn’t do anything to deserve it. It is not from our achievements that we have spiritual gifts. This truth helps us to experience humility and gratitude when God uses us to serve His body. It is also important to understand what differentiates a spiritual gift from a gift. There can be overlap and gray area but it becomes clear when reading verses 6-7. We can recognize that a spiritual gift comes as a “manifestation of the (Holy) Spirit for the common good.”

2. What does Paul mean when he refers to “common good?” The purpose of spiritual gifts is to build up the church. In contrast, the Corinthian church used their gifts to build up themselves. Let’s be aware of how we view our spiritual gifts. Lastly, let’s be cautious of using our spiritual gifts for self-glorification.

Discussion Questions:

• Now that we have a better idea of what defines a spiritual gift, what do you think are your spiritual gifts? 

  • I have the spiritual gift of _____. 

  • If you don’t know or don’t think you have spiritual gifts, you may be able to answer, I have the gift of ______.

• Why do you think God gives us spiritual gifts when He is an all-powerful God?

• Come up with one question you’d like to ask your house church related to the sermon.