On Spiritual Gifts. A. D. 57.
1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you
ignorant. 2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb
idols, even as ye were led. 3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that
no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no
man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 4 Now there
are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences
of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations,
but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 7 But the manifestation
of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given
by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the
same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts
of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to
another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds
of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 But all these
worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally
as he will.
The apostle comes now to treat of spiritual gifts, which abounded in
the church of Corinth, but were greatly abused. What these gifts were is
at large told us in the body of the chapter; namely, extraordinary offices
and powers, bestowed on ministers and Christians in the first ages, for
conviction of unbelievers, and propagation of the gospel. Gifts and graces,
charismata and charis, greatly differ. Both indeed were freely given of
God. But where grace is given it is for the salvation of those who have
it. Gifts are bestowed for the advantage and salvation of others. And there
may be great gifts where there is not a dram of grace, but persons possessed
of them are utterly out of the divine favour. They are great instances
of divine benignity to men, but do not by themselves prove those who have
them to be the objects of divine complacency. This church was rich in gifts,
but there were many things scandalously out of order in it. Now concerning
these spiritual gifts, that is, the extraordinary powers they had received
from the Spirit,
I. The apostle tells them he would not have them ignorant either of
their original or use. They came from God, and were to be used for him.
It would lead them far astray if they were ignorant of one or the other
of these. Note, Right information is of great use as to all religious practice.
It is wretched work which gifted men make who either do not know or do
not advert to the nature and right use of the gifts with which they are
endowed.
II. He puts them in the mind of the sad state out of which they had
been recovered: You were Gentiles, carried away to dumb idols, even as
you were led, v. 2. While they were so, they could have no pretensions
to be spiritual men, nor to have spiritual gifts. While they were under
the conduct of the spirit of Gentilism, they could not be influenced by
the Spirit of Christ. If they well understood their former condition, they
could not but know that all true spiritual gifts were from God. Now concerning
this observe, 1. Their former character: they were Gentiles. Not God's
peculiar people, but of the nations whom he had in a manner abandoned.
The Jews were, before, his chosen people, distinguished from the rest of
the world by his favour. To them the knowledge and worship of the true
God were in a manner confined. The rest of the world were strangers to
the covenant of promise, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and in
a manner without God, Eph. ii. 12. Such Gentiles were the body of the Corinthians,
before their conversion to Christianity. What a change was here! Christian
Corinthians were once Gentiles. Note, It is of great use to the Christian,
and a proper consideration to stir him up both to duty and thankfulness,
to think what once he was: You were Gentiles. 2. The conduct they were
under: Carried away to these dumb idols, even as you were led. They were
hurried upon the grossest idolatry, the worship even of stocks and stones,
through the force of a vain imagination, and the fraud of their priests
practising on their ignorance, for, whatever were the sentiments of their
philosophers, this was the practice of the herd. The body of the people
paid their homage and worship to dumb idols, that had ears but could not
hear, and mouths but could not speak, Ps. cxv. 5, 6. Miserable abjectness
of mind! And those who despised these gross conceptions of the vulgar yet
countenanced them by their practice. O dismal state of Gentilism! Could
the Spirit of God be among such stupid idolators, or they be influenced
by it? How did the prince of this world triumph in the blindness of mankind!
How thick a mist had he cast over their minds!
III. He shows them how they might discern those gifts that were from
the Spirit of God, true spiritual gifts: No man, speaking by the Spirit,
calls Jesus accursed. Thus did both Jews and Gentiles: they blasphemed
him as an impostor, and execrated his name, and deemed it abominable. And
yet many Jews, who were exorcists and magicians, went about, pretending
to work wonders by the Spirit of God (vid. Lightfoot's Horæ in loc.),
and many among the Gentiles pretended to inspiration. Now the apostle tells
them none could act under the influence, nor by the power, of the Spirit
of God, who disowned and blasphemed Christ: for the Spirit of God bore
uncontrollable witness to Christ by prophecy, miracles, his resurrection
from the dead, the success of his doctrine among men, and its effect upon
them; and could never so far contradict itself as to declare him accursed.
And on the other hand no man could say Jesus was the Lord (that is, live
by this faith, and work miracles to prove it), but it must be by the Holy
Ghost. To own this truth before men, and maintain it to the death, and
live under the influence of it, could not be done without the sanctification
of the Holy Ghost. No man can call Christ Lord, with a believing subjection
to him and dependence upon him, unless that faith be wrought by the Holy
Ghost. No man can confess this truth in the day of trial but by the Holy
Ghost animating and encouraging him. Note, We have as necessary a dependence
on the Spirit's operation and influence for our sanctification and perseverance
as on the mediation of Christ for our reconciliation and acceptance with
God: and no man could confirm this truth with a miracle but by the Holy
Ghost. No evil spirit would lend assistance, if it were in his power, to
spread a doctrine and religion so ruinous to the devil's kingdom. The substance
of what the apostle asserts and argues here is that whatever pretences
there were to inspiration or miracles, among those who were enemies to
Christianity, they could not be from the Spirit of God; but no man could
believe this with his heart, nor prove with a miracle that Jesus was Christ,
but by the Holy Ghost: so that the extraordinary operations and powers
among them did all proceed from the Spirit of God. He adds,
IV. These spiritual gifts, though proceeding from the same Spirit, are
yet various. They have one author and original, but are themselves of various
kinds. A free cause may produce variety of effects; and the same giver
may bestow various gifts, v. 4. There are diversities of gifts, such as
revelations, tongues, prophecy, interpretations of tongues; but the same
Spirit. There are differences of administrations, or different offices,
and officers to discharge them, different ordinances and institutions (see
v. 28-30), but the same Lord, who appointed all, v. 6. There are diversities
of operations, or miraculous powers, called energemata dynameon (v. 10),
as here energemata, but it is the same God that worketh all in all. There
are various gifts, administrations, and operations, but all proceed from
one God, one Lord, one Spirit; that is, from Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
the spring and origin of all spiritual blessings and bequests: all issue
from the same fountain; all have the same author. However different they
may be in themselves, in this they agree; all are from God. And several
of the kinds are here specified, v. 8-10. Several persons had their several
gifts, some one, some another, all from and by the same Spirit. To one
was given the word of wisdom; that is, say some, a knowledge of the mysteries
of the gospel, and ability to explain them, an exact understanding of the
design, nature, and doctrines, of the Christian religion. Others say an
uttering of grave sentences, like Solomon's proverbs. Some confine this
word of wisdom to the revelations made to and by the apostles.--To another
the word of knowledge, by the same Spirit; that is, say some, the knowledge
of mysteries (ch. ii. 13): wrapped up in the prophecies, types, and histories
of the Old Testament: say others, a skill and readiness to give advice
and counsel in perplexed cases.--To another faith, by the same Spirit;
that is, the faith of miracles, or a faith in the divine power and promise,
whereby they were enabled to trust God in any emergency, and go on in the
way of their duty, and own and profess the truths of Christ, whatever was
the difficulty or danger.--To another the gift of healing, by the same
Spirit; that is, healing the sick, either by laying on of hands, or anointing
with oil, or with a bare word.--To another the working of miracles; the
efficacies of powers, energemata dynameon, such as raising the dead, restoring
the blind to sight, giving speech to the dumb, hearing to the deaf, and
the use of limbs to the lame.--To another prophecy, that is, ability to
foretell future events, which is the more usual sense of prophecy; or to
explain scripture by a peculiar gift of the Spirit. See ch. xiv. 24.--
To another the discerning of Spirits, power to distinguish between true
and false prophets, or to discern the real and internal qualifications
of any person for an office, or to discover the inward workings of the
mind by the Holy Ghost, as Peter did those of Ananias, Acts v. 3.-- To
another divers kinds of tongues, or ability to speak languages by inspiration.--To
another the interpretation of tongues, or ability to render foreign languages
readily and properly into their own. With such variety of spiritual gifts
were the first ministers and churches blessed.
V. The end for which these gifts were bestowed: The manifestation of
the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal, v. 7. The Spirit was
manifested by the exercise of these gifts; his influence and interest appeared
in them. But they were not distributed for the mere honour and advantage
of those who had them, but for the benefit of the church, to edify the
body, and spread and advance the gospel. Note, Whatever gifts God confers
on any man, he confers them that he may do good with them, whether they
be common or spiritual. The outward gifts of his bounty are to be improved
for his glory, and employed in doing good to others. No man has them merely
for himself. They are a trust put into his hands, to profit withal; and
the more he profits others with them, the more abundantly will they turn
to his account in the end, Phil. iv. 17. Spiritual gifts are bestowed,
that men may with them profit the church and promote Christianity. They
are not given for show, but for service; not for pomp and ostentation,
but for edification; not to magnify those that have them, but to edify
others.
VI. The measure and proportion in which they are given: All these worketh
one and the same Spirit, dividing to every man as he will. It is according
to the sovereign pleasure of the donor. What more free than a gift? And
shall not the Spirit of God do what he will with his own? May he not give
to what persons he pleases, and in what proportion he pleases; one gift
to one man, and another to another; to one more, and another fewer, as
he thinks fit? Is he not the best judge how his own purpose shall be served,
and his own donatives bestowed? It is not as men will, nor as they may
think fit, but as the Spirit pleases. Note, The Holy Ghost is a divine
person. He works divine effects and divides divine gifts a he will, by
his own power, and according to his own pleasure, without dependence or
control. But though he distributes these gifts freely and uncontrollably,
they are intended by him, not for private honour and advantage, but for
public benefit, for the edification of the body, the church.
