As He Determines

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

AS HE DETERMINES

1 Cor 12:7-11

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.   11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

NIV

This is one of the most interesting portions of this letter and it has so many in such a tizzy. What is it about these gifts of the Spirit that cause such a division among the body of Christ? It seems we pay so much attention and what to keep portions of the law, such as the Ten Commandments which are included in what Jesus fulfilled, but take this New Testament concept of these gifts and say it was only for the early church and they are no longer available or no longer apply to the body of Christ. However, the truth be told, the Spirit is still at work in the church and if we want his fruit to be evident in our lives, we should also want his gifts to be evident in our lives, along with God’s armor. What we have to come to terms with is that these gifts of the Spirit are for the common good, this means the only purpose they serve is for the good of the whole church, and all the church. The only truth we have to come to terms with is, that all these gifts are given to each one, just as he determines. This means it is not up to us to determine if he gives them or not, and to who he gives them, or if he stopped giving them, or if he is still manifesting his gifts within the church. We do not get to make that determination, we cannot decide anything about these gifts other than they are the Spirit's and if he dwells within us, which he does, then we better get used to the fact that he has control over his gifts and we have to allow him to do whatever it is he does, otherwise, we might be guilty of squelching the Spirit. We are aware there are denominational statements of faith or beliefs that should be agreed with if one wishes to belong to that particular group. However, at the same time, we have to consider the truth of God and whether these various denominational beliefs are more a determination of man, rather than of God. What we have to do here, is take each of these gifts which Paul outlines and study them to get a full understanding of how they work within the body of Christ. This is going to take some time so we will continue with this portion for as long as it takes to get the fullest meaning possible. For now, we simply have to come to grips with the fact these gifts belong to the Spirit and he manifests them in us for the common good, as He determines.