The Purpose of Spiritual Gifts

RICHARD C . OUDERSLUYS
In thi s study it is ou r des ire to exa min e ca refull y a word o f co un se l on s piritu a l
gift s give n lon g ago by th e a pos tl e Pa ul.
S ince yo u a re eager , I know , for th e gift s of th e S pirit , th e n see k to
abound o r to exce l in those which build up th e c hurc h (I C or. 14: 12).
Whe re thi s co un se l is heede d it do es mo re th a n ma n y rea li ze to fo s te r maturity a nd
und e rsta ndin g a mon g those who a re a nd who a re not Pe ntecos ta li s ts . Th is co un se l is
so me thin g all of us do we ll to think throu gh with utmo s t se riou s ness becau se it urges
a n in se pa rab le co nn ect ion between two impo rt a nt rea liti es-s piritu al gift s a nd th e
edifyin g of th e church , th e body of C hri s t.
Obv iou s ly , th e re is some thing situational about thi s co un se l of Paul. H e a d-
dressed it to th e church at Co rinth because too ma ny C hri s ti a ns th e re were preoc-
c upied with a pa rti cu la r gift a nd the manne r in which thi s gift ca ll ed atte ntion to th e
possessor. It was th e gift of ton gues, a nd in making so much of ton gue-s peak in g, th e
C orinthians were overlooking th e ir individu al weaknesses a nd corpo ra te respo nsi-
bilities. Exe rci s ing thi s pa rticula r gift , they thou ght themselves a bove and beyond
pe rso nal weaknesses. In fac t, they pres um ed to le ve l se riou s a ttacks upon Paul him-
se lf, beca use he was not impress ive e nough in reciting his own s piritua l experiences .
They wa nte d him to ta lk more a bout hi s ecstas ies a nd reve la tion s , hi s vi s io ns a nd
vi c tori es. Confronted by their qu es tioning of hi s s piritu a lit y , Pa ul fin a ll y se nt th e m
thi s res ponse:
I mu s t boast , th e re is no thin g to be gaine d by it , but I wi ll go on to vi sion s
a nd reve lat ions in the Lo rd . I know a man in C hri st who fourteen yea rs
ago wa s caught up to th e third heave n- whe th e r in th e body or out of th e
body I do not know , God know s. And I know th a t thi s man wa s ca ught
up into P ara di se- whethe r in the body o r out of the body I do not know ,
God know s, and he hea rd thin gs th at cannot be told , whic h ma n may not
utte r. On be half of thi s ma n I wi ll boas t , but on my own behalf I will not
boas t , except of my wea knesses (2 Co r. 12: 1-6) .
The a po stl e wa s a la rmed a nd exercised by this preoccupation with the more pre-
tentiou s s piritu al gifts a t Corinth beca use it was res ulting in an individuali s m th a t
imperilled the community relation s hips of the believers. For exa mpl e, when Paul
writes , " if the foot s hould sa y , ' beca use I am not a ha nd , I do not be long to th e body ,'
and if the ear shou ld say, 'beca use I am not an e ye , I do not belong to the body,' "
(I Cor. 12: 14, 15), he pictures in the se words th e be li e ver with infe rior s piritu a l gifts
who is di s pa raging him self a nd hi s gifts. And a little late r when Paul writes , " th e eye
cannot sa y to the hand, ' I have no need of you ,'" he pictures the more gifted be lie ve r
disparaging the lesse r gifted a nd movin g to an a ttitude of proud inde pe nd e nce a nd
se para tion .
The situ a tional aspect of Paul 's counsel , th e n , is obviou s, a nd thi s is importa nt
becau se there is a da nge r in using such mate ri al a nd applying it forthwith to our
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situ a tion . A ll of us, inc luding myse lf, have a ten de ncy to a pply to o urse lves th e Sc rip -
tures we a pp rove or like, but not necessaril y th e Scriptu res we need. A nd on occasio n ,
we do not hes ita te to app ly to oth e rs th e Sc riptures we disapprove and di sli ke . If Paul
were writ in g to yo ur c hurc h o r mine , it is poss ibl e th at th e re mi ght e me rge some c ha nge
o f e mph as is in hi s writing a bo ut s piritual gift s.
Pau l's word of co un se l, howeve r , is mo re than situat ional, not simply beca use it is
incorporat ed into th e ca non of th e New Tes ta me nt and is for us th e word of God , but
beca use it is impo rt a nt to hi s whol e theo logy of th e Ho ly S pirit a nd th e c hurc h . To
read the le tte rs of Paul is to learn qui c kl y that it is th e exa lt ed, ri se n Lo rd who build s
hi s c hurc h throu gh th e Ho ly S pirit. Only thro ugh the Holy S pirit who co mes fro m th e
living Lo rd do es thi s holy building of God a ri se which is " build on th e found a tion of
the apos tl es a nd proph e ts , C hri st J es us him se lf being th e c hi ef corn e r-sto ne, in whom
th e who le structure is jo in ed togeth er a nd grows into a hol y te mple in th e Lo rd , in
whom yo u also are bui lt into it fo r a dwelling-place o f God in th e Sp irit " (E ph .
2:20-22).
We a re not thinking of th e c hurc h bibli ca ll y e no ugh when we think of it o nl y in
te rm s of C hri s tology-a c hurc h c reated a nd founded by C hri s t. T he c hurc h owes it s
ex is te nce fully as mu c h to th e Holy S pirit. It is throu gh th e Holy S pirit that be li eve rs
become th e bod y of C hri st , a nd it is throu gh th e Spirit th a t C hri s t is th e Lo rd of hi s
church . And so what Paul writes in hi s C orinthian le tt e rs abo ut th e co nn ecti o n
be twee n s piritual gifts a nd th e community of fa ith is mo re th a n situ ati o nal. T he c hurc h
is a li ving bui lding which is constant ly being built up by the work of th e S pirit as he
bestows not on ly fruit and gifts, functions and mini stri es, but eve n mi ss ion , in stitu -
tion , organ ization , a nd sacrame nt.' Paul ne ve r ceases to in sist , th e n , th a t th e ri c h
treas ury of gift s bes towed by the Hol y S pirit , he bes tow s on ly for use fuln ess in th e
c hurc h a nd to the c hurc h ( I Co r. 12:7). S piritual gifts a re des igne d for " the building
up of.th e c hurc h " ( I C or. 14:12 , 26) . What , th e n , do es Pau l mea n by "edifying" o r
" building up th e c hurc h?" What a re th e assoc ia tion s a nd impli cat ions of Pau l's
oikodom ein a nd it s cognates?

I
Background and Meaning

An eminent sc holar has mad e th e suggest ion that ancient te mples, much like
medieval cathedra ls, con s ta ntly needed to be built u p, a nd that is th e bac kgro und of
Paul's language . He goes on to say, " This ex pl a ins th e fa vorite Paul ine co nce pt of
edifying wh ich is partic ul a rly signifi cant in I and 2 C orinthians. " 2 T hi s is a n inte res t-
ing s ugges tion , but ha rdly o ne to be seri ous ly considered. T he bac kground of Pau l's
langua ge li es much nea re r a t ha nd , in th e O ld Tes tame nt. There it is God who build s
a nd pl a nts hi s peo ple, who c reates and esta bli s hes them . On th e occas ion of th e
return and res toration of Israe l from ca ptivity , th e proph e t decl a res, "Be hold , says
the Lord , I w ill ca use th e ca ptivity of Judah and th e ca ptivity of Is rae l to ret urn , a nd
I will build them , as at th e first " (Jer. 33:7). L ike la nguage e me rges aga in a t Jeremi a h
24:6 ·a nd 31 : I , 4 . God does hi s building and pla ntin g, however, throu gh hi s prophet ,
and b y pl ac ing hi s word in th e mouth of th e prophet :
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 See. I have thi s day se t you over th e nation s and over th e kingdoms. to
root out and to pull down , to destroy and to throw down , to build a nd to
plant (Jer. I: I 0) .
Pa ul' s ed ification -language, th e n , has it s rootage in the nature of God's peo ple as
a cove nant , corporate co mmunity. God's peo pl e have th e ir o ri gin in hi s ca llin g and
grace. Because they a re the peop le of God, they ca n be desc ri bed as a " temple of
th e li ving God" in which God him se lf is pleased to " dwell " a nd " wa lk " (2 C or. 6: 16).
In th e New Testament , however, it is the truth of the Holy Spirit filling e ve ry me m-
be r of the community that brings thi s kind of language into focus. For example,
Peter s peaks of C hrist as " that livin g s tone, rejected by men , but in God's sight c hosen
a nd prec iou s," and then in simil a r ve in s pea ks of be li eve rs when he says, "a llow
yo urse lves a lso to be built up as living s ton es into a s piritual hou se" ( I Pet. 2:4f.).
Si nce believers are livin g stones in the spi ritu al hou se of the ch urc h , it fo llows that
they mu st be at the di s posal of th e edifice. In s imilar fa s hion , Paul 's concept of the
c hurc h as a corporate rea lity being continua ll y built up and furn is hed by the Ho ly
S pirit is probably the prompting impul se for hi s edificat ion- language. It is in hi s letters
that we encounter the fam ili ar idea th a t God continu es to build his people through
the a po stolic word.
Forgive me if I am somewhat boa stful abo ut our author it y, a n authority
given by the Lord to build you up , not pull you down , even so I will make
good the boast (2 Cor. 10: 8).
The same language appears in the Book of th e Acts where God is usually the
subject of the verb " to build ," a nd Is rael or the commu nity is the object. "So the
church throughout a ll Judea a nd Galil ee and Samaria had peace and was built up ; a nd
wa lking in th e fear of the Lord a nd in the e nco urage me nt of th e Holy Spirit , it was
multiplied " (Acts 9:3 1).
It is in Paul 's letters, however, that we meet with a new use of this oikodomein
la ng uage. Building-up is not on ly a divine a nd aposto lic ac tivity but is also the duty
a nd privi lege of the C hris tian com munity . A ll that th e exa lted Lord bestows upon th e
c hurc h throu gh hi s Ho ly Spirit , gift s, functions, offices , mini stri es, in stitution , or-
ga ni zat ion , a ll mu st serve the c hurch and benefit a ll who a re me mbers of the body of
C hri st. The clearest word of Paul to thi s effect is that of Ep hes ian s 4: 11 - 14 :
A nd hi s gift s were th at so me s hould be apostles, some prophe t s, so me
eva nge li s ts, som e pa stors a nd teac he rs, for the equippin g of the saint s
for the work of mini s te rin g, for the bui lding up of the body of C hri s t , until
we all a ttain to the unity of th e faith a nd the knowledge of the So n of God ,
to mature ma nh ood, to the meas ure of the s tature of th e fullness of C hri st.
According to thi s word of Pau l, th e who le de sign of s piritu al gifts is that th e sa int s
may be equipped to serve the whole body of C hri s t. Despite thi s plain speak in g of
th e apos tl e, ma ny C hri s tians tod ay still labo r und e r the impressio n that they hire
ministers a nd staff to do all th e a ppointed work of th e c hurc h. T hese a re often th e
very people wh'o are quick to comp lai n th at a ll th e life seems to have go ne out of the
chu rch. The truth of Ep hesians 4: 11 - 14 is nothing ot he r than the o ld, fami li ar truth
of the universal pries thood of believers, and one can only s urmi se that so mew he re ,
so met hing went wrong with th e preaching a nd teaching of thi s grea t truth . Somew he re
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in its ex pos iti o n , it was ne ve r made s uffi c ie ntl y c lea r th a t thi s is a priesth ood in whi c h
e ve r y be li e ve r o ffe rs him se lf a nd hi s gift s in pe rso na l mini s tr y to C hri s t a nd th ro ugh
C hri s t to o th e rs, bo th in th e bo d y of C hri s t a nd o ut of it. O ikodom e is a co mmunit y
tas k , so me thin g th a t s ho uld ta ke pl ace wh e reve r that co mmunity ex is ts, a nd w he neve r
th a t co mmunit y exe rc ises it se lf in w itness a nd wo rs hip .
H ow s ho uld th e c hurc h, th e n , proceed with it s o iko dom e ac tivit y? A fe w
illu strati o ns will have to suffi ce he re. Buildin g- up ta kes pl ace w he n be lie ve rs a re e n-
co uraged in C hri s t a nd in the H o ly S pirit. It is wo rth o ur notice th a t th e te rm "e n-
co urage me nt " (paraklesis) is oft e n found in th e Ne w Tes ta me nt in compa n y with
oikodom e. " The refor e e nco ura ge o ne a no th e r a nd build up o ne a no th e r, a -; ind eed I
be lie ve yo u a re doin g" ( I T hess. 5 : 11). A nd thi s ve rse quite na tura ll y loo ks furth e r to
th e adm o ni tio n , " a nd we ex ho rt yo u, bro th e rs , adm o ni s h th e idle , e nco urage th e
fa int hea rt ed , he lp th e weak , be pa ti e nt with th e m a ll " ( I T hess. 5: 14) . In hi s di s-
c uss io n o f spiritu a l gift s , Paul gives hi ghe r m a rk s to proph ecy th a n oth e r gift s beca use
" he wh o pro phes ie s spea ks to me n fo r the ir upbuildin g, e nco ura ge me nt a nd co n-
so la ti o n " ( I Co r. 13 :3). Th e wo rd s " e nc ourage me nt a nd c on so la ti o n " ex pla in th e
te rm " upbuildin g." Individu a ls a nd th e community a re e difi ed wh e n be li e ve rs e n-
co urage o ne a no th e r in faith , lo ve, a nd witness.
A no th e r inte res tin g wo rd assoc ia tion is that ofoikodom e with th e word of God 's
g race. In hi s fare we ll a ddress to th e E ph es ia n e lde rs , Pa ul says, "A nd no w I com-
me nd yo u to G od a nd to th e word o f hi s grace, which is a ble to build you up a nd give
yo u th e inh e rit a nce a m o ng a ll th ose wh o a re co nsecrate d " ( Ac ts 20: 32). Wh e n th e
be lie ve r gives him self to God a nd th e wo rd o f hi s grace in conve rsation , medita ti o n ,
proc la m a tion , a nd study , he will edify him se lf a nd othe rs .
So importa nt is thi s truth th a t a ll C hri s ti a ns ha ve a pa rt to play in th e upbuildin g
o f th e c hurc h , th a t Pa ul ma kes thi s th e o bjec t of a ll of hi s moral ex horta tion s. It is
th e re a son why C hri s ti a ns put a wa y fa lse hood a nd s pea k truthfully to th e ir ne ighbors
( E ph . 4: 26). It is th e reaso n why th eft is no longe r co unte na nced in th e C hri s ti a n co m-
munit y (E ph . 4:28) . It is th e reaso n wh y th e onl y kind of ta lk pe rmitte d in co nve rsa-
ti o n is th at whi c h he lps build up th e community (E ph . 4:29) . It is in thi s contex t of
oikodom e tha t Pa ul place d s piritu a l gift s a nd urges, "s ince yo u a re eage r , I know ,
for th e gift s of th e S pirit , th e n seek to a bo und o r to e xce ll in th ose whi c h build up th e
c hurc h " (I C or. 14: 12) . Whe n Pa ul bind s s piritua l gifts so ti ghtly to th e purpose ofup-
building C hri s t' s pe opl e, th e c hurc h , we mu st conclude th a t he vi e we d suc h gifts as
esse nti a l to th e sa nc tification of C hri st's peopl e . It is a n a lmos t inesca pa ble co nc lu -
s ion th a t Pa ul regard e d spiritual gifts, no t as a di stin c t , third wo rk of t he H o ly S pirit ,
but as pa rt and parcel of th e S pirit 's work of sa nc tifi cation. T he y ha ve no othe r pur-
pose, no othe r va lu e, than th e upbuildin g of th e c hurc h .

II
Bearing on Christian Confession and Worship
W e turn now to th e proble m whi c h e ngaged so mu c h of Paul 's a tte ntion wh e n
writing to th e Corinthi a n c hurc h . Hereoikodom e e me rges as th e unifyin g thread whi c h

2 15
 weaves in and out of I Co rinthi ans 12- 14, and thereby co ntribut es sign ifi cant ly to o ur
underst a nding of th ese chapters a nd wha t they say abo ut s piritual gift s.
We begin with I Corinthi a ns 12: 1-3 where Paul declares th at th e H o ly Spirit
makes poss ibl e the co nfession and commitme nt of the C hri st ia n comm unit y.
Now co nce rnin g spiritual gift s , brothers , I do not want yo u to be unin -
fo rm ed. You know th at whe n you were heath en , you were led astray to
dumb idols , ho wever yo u may have been moved (" to ecstasy", he
mea ns). Therefore I want yo u to und ers ta nd that no o ne spea kin g by the
Spirit of God ever says, " J es us be curse d ," a nd no o ne can say, " J es us
is Lord ," except by th e Holy Spirit .

If by a charis matic experience is meant a n expe ri ence of sp iritu a l possession,

then thi s passage tells us that Paul was aware that suc h experie nces we re commo n
a mo ng pagans as well as C hri sti ans . S uc h paga n experi e nces, howeve r, violated a
person's inte ll ect and will , and led him into th e bondage of idol atry (I Cor. 8:5-6) dif-
fe rin g great ly from th e H o ly S pirit expe ri e nce.
This observ at ion of the apost le loses non e of it s re levancy today when we hear
of ecstat ic experi e nces in many quarters, J ewish a nd Mohammedan, a nd a mon g
unevange li zed pagan peoples. But while this passage says so methin g a bo ut the dif-
, fe re nce betw ee n a C hri s tia n a nd a non-C hristi an charismatic , the more press ing
question is what kind of C hri stia n, and under what circ um sta nces would a ny kind of
C hri stia n, be moved to say, "Jesus be c ursed." The most plausible explanation to
my mind is that they are th e ultra-s piritual believers at Corinth who co mpri sed the
so-called "C hri st party " mentioned at I Corinthians I :2 . When others sa id , " I am
for Paul," or " I am for Apollos," th ese peo ple said , " I am for C hri st." They were
so spi ritu al th at they had ne ith er interes t nor time for th e human , hi storical Jesus .
T hey were C hri stians for whom the Incarna tion meant little, if a nything. Perhaps you
• have met suc h ultra-spi ritu a l people in yo ur c hurches today , people who overlook the
soberin g truth that what J esus did not ta ke, he did not redee m. Opting for a n extreme ,
radical spiritu ality, they believed they were speaking by th e Holy Spirit when they
said , " J es us be cursed." Paul stro ngly obj ected to this separation of the Jes u s of
hi story from th e C hri st of faith, and declared that the confession which the Holy
Spirit in spires is " J es us is Lord." And s ince no one can make such a confession with-
out meaning " J es us is my Lord," P a ul credits to the Holy Spirit the co nfess ion and
commitme nt that make s the church the c hurch of Christ. It is the kind of confes-
sion that build s up the community becau se it is a n affirmation of the whole pe rson ,
heart, mind, a nd will , a nd recogniza bl e a nd understandable by a ll.
This same link betwee n the good of th e co mmunity and spiritu a l gifts aids our
understandin g of what Pa ul says abo ut their object, di s tribution, c haracter, and
e valuation .
At I Corinthians 12 :4-6, Paul uses three descriptives of s piritu a l gifts a nd they
deserve our notic e .
now there are vari eties of gifts (charismata), but the sa me Spirit ;
and th e re are varieties of servi ce (diakon iai), but the same Lord;
a nd th e re are varieties of working ( energema ta) , but the same God.
2 16
Wh e th e r gift s. mini s tri es , o r work ings. a ll a re linke d to th e T riun e Go el . T he g 1/1 .1·
have their origin in God's grace a nd a re s pecific capac iti es o r ab ilities gra nt ed to
believers. Mi nistries a re th e s pheres in whic h th e gift s a re exe rc ised , places and tim es
in th e c hurc h li fe a t whi c h th e gift s beco me visibl e in ac tu al use a nd practi ce. A per-
so n' s gift becomes hi s mini s tr y. Work in gs a re th e co nc re te effec ts , ha ppe nin gs w hi c h
occ ur when gift s a re e mpl oyed in mini s tr y. Be li eve rs a re co mforted , he lped , a nd th e
co mmunit y is s tre ngth e ned whe n gift s used in mini s tr y res ult in workings. Now to thi s
de sc ripti o n of spiritu al gifts, Pa ul acids this im portant word : "to eac h be li ever is co n-
sta ntl y being given a ma nifestat io n of th e S pirit to be used for the c hurc h " (I Cor.
12:7). S piritu a l gifts a re neve r for th e sake of th e individu al po ssessor, but for the co m-
mo n good . God gives gift s to a ll hi s peo pl e, a nd no ne a re. by-passed. When o ne be-
co mes a new c rea ture in C hri st J es us, he rece ives not o nl y th e sa vin g grace of C hrist ,
but th e grace-gifts of th e S pirit wh ic h equip him with ca pac iti es for mini ste rin g in the
c hurc h . T he c hurc h in o ur day needs ve r y much to hea r not o nly thi s wo rd of Paul, " to
eac h is given a ma nifestat ion of th e S pirit fo r th e co mm o n good ," but a.lso thi s wo rd
of Peter, "As eac h has rece ived a gift , e mplo y it for a noth e r , as good stewa rd s of
God 's grace which ma nifests it se lf in va ri o us ways'' ( I Pet. 4: I 0). T he gifts differ from
person to pe rso n, a nd so do the mini stri es a nd effects. You do not need to do o r have
what ot he rs do a nd ha ve. You have yo ur ow n di s tin c tive gift. Discover wh at it is, a nd
yo u will have th e a nswe r to what is your mini s try. Exe rc ise yo ur gift in mini s tering to
others, a nd there wi ll be effec ts, workings . T he gri evo us thin g abo ut th e c hurc h today
is not its s piritual poverty but rath e r th a t so ma ny C hri s ti a ns a re no t busy di scovering
th eir gifts, exerc is ing th e ir mini stri es. As a co nsequ e nce, not mu c h is happe nin g in th e
c hurc h . There a re no "effects, workings." T he re is n' t a C hri s tia n co ngrega ti o n that
does no t need desperate ly th e s pi ritu al gifts of eve ry one of its me mbe rs. Eve n the
simplest, mo st unprete ntiou s gift is needed a nd , when exe rc ise d , it does free up o th e rs
to exe rc ise th e ir gifts. Oikodome ("building up ") is the obj ec t of spiritu al gifts, th e l
purpo se of th eir bes tow a l by th e H o ly Spiri t.
Oikodom e is a lso th e ex planation of th e di s tributi o n of s piritu a l gift s and acco unt s
fo r th e ir pl e nitude a nd va ri e ty. A t I Corinthi a ns 12:9- 1 I, Pau l reco rd s a li s t of nine gifts
and a little later (verse 28) sets down a not her list of eight fun ct io ns or offices . Two
mo re s uch li s ts may be fo und in Pa ul 's wr itings (Rom. 12:6-8); E ph . 4: 11 f.), a nd one
in I Peter 4: 11 .

1 Corinthians 12:8-10 1 Cori nthians 12:28 Ephesians 4:11

uttera nce of wisdom a po stles apos tl es
uttera nce of knowl edge proph e ts prophe ts
fa ith teachers eva ngeli sts
hea ling workers of mi rac les pa sto rs
working of miracles heale rs teac he rs
prophecy he lpe rs
di sce rnin g of s pirits admini stra tors
tongues s peake rs in ton gues
inte rpreta tion of tong ues

2 17
 Romans 12:6-8 I Peter 4:11
prophecy s pe aking
se rvi ce/ mini ste rin g rend e rin g se rvi ce
teac hing
ex ho rta ti o n
ge nero us giving of mo ney
leade rship
sha rin g a id or co mpass ion

In view of previous ex position s of these gift s in thi s lec ture se ri es, no further
co mme nt is necessa ry except to st ress their plen itu de a nd va ri e ty. The above li s ts in -
dicate the presence o f mo re th an twenty gifts in fo ur diffe re nt , wid e ly-se para ted New
Testa me nt co mmuniti es. The gift s va r y grea tly fro m c hurc h to c hurch and , int erest-
ingly e nough, o nl y in Corinth do tongues a nd interpretat io n of tongue s appea r in th e
gift s li sted. What are we to ma ke of thi s data ? For one thin g, th e va ri ety of these gift s
matc h th e dive rs it y of th e membe rs of th e body of C hri st a nd th e ir ass igned function.
" A ll are in spired by one and th e same S pirit , who appo rti o ns to eac h o ne individually
as he wi ll s" ( I Cor. 12: 11 ). No two C hri sti a ns are compl e te ly a like , a nd even whe n
we share in so me of the sa me gift s, th e combin ati o ns differ in eve ry one of us. As Paul
said , " W e have gifts th at differ acco rdin g to th e grace given us" (Rom. 12:6f; E ph .
4:7). In th e c hurc h at Corinth , unfortunate ly, it was this a maz ing varie ty of gift s that
crea ted d ifficulties a nd invited thi s co un se l of Paul. It seems th at some Corinthia n
C hristia ns were unh appy with th e ir gifts a nd we re co mpl a ining a bout what had bee n
appo rti oned to them. A ll wanted to spea k in tongues, as see ms ev ide nt from I Corin -
thians 14. To read thi s chap ter is to come away impressed by the number of argume nts
wh ic h Pau l fe lt co mpe lled to le ve l aga in st the prio rit y a nd s uperiority of thi s one gift
of to ngues. The un a vo idab le co nc lu sion is th a t adv ocacy of to ngue-speaking was
runnin g high at Corinth , a nd wha t Paul did was to comme nd a nd defend the variety of
spi ritu a l gifts as the a nswe r to their pa rti c ular proble m. He opposed th e trend to uni -
formity a nd in sisted on variety of gifts.
T he body does not consist of one mem ber but of many. If th e foot s ho uld
say, "Because I am not a ha nd , I do not belong to the body," th at would
no t make it any less a part of th e body . A nd ifthe ea r should say," Because
I am not a n eye, I do not be long to th e body ," th at would not make it any
less a part of th e body (I Cor. 12: 14- 16).
Are all apostl es? A re all proph e ts? Are a ll teache rs? Do a ll work miracles?
Do all possess gifts of hea ling? Do a ll speak with to ngues? Do a ll in -
ter pret ? (I Co r. 12:29-30) .
T he manner in which Pa ul ra ises th e above seven qu estion s indi cates that o nly
a negative answer is expected". All believers are not expec ted to have th e sa me gift s .
It may be that you do not have th e gift of ton gues but, in th e li ght of what Paul has
writte n, s ho uld thi s un settle yo u a nd lead you to regard yo urse lf as a carn a l, un s piritu a l
C hri stian? Abso lute ly not. What wo uld happe n to the oikodome of the churc h if a ll
believers exercised only one or only a very few of the gifts?
If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hea rin g? If th e who le
body were a n ea r , where would be th e sense of s me ll ? But as it is, God
2 18
 a rra nged th e o rga ns in the body, eac h o ne of th e m , as he chose . If all
we re a s ingle o rga n , where wo uld th e body be? A s it is, th e re a re ma ny
parts, yet o ne bod y ( I Cor. 12: 17-20).
T hi s pl e nitud e a nd variety of s piritu al gifts may ha ve still a not he r lesso n for us.
Pe rh a ps we are to learn from it , as H e ndriku s Be rkhof says, " th a t we a re no t to copy
t he situ a tion in Co rinth , le t a lo ne th a t on th e day of Pe ntecos t. We have to inte rpre t
th e gift s, in th e li ght of Pau l's teac hin g, into th e patte rn s a nd needs of th e li fe tod ay. " 3
In ot he r words, s ince the li s ts of s piritual gifts in th e a pos toli c c hurc hes diffe r s ignifi -
ca ntly , we s ho uld be prepared to lea rn from thi s th a t God's Holy Spirit is sove reign
and fr ee to bes tow upon us variou s kind s of gifts commensurate with our nee ds a nd
times . All be li eve rs a nd ch urc hes do not need to be a like. W e are a ll needed wit h our
va riou s gift s to do God 's wo rk in God's world. A ltho ugh o ur gifts may diffe r , we can
still rega rd eac h ot he r as a uth e ntic C hri s tian s, a nd be kind in our affect io n, th e one
to th e other. Eve ry gift of e ve ry beli eve r mu s t be und e rstood to be both hi s glo ry a nd
limita tion , a nd thi s plenitude a nd va ri ety of s piritual gifts contributes impo rt a ntl y to
th e up-building of th e c hurch.
We turn next to th e bearing of oikodome o n th e ordinary a nd ex tra o rdin a ry c ha r-
acte r of s piritual gifts. In th e li s t of function s o r offices a t I Co rinthi ans 12:28, we read
of " those ab le to he lp ot he rs a nd those with gift s of admini s tra tion ," both of whic h a re
mos t importa nt but ha rdl y extraordin a ry . Likewi se in the li s t of gifts for th e c hurc h at
Rome , we read of such importa nt but ordinary gifts as "contribut ing of money , leade r-
shi p abi lit y, s howing aid o r co mpass ion" (Rom. 12:8). The two gifts me nti o ned at
I Pete r 4:8 a re also quite ordinary in character. T he fac t that the N e w Testament
places in the category of s piritual gifts, marriage a nd ce libacy, a dmini s tra tion and
leade rs hip , s pea kin g and re nd e rin g of se rvi ce , prophecy, miracl es, and ton gues,
s hou ld ca ution us aga in st ma kin g too s ha rp a di s tinction be twe e n na tural and supe r-
na tura l gift s. While a s piritu al gift is not simply a noth e r na me for a natu ra l ta le nt ,
ne ve rtheless a s piritual gift can be e xerci se d thro ugh a natural ta le nt. In th e C hri s ti a n
life, a nat ural tale nt can readily beco me usa ble by th e Holy Spirit a nd res u_lt in a
mini stry of significant spiritu a l res ult. From th e s trange mixture of o rdin ary a nd extra-
ordin a ry gifts in the va riou s li s ts of charismata ("spiritu a l gifts" ) , one c ha ri s mati c
theologi a n d ra ws thi s concl usion :
Thi s confirm s th e fact th a t Pa ul knew no di stinction be twee n na tural a nd
supernatu ra l gifts, be twe e n o rdin a ry a nd ex trao rdin ary mini strie s. For
him , a ll the act ivities ofa C hri stian are saturated with th e Spirit ofGod. 4
Addressing him se lf to thi s same point , a not he r Pe ntecostalist writer of recogni ze d
stat ure, writes:
T he whole di s tin ct io n be twee n nat ura l and s upe rn a tural is outdated , both
sc ie ntifically and th eologically, a nd can no lo nge r be seriou s ly advocated .
Scientifically it is no longer poss ible to delineate th e bounda ri es of wh at
was called " na tural." From the theological standpoint as well , it is ir-
res ponsible to de scribe th e s upernatural as a brea kin g throu gh of nat ura l
laws .... And bes ides thi s, Paul does not di s tin gui s h betwee n na tural a nd
s upe rn a tural in te rm s of phe nomeno logica l categori es. 5
When Pe ntecosta li s t th eologia ns themse lves wa rn aga in s t ass umin g th at s piritu a l
gifts mu st '!!ways be s upernatural in c haracter a nd t ha t grace mu s t a lways viol a te

2 19
na ture, th e n C hri s ti a ns to day s ho uld face th e o bvi o us fac t th a t a g ift o r wo rkin g is
s piritu a l s impl y beca use it is ex trao rdin a ry , a nd th a t a g ift o r wo rkin g is no t s piritu a l
s impl y beca use it is o rdin a ry. A n y gift th a t se rv es as a ve hi c le fo r th e H o ly S pirit' s
prese nce a nd po we r , a nd whi c h wh e n exe rc ise d res ults in s piritu a l impac t . is mos t
su re ly a s piritu a l gift. In fac t , A rn o ld Bittlinge r is willin g to defi ne charism a in these
wo rd s:
A gift is ma nifes te d wh e n, be ing set free b y th e H o ly S pirit , m y na tu ra l
e nd ow me nts blosso m fo rth g lo ri fy ing C hri s t a nd buildin g up hi s c hurc h. n
E x pa ndin g a nd co mme ntin g o n hi s de finiti o n , Bittlin ge r goes o n to s ay:
T he re is no C hristian ac ti o n th at is indepe nd e nt o f th e H o ly S pirit. In
prac tica l te rm s thi s mea ns, fo r exa mpl e , t ha t fo r a C hri sti a n docto r hi s
to ta l ac tivit y is c ha ri sm a ti c ac tivit y. A presc ripti o n o r a n inn oc ul a tion
a re o nl y diffe re nt ways o f lay ing o n ha nd s . Bo th a re clo ne praye rfull y
a nd in fe ll ows hip with J es us . Beca use he kn ows th a t God is th e o ne wh o
hea ls, he will use hi s medi ca l s kill in utt e r de pe nd e nce u po n God. 7
In o th e r wo rd s , th e building up o f th e c hurc h c a ll s fo r s piritu a l g ift s whi c h a re
o rdi na ry a nd ex trao rdin a ry, a nd we s ho uld rejo ice in th e prese nce of bo th .
F ina lly, le t us note th a t oikodom e is th e princ ipl e o f e va lua ti o n a ppli e d by Pa ul
to th e s piritua l gift s in e vid e nce a t Corinth . T hi s ex pla in s wh y Pa ul gave o ut hi gher
ma rks to those gift s whi c h e dify th e c hurc h. H e urged be li e ve rs a t Corinth , s ince th ey
we re eage r for th e gifts of the S pirit , to see k to excel in th ose whi c h edi fy th e c hurc h
( 1 C or. 14: 12) . T o give thi s kind of co un se l co uld no t have bee n easy fo r Pa ul. Lo ng
ago , in hi s brief ex po s ito r y ske tc h o f I Co rinthi a ns, Ka rl Ba rth was di scernin g e no ugh
to s a y thi s:
It did not co me to him so eas ily as it co mes to us, to put s pea kin g in
to ngues into th e bac kground . With e ve ry c riti ca l wo rd th a t he utte rs upon
thi s subj ec t we mu st bea r in mind th a t he was not co nce rn e d w ith so me-
thin g th a t was di seased , ma rv e lou s o r e xa lte d , but w ith a great , impo rta nt ,
a nd divin e poss ibility , whi c h he did no t want in a n y c irc um sta nce, to mi s-
judge or suppress. H e says of him self: " I th ank God I s pea k in to ngues
mo re th a n yo u a ll " (v. 18) ... . And th e n ne ve rth e less : no t a way with it ,
but pu s h it bac k into th e seco nd ra nk , into th e bac kgro und . 8
T hi s se ns itive a pproach to I Corinthi a ns 12- 14 has mu c h to comm e nd it. O n th e
wh o le , Pa ul 's att itude to wa rd to ngue-s peakin g in c ha pte r fourt ee n of Co rinthi a ns is
pos itive. H e is o bviou s ly atte mptin g to co ntrol a nd mo dify th e practi ce , no t e limin a te
it. H e ca nn o t and will not suppo rt th ose wh o rega rd it as th e chi efcharism a , but ne ithe r
will he forbid or rej ect it. U s ing oikodom e as hi s de te rmining princ iple, Pa ul ' s e va lu a-
tio n of to ngue s pea kin g loo ks so me thin g like thi s:

1) T o ngues a re infe ri o r to proph ecy. 14: 1- 12

Thi s follow s for th e a po sti e beca use " th e o ne wh o s pea ks in
a to ng ue s pea ks no t to me n but to God " (v . 2) w he reas ''h e
who p\·ophes ies s peaks to me n fo r thei r upbuilding a nd e n-
co urage me nt a nd co nso la tion " (v. 3). Aga in , " he wh o
s pea ks in a to ngue e difi es himse lf, but he wh o pro ph es ies
ed ifi es th e c hurc h " (v. 4) . T he refore it fo llows th a t " he

220
 who proph es ies is grea te r th a n he who s peaks in to ngues ,
un less so meo ne int e rpre ts. so th at th e c hurc h may be edi -
fi ed" (v. 5) .
S peak ing in to ngues is like li s te nin g to a mu sica l in s trum e nt
pl ay in g s tra nge mu sic o r like one s pea kin g a fo re ign la n-
guage. Unle ss so meo ne ex pl ain s a nd inte rpre ts , no mea nin g
is co mmunica ted (vv. 7- 12).
2) To ngues in publ ic wors hip a re to be di sc ouraged . 14:13-19
U nint erpre ted to ngue-s pea kin g in c hurc h ha s no bless ing fo r
th e c hurc h a nd publi c wors hip requires th e use both o f
mind a nd spirit in praye r (v. 13- 15a), in so ng (v . 15b), in
thanksgiving (v. 16- 17) , in in stru c tion (v . 19). When Paul
says , " neve rth e less, in c hurc h I wou ld rat he r s pea k five
wo rd s with m y mind , in o rd e r to in s tru c t oth e rs , th a n te n
th o usa nd words in a to ngue" (v. 19), we may co nc lu de that
he is urging that to ng ue-s pea king be rese rved for private
wo rs hip , unl ess it is acco mpa ni ed by interpretat io n .
3) To ng ues o nl y prejudi ce th e o uts id er. 14:20-26
Judged by th e princ iple of upbuildin g t he c hurc h , tongues
a re not o nl y use less in c hurc h , but th ey turn off th e in -
te res ted vi sito rs a nd outs ide rs . To ngues repeat th e s itu at ion
desc ribed by th e prophet Isaia h (v. 2 1), a nd invite sce pti -
c is m a nd judgme nt (v. 22-23). Prophesy, on the ot he r ha nd ,
will co nvi c t a nd co nv e rt , a nd pro mpt th e confess ion th at
God is pres e nt in th e midst of hi s people (v. 24-25).
4) To ngues in public wors hip are to be regul ated . 14:26-40
Once more Pa ul repeats th at edifi cation is th e principle of
eva luation ro be used as a guid eline for publi c wors hip
(v. 26). T hi s means some down -to-ea rth adv ice for tongue-
s pea ke rs (27-28) , inte rpre te rs of tongues (28) , prophets
(v. 29) , for th ose with a revelation (v. 30) , a nd for women
s peakin g in ton gues (v. 34-36). Paul conc ludes , "S o , my
broth e rs , ea rn es tl y des ire to prophes y, a nd do no t forbid
s pea kin g in ton gues; but a ll th in gs s ho uld be don e dece ntly
a nd in o rd e r (v. 39-40).

This quick s urvey of I C orinthian s 14 makes clea r that Pa ul ' s coun se l he re is

directed aga in s t th e use of ton gue-s peaking in publi c wo rs hip , exce pt und e r s pecific
limita ti o ns. Wh e n permitted , not too ma ny a re to spea k , only two or three , a nd o nly
on e at a time , a nd never without a n acco mpa nyin g inte rpretation . In publi c wo rs hip ,
things mu st be c lea r a nd und ersta nd a ble , oth e rwise God ' s people a re not ed ified.
Thi s co un se l together with hi s preference for the use of tongues in private worship
iss ues from hi s one refe re nce point : oikodom e . Wors hip is not fo r t he glo rifi catio n
of the individu a l, whether mini ster o r lay perso n, but for the edifi cation of th e c hurc h.
Public wors hip is no occasion for se lf-di s play eith e r for pu lpit o r pew. T hi s is th e most
he lpful a nd seriou s word t he c hurc h needs to heed in th e prese nt c ha ris ma ti c renewa l.
C ha ri s mati cs a nd non-c ha ri s ma ti cs a like need to be re minded that th e fin al, a po sto li c
word on thi s matte r is th e word with whic h we bega n : ' ' S ince yo u a re eage r, I know , for

22 1
th e gifts of the Svirit , th en seek to abo un d or to exce l in tho se which bu ild up th e
ch urch " ( I Co r. 14 :1 2).
T he churches no less th an Pentecostali sm need to hea r the message of
th e Corinth ia n lette rs. I f both th e churches and Pent ecosta lism could be
persuaded to hear what th e Spir it says to th em throu gh Co rinth , to look
at C hri st singly and to se rv e him simpl y through th e mini str y of va ri ed
gift s in th e given loca l co ngrega ti on, and wherever else th ere is need, th e
churches would find li fe in their weakne sses, and Pent ecos tali sm wo uld
find not 011/y the fulne ss o f th e Spirit it wron gl y see ks, it would mini ster
to th e church it needs . . . and which .. . very mu ch needs it."

FOOTNOTES

' H endriku s Berkhof, Th e Doctrine of th e H oly Spirit (Ric hmo nd : John Knox , 1967), p. 3.
2
Otto Mic hel, "Oikodome," in Kittel' s Th eological Dictionary of th e New T estament (Grand Rapid s:
Wm . B. Eerdma ns Publ. Co., 1965) V , 144f.
3
Op. cit ., p. 93.
' Arno ld Bittlinger, G ifts and G races : A Co mm entary 011 I Co rinthian s 12-14 (Lo ndo n: Hodder a nd
Stou ghto n, 1967), p. 70 .
' Wa lte r J . Hollenweger, Der I K ori11(h erbrief ; ei11 e Arbeitshi/fe Z l.11' Bib elwoche (1964-65), p. 25f.
6
Op . cit., p. 72.
7
I bid., p. 72.
8 Karl Barth , The R esurrec tion of th e Dead, (N e w York : Fle ming H . Reve ll Compa ny, 1933), pp . 90f.

9
Frederi ck Dale Bruner, A Theo logy of 1h e H oly Spirit, (Grand Rapid s: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publ. Co.,
1973), p. 319.

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