Introduction: Recently, a member of my church asked me, “Who chose you to teach the Sabbath School class?” It was a good question. I thought back to when I was in law school and my local church asked me to teach a class. In every subsequent church, someone in authority asked me to teach. At the same time, no one ever asked me to sing. Just the opposite. The academy teacher who invited me to join the choir disinvited me shortly thereafter. Do you know church members who insist on having a certain role in the church? Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:31 to “earnestly desire the higher gifts.” How should leaders and workers in the church be selected? Does it turn on our understanding of spiritual gifts? Does it turn on our goals? Let’s once again turn to our Bibles and see what we can learn!
I. Holy Spirit Speech
A. Read 1 Corinthians 12:1. What is Paul’s goal for this part of his letter to the Corinthians? (He is going to teach them about spiritual gifts.)
B. Read 1 Corinthians 12:2. Do idols speak? (Paul calls them “mute.” They say nothing.)
1. What contrast is Paul drawing between their former worship and the work of the Holy Spirit? (Their former idols were mute, but the living God speaks and reveals truth through His Spirit.
C. Read 1 Corinthians 12:3. Does the Holy Spirit speak? (Yes, through the members.)
1. It seems odd that the only time a person can say “Jesus is Lord” is through the power of the Holy Spirit. Is that what you think Paul is saying? (I don’t think Paul is thinking simply about the phrase; rather, he is writing about speaking with conviction. It is the convicting power of the Holy Spirit that enables a person sincerely to confess that Jesus is Lord.)
2. Paul writes about those who say “Jesus is accursed.” Who would think that the Holy Spirit would inspire such a statement? The obvious answer is “No one.” If Paul is not stating the obvious, what is he teaching us here? (He is warning about those who claim to be speaking for God, but whose message attacks Jesus.)
3. What overall conclusion would you reach from verse three? (You have clues about whether the Holy Spirit inspires a Christian’s speech by paying attention to what the Christian says.)
II. Holy Spirit Gifts
A. Read 1 Corinthians 12:4-7. How else does the Holy Spirit manifest Himself through Christians? (Through gifts, service, and activities.)
1. Is everyone expected to have the same gift, engage in the same service, or perform the same activity? (No.)
a. Why do you think Paul makes this point about the differences in what Christians are saying or doing in the church?
B. Look again at 1 Corinthians 12:4–7. What do all these differing manifestations have in common? (They come from the same God and are given for the common good.)
1. Does the lesson of 1 Corinthians 12:3 apply here? (If what is being said or done promotes the “common good,” then it is likely powered by the Holy Spirit.)
C. Read Matthew 6:1 and Matthew 6:5. Have you seen church members engage in this kind of behavior?
1. How does Paul’s statement about the “common good” fit here? (If the gift, service, or activity in the church seems primarily to exalt the person providing it, then that is not a “common good” practice inspired by the Holy Spirit.)
D. Read 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. I count Paul mentioning nine different gifts. How many do you count? How many of those gifts are exhibited in your local church? Less than 50%?
E. Read 1 Corinthians 12:11. Who chooses which gifts, service, or activity a member provides to the church for the common good? (The Holy Spirit.)
1. Paul writes of many gifts, but One Spirit. What does that teach us about division in the church?
III. The Body of Christ
A. Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-13. How does Paul deal with diversity? (He says that those of very different backgrounds are to act as “one body.”)
1. Is the goal diversity? Or is the goal one body? (Diversity is a state of being; it is not a goal.)
B. Decades ago, I began seeing in worldly educational materials a push for diversity. The goal was to highlight the differences among people. The goal was not to focus on unity. Can you think of a Bible story that highlights differences in people?
C. Read Genesis 11:5-8. What does the Bible teach us about diversity as a goal? (When the people are one, including one in language, nothing is impossible according to God. In this account, God created diversity in language and location to make progress more difficult.)
1. What is the lesson for our church today? (The goal must be unity and not diversity in the body of Christ. One Spirit is the goal.)
IV. Coveting in the Body of Christ
A. Read 1 Corinthians 12:14-18. Have you experienced church members who are like this? They say that unless they have a specific position in the church, they will leave the church.
B. Read 1 Corinthians 12:19-21. Paul explains the practical problem with the attitude of demanding a certain office. Is there also a sin problem with that attitude? What about coveting?
1. Who ultimately determines each member’s place and function in the body of Christ? (God.)
2. If you hold a position in the church, how did you come to hold it?
C. Read 1 Corinthians 12:22-24. What answer does Paul give to those who covet the “higher” positions? (The church should fix this by especially honoring those who hold less honorable positions.)
D. Read 1 Corinthians 12:27-31. Paul ranks the spiritual gifts, which would seem to add to the problem of coveting a higher gift. What does Paul say about wanting a higher gift? (He says we should “earnestly desire the higher gifts.”)
1. Does that mean that any suggestion about covetousness is wrong? (No. Paul commends the desire for gifts that build up the church; he does not commend jealously demanding an office, title, or status for yourself.)
V. Tongues
A. Read 1 Corinthians 13:1. This chapter is about love, but we are going to hold that discussion until next week. What is Paul indirectly saying about the gift of tongues? (He calls it “noisy.”)
1. Paul writes about the “tongues of men and of angels.” What are the tongues of angels?
B. Look again at 1 Corinthians 12:10 and the reference to the gift of tongues. Does this sound like Acts 2 where foreign languages were involved?
C. Read 1 Corinthians 14:27-28. Does this sound like Paul is writing about foreign languages?
D. Read 1 Corinthians 14:2. Does this sound like Paul is writing about a foreign language?
1. I asked these questions about tongues because I think it very unlikely it involves only speaking in foreign languages. At a large meeting the speaker and his helpers offered to “lay hands” on anyone who came forward to give them the power of the Holy Spirit. What they really meant was to give the gift of tongues. I’m looking for all available gifts of the Holy Spirit, so I walked up and a helper laid hands on me. And nothing happened. Why not? (The Holy Spirit chose not to share that gift with me. That might be a good thing in that I’m a member of a non-charismatic church.)
E. Read again 1 Corinthians 14:2. Although I was not given the gift of tongues, I am still concerned about missing something important. What is the tongue that “speaks not to men but to God?” What are the tongues of angels (1 Corinthians 13:1)? (I believe the tongue that speaks to God, the tongue of angels, is something used in private prayer.)
1. What do you think? Have you experienced this?
F. Friend, everyone likes gifts. Why not determine, right now, to ask God to make known to you which spiritual gift or gifts God has given you? My challenge to you is to use your gifts to advance the common good rather than your own interests.
VI. Next week: A Portrait of Love.
Copr. 2026, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.
