Now Concerning Spiritual Gifts 1 Cor. 12-14

Questions to be answered in this lesson: What were the supernatural gifts present in the early church? What was the purpose of those gifts? Do Christians have those gifts today? Questions not answered in this lesson: How does God answer prayer? Do miracles occur today?

Enumeration of Gifts – 1 Cor. 12:4-11 Word of Wisdom Inspired words, 1 Cor. 2:6-13 Word of Knowledge Knowledge directly given, 1 Cor. 1:4-7 Faith To work wonders, 1 Cor. 13:2, Mat. 17:20 Gifts of Healing Evidence, John 5:36, Acts 4:13-16, etc. Effecting of Miracles Prophecy A sign to believers, 1 Cor. 14:22-24 Distinguishing of Spirits To test inspiration, 1 Cor. 14:29, 1 John 4:1 Tongues A sign to unbelievers, 1 Cor. 14:21-22 Interpretation of Tongues For edification, 1 Cor. 14:26-27

Purpose of Gifts - 1 Cor. 12-14 “For the common good” –12:4 “For edification, exhortation, and consolation” – 14:3 “Edify the church” – 14:4-5 “the edification of the church” – 14:12 “that I may instruct others also” – 14:19 “For a sign” – 14:22 “So that all may learn and be exhorted” – 14:31

To Reveal To Explain To Prove Purpose of Gifts - 1 Cor. 12-14 …the inspired message!

Duration of Spiritual Gifts: 1 Cor. 13:8-13 Tongues, knowledge, and prophecy representative of all nine gifts. Interpretation only needed for tongues Discerning of spirits only needed for prophecy/knowledge/wisdom Healings/Miracles/Faith only needed to confirm revelation Partial v. Perfect (complete) Revelation How do we know that this passage isn’t talking about the return of Jesus and the resurrection? Faith, hope, and love remain when the perfect comes Hope is only needed until it is fulfilled (Rom. 8:24) Don’t Forget! Acts 8:18

Gifts: A Historical Perspective Author Year AD Justin Martyr 100-165 Iraneaus 120-202 John Chrysostom 347-407 Augustine AD 354-430

Justin Martyr (ca. AD 100-165) Therefore, just as God did not inflict His anger on account of those seven thousand men, even so He has now neither yet inflicted judgment, nor does inflict it, knowing that daily some [of you] are becoming disciples in the name of Christ, and quitting the path of error; who are also receiving gifts, each as he is worthy, illumined through the name of this Christ. For one receives the spirit of understanding, another of counsel, another of strength, another of healing, another of foreknowledge, another of teaching, and another of the fear of God. -Dialogue with Trypho, ch.3

Justin Martyr (ca. AD 100-165) For the prophetical gifts remain with us, even to the present time. And hence you ought to understand that [the gifts] formerly among your nation have been transferred to us. And just as there were false prophets contemporaneous with your holy prophets, so are there now many false teachers amongst us, of whom our Lord forewarned us to beware; so that in no respect are we deficient, since we know that He foreknew all that would happen to us after His resurrection from the dead and ascension to heaven. -Dialogue with Trypho, ch.39

Irenaeus (ca. AD 120-202) Wherefore, also, those who are in truth His disciples, receiving grace from Him, do in His name perform [miracles], so as to promote the welfare of other men, according to the gift which each one has received from Him. For some do certainly and truly drive out devils, so that those who have thus been cleansed from evil spirits frequently both believe [in Christ], and join themselves to the Church. Others have foreknowledge of things to come: they see visions, and utter prophetic expressions. Others still, heal the sick by laying their hands upon them, and they are made whole. Yea, moreover, as I have said, the dead even have been raised up, and remained among us for many years. -Against Heresies, Book 2, ch.32, 4

Irenaeus (ca. AD 120-202) In like manner we do also hear many brethren in the church, who possess prophetic gifts, and who through the Spirit speak all kinds of languages, and bring to light for the general benefit the hidden things of men, and declare the mysteries of God, whom also the apostle terms “spiritual,” they being spiritual because they partake of the Spirit… -Against Heresies, Book 5, ch.6, 1

John Chrysostom (AD 347-407) This whole place is very obscure: but the obscurity is produced by our ignorance of the facts referred to and by their cessation, being such as then used to occur but now no longer take place. And why do they not happen now? Why look now, the cause too of the obscurity hath produced us again another question: namely, why did they then happen, and now do so no more?’ -Homilies on First Corinthians. Homily XXIX, 1, concerning 1 Corinthians 12

Augustine (AD 354-430) In the earliest times, “the Holy Ghost fell upon them that believed: and they spoke with tongues,” which they had not learned, “as the Spirit gave them utterance.” These were signs adapted to the time. For there behooved to be that betokening of the Holy Spirit in all tongues, to shew that the Gospel of God was to run through all tongues over the whole earth. That thing was done for a betokening, and it passed away. -Ten Homilies on the First Epistle of John. Homily VI, 10

Love never fails. But if there are prophecies, they will fail Love never fails. But if there are prophecies, they will fail. Where there are tongues, they will cease. Where there is knowledge, it will vanish away… But now faith, hope, and love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. -1 Cor. 13:8-13 By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. -John 13:35