Chapter 12:1-11
Part 1
“Now concerning spiritual gifts” (it is rather spiritual manifestations, or spiritual things or spirituals; for the presence of the Holy Spirit in the church is dealt with in this chapter, as well as the spiritual gifts which are connected with His presence), “brethren, I would not have you ignorant” (verse 1).
Another has said, “Nothing more important, more distinctive, more marvelous than the presence of the Holy Spirit here below in the midst of Christians; the fruit to us of the perfect work of Christ, but in itself the manifestation of the presence of God among men on the earth. The providence of God manifests His power in the works of creation, and His government which directs all things; but the Holy Spirit is His presence in this world, the testimony that He bears of Himself, of His character. He is among men to display Himself, not yet in glory, but in power and in testimony of what He is.
“Christ having accomplished redemption, and having presented the efficacy of His work to God, Sovereign and Judge, the assembly, being ransomed and cleansed by his blood, and united to Him as His body, became also the vessel of the power which acts in His members. Thus she ought to display this power in holiness – she is responsible to do so. But in this way, as to its exercise, man becomes in fact individually the vessel of this spiritual energy. It is a treasure committed to him.
“Now the Spirit is, in the first place, the link between the assembly and Christ, as well as between the Christian and Christ. It is by the Spirit that communion is realized and maintained; it is the primary function of the Spirit, and man must be in communion in order to realize the character, and discern the will of God, and that, according to the testimony intended to be borne by the Spirit come down to earth.
“But if the assembly does not maintain this communion, she loses her strength as the responsible witness of God on earth, and in fact her joy and her spiritual intelligence also. God is ever sovereign to act as He chooses, and Christ can not fail in His faithfulness to His body; but the testimony committed to the Assembly is no longer so rendered as to make it felt that God is present on the earth.” (Synopsis of the Books of the Bible: 1 Corinthians, J. N. Darby.)
The quoted words were written some eighty or ninety years ago; the great decline in spiritual strength that has taken place since then gives added solemnity to the last paragraph. May it speak to many of the children of God in this day of small things!
The Apostle begins by reminding the Corinthian believers of what they had been before their conversion: “Ye know that when ye were of the nations, ye were led away to dumb idols in whatever way ye might be led. I give you therefore to know that no one speaking in the power of the Spirit of God, says Curse on Jesus; and no one can say, Lord Jesus, unless in the power of the Holy Spirit” (verses 2, 3, JND)
Both in the gospels and in the Acts, the presence in the world, and the power, too, of evil spirits are disclosed. Matthew 8:16, 28-3416When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: (Matthew 8:16)
28And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. 29And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? 30And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. 31So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. 32And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. 33And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils. 34And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts. (Matthew 8:28‑34); Mark 1:23-2723And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. 25And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. 26And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. (Mark 1:23‑27); Luke 9:37-4237And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him. 38And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child. 39And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him. 40And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not. 41And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither. 42And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father. (Luke 9:37‑42); Acts 8:77For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. (Acts 8:7) and 16:16-18, are examples, but it is evident that these unseen beings are under Satan’s authority who hid behind the idols the Corinthian believers had worshipped before their conversion endeavored to get in among them now that they were delivered from that enemy, and gathered to the Lord’s name. Nor was this done at Corinth only (1 John 4:1-6; 21Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 4Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 5They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 6We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. (1 John 4:1‑6)
1My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 3And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 6He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. (1 John 2:1‑6) John 77The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. (John 7:7)). They would speak or act, pretending to be the Spirit of God.
The writer already quoted, referring to this demonstration of Satan’s power, said, “Christians of the present day hardly believe in such efforts of the enemy as these. Spiritual manifestations are no doubt less striking now than at the time of which the Apostle speaks, but the enemy adapts his means of deception to the circumstances in which man and the work of God are found. As Peter says in a similar case, "As there were false prophets among the people, so shall there be false teachers among you.” The enemy does not cease to act. ‘Forbidding to marry’, (1 Tim. 4:1515Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. (1 Timothy 4:15)) was the doctrine of devils. In the last days his power will be manifested still more. God can restrain him by the energy of His Spirit, and by the power of the truth; but if he is not bridled, he still acts, deceiving men, and that by such things as one would suppose it impossible (if not deceived oneself) that a man of sober sense could believe. But it is surprising what a man can believe when he is left to himself, without being kept by God, when the power of the enemy is there. We talk of common sense, of reason (very precious they are); but history tells us that God alone gives them, or preserves them to us.
“Here the Spirit of God manifested Himself by the effects of His power, which broke forth in the midst of the assembly, attracting the attention even of the world. The enemy imitated them. The greater part of the Christians at Corinth having been poor Gentiles without discernment, and stupidly led by the delusions of the enemy, they were the more in danger of being again deceived by this means.
“Strange to say, this demoniac power exercised such an influence that they forgot the importance even of the name of Jesus, or at least forgot that His name was not acknowledged by it. The enemy transforms himself into an angel of light, but he never really owns Jesus Christ as Lord. He will speak of Paul and Silvanus, and would have his part with Christians, but Christ is not acknowledged; and at last it is the breaking up and ruin of those who follow him. An unclean spirit would not say, Lord Jesus, and the Spirit of God could not say, Anathema to Jesus. But it is a question here of spirits, and not of conversion, nor of the necessity of grace working in the heart for the true confession of the name of Jesus – a very true thing, as we know, but not the subject here.”
Verses 4-64 Referring now to what is of God, we are told of distinctions of “gifts”, of “administrations” (or services) and of “operations”; of the Spirit, of the Lord, and of God. In Satan’s realm there might be a legion of evil spirits (Mark 5:99And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. (Mark 5:9)), or seven demons in one person (Luke 8:22And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, (Luke 8:2)), but here is one Spirit, “that one and the selfsame Spirit”, who distributes gifts among men that through them He may manifest His presence. In the exercise of these gifts they who receive them are administrators or servants of Christ, under whom and for whose glory they should ever act. Yet it is God who works effectually in the gifts.
Verse 7 is rightly read, “But to each the manifestation of the Spirit is given for profit.” It does not follow that every believer is given a gift by the Holy Spirit, but that those who receive them are to exercise them for the profit of souls, not for display.
Verses 8-10: Several of the gifts are mentioned – the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, operations of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, kinds of tongues, interpretation of tongues.
Wisdom, it has been said, is the application of divine light to right and wrong, and to all the circumstances through which we pass. The Holy Spirit furnishes some in a peculiar way with this wisdom – a perception of the true nature of things, and of their relationship to each other, and of conduct with regard to both, which, coming from God, guides us through the difficulties of the way.
Knowledge is intelligence in the mind of God as it is revealed to us in the Scriptures.
Faith is not here simple faith in the gospel, but the energy given by God which overcomes difficulties, rises above dangers.
The discerning of spirits is the knowing how to discern the actings of evil spirits, and to bring them to light, if necessary.
Verse 11. “But all these things operates the one and the same Spirit, dividing to each in particular according as He pleases” (JND).
What a picture these verses afford us of the assembly of God as it was in the beginning, and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit! Nothing was left in the hands of man to plan and direct.