1 Corinthians 12-16
Answers
2009
Chapter 12 – 16: Spiritual Gifts
Paul now addresses the abuse of spiritual gifts, especially the gift of tongues, in the church at Corinth. There were believers who had received the gift of tongues, which means that they were given the power to
speak foreign languages without ever having studied those languages. But instead
of using this gift to magnify God and build up believers, they were using it to show off.
They stood up in meetings and spoke in languages that no one understood, hoping other s would be impressed by their
impressive ability. They put the sign-gifts above the others, and claimed superior
spirituality for those who spoke in tongues.
- What kind of sin would this lead too?
(A) Pride for those who had the gift, and feelings of envy, inferiority, and worthlessness on
the part of those who did not have this gift.
- If we look at the original language and remember the pagan society
they lived in and pagan spiritual practices they had practiced, we may be able
to see why they had this problem. (A) The Greek translates, “Now concerning
“spirituals” brethren… (V.1).” Paul was addressing not only manifestations of the HS but of evil spirits as well. In their past lives, they lived under the influence of evil spirits and practiced idol worship. They witnessed supernatural appearances or displays and heard evil spirit-inspired utterances. Under the influence of these evil spirits, they sometimes surrendered self-control,
and said and did things beyond their own conscious power.
- The problem they faced – now that they are saved, how do they
discern between the voice of evil-spirits and the very real voice of the HS? (A)
The crucial test is the testimony given concerning the Lord Jesus. If a man curses
Jesus, you can be sure he is demon inspired, because that is exactly what evil spirits do.
The Spirit of God would never lead anyone to speak of Jesus this way. The
Spirit’s influence prompts us to say, “Jesus is Lord!”
- There is some of the same controversy in the church today that existed
then, that is, the emphasis on one or two gifts rather than on the same Spirit as the source of all gifts,
given as He determines best. Our unity is not found in the possession
of one common gift, in this case “tongues,” but rather in possession of the HS.
- VV.5, 6 emphasize that there are different kinds service
and different ways God works in the lives of believers, but it is the same God who does the work through
all of us.
- What is the significance of v. 7?
(A) The Spirit gives evidence of Himself in each believer by giving him/her some spiritual
gift or gifts. There is no believer who does not have some spiritual
work to perform. Most importantly, gifts are not given for our own
benefit, but are given for the profit and benefit of the entire body.
- Paul lists some of the spiritual gifts:
q
the ability to give wise advise (the word of wisdom) – the supernatural power to speak with
divine insight in areas of problems, faith, resolving conflicts, practical advise, etc.
q
The gift of special knowledge- power to communicate information divinely revealed (note:
not “new” truth – the fullness of our faith is already given (Jude 3)), yet there is still some sense of
a mysterious communication of this divine knowledge to those who live in close fellowship with the Lord.
q
The gift of faith – not saving faith or persevering faith (believers all have that),
we use this gift in persistent prayer and endurance in intercession, along with the strong trust in God in difficult
circumstances.
q
The gift of healing – the miraculous power to heal diseases.
q
The gift of performing miracles – casting our demons, raising the dead, changing matter
from one form to another, and power over the elements.
q
The gift of prophecy – a person received direct revelation from God and told them
to others. It may be future events or expressing the mind of God. This gift helped lay the foundation for the church in what it taught about the Lord. Today, some conservative theologians believe that, with the laying of the foundation, the need for prophets
and prophecy ceased. The thought is that the Word is complete and
we no longer have need of this gift.
q
The gift of discerning of spirits – the God-given ability to recognize lying spirits and
to identify deceiving and untrue doctrine. The gift of speaking
in unknown languages and interpretation- these are sign gifts (among which are miracles and healings)
used for the authentication of the truth and those who preached it. The
HS decides which gift the believer is to have. This eliminates all pride in what
we have or do not have.
- Why have these gifts? (A)
Believers are all equal members of the body of Christ, which includes the Lord and all the believers here on earth. The Body of Christ is the vehicle on earth by which He chooses to make Himself
known to the world. It is through us that the world sees
Jesus!!!!!
- What does Paul mean by “baptized into Christ’s body
by one Spirit (v.13)?” (A) The church, the spiritual body of Christ,
is formed as believers are immersed by Christ with the HS. Christ
is the Baptizer who immerses each believer with the Spirit into unity with all other believers. There cannot be any believers who are not Spirit-baptized, nor can there be more than one
Spirit baptism or the whole point of unity in the body of Christ is distorted.
- Through the baptism of the Spirit we all become members of the Body
of Christ, each with a gift, each with a role to play. The body is not complete
unless each member recognizes and uses his gift. Some have “up-front”-
gifts, teachers, pastors, and some have the gift of helps, working together and many other gifts, each given with the blessing
of the Spirit.
Paul ends by
saying, “First, however, let me tell you about something else that is better than any of them (v.31)!”
Chapter 13 – “Love Is the Greatest Gift!”
Every
true believer has come to Christ because he/she has felt the love of God penetrate his or her heart and soul. When he says that there is something better, he is saying that the mere possession of gifts
is not as important as the exercise of these gifts in love. The abuse
of tongues had apparently caused problems in the church. The problem was “self”
– that is, the “charismatics” were using their gifts for self-satisfaction, self-display, self-edification
(building them selves up), and not acting in love. Their satisfaction came from
speaking publicly in tongues, but it was a real hardship on others who had to sit and listen to something they did not understand. Maybe the “un-charismatics” overreacted in acts of unlove. Paul reminds them all that love is needed on both sides and the problem would be resolved.
- Paul acknowledges the tongue gift and now addresses the attitude necessary
in all ministry in the church. What does he say?
(A) 13:1 –Even if a person could speak in all languages, human and angelic, but didn’t use this ability
in love for the good of others, it would be no more profitable or pleasant than the meaningless sound of a loud gong.
- Even if he had the gift of prophecy (receiving revelations
from God) and understood God’s great mysteries, if he had a hold of all the divine knowledge and the fullness of the
faith that could move mountains, but used this knowledge only for edifying himself and not the other members of God’s
church, it would all be of no value.
- Paul says that if he gave all his goods to the poor, or
even gave his body to be burned (sacrificed), these noble acts would not profit him unless they were done in a spirit of love
(v.3). What is this love he speaks of?
(A) It is a self-giving love that is more concerned with giving than receiving.
It is the agape (God like) type of love that transcends all others.
- Verses 1-3 focused on the emptiness produced when love
is absent from ministry. In verses 4-7, the fullness of true love is described,
in each case, by what love does:
q
Love is patient and kind –long suffering, patient endurance under frustration. Kindness is active goodness, acting in the interests of others.
q
Love is not jealous, boastful, proud or rude – it doesn’t envy others; rather it is
pleased that others should be honored and lifted up.
q
Love does not demand its own way – it realizes that there is nothing in us of which to be proud;
it’s not about us!
q
Love is not irritable – not angered in personal offense.
q
Keeps no record of being wronged – it doesn’t keep score.
q
Is never glad about injustice - finds no pleasure in someone else’s sin.
q
Rejoices when truth wins out – is devoted to truth in everything
q
It never gives up – why should it when God never does?
q
It never loses faith – God gives us the strength to believe and keep believing.
q
It is always hopeful – “All things work together for good to those who love God, to those
who are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28).”
q
Love endures all things – endures persecution or ill treatment, just as Christ did.
5.
Love will last forever (v.8-13) – it speaks of love’s lastingness or permanence as a divine
quality. It outlasts all failures!
Paul compares love to the spiritual gifts that were so important to the Corinthians: prophecy, knowledge, and unknown
languages. There are two main interpretations of vv.8-13. One traditional view is that the gifts of prophecy, knowledge and tongues will end when believers enter
their eternal state. The other view is that these gifts have already
ceased, and that this happened when the Canon of Scripture (our Bible, God’s Word) was completed. The later view suggests that these gifts ceased because they would no longer be necessary
to confirm the preaching of the apostles and prophets (Heb. 2:3 4). God’s
completed Word stands on its own and is all we need to prepare us as believers.
V.11-
The “sign gifts” were connected with the childhood of the early church. The gifts themselves were not childish; they were necessary gifts of the HS. But once the full revelation of God was available in the Bible, the miracle gifts were no
longer needed and were put aside.
V.12
– Now (during the apostolic age) we see in a mirror, dimly. No single one
of the apostles had received God’s full revelation. It was given
to them in portions, like parts of the puzzle. “But then we will
see everything with perfect clarity,” may mean when the Canon was completed, we would see the picture in
its entirety. When the last book was added to the NT, they would know
more fully and intimately than ever before. The problem with this view is the
question whether God can use these sign gifts if He chooses to, and the answer is, of course, yes! Another view believes that as long as we are on earth, we see things dimly and indistinctly. Heaven, by contrast, will be like seeing things face to face, without any blurred
vision. What we know now is incomplete, but in heaven, we will know everything
completely, just as God knows me now. Either way, the lesson is that while the
gifts of the Spirit are partial and temporary, the fruit of the Spirit is eternal and more excellent. Practicing love in these things will keep us from abusing the gifts
and avoiding the problems, arguments, and divisions that have arisen because of their abuse.
V.13
– The objects of faith and hope will be fulfilled and perfectly realized in heaven, but love,
the God-like virtue, is everlasting. Heaven will be the place where we
will live in perfect love with God and each other.
Chapter 14 – The Gifts of Prophecy and Tongues
Almost
every self-help or self-improvement book will suggest that you set goals for yourself, yet in v.1 Paul tells
us to make love our goal.
1.
What difference do you see in the two approaches? (A) The world says to
improve yourself, but Scripture tells us to make serving others our goal.
The point Paul makes make when he says to “also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives,” is,
while the Spirit gives His gifts as He chooses, we can ask for gifts that that will be of greatest value for
the local fellowship. He goes on to explain why seeking the gift of
prophecy is more desirable than the tongues gift.
2.
What does Paul mean when he says, “If your ability is to speak
in tongues” (v.2). (A) There is some debate as to what Paul means by
this statement. One view is to see Paul’s use of the word “tongue”
(glōssa) in the context of the former pagan worship by the Corinthians and the use of ecstatic speech by
the pagan temple prophetesses. It seems that there may be is a distinction between
the singular “tongue” and the plural “tongues.” Some
commentators interpret the use of the singular to apply to counterfeit gift of pagan gibberish and the plural “tongues”
to indicate the genuine gift of a foreign language. They site the use
by KJ translators of consistently adding “unknown” before every singular form.
Since the gift of tongues is never any kind of vocal gibberish, but rather a foreign language, when he says, “If
your ability is to speak in tongues,” he means the actual ability is to speak in a foreign language.
3.
What is the difference between speaking in tongues and prophesying, and in what sense is prophesy better than tongues
(vv.2-5)? (A) The proper use of the gift of tongues is speaking in an unknown
language and having that utterance interpreted. It’s best
use is to edify the church and the interpretation is for the building up of the Body of Christ. It is always for God’s glory, not self! The gift
of prophecy is explained in v.3, “But one who prophesies is helping others grow in the Lord, encouraging
and comforting them.” How?
By correctly interpreting God’s Word through direct revelation from Him and the preaching of truth. It involves building up in truth, the encouragement to obedience, and the comfort
in trouble that God desires for His church. It is different from tongues
in that it is spoken in the people’s own language. The tongue gift
generally edifies self if not used properly (without interpretation), while prophesying is used to edify the entire Body.
4.
What is a believer to do concerning tongues? (A) It is not condemned;
in fact, Paul wishes we all could speak in tongues. What is relevant is the quality
of the communication that takes place. It is not wrong to pray or sing “in
the spirit” (not the HS), but it is better to include the mind and understand what you are saying and singing. V. 19 says, “But in a church meeting I would rather speak five understandable
words that will help others than ten thousand words in an unknown language.”
5.
What is the primary use of tongues? (A) V.22 – a sign to
unbelievers rather than to believers. The Corinthians had it wrong
because they stood up in the meetings of believers and spoke in ecstatic utterances with no interpretation. In completely the opposite way, the gift of prophesying benefits only believers, who are able, by
their new natures and the indwelling HS, to understand spiritual truth.
6.
Reading vv.26-40, it is obvious that the typical Corinthian church meeting was very different from what we are accustomed
to today. The believers used the gifts the HS gave to them and would publicly
use their gift, some to read psalms, others to prophesy; still others to speak in an unknown tongue while another interpreted
the language. All well and good, but if the result is chaos, the church
is not edified and that is the goal, i.e. spiritual growth.
7.
Paul sets parameters around the gifts –no more than three may speak in tongues, in turn and there must
be an interpreter. If there was no interpreter present, then the tongue
speaker must keep quiet in the church. The same rules were set up for
the prophets – two or three may judge and the rest were to judge, determining whether the man might be a false
prophet.
8.
V. 32 is important. They had the false idea that the more a man was possessed
by the HS, the less self-control he had. They felt he was carried away
in a state of ecstasy and they believed that the more spirit one had, the less self-consciousness there would be. This meant that a man under the control of the Spirit could not control his speech, the length of
time he spoke, or his actions.
9.
The key to the whole chapter is in v.33. The church at worship should
reflect God’s character and nature because He is the God of peace and harmony, order and clarity, not
strife and confusion.
10.
*Ladies, I’m not even going to touch vv.34, 35! Let it speak for
itself!
Chapter 15 - The Resurrection of Christ
Some
false teachers had entered the church at Corinth, denying the possibility of bodily resurrection. They did not deny the fact of life after death, but probably suggested that we would simply be spirit beings
and not have literal bodies. Paul gives his answer to these denials.
1.
Paul reminds them of the Good News he had preached to them, which they had received, and in which they now stood. What is he saying? (A) It was by the
gospel of the Resurrection that they had been saved – unless, of course, there was no such thing as resurrection
in which case, they could not have been saved at all.
2.
What are the main points of the Gospel Paul received and passed on to the Corinthians (vv.3, 4)? (A) Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures
said.
3.
Why do you think Paul went into so much detail listing who saw Jesus after His Resurrection (vv.5-7)? (A) He listed eyewitness accounts of those who saw Jesus, including John and Peter, the 500 of His
followers, by James, and by the twelve apostles. Last of all, Paul himself saw
him. This lends great credibility to the Resurrection account given by
the Apostles and it gave proof that the OT prophesies were true, just a predicted.
4.
We in the Christian community often speak to people who complain, “I just don’t know my purpose in
life – why God created me.” Paul in His wisdom gives it all to God,
“But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out His special favor on me –and not without results.” “For I have worked harder than all the other apostles, yet it was not I but
God who was working through me in His grace (v.10).” It is always about
Him, our Lord and Savior, from Him, through Him, and for Him. It is never about
me! That is what the Corinthians could not get right – they made it all
about themselves instead of glorifying God and building up the church.
5.
What was one of the doctrinal problems the church faced and why (vv. 12-33)?
(A) The Corinthians believed in Christ’s Resurrection, but some had a difficult time believing in the resurrection
of believers. Some of the confusion may have come from an old pagan belief called
“dualism,” which taught that everything physical was essentially evil; so the idea of a resurrected body was repulsive
and disgusting. It may also have come from some Jews in the church who were Sadducees,
who did not believe in the resurrection although the OT taught it.
6.
Paul believed in the Resurrection, taught it and based his faith on it. He taught that the Risen Christ is our
Hope! What six disastrous consequences does he give if there were no resurrection
(vv.13-19)? (A) 1) preaching Christ would be useless because He then has
not been raised either (v.14); 2) faith in Christ would be useless (v.14); 3) all of the witnesses and preachers of
the resurrection would be liars (v.15); 4) no one would be redeemed from sin (v.17); 5) all former
believers would have perished (v.18); and 6) Christians would be the most pitiable people on earth
(v.19).
7.
The truth is, Christ has been raised and become the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised
to life again (all will be!). Those who are Christ’s will be raised
and enter the eternal heavenly state in three stages at Christ’s coming.
(A) 1) those who have come to saving faith from Pentecost to the Rapture will be joined by living
saints at the Rapture to meet the Lord in the air and ascend into heaven (1 Thess.4: 16,17). 2) Those who come to faith during the Tribulation, with the OT saints as well, will be raised
up to reign with Him during the Millennium (Rev. 20:4; Dan. 12:2; Is.26: 19,20); 3) those who die during the millennial
kingdom may be instantly transformed at death into their eternal bodies and spirits.
The only people left to be raised will be the ungodly of all time and that will occur at the end of the
Millennium at the Great White Throne Judgment of God (Rev. 20: 11-15; John 5:28,29), which will be followed by eternal
hell (Rev.21:8).
8.
V.24, “After that the end will come (v.24)” –the third aspect of the resurrection that
involves the restoration of the earth to the rule of Christ. He delivers the
kingdom of earth to God the Father - At the conclusion of the world’s history, after Christ has taken over the restored
world for His Father and reigned for 1,000 years, all things will be returned to the way they were designed by God to be in
the sinless glory of the new heavens and new earth (Rev. 21,22).
9.
Paul takes us all the way thru the resurrection – all the way into eternity when Christ has put all His enemies
under His feet (v.25); has destroyed the last enemy –death, which Satan has some hold on until the last battle at the
end of the Millennium. At that time, the prophecy of v.27a, “God has
given Him authority over all things” is fulfilled and Christ delivers the kingdom to the Father and the eternal
glory will begin (Re. 21,22)!
10.
V. 29 has caused some problems in understanding. Some denominations
(cults) teach the baptism of the dead for salvation. What does Paul mean by this
verse? (A) We must always seek the totality of scripture when considering the
meaning of a verse. Doing so, we can see what the verse does not mean. It does not mean that a dead person can be saved by another person’s
being baptized on their behalf, because baptism never has a part in a person’s salvation (Eph. 2:8; Rom. 3:28). Paul’s point is that if there is no resurrection and no life after death, then
why are people coming to Christ to follow the hope of those who have died.
11.
In vv.35-49, Paul goes into detail concerning the actual mode of the resurrection.
He tries to head off the questions that those questioning the resurrection might ask.
The first is: “How are the dead raised?” The second
is: “what kind of bodies will they have (v.35)?” He answers
with an example from nature – a seed is planted but must die before it comes back to life with a new body
given by the Lord. How that happens is a great mystery, but the same principle
applies to the human body. Our bodies will die and decay, but our resurrection
bodies will never die (v.42). They will be full of God’s glory and
power, spiritual bodies whose prototype is Jesus Christ! We are
descended from Adam, and our physical bodies are just like his, subject to death, not able to live forever (v.50).
12.
Paul gives the final details of the believers’ resurrection, a mystery up until then. (A) VV. 50-56 explain the Rapture of the church, in which all believers from Pentecost until then will
be transformed into a new creation. When the last trumpet sounds
(like a court herald trumpeting an announcement), the Christians who have died will rise first with transformed
bodies, followed by the living believers whose bodies will also be instantly transformed into heavenly
bodies that will never die: Then, victory over sin and death will be ours through
Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!
Chapter 16 – The Collection for Jerusalem
Paul
plans to return to Jerusalem before making his journey to Rome. He takes up a
collection at every church along the way for the benefit of those poor and suffering greatly in Jerusalem.
- What point is he making in v.2?
(A) On every Lord’s Day (Sunday – Acts 20:7), every believer is to give on a regular,
consistent basis, not just when one feels generous, particularly lead to do so, or is instructed to do so for some special
purpose (Luke 6:38).
- We are to do so “in relation to what you have earned”
– Does this mean a tithe is required? (A) No required amount or
percentage for giving to the Lord’s work is specified in the NT. All
giving is to be free will giving and completely optional (2 Cor. 9:6-8). We
give from the fullness of our hearts to continue the great work of the Lord though the church.
- Paul gave us a lesson in how we should give financially; he now gives
us an example of how a Christian is to serve spiritually. In his travel
plans, he included a stay in Ephesus, a church that probably gave Paul his fiercest opposition (see 2 Cor. 1:8-10),
where he describes his experience in Ephesus. In spite of that opposition, the
door for the Gospel was opened wide (2 Cor. 2:12, 13). The story has been
the same for Christian service from that day 2007 years ago. On the one hand,
are fields ripe for the harvest; on the other, there is a powerful enemy who seeks to obstruct, divide,
and oppose in every conceivable way.
He leaves us with a final exhortation in v. 13: “Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong. And everything you do must
be done with love.” Amen!
1 Corinthians 12-16
Questions
2009
Chapter 12 – 16: Spiritual Gifts
Paul now addresses the abuse of spiritual gifts, especially the gift of tongues,
in the church at Corinth. There were believers who had received the gift of tongues,
which means that they were given the power to speak foreign languages without ever having studied those languages. But instead of using this gift to magnify God and build up believers, they were using it to show off. They stood up in meetings and spoke in languages that no one understood, hoping other
s would be impressed by their impressive ability. They put the sign-gifts above
the others, and claimed superior spirituality for those who spoke in tongues.
- What kind of
sin would this lead too? (A) ______ for those who had the gift, and feelings
of ______, inferiority, and ___________ on the part of those who did not have this gift.
- If we look at
the original language and remember the pagan society they lived in and pagan
spiritual practices they had practiced, we may be able to see why they had this problem.
(A) The Greek translates, “Now concerning “spirituals” brethren… (V.1).” Paul was addressing not only manifestations
of the ___ but of _________ as well. In their past lives, the lived
under the influence of evil spirits and practiced idol worship. They witnessed
supernatural appearances or displays and heard evil spirit-inspired utterances. Under
the ________ of these evil spirits, they sometimes surrendered ___________, and said and did things beyond their
own conscious power.
- The problem they
faced – now that they are saved, how do they discern between the voice of evil-spirits and the very real voice of the
HS? (A) The crucial test is the _________ given concerning the ___________. If a man curses Jesus, you can be sure he is demon inspired, because that is exactly
what evil spirits do. The Spirit of God would never lead anyone to speak of Jesus
this way. The Spirit’s influence prompts us to say, “Jesus is Lord!”
- There is some
of the same controversy in the church today that existed then, that is, the _______on __ or two gifts rather
than on the ______ Spirit as the source of all gifts, given as He determines best.
Our _____ is not found in the possession of one common gift, in this case “tongues,” but rather
in ______________ of the HS.
- VV.5, 6 emphasize
that there are different kinds _______ and different ways God ______ in the lives of believers, but it is the
_____ God who does the work _______ all of us.
- What is the significance
of v. 7? (A) The Spirit gives _______ of Himself in ___ believer
by _____ him/her _______________ or gifts. There is ___
believer who does not have some spiritual _______ to perform. Most importantly,
gifts are not given for our _______ benefit, but are given for the profit and benefit of the _______ body.
- Paul lists some
of the spiritual gifts:
q
the ability to give wise advise (the word of wisdom) –
the supernatural power to speak with divine ________ in areas of problems, faith, resolving conflicts, practical advise,
etc.
q
The gift of special knowledge- power to communicate information
that is divinely _________ (note: not “new” truth – the fullness of our faith is already given (Jude
3)), yet there is still some sense of a mysterious communication of this divine knowledge to those who live in close _________
with the Lord.
q
The gift of faith – not saving faith or persevering faith
(believers all have that), we use this gift in persistent prayer and endurance in ____________, along with the strong
_______ in God in difficult circumstances.
q
The gift of healing – the miraculous power to heal diseases.
q
The gift of performing miracles – casting our demons,
raising the dead, changing matter from one form to another, and power over the elements.
q
The gift of prophecy – a person received direct _________
from God and told them to others. It may be future events or expressing the mind
of God. This gift helped lay the __________ for the church in what it
taught about the Lord. Today, some conservative theologians believe that, with
the laying of the foundation, the need for prophets and prophecy ______.
The thought is that the Word is _________ and we no longer have
need of this gift.
q
The gift of discerning of spirits – the God-given ability to
recognize ______ spirits and to identify deceiving and untrue _______.
q
The gift of speaking in unknown languages and interpretation-
these are ___ gifts (among which are miracles and healings) used for the ____________ of the _____ and
those who preached it. The HS decides which gift the believer is to have. This eliminates all pride in what we have or do not have.
- Why have these
gifts? (A) Believers are all ____ members of the Body of Christ, which
includes the Lord and all the believers here on earth. The Body of Christ is
the ________ on earth by which He chooses to make Himself ______ to the world.
It is through ____ that the world sees Jesus!!!!!
- What does Paul
mean by “baptized into Christ’s body by one Spirit (v.13)?”
(A) The church, the spiritual body of Christ, is formed as _________ are immersed by Christ with the ____. Christ is the Baptizer who immerses each believer with the Spirit into ______
with all other believers. There _____ be any believers who are not Spirit-baptized,
nor can there be more than ______ Spirit baptism or the whole point of unity in the body of Christ is distorted.
- Through the baptism
of the Spirit we all become members of the Body of Christ, each with a gift, each with a role to play. The body is not __________ unless each member recognizes and ____ his gift. Some have “up-front”- gifts, teachers, pastors, and some have the gift of helps, working together
and many other gifts, each given with the _________ of the Spirit.
Paul ends by saying, “First, however, let me tell you about something else that
is better than any of them (v.31)!”
Chapter 13 – “Love Is the Greatest Gift!”
Every true believer has come to Christ because he/she has felt the love of
God penetrate his or her heart and soul. When he says that there is something
better, he is saying that the mere _________ of gifts is not as important as the ______ of these gifts in love. The abuse of tongues had apparently caused problems in the church. The problem was “___” – that is, the “charismatics” were using their
gifts for self-satisfaction, self-display, self-edification (building them selves up), and not acting in love. Their satisfaction came from speaking publicly in tongues, but it was a real hardship on others who had
to sit and listen to something they did not understand. Maybe the “un-charismatics”
overreacted in acts of unlove. Paul reminds them all that love is needed on both
sides and the problem would be resolved.
- Paul acknowledges
the tongue gift and now addresses the attitude necessary in every ministry in the church.
What does he say? (A) 13:1 – Even if a person could speak in all
languages, human and angelic, but didn’t use this ability in love for the good of others, it would be
no more profitable or pleasant than the meaningless sound of a loud gong.
- Even if he had
the gift of prophecy (receiving revelations from God) and understood God’s great mysteries, if he had a hold of all
the divine knowledge and the _______ of the faith that could move mountains, but used this knowledge only for edifying
______ and not the other members of God’s church, it would all be of ____________.
- Paul says that
if he gave all his goods to the poor, or even gave his body to be burned (sacrificed), these noble acts would _________
him unless they were done in a ______________ (v.3). What is this love
he speaks of? (A) It is a self-giving love that is more concerned with ______
than receiving. It is the āgape (God like) type of love that transcends
all others.
- Verses 1-3 focused
on the ________ produced when love is _____ from ministry. In verses
4-7, the fullness of true love is described, in each case, by what love ______:
q
Love is patient and kind –long suffering, patient endurance under
________. Kindness is ____________, acting in the interests of
_________.
q
Love is not jealous, boastful, proud or rude – it doesn’t
______ others; rather it is pleased that others should be ________ and lifted up.
q
Love does not demand its own way – it realizes that there is
nothing in us of which to be ________; it’s not about us!
q
Love is not irritable – not angered in _________ offense.
q
Keeps no record of being wronged – it doesn’t keep ________.
q
Is never glad about injustice - finds no pleasure in someone else’s
_______.
q
Rejoices when truth wins out – is devoted to _______ in
everything
q
It never gives up – why should it when God _________ does?
q
It never loses faith – God gives us the _______ to believe
and keep believing.
q
It is always hopeful – “All things work together for
good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28).”
q
Love endures all things – endures __________ or ill treatment,
just as Christ did.
5. Love will last forever
(v.8-13) – it speaks of love’s _________ or permanence as a divine quality.
It outlasts all _______! Paul compares love to the spiritual gifts
that were so important to the Corinthians: prophecy, knowledge, and unknown languages.
There are two main interpretations of vv.8-13. One traditional view is
that the gifts of prophecy, knowledge and tongues will end when believers enter their ______ state. The other view is that these gifts ________________, and that this happened when the _________ of
Scripture (our Bible, God’s Word) was ________. The later view suggests
that these gifts ceased because they would no longer be necessary to _________ the preaching of the apostles and prophets
(Heb. 2:3 4). God’s completed Word stands on its own and is all we need
to prepare us as believers.
V.11- The “sign gifts” were connected with the ___________
of the early church. The gifts themselves were not childish; they were _________
gifts of the HS. But once the _____________ of God was available in the
Bible, the ______ gifts were no longer needed and were ___________.
V.12 – Now (during the apostolic age) we see in a mirror, dimly. No single one of the apostles had received God’s ________ revelation. It was given to them in ________, like parts of the puzzle. “But then we will see everything with _______ clarity,” may mean when the Canon
was completed, we would see the picture in its __________. When the last
book was added to the NT, they would know more fully and intimately than ever before.
The problem with this view is the question whether God can use these sign gifts if He chooses to, and the answer is,
of course, yes! Another view believes that as long as we are _______,
we see things dimly and indistinctly. Heaven, by contrast, will be like seeing
things _________ _____, without any blurred vision. What we know now is
____________, but in heaven, we will know _________ completely, just as God knows me now. Either way, the lesson is that while the gifts of the Spirit are partial and temporary, the ______
of the Spirit is ______ and ____ excellent. Practicing ______
in these things will keep us from abusing the gifts and avoiding the problems, arguments, and divisions that have arisen because
of their abuse.
V.13 – The objects of faith and hope will be _________ and perfectly
realized in heaven, but love, the God-like virtue, is _________. Heaven
will be the place where we will live in ________ love with God and each other.
Chapter 14 – The Gifts of Prophecy and Tongues
Almost every self-help or self-improvement book will suggest that you set
goals for yourself, yet in v.1 Paul tells us to make love our goal.
1. What difference do you see in the two approaches? (A) The world says to
improve __________, but Scripture tells us to make ____________ our goal.
The point Paul makes make when he says to “also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives,” is,
while the Spirit gives His gifts as He _______, we can ask for gifts that that will be of greatest _____ for
the local __________. He goes on to explain why seeking the gift of _____________
is more desirable than the tongues gift.
2. What does Paul mean when he says, “If
your ability is to speak in tongues” (v.2). (A) There is some debate
as to what Paul means by this statement. One view is to see Paul’s use
of the word “tongue” (glōssa) in the context of the former _______ worship by the Corinthians and
the use of _________ speech by the pagan temple prophetesses. It seems
that there may be a distinction between the singular “tongue” and the plural “tongues.” Some commentators interpret the use of the singular to apply to _________ gift of pagan gibberish
and the plural “tongues” to indicate the ______ gift of a foreign language.
They site the use by KJ translators of consistently adding “unknown” before every singular form. Since the gift of tongues is never any kind of vocal gibberish, but rather a foreign language, when he
says, “If your ability is to speak in tongues,” he means the actual ability is to speak in a _____________________.
3. What is the difference between speaking in tongues and prophesying, and in what sense is
prophesy better than tongues (vv.2-5)? (A) The proper use of the gift of tongues
is speaking in an unknown __________ and having that utterance _________.
It’s best use is to _______ the _____ and the interpretation is for the building up of the Body
of Christ. It is always for _____ glory, not self! The gift of prophecy is explained in v.3, “But one who prophesies is helping others _____
in the Lord, _________ and __________ them.” How? By correctly interpreting God’s Word through direct revelation from Him and
the preaching of truth. It involves building up in truth, the encouragement
to obedience, and the comfort in trouble that God desires for His church.
It is different from tongues in that it is spoken in the people’s ____ language. The tongue gift generally edifies self if not used properly (without interpretation), while prophesying
is used to edify the entire Body.
4. What is a believer to do concerning tongues? (A)
It is not condemned; in fact, Paul wishes we all could speak in tongues. What
is relevant is the _______ of the communication that takes place. It is
not wrong to pray or sing “in the spirit” (not the HS), but it is better to include the mind and ___________
what you are saying and singing. V. 19 says, “But in a church meeting
I would rather speak five _________________ words that will _____ ______ than ten thousand words in an
unknown language.”
5. What is the primary use of tongues? (A) V.22
– a sign to _________ rather than to believers. The Corinthians
had it wrong because they stood up in the meetings of believers and spoke in ecstatic utterances with _____________. In completely the opposite way, the gift of prophesying benefits ___ believers,
who are able, by their new ________ and the __________ HS, to understand __________ truth.
6. Reading vv.26-40, it is obvious that the typical Corinthian church meeting was very different
from what we are accustomed to today. The believers used the gifts the HS gave
to them and would publicly use their gift, some to read psalms, others to prophesy; still others to speak in an unknown tongue
while another interpreted the language. All well and good, but if the result
is chaos, the ______ is not edified and that is the goal, i.e. _________ growth.
7. Paul sets parameters around the gifts –no more than _____ may speak in tongues,
in turn and there must be an __________. If there was no interpreter present,
then the tongue speaker must _________ in the church. The same rules were
set up for the prophets – two or three may judge and the rest were to judge, determining whether the man might be a
________ prophet.
8. V. 32 is important. They had the false idea
that the more a man was possessed by the HS, the _____ self-control he had. They
felt he was ___________ in a state of ecstasy and they believed that the more spirit one had, the less self-consciousness
there would be. This meant that a man under the control of the Spirit could not
_________ his speech, the length of __________ he spoke, or his _________.
9. The key to the whole chapter is in v.33. The
church at worship should reflect _________ character and nature because He is the God of peace and harmony, order and
clarity, not strife and confusion.
10. *Ladies, I’m not even going to touch vv.34, 35! Let it speak for
itself!
Chapter 15 - The Resurrection of Christ
Some false teachers had entered the church at Corinth, denying the possibility
of bodily resurrection. They did not deny the fact of life after death, but probably
suggested that we would simply be spirit beings and not have literal bodies. Paul
gives his answer to these denials.
1. Paul reminds them of
the Good News he had preached to them, which they had received, and in which they now stood.
What is he saying? (A) It was by the gospel of the _______________
that they had been saved – unless, of course, there was no such thing as resurrection in which case, they could _______
___________been saved at all.
2. What are the main points
of the Gospel Paul received and passed on to the Corinthians (vv.3, 4)? (A) Christ
died for our sins, He was buried, and He was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures said.
3. Why do you think Paul
went into so much detail listing who saw Jesus after His Resurrection (vv.5-7)? (A)
He listed _____________ accounts of those who saw Jesus, including John and Peter, the 500 of His followers, by James,
and by the twelve apostles. Last of all, Paul himself saw him. This lends great ____________ to the Resurrection account given by the Apostles and it gave proof
that the _____ prophesies were _______, just a predicted.
4. We in the Christian
community often speak to people who complain, “I just don’t know my purpose in life – why God created me.” Paul in His wisdom gives it all to God, “But whatever I am now, it is all
because God poured out His special favor on me –and not without results.”
“For I have worked harder than all the other apostles, yet it was not I but God who was working through me in
His grace (v.10).” It is always about Him, our Lord and Savior, from
Him, through Him, and for Him. It is never about me! That is what the Corinthians could not get right – they made it all about themselves instead of glorifying
God and building up the church.
5. What was one of
the doctrinal problems the church faced and why (vv. 12-33)? (A) The Corinthians
believed in Christ’s Resurrection, but some had a difficult time believing in the resurrection of believers. Some of the confusion may have come from an old pagan belief called “dualism,” which taught
that everything physical was essentially evil; so the idea of a resurrected body was repulsive and disgusting. It may also have come from some Jews in the church who were Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection
although the OT taught it.
6. Paul believed in
the Resurrection, taught it and based his faith on it. He taught that the Risen Christ is our Hope! What six disastrous consequences does he give if there were no resurrection (vv.13-19)? (A) 1) _________ ___________ would be useless because He then has not been raised either (v.14);
2) ________ ____ _________ would be useless (v.14); 3) all of the witnesses and preachers of the resurrection would be _______
(v.15); 4) ____ ______ would be ____________ from sin (v.17); 5) all ______ _________would have _________ (v.18); and 6) _____________
would be the ______ ___________ people on earth (v.19).
7. The truth is, Christ
has been raised and become the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised to life again (all will be!). Those who are Christ’s will be raised and enter the eternal heavenly state in three stages at Christ’s
coming. (A) 1) those who have come to saving faith from _____________ to the
_____________will be joined by _________ saints at the __________ to meet the Lord in the air and _________ into heaven (1
Thess.4: 16,17). 2) Those who come to faith during the_____________, with the
_____ saints as well, will be raised up (after the seven year period) to reign with Him during the Millennium (Rev. 20:4;
Dan. 12:2; Is.26: 19,20); 3) those who _______ during the _____________ kingdom may be instantly ____________ at death into
their eternal bodies and spirits. The only people left to be raised will be the
____________ of all time and that will occur at the ______ of the Millennium at the Great White Throne _____________ of God
(Rev. 20: 11-15; John 5:28,29), which will be followed by eternal ________ (Rev.21:8).
8. V.24, “After
that the end will come (v.24)” – the third aspect of the resurrection that involves the restoration of the
earth to the rule of Christ. He delivers the kingdom of earth to God the Father
- At the conclusion of the world’s history, after Christ has taken over the restored world for His Father and reigned
for 1,000 years, all things will be returned to the way they were designed by God to be in the sinless glory of the new heavens
and new earth (Rev. 21,22).
9. Paul takes us all
the way thru the resurrection – all the way into eternity when Christ has put all His enemies under His feet (v.25);
has destroyed the last enemy –death, which Satan has some hold on until the last battle at the end of the Millennium. At that time, the prophecy of v.27a, “God has given Him authority over all
things” is fulfilled and Christ delivers the kingdom to the Father and the eternal glory will begin (Re. 21,22)!
10. V. 29 has caused some problems in
understanding. Some denominations (cults) teach the baptism of the dead for salvation. What does Paul mean by this verse? (A)
We must always seek the totality of scripture when considering the meaning of a verse.
Doing so, we can see what the verse does not mean. It does ____ _______
that a _______ person can be _________ by _________ person’s being baptized on their__________, because baptism never
has a part in a person’s salvation (Eph. 2:8; Rom. 3:28). Paul’s
point is that if there is no resurrection and no life after death, then why are people coming to Christ to follow the hope
of those who have died.
11. In vv.35-49, Paul goes into detail
concerning the actual mode of the resurrection. He tries to head off the questions
that those questioning the resurrection might ask. The first is: “How
are the dead raised?” The second is: “what kind of bodies
will they have (v.35)?” He answers with an example from nature –
a _______ is planted but must _____ before it comes back to life with a new body given by the Lord. How that happens is a great mystery, but the same principle applies to the human body. Our bodies will die and decay, but our _____________ bodies will never die (v.42). They will be full of God’s glory and power, ___________ bodies whose ___________ is Jesus Christ! We are descended from Adam, and our physical bodies are just like his, subject to
death, not able to live forever (v.50).
12. Paul gives the final details of the
believers’ resurrection, a __________ up until then. (A) VV. 50-56 explain
the Rapture of the church, in which all believers from Pentecost until then will be ______________ into a_________________. When the last trumpet sounds (like a court herald trumpeting an announcement), the
Christians who have ________ will rise _______ with transformed bodies, followed by the ________ __________ whose bodies will
also be _____________ transformed into ___________ bodies that will never die: Then,
victory over sin and death will be ours through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!
Chapter 16 – The Collection for Jerusalem
Paul plans to return to Jerusalem before making his journey to Rome. He takes up a collection at every church along the way for the benefit of those poor
and suffering greatly in Jerusalem.
- What point is
he making in v.2? (A) On every Lord’s Day (Sunday – Acts 20:7), _________
believer is to give on a_____________ , consistent basis, not just when one feels generous, particularly lead to do so, or
is instructed to do so for some special purpose (Luke 6:38).
- We are to do
so “in relation to what you have earned” – Does this mean a tithe is required? (A) No required amount or percentage for giving to the Lord’s work is specified in the NT. All giving is to be free will giving and completely optional (2 Cor. 9:6-8). We give from the fullness of our hearts to continue the great work of the Lord though the church.
- Paul gave us
a lesson in how we should give financially; he now gives us an example of how a Christian is to ________ spiritually. In his travel plans, he included a stay in Ephesus, a church that probably gave Paul
his fiercest ______________ (see 2 Cor. 1:8-10), where he describes his experience in Ephesus.
In spite of that opposition, the door for the Gospel was _________ ________(2 Cor. 2:12, 13). The story has been the same for Christian service from that day 2007 years ago. On the one hand, are fields _______ for the harvest; on the other, there is a powerful __________ who seeks
to obstruct, divide, and oppose in every conceivable way.
He leaves us with a final exhortation in v. 13: “Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong. And everything you do must
be done with love.” Amen!
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