TOMS: I Corinthians 12

For an introduction to this series, click here.

August 6, 2007

This chapter is the beginning of a long section on spiritual gifts. This is a widely misunderstood area of Scripture. Paul starts off with something that seems fairly obvious but apparently was a problem: 
"Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says 'Jesus is accursed!' and no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except in the Holy Spirit." (12:1-3)

Apparently some people in the Corinthian church were opening themselves up to all kinds of influences in their efforts to speak in tongues, even to the point of obvious blasphemy. You shouldn't have to explain to Christians that someone who curses Jesus is not speaking in the Spirit. But apparently it didn't matter to them, as long as they were speaking in a miraculous language. 

"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. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues." (12:4-10)

Notice that Paul does not distinguish between these gifts here, the way a lot of people do today. A lot of people who are not Pentecostal will say that the gifts of tongues and healing are not for today, but the gift of faith and wisdom, etc. are. This is a very broad assumption in my opinion. If Paul had taught that there would be certain gifts that would cease and others that would carry on, or even hinted at it, then that would be different. But Paul always treats all the spiritual gifts the same. Therefore, if you believe that some of the gifts have ceased, then to be consistent you must believe that all these gifts must cease. I guess I have less problem with the people who promote all the gifts than with those who pick and choose them.

"For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body— Jews or Greeks, slaves or free— and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, 'Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,' that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, 'Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,' that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body." (12:14-20)

This passage is in the context of gifts, but I think that it still applies to the church today. God wants us all to work together. The Lord has placed us where we are for a reason, and that reason is not to be abrasive and to create problems. We are to carry forth the work of God with our fellow believers in the church.

"Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way." (12:27-31, ESV)

Here we have the principle I talked about earlier in a more explicit way. Practically all of Protestantism recognizes that the role of the apostle ended when all the Apostles died. Yet in this passage Paul equates the role of the apostle with the gift of healing with the gift of helping.. I think there are serious problems with apostolic theology, but at least they are consistent in this area. You cannot be double-minded in this area. Either all these gifts apply for today or none of them do.

TOMS: Romans 12

For an introduction to this series, click here.

July 15, 2007




Well this is a little later than usual, but hey, I don't hear you complaining.

I told you I was going to start with the end of chapter 11 and here is that passage and the beginning of Chapter 12: "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 'For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?' 'Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?' For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (11:33-12:2)

If you have been in church any time at all, you have heard a sermon on Romans 12:1-2, how we are supposed to give our lives as living sacrifices to the Lord. But I would not be surprised if very few of you have noted the overall context of the passage. The message here is very simple. When we see God for who He is, we will have no choice and little desire to do anything else but to pour out our lives before Him. 

But it is a never-ending process. I have heard it preached before that the transformation described in 12:2 is a one time thing: that "dedicating your life to the Lord" is a decision that comes one time in a person's life and is a decision every Christian has to make. When you hear them give testimonies, they will treat the day of their "dedication" on an equal plane with their salvation. Unfortunately this was a popular teaching among many of the people at Maranatha when I was there. If only the Christian life was that easy. My problem is I fully and with all my heart put myself on the altar, but then the next day or the next week I am up and doing my own thing again. Spiritual maturity and growth is a slow process. You do not take one giant leap and hit a spiritual plateau of near perfection. Or if you do, I must be really missing the boat.

Next Paul mentions spiritual gifts: “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. (12:4-8)

Now this is a controversial subject. When we get to the other lists of gifts in I Corinthians and Ephesians, it is pretty clear that those were miraculous gifts given exclusively to the church for the age of the Apostles, before the New Testament was completed. We will cover that in more detail when we get there. However in this passage, you can make a case that these are for the church for all time. But I don't buy it. Maybe it's because I don't see any of these gifts really at work in my life, and I will freely admit that could be my own sin and lack of vision. But until the Lord or someone else shows me the truth more plainly, I have to say that these gifts either refer to the natural talents or predispositions that God gives, or they are a reference to a supernatural gift given to the first century church specifically.

The main problem I have is that I have yet to hear a biblical approach to these gifts. Oh, you can find a lot of teachers hawking Reader's Digest personality quizzes that say, hey, if you feel sorry for dogs and cats, you must have the gift of mercy. But where is that in the Bible? The one thing I think is clear that we can get out of this passage is that we should use our abilities as best we can for the Lord, and that is about as far as I will go with that.

This last section just has some very simple things that we all can do to please the Lord and serve Him: "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. To the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (12:9-21, ESV)

If everybody lived by these simple principles, the world would be a wonderful place. This is the way the church is supposed to be. They may be simple to read, but they go against the grain of our sinful natures, don't they? It takes work and effort to outdo one another in showing honor and to give to our enemies. That takes a work of God in our hearts, because we can't do it in and of ourselves.

The one thing I know I need to work on is the part about hospitality. That was an important thing in the first century, and, truth be known, it is important all the time. I am one of the world's worst at this, but believe me I know how much closer a hospitable church is than an inhospitable one. The church I went to in Houston was wonderful in this area. It seemed like just about every week, or at least every other week, somebody in the church either invited me to their home or invited me out to dinner. And I will say that was the closest church I have ever been a part of. It is hard to stay mad at someone when you are looking across the table at them and enjoying a good meal with them.

Now I know it's kind of hard for a single man to do this, but probably if I did more of it I wouldn't be in this situation.  Anyway, anyone can take someone out for a meal or ice cream or something. And it does so much good. This is definitely more for me than anyone else. I guess it's something I have been thinking about.

TOMS: Acts 10

For an introduction to this series, click here.

June 10, 2007

My computer monitor fizzled last week, so I went most of the week without a computer. No computer, no blog. But we're back now!

This chapter is one of the crucial passages in all the Bible. It tells the story of how Gentiles were brought into the Church. We are not sure exactly when this took place, but we assume it was at least a couple of years, perhaps longer, after the church began. For all of the church's existence up to this point, it was a Jewish religion. Kind of an offshoot of Judaism. The Apostles really had no idea that God planned to bring Gentiles into the family of Christ, even though there are hundreds of passages in the Old Testament about Gentiles coming to know the Lord.

Anyway, the story starts out by introducing us to a Roman centurion by the name of Cornelius. Here was a man who had been influenced somewhat by the Jews. He "feared God" which means he probably made sacrifices to God and possibly attended the synagogue. We are told that he prayed and gave alms. Then he saw a vision of an angel, appearing to him and telling him to send for a man named Peter.

Meanwhile Peter was seeing a vision of his own. He saw a vision of all kinds of unclean animals and a voice from heaven that said "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." (10:13) Peter refused, saying "By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean." (10:14) God responded with "What God has made clean, do not call common." (10:15) Of course God was trying to introduce Peter to a new concept: that Gentiles were going to be welcome in the new church.

Peter learned his lesson well: "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection." (10:28-29) It was this moment that expanded the church to what it is today. The Apostles really had no idea what they were starting, but they just let the Lord lead.

Luke records that the people who believed began to speak in tongues: "While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God." (10:44-46, ESV) This passage more than any other demonstrates the true purpose of the gift of tongues. The gift was to demonstrate to the Jews that the church, and secondarily the expansion of the church to include Gentiles, was a legitimate work of God. Once there was no need to vindicate God's work, there was no need for the gift. 

I have a lot of questions and doubts as to whether any of the gifts described in the New Testament are for the church today. I know there are lots of people who try to differentiate between the gifts, saying that some are for today and some ceased, but nowhere in the Bible will you find that there was a difference between the gifts. Paul and the other New Testament writers treat them all the same. 

Maybe I have struggles with this topic because I don't see any sort of gift in my life. I also must say I have never heard any truly Biblical teaching on the subject that makes me want to believe in it. All I have ever heard is that gifts are an outworking of one's personality. The teaching either consists of stories demonstrating how different people approach life in the church differently or I am handed a bad "personality test" and then told what my gifts are based on the results. I'm sorry, but it's not miraculous when everybody has a different personality. When Paul tells the Corinthians to desire the best gifts, is he telling them to change their personality? Most teachers today would say no, but by their teaching Paul is telling the Corinthians to perform an impossibility. I don't know. I know God can change people's outlook and approach to life. I've seen it happen. Is that changing someone's personality? Perhaps it is. I would appreciate any feedback.

ListMania: Gifts

Second in a series. For the introduction to this series, click here.

Let’s start off with a big one: spiritual gifts.

There are two primary passages in Paul’s writing that deal with gifts: I Corinthians chapters 12-14 and Romans 12:3-8. Modern evangelicals put the I Corinthians passage on the back burner since it deals with gifts of tongues, healing and other miracles, which most evangelicals believe are not manifest today. Obviously the various stripes of Pentecostals would disagree, but for our purposes we are not dealing with them. Evangelicals would point to Paul’s masterpiece on love in chapter 13 and Paul’s very strict and implicit instructions for operating the gifts in the church in chapter 14 to say that those gifts were intended for a particular time – the time of the apostles – and not for succeeding generations of the church.

The Romans 12 passage, however, lists what might be more properly called in context gifts of grace:

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:3-8 NKJV)

These gifts are taken very seriously by many in the Evangelical world, so much so that some have developed an entire theology around them. Let me give you an illustration that outlines what I believe to be the wrong approach to this passage. When she was about 20 years old, my wife was given a “gift profile test,” basically a personality test to determine which of the seven gifts listed here she had. When her results were graded she was told that her test was invalid because she tested positive for two gifts that cannot coexist in the same person.

Who said that God’s gifts can be determined by an amateur personality test, the kind that people take to determine “Which Disney Princess are you?” and then post to Facebook? Shouldn’t a work of God in a person’s life be more obvious than that? Secondly, who determined the personality types that went along with certain gifts, and why are there some that contradict each other? Is any of that stated or even remotely implied in what Paul wrote above?

My answer is no. This passage and I Peter 4:10-11 certainly indicate that God does bring certain people into a congregation so that His work can best be done. That is a completely fair way to deal with these texts. It’s not wrong to say that God provides supernatural enablement to some people more than others to handle certain necessary jobs in the church. Peter certainly implies that in his epistle. As long as you limit your teaching to this, you are certainly within the bounds of Scripture. I know others who teach that the time for all the gifts has passed. I disagree, but I certainly respect the position, since I held it not that long ago.

But to treat the seven-part list that Paul gives us in Romans as the entire spectrum of gifts God gives to people in the church, and to build assumptions upon that treatment that cannot be justified from Scripture, is another matter altogether. I’m not saying that this view of gifts violates the cardinal doctrines of the Church. Obviously it does not. But it does represent to me a poor approach to Scripture, a lazy approach that is more interested in novel applications rather than simply proclaiming the whole counsel of God.