I thank the Lord for the controversies and conflicts He has brought into my life. It is the controversies that force me to dig deep into the Scriptures and every time I do I find treasures there!
Most people who grew up in Christian churches think the church they grew up in is the most obedient to the commands of Scripture. It was only later, in my own studies that I learned that many of the commands of Scripture are ignored by most Christians, or at best taken out of context!
I confess that I was like that too. I grew up in Baptist churches, was saved, baptized, and married in Baptist churches, and my grandfather was a Baptist pastor. I was very familiar with the Baptist way of doing things, and thought it was entirely bible-based.
So, when we read things in the Scriptures which are contrary to the way we understand Christianity our Confirmation Bias kicks in and we tend to ignore it as if it was unimportant!
Seven years ago I began to attend a Brethren Assembly in Barrie, Ontario, because I thought that they were obeying God’s commands in 1 Corinthians 11-14. It is only more recently that I found out that they have split God’s commands in this passage into two, and are deliberately ignoring chapters 12-14 and the commands they contain! The fact is that 11:17 to the end of chapter 14 is speaking of only one meeting, and the Lord has some profound reasons for giving us these commands!
In Baptist Churches, every time we had a “Lords Supper” service we always read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, which is the essential part of this service, but we rarely read more than this. Sometimes we might read verses 17-23 first, without comment, and then reread verses 23-24 before the crackers, and 25 before the grape juice.
Once or twice I heard a sermon on the gifts of the spirit, from 1 Corinthians chapter 12, and at almost every wedding I attended we would have a short message from the love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13.
Very occasionally I would hear someone quote from chapter 14, usually to show that tongues shouldn’t be heard in the assembly.
What I never heard was that in 1 Corinthians 11:17 – 14:40 Paul is addressing one meeting and is addressing the problems logically and consistently! He is not jumping around randomly from subject to subject, but is aiming at his target from the beginning and certainly hits the “bullseye”, although many miss it!
Paul was the missionary who had planted the Corinthian Church, and had spent several years there guiding them, before leaving to work in other areas. In the two books of 1 and 2 Corinthians Paul is addressing problems that had arisen after he had left that church. Everything Paul states in these two books is something that he had already spoken about when he was there in person!
We can see this in 1 Cor. 11:17-19 where they were attempting to follow the commands referred to later in chapter 14, but were failing to follow-through with the original intent!
17 Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.
18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.
19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.
This is Paul’s introduction to the next 3 1/2 chapters, and he begins addressing the problems right away.
Notice that his statement in verse 19 is rather peculiar: his use of the word “must” might be confusing to some. The word is translated from the Greek “dei”: “it is necessary, there is a need of, it behooves, is right and proper”. The word translated as “manifest” is “phaneros”: “1. apparent, manifest, evident, known 2. manifest, i.e. To be plainly recognized or known.”
In other words this verse could be translated thusly: “For it is necessary that there are heresies among you, so that those which are approved may be evident, visible, or known among you”.
In other words then, it is the Lord’s plan for this service that heresies believed by members of the Church would come out, so that those more mature would have the opportunity to refute them in the context of the service! These heresies would not be present if there was only one person speaking in this service, or if the subject of the service was tightly controlled by the Elders! This service, which also contains the Lord’s Supper, is intended to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, not by the Elders or Pastor of the Church! The Elders are to keep order, but the rest of it is up to the Holy Spirit!
After this Paul speaks of the Lord’s supper and then in chapter 12 logically goes into the important doctrine of Spiritual gifts!
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
Every believer receives spiritual gifts the moment they believe in Jesus, but these are “raw” gifts. None of us receives our gift as a completely mature thing not needing any refinement! These gifts require that we work on them! Timothy was a gifted leader, and yet Paul says to him
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. II Timothy 2:15
So even though Timothy received some of the same gifts Paul speaks of in chapter 12, he still needed to study! When we are saved we receive gifts of the Holy Spirit, but they still need to be worked on in order to refine them. If we don’t work on them we won’t grow, and God won’t give us something we can do for ourselves!
This is the purpose of this service: that the men of the assembly are given the opportunity to exercise their spiritual gifts in the “safe-space” of the Christian assembly. Because these gifts are “raw” Paul writes the next chapter on the subject of Love! Notice that the context of chapter 13 is not the wedding (although love certainly does apply to weddings) but this particular service of the Christian Assembly!
People exercising their spiritual gifts have a great need for love and understanding from the Assembly! Paul is so totally logical in his layout of these passages; each logically follows the one before and all are connected.
God has designed the Lord’s Supper service this way so that it is connected to the exercising of the Gifts of the Spirit, so that each brother would feel safe to express their understanding to the assembly. What Paul says in 11:19 then is that this service is designed so that heresies may be brought out in the context of this service. The purpose is so that more mature brethren would speak-up and correct the heresies, in love, before these people repeat them outside of the Church!
Notice at the end of chapter 13 that Paul states:
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
Notice that these are all gifts that he spoke of in 12:7-11. Note that there are problems with them, but does this mean that we shouldn’t exercise these gifts? Prophecies will fail, and the word used could possibly mean “cease”, but this is not the same word used to say that tongues will “cease”! He goes on to explain why and for how long these gifts will be in effect:
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
You also have to compare these statements with other prophets such as Joel 2:28 which speaks of prophets during the Tribulation, and with Zechariah 13:1-5 which clearly states that there will be no prophets during the Millennial Kingdom! Once Jesus is here in person there will be no need for prophets, or prophecies!
Because we don’t know everything, we can only prophesy in part. This means that prophecies will fail. We are not in the Old Testament paradigm, where false prophets were to be put to death, but rather in the Church Age, the Age of Grace, prophets are expected to learn from their mistakes and to use this experience to learn to listen to the Holy Spirit more attentively. Paul expects the Assembly to be the place where budding prophets, teachers, evangelists, and preachers make their mistakes so that they don’t make the same mistake in public, and bring disrepute on the Church!
In verse 10 he tells us how long these spiritual gifts will last; in Greek the antecedent must agree with the adjective (in this case “telious” or “perfect”). Since “perfect” is neuter, its antecedent must also be neuter. If you search this paragraph you won’t find a neuter noun, but if you go back to the previous chapter you will find “soma” or “body” in several places from 12:12-17! Yes, “soma” is neuter! Thus the gifts of the Spirit will be needed, and administered, until the body is perfect! When will the body of Christ be made perfect? When we are with Him in our glorified bodies!
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
He follows it up in verse 12, and it fits perfectly; we won’t need the gifts of the Spirit when we see Him face to face!
This is the end of part 1, Part 2 shall follow soon,
Dan
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