Written ~ 08-19-2024
Read 1 Corinthians Chapter Twelve
1 Corinthians 12
As a believer, you may already know that the Holy Spirit gives followers of Jesus Christ special gifts. But it is possible you have never explored any of those gifts. In chapter 12, Paul shares with us the gifts that are given to believers by the Holy Spirit, he talks about how believers are part of the body of Christ, one body, but many “parts,” then he will list the different “parts” God has appointed within Christ’s body, the Church. For today’s Bible Study we will touch on the gifts of the Holy Spirit found in verses 12:8-11. Please read the rest of the chapter to familiarize yourself with the other gifts the body of Christ has been given.
***(If you would like to read further studies on the verses 12:12-26 and the verses 12:27-31, you can find two separate Bible Studies on my website ~ 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 and 1 Corinthians 12:27-31, just use the Menu to find each of these Bible Studies.)***
1 Corinthians 12:1-3…
1 “Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you to misunderstand this. 2 You know that when you were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols. 3 So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.
By studying the Scriptures, we should have increased knowledge and understanding as to what it means to worship an idol, 1 Corinthians chapter 10 is one example, Paul goes into lengthy detail about staying away from the worship of idols or false gods. When we turn our hearts over to the Lord, we will have the Holy Spirit to guide us through anything that would cause us to go astray. Now in chapter 12, Paul gives us very straight forward advice in the first three verses, the Holy Spirit will not curse Jesus and the Holy Spirit is the one who confirms that Jesus is Lord within us. Those are two distinct ways you can know whether or not someone has the Spirit of the Lord within them.
1 Corinthians 12:4-6…
4 “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. 5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.”
One exciting part of becoming a believer is that the Holy Spirit resides within us the moment we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. But many of us may not realize that the Holy Spirit gives each of us different gifts to help edify (uplift, inform) our fellow believers. So why don’t more believers work within the gifts they have been given? Why is there such a stigma that these gifts were only given to the apostles in the first century? I would say fear of the unknown blocks a lot of people when exploring the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Look what it says in the next verse…
1 Corinthians 12:7…
7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are set in motion as a way to help us see the mysteries of God with much more clarity. When the gifts of the Holy Spirit are manifested, they help teach us things from the Kingdom of Heaven that we wouldn’t readily have access to. In John 14:26 Jesus says, “But when the Father sends the Advocate as My representative – that is, the Holy Spirit – He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.” The gifts of the Holy Spirit are specific ways He teaches us and shows us the glory of God. Verses 12:8-10 gives us the list of these various gifts.
1 Corinthians 12:8-10…
- Ability to give wise advice
- Ability to give a message of special knowledge
- Gift of great faith
- Gift of healing
- Power to perform miracles
- Ability to prophesy
- Ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit
- Ability to speak in unknown languages
- Ability to interpret what is being said
1 Corinthians 12:11…
11 “It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.”
This isn’t something we should fear. I must admit that I grew up with the wrongful understanding that the gifts of the Holy Spirit were not something that was to be used today. I thought the Holy Spirit would come on me without my knowing what was happening. I became fearful to allow the Holy Spirit to display His glory through me. I was afraid He was going to make me do something I didn’t want to do. Because of that fear I did not explore the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I did not ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the gift He had given me. Oh, how happy I am that I changed that outlook and now rely on the Holy Spirit to use me, and to speak through me.
Let’s go over these gifts together…
One if the most important gifts is the “ability to give wise advice.” That means you have the gift to express the message of God’s wisdom in a special way. In one of my Study Bible’s (Spirit Filled Life Bible) it said that “this is a supernatural disclosing of the mind , purpose and way of God… it is a spiritual utterance given through the help of the Holy Spirit.” Have you ever had a fellow believer tell you something that really spoke to you in that moment? They had no prior knowledge of what you were going through, but what they said to you gave you Godly insight and encouragement right when you needed it the most. Well, that person could very well be using their gift of giving wise advice. Or maybe it was you who was talking with someone and you were able to speak right into their situation without knowing exactly what they were going through. Also, are you able to write in such a way that that brings wisdom and edification to your reader? This gift can be manifested through the written word as well.
Going hand in hand with the ability to give wise advice is the “ability to give a message of special knowledge.” This gift means “you are able to give a supernatural revelation of information pertaining to a person or an event, given for a specific purpose, usually having to do with an immediate need (Spirit Filled Life Bible).” This gift can also be explained as a special word of knowledge that proclaims the Word of God, the Gospel message, in such a way that Salvation is received immediately upon hearing the special word of knowledge as it’s being uttered.
Next is the “gift of great faith.” This isn’t speaking about the faith one has when they first become a believer, this faith is supernatural. Again, I will quote the Spirit Filled Life Bible, “the gift of faith is a unique form of faith that goes beyond natural faith and the faith when you are saved. It supernaturally trusts and does not doubt with reference to the specific matters involved.” When you have this gift from the Holy Spirit you have zero doubt that God is going to do what He says He is going to do. And not just zero doubt, it really does go beyond an average faith that most Christians have, this faith is at complete peace with whatever is going on around them. It can be demonstrated within their own situation or within someone else’s situation.
The “gift of healing” can go along with the gift of great faith, because it outwardly demonstrates the Power of the Holy Spirit. These healings are those that God performs supernaturally by the Holy Spirit through the person He works this gift through. Many believers might question why we don’t see more healings today if there are those within the church with this gift. It’s not easy to explain that type of questioning. God has a purpose and a plan for everything He is going to do. It is up to each of us to go when He says “Go” and to do when He says “Do.” One perfect example of walking in the gift of healing was the apostle Paul, in Acts 19:11-12, “God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled.” Also in Acts chapter 5, if Peter’s shadow fell on someone they were healed.
What about the “power to perform miracles?” Having great faith would also need to be displayed when working within this gift. So how can the gift to perform miracles be explained? “It is a manifestation of power beyond the ordinary course of natural law. It is a divine enablement to do something that could not be done naturally (Spirit Filled Life Bible).” We can use the examples of both Peter and Paul here as well, it was either a piece of cloth or shadow that was used to heal people. That could only be done supernaturally and only through the Holy Spirit of the Almighty God.
To clarify the “gift of prophecy” let’s look again at the Spirit Filled Life Bible… “Prophecy is a divine disclosure on behalf of the Holy Spirit, an edifying (uplifting, illuminating) revelation of the Holy Spirit for the moment, a sudden insight of the Holy Spirit, prompting exhortation (an urgent appeal or encouragement) or comfort.” This may not happen as often as the church needs, especially in today’s darkening culture. But this gift is wonderful for giving a word of encouragement specifically from the Holy Spirit when needed to build up the church. It’s possible too, that you’ll see this gift being manifested in a church that readily accepts the gifts of the Spirit to be displayed. I believe we all need to hear the Holy Spirit’s revelation with prompted exhortation much more often, just to give us encouragement during this unprecedented time! The world is in desperate need of the Holy Spirit’s guidance and the more who come to know Jesus in these dark days, the better.
Next, we have the “ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit.” This gift “is the ability to discern the spirit world, and especially to detect the true source of circumstances or motives of people (Spirit Filled Life Bible).” I think every believer should have this gift! Especially with the rise of false prophets and false teachers in the world today. We all need to be aware if something is coming from the Spirit of the Lord or the spirit of darkness. With this gift you would have the ability to see into the spirit world, it could be that this gift would be quite terrifying to some, that’s why it is the Holy Spirit who determines who gets this gift.
The last two gifts listed in verse 12:10, should always go hand and hand, whether it is the same person with both gifts or it could be two individuals who work together in these gifts. These gifts are the “ability to speak in unknown languages” and the “ability to interpret what is being said.” Let’s go to the Spirit Filled Life Bible for these last two gifts for better understanding… “Speaking in unknown languages is the gift of speaking supernaturally in a language not known to the individual. The interpretation of unknown languages is the gift of interpreting the message of the Holy Spirit so it will be understandable and meaningful to others when exercised in public.” One thing to note about this particular gift, the utterance of an unknown language will always be used for edification, that is, encouragement, comfort, peace and to uplift the church as a whole. It will never be used to embarrass or cause uneasiness in any way.
When you became a believer, the Holy Spirit entered into your life. This is why we are transformed into a new person; our hearts and minds are changed. We throw off the “dirty clothes” of sin, guilt and shame and put on the “new clothes” Christ Jesus has given us through Salvation. So, at the time of Salvation the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in the new believer. And though the Holy Spirit resides within the believer at Salvation, a second baptism of the Holy Spirit is required to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to initiate the gifts He wants to give to each individual. We learn about the baptism of the Holy Spirit back in Acts chapter 2… 1 “On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. 2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. 3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.” Now, you and I may not experience such a dramatic scene as flames or tongues of fire appearing and settling on us, but the evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit is the manifestation of speaking in another language, that is one very distinct evidence that you are indeed filled with the Holy Spirit. This unknown language you are speaking now, will be used for your personal devotional and prayer time, it’s one way the Holy Spirit prays the Will of God through you. It is meant to be intimate and to be used as an intercessory part of your prayers. It is also a wonderful avenue in which the Holy Spirit can speak to you and reveal the wisdom of the Scriptures and reveal the mysteries of God to you.
As a believer can you go through life without being baptized in the Holy Spirit or filled with the Holy Spirit? Yes. Does that mean you are “less saved?” No. But to “work” within the Holy Spirit’s gifts, one would need to first be saved, then second, they would need to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Don’t let fear or confusion veil your heart from this topic. If you have some trepidation, ask the Lord to help you with that apprehension. My prayer is that every believer would be baptized in the Holy Spirit and walk confidently and boldly in the gifts He gives.
~AMEN~