1 Corinthians: Not in VainSample

Do you tend to think of yourself as a spiritual person? Increasingly in contemporary culture people are identifying themselves as ‘spiritual but not religious’. So how should Christians think about spirituality? 

The opening verse refers to ‘gifts of the Spirit’, but it could equally be translated as ‘spiritual things’ or ‘spiritual people’ (v. 1) – it’s a different Greek word to the one used for ‘gifts’ later on (vv. 4, 31). And it’s a fearless opening too: Paul launches a series of grenades, seeking to humble a church that prided themselves on their so-called ‘spiritual knowledge’! 

For starters, Paul says we can’t become Christians without God’s Spirit. ‘Spiritual’ is not a special category to describe some Christians, because you can’t truly confess Jesus as Lord without God’s Spirit (v. 3). To think otherwise is to underestimate the miracle of conversion. You need the Spirit of God to transform someone from following idols to following Christ (v. 2). 

Paul’s second grenade is to explain that the same Spirit is behind all sorts of different gifts and ways that people serve – see the striking repetition in verses 4–6! Ironically, the Corinthians think they’re being more spiritual by only describing some areas of church life as ‘spiritual’, but they’re actually limiting the realm of God’s Spirit. Do we sometimes act like only some church roles are more spiritual than others? 

And while Paul does list some examples of the Spirit’s varied work (vv. 8–10), this isn’t intended as an exhaustive list to measure our church’s spirituality. Rather he wants to convince us that the same Spirit is behind a diverse range of different activities and gifts (v. 11), all given for the common good (v. 7) – and not for inflating egos!

Reflection

Spend some time praising God for giving you his lifechanging Spirit. Give thanks for those using their differing gifts, skills and time to serve your church. Why not encourage them today