Lessons #413 and 414
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Apportionments concerning Spiritual matters (1 Cor 12: 4-6)
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
These three verses of 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 are concerned with apportionments related to spiritual matters that Apostle Paul introduced in verse 1 with the phrase about spiritual gifts that we indicated literally reads about the spiritual. We argued that although there is no doubt that the Corinthians were concerned with the subject of spiritual gifts as related to worship that the apostle discoursed in the twelfth chapter and following but that it is best to recognize that the apostle was concerned with spiritual matters. This interpretation is supported by the fact that in the first three verses of the twelfth chapter of 1 Corinthians, the apostle dealt with the essential knowledge about spiritual matters the Corinthians should have to help avoid any spiritual deception. Further support of this interpretation is given in the passage we are about to study because the apostle is concerned with three apportionments that involve the three persons of the Triune God. By the way, our use of the word “apportionment” should be understood to have the sense of dividing and sharing out according to a plan.
Our use of the word “apportionments” will become clearer as we examine a Greek word used in our passage that is translated in the NIV with the phrase different kinds. The phrase appears in verse 4 in connection with “gifts” for we read different kinds of gifts. In verse 5, the phrase appears relating to “service” in the phrase different kinds of service. The same phrase appears in verse 6 in connection with the word “working” so we read different kinds of working. Thus, one gets the idea that the apostle is concerned in these three verses with the concept expressed in the phrase different kinds. It is for this reason that we contend that our passage is concerned with apportionments relating to spiritual matters. To be precise, the apostle is concerned with three apportionments described with the words “gifts,” “service”, and “working” in the NIV. We will, of course, examine these words later in our study but they are concerned with the apportionments the apostle penned in the passage we are about to study.
We mentioned the concept of three persons of the Triune God as part of spiritual matters because it seems the Holy Spirit wants the apostle to reinforce the concept that in dealing with spiritual matters, believers should recognize the three persons of the Triune God that He directly introduced two of them and an indirectly, the third. You see, the Holy Spirit had guided the apostle to introduce an important spiritual matter of indicating that among the divine beings there is the unique divine being who is the supreme God that exists in three persons although he only directly discussed two of them, the Father and the Son, the Lord Jesus, as per what the apostle wrote as we have already studied in 1 Corinthians 8:6:
yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
As we stated, the apostle did not directly mention the Holy Spirit in this passage but in the passage, we are about to consider he mentioned Him. So, it makes sense for us to realize that the spiritual matters the apostle wanted the Corinthians to know also involve the matter of the three persons of the Triune God. We will explore later this concept of the three persons of the Triune God that in our study of 1 Corinthians 8:6 we indicated that there is unity in function of the persons of the Godhead although a particular member may be emphasized with respect to a given function.
The fact Apostle Paul referenced directly the two members of the Triune God and indirectly the third in relationship to the spiritual activities mentioned in our passage, enables us to derive a simple message we believe the Holy Spirit wants me to communicate to you. This simple message is that God is responsible for spiritual gifts, ministries, and activities of spiritual nature in the church of Christ. Our exposition of the passage before us will bear out this message.
Be that as it may, the apostle continues with the subject of spiritual matters that he introduced in verse 1 and began its discourse in verse 2 and 3. We know that he is continuing the topic of spiritual matters because the apostle used in verse 4 a Greek conjunction (de) that may be used to connect one clause to another, either to express contrast or simple continuation but in certain occurrences the marker may be left untranslated as adopted by the translators of the NIV and many English versions in this verse. Although it is often translated “but” in the English when there is a perceived contrast between two clauses, but it has other meanings such as “now,” “then,” “and,” “so” when it is used to link segments of a narrative. It can also be used to indicate transition to something new. In our verse, the Greek conjunction is used to indicate a continuation of the subject matter pertaining to spiritual matters already introduced so it could be translated “now” as in some of our English versions, such as, the NET and the NRSV, to mention a few, or it may be left untranslated as we have already stated that NIV and many of our English versions did.
Recall that the message we stated the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul wants us to hear in the section of 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 that we are considering is God is responsible for spiritual gifts, ministries, and activities of spiritual nature in the church of Christ. This message is brought to our immediate attention because of the apostle’s reference to the apportionment of gifts as we read in the first sentence of 1 Corinthians 12:4 There are different kinds of gifts.
The expression “different kinds” of the NIV is translated from a Greek noun (diairesis) that is related to a Greek verb (diaireō) that appears only twice in the Greek NT although it is used in the Septuagint with the meaning “to divide” in the apportioning of the land of Canaan to the tribes of Israel in Joshua 18:5:
You are to divide the land into seven parts. Judah is to remain in its territory on the south and the house of Joseph in its territory on the north.
It is this meaning of “to divide” or “to distribute” that is reflected when the compassionate father divided his property between his two sons in the parable of Jesus often referred as “parable of prodigal son” although I prefer using the title “parable of compassionate father” as in Luke 15:12:
The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
Since our Greek noun that we are considering is related to the verb that means “to divide” or “to distribute,” it means “apportionment, division” in our passage of 1 Corinthians 12:4. Again, remember that apportionment concerns the “dividing and sharing out according to a plan.” Hence, the Holy Spirit wants us to be aware that in spiritual matters there is such a thing as dividing and sharing out something according to God’s plan. The first thing to be divided or shared in accordance with God’s plan is “gift” as in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 12:4 different kinds of gifts.
It is necessary that we understand what the apostle meant with the word gifts since there are several things referred to as “gift” in Scripture. Receiving of the Holy Spirit is described as a gift in the promise Apostle Peter made to those who heard him preach on the day of Pentecost as we read in Acts 2:38:
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Eternal life is described as God’s gift in Romans 6:23:
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The entire concept of a grace-by-faith salvation is considered a gift as we read in Ephesians 2:8:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
The demonstrative pronoun this refers to the entire concept of a grace-by-faith salvation, that is, to the entire first clause of verse 8 is probably what the apostle had in mind. This interpretation accounts for the fact that everything associated with salvation comes freely from God. Faith which is the means of salvation is a gift from God so is salvation itself a gift from God. Thus, when the apostle wrote in the last sentence of Ephesian 2:8 it is the gift of God he meant everything that is involved in salvation is a gift from God. Of course, Apostle Paul had already indicated to the church in Corinth that they were not lacking any spiritual gift as we read in 1 Corinthians 1:7:
Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.
Hence, we have the idea that there are several things mentioned as “gift” in Scripture making it necessary to narrow down what the apostle means by “gift” in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 12:4 different kinds of gifts.
The word “gift” is translated from a Greek word (charisma) that may mean that which is freely and graciously given hence “favor bestowed, gift.” It is the word used to describe eternal life that God graciously gives in the passage we cited previously, that is, in Romans 6:23:
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Our Greek word is used to describe the special gift God gives that is necessary for carrying out special tasks as mediated to Timothy by the laying hands of the elders, presumably during his ordination, as stated in 1 Timothy 4:14:
Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
It is used to describe the special gift bestowed on believers that enable them to serve in the church of Christ as stated in 1 Peter 4:10:
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.
It is in the sense of special gift of a non-material sort, bestowed through God’s generosity on individual Christians that it is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 12:4. This gift we are concerned about involves capacity to function in way that is beyond the ordinary human capacity.
The gift we are concerned about is given by the Holy Spirit as implied in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 12:4 but the same Spirit. There are two issues that concern us in this phrase. The first is how to understand the word Spirit and the second is to interpret what the apostle intended to say in this phrase that is verbless.
To begin with the word “Spirit” is translated from a Greek word (pneuma) that may mean “wind”, as in the description by our Lord of the one that is born again in John 3:8:
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
The word may mean “breath” as Apostle Paul used it to describe the manner of the destruction of the future lawless one by the Lord Jesus in 2 Thessalonians 2:8:
And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.
The word may mean “spirit” as that which animates or gives life to the body, as the word is used to indicate that without it the body is lifeless in James 2:26:
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
It may mean “spirit” as part of human personality with various nuances. For example, it may refer to a person’s “very self” or “ego” as it is used by Apostle Paul in describing the assurance of the Holy Spirit to a believer regarding salvation in Romans 8:16:
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
According to the standard Greek English lexicon of BDAG, the sentence The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit is better translated the Spirit (of God) bears witness to our very self. The word may refer to the immaterial part of a person in contrast to the material body, as Apostle Paul used it in his appeal to the Corinthians for holy living in 2 Corinthians 7:1:
Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
Under this meaning of the immaterial part of a person, it could refer to the source and seat of insight, feeling, and will, generally as the representative part of human inner life so that it may mean “mind.” It is this meaning that is used in Apostle Paul’s description of his state when he could not find Titus, as we read in 2 Corinthians 2:13:
I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-by to them and went on to Macedonia.
The phrase peace of mind is literally rest in my spirit. Still in this meaning, it could refer to “spiritual state, state of mind, disposition”, as it is used to describe the disposition that a believing wife should have to be considered beautiful in 1 Peter 3:4:
Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
As suggested in the standard Greek English lexicon of BDAG, the phrase quiet spirit may be translated quiet disposition. The Greek word may mean “spirit” as an independent noncorporeal being, in contrast to a being that can be perceived by the physical senses. Consequently, it is used for created spirit-beings whether their function is good or bad. Apostle Paul used it to describe harmful spirits that will attempt to deceive people, as he presented in 1 Timothy 4:1:
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
The word may mean God’s being as controlling influence, with focus on association with humans hence means “Spirit.” Accordingly, Apostle Paul used it to describe God the Holy Spirit using different phrases. For example, he described the Holy Spirt as the Spirit of God in Philippians 3:3:
For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—
He described the Holy Spirit as “Spirit of Jesus Christ” in Philippians 1:19:
for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.
A person may say that the two passages in Philippians that we have cited do not decisively imply that the Spirit of God or the Spirit of Jesus Christ is a description of the Holy Spirit. If that is the case, let me refer to a passage that leaves no doubt that the Holy Spirit may be described as the Spirt of Jesus. Luke reports how the Holy Spirit kept Apostle Paul and his team from preaching the gospel in a specified region as we read in Acts 16:6:
Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.
It is the Holy Spirit that kept Apostle Paul and his team from preaching in the province of Asia but then Luke reports that it was the Spirit of Jesus that prevented the apostle and his team from entering the province of Asia as we read in Acts 16:7:
When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
Mysia was an area in northwest Asia Minor, part of the province of Asia. Thus, the Spirit of Jesus in verse 7 is in parallelism to the Holy Spirit in verse 6. Therefore, there is no doubt that the Spirit of Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 12:4, “Spirit” refers to the Holy Spirit. For one thing the apostle had mentioned the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:3:
Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
Consequently, when the apostle wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:4 the same Spirit his mind must have gone to the Holy Spirit he mentioned in verse 3. We have already indicated that “gift” in the passage we are considering concerns capability that is not natural to humans. This being the case, one of the gifts as the apostle mentioned later in the twelfth chapter of 1 Corinthians is that of gift of speaking in tongues. But we know that such enablement is by the Holy Spirit as recorded in Acts 2:4:
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
The Holy Spirit through the human author of Hebrews indicated it is the Holy Spirit that distributes gifts as we may gather from Hebrews 2:4:
God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
Later in the eleventh verse of the twelfth chapter of 1 Corinthians that we are considering, the apostle implies that the Holy Spirit is the person that apportions spiritual gifts. Thus, we are correct in stating that the phrase of 1 Corinthians 12:4 the same Spirit is a reference to the Holy Spirit.
To the second issue of interpreting what the apostle intended to say in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 12:4 but the same Spirit that is verbless, we have already answered the problem by citing the passages that help prove that the apostle had in mind the Holy Spirit in the phrase we are considering. However, for completeness of our treatment of the phrase, we should state that the apostle meant to say that the same Holy Spirit is responsible for the apportioning various spiritual gifts as He wishes. The implication is that every spiritual gift is from the Holy Spirit so that no believer should think that the other believer’s gift is not as important as the individual’s.
Recall, we stated that we will explore the concept of the three persons of the Triune God that in our study of 1 Corinthians 8:6 indicates that there is unity in function of the persons of the Godhead although a particular member may be emphasized with respect to a given function. Our interpretation of the phrase of 1 Corinthians 12:4 the same Spirit to mean that the Holy Spirit apportioned spiritual gifts as He determines support both the concept of plurality of persons in the Godhead and the unity of function although a specific member may predominantly be associated with a given function. The Holy Spirit is the person of the Godhead that is often associated with apportioning of spiritual gifts but that does not mean that such a function is limited to Him. The Lord Jesus is said to apportion spiritual gifts associated with communication of God’s word as we read in Ephesians 4:11–13:
11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
God the Father is also associated with spiritual gifts although not directly obvious but that we may gather from what the Holy Spirit penned through Apostle Paul in Ephesians 1:3:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
You may say that this verse has nothing to do with gift, but it does. You see, the Greek word (eulogia) translated “blessing” may mean “gift” as it is used for the describing the help the Corinthians promised to extend to their fellow believers in Judea as we read in 2 Corinthians 9:5:
So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.
Spiritual blessings we receive in Christ include spiritual gifts and so the Father is also involved in apportioning of spiritual gifts. Of course, the fact that all members of the Godhead are in unity when it comes to distributing of spiritual gifts is conveyed by Apostle Paul by using the word “God” instead of a specific member of the Godhead in describing the apportioning of spiritual gifts as we read in 1 Corinthians 12:28:
And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.
The point is that there is unity among the persons of the Triune God regarding the apportioning of spiritual gifts although the Holy Spirit is the member that primarily is concerned with that function. Thus, we have considered, based on what the Holy Spirit gave through Apostle Paul, the first responsibility mentioned in the section of 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 that involves apportioning by the Holy Spirit of spiritual gifts in the church of Christ, so we proceed to the second responsibility that involves ministries in the church of Christ.
Remember the message of the section that we are considering is that God is responsible for spiritual gifts, ministries, and activities of spiritual nature in the church of Christ. Our concern now is with the matter of ministries that the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul introduced in the first sentence of 1 Corinthians 12:5 There are different kinds of service. The phrase is translated from the same Greek noun (diairesis) that means “apportionment, division” where apportionment concerns the “dividing and sharing out according to a plan.” Hence, the apostle is concerned with dividing or apportioning something according to a plan. The second thing to be divided or shared in keeping with God’s plan is ministries as in the phrase different kinds of service.
The word “service” is translated from a Greek noun (diakonia) that is used overwhelmingly by Apostle Paul in his epistles so that he used it twenty-three times out of the thirty-four times the word appears in the Greek NT. The word has the basic meaning of “service” but with several other nuances. The word refers to rendering of specific assistance and so means “aid, support, provision” although it is translated “distribution” in the NIV as part of support or aid given to widows in the early church as recorded in Acts 6:1:
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
The Greek word can mean “task”, as Apostle Paul used it to describe the responsibility of preaching the gospel assigned to him in Acts 20:24:
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.
The word can refer to service rendered in an intermediary capacity so that it can mean “mediation, assignment”, as the word is used by Apostle Paul to describe the collection from the Gentile churches, he initiated to help believers in Jerusalem church. It is in this sense that the word “service” is used in 2 Corinthians 8:4:
they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.
The phrase this service to the saints refers specifically to the collection that Paul was gathering for Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. The word is also used in the sense of “ministry” in connection with the apostles in 2 Corinthians 5:18:
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
It is probably this meaning of “ministry” that is intended when our word is translated “work” in Colossians 4:17:
Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord.”
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 12:5, the word is used in the sense of “ministry” or “role especially done in service to others.”
The sentence of 1 Corinthians 12:5 There are different kinds of service indicates that there are several ministries that have been apportioned to believers. Most of us think of ministry only in terms of preaching or teaching of the word of God. No doubt, that is at the top of all ministries since whatever ministry there is relies on the ministry of the word to function properly. A believer must be taught the word to carry out whatever service the person is involved in, in a manner that is honoring the Lord. This ministry that involves the teaching of the word is one the apostles mentioned as part of their reason for assigning some men to another ministry so that they would not be distracted from the ministry of the word of God as stated in Acts 6:4:
and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
The ministry of the word is usually associated with those with the spiritual gifts of communication, but we should recognize that there is a sense that every believer is involved in the ministry of the word. This involvement required of all believers, is witnessing for Christ. In other words, we should recognize that all believers are involved in the ministry of reconciliating unbelievers to God as that is to be deduced from what the Holy Spirit stated through Apostle Paul in a passage we cited previously, that is, 2 Corinthians 5:18:
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
Apart from the ministry of the word, there are other ministries that believers are to be involved in as part of what has been apportioned to them. There is, of course, the ministry of taking care of the affairs of the local church that are mostly done by deacons as their ministry parallels that of the seven, the early church chose to administer daily affairs of the church. It is this ministry of handling the affairs of the church that the apostles turned over to the seven men appointed in the early church for that purpose as implied in their instruction to the church as recorded in Acts 6:3:
Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them
Another ministry that is apportioned to believers is that of providing relief to others who are suffering. This ministry is required of all believers as implied by the urging of Apostle Paul to Gentile churches to help fellow believers in Jerusalem that were suffering. This ministry is referenced in what the apostle stated in 2 Corinthians 9:12:
This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.
Service here should be understood as ministry. The LEB reflected this interpretation in that its translators translated the sentence This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people as because the service of this ministry is not only supplying the needs of the saints. It is this ministry of helping others or bringing contributions to believers in Jerusalem that the apostle referred as his ministry in Romans 15:31:
Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there,
The phrase my service may be translated my ministry. The apostle’s service or ministry is that of bringing contributions or donations from the Gentile churches to believers in Jerusalem. That aside, the point is that there is such a thing as ministry of relieving others from suffering. All believers are expected to be involved in this ministry but there are those God has specifically assigned this ministry in the sense that He equipped them with the means and the willingness to do so. In any event, we should be aware that there are several kinds of ministries that have been distributed among believers.
The apportionment of ministries or services involves Jesus Christ as we read in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 12:5 but the same Lord. There are two questions we should consider regarding the phrase. The first is who is the Lord in view? The second is what does the apostle mean by the phrase?
We begin with the first question of who the Lord is the apostle had in mind. The word “Lord” is translated from a Greek word (kyrios) that may mean “owner” in the sense of one who is in charge by virtue of possession. Another meaning of our Greek word refers to one who is in a position of authority and so means “lord, master.” Our Greek word is used severally in the NT to refer to the Lord Jesus. This is the case when the OT is quoted in such a way that it should be clear that Jesus Christ is meant as we find, for example, in quoting from Prophet Isaiah regarding John the Baptist’s ministry in preparing the way for the ministry of Jesus Christ as we read in Matthew 3:3:
This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”
Matthew interpreted the word “Lord” in Isaiah 40:3 that he quoted as a reference to Jesus Christ. But Lord in OT refers to God. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 12:5, it is used as a reference to Jesus Christ as indicated in the confession that Jesus is Lord the apostle cited in 12:3. Furthermore, the apostle had already conveyed to the Corinthians that Jesus Christ is Lord in the passage we cited previously, that is, 1 Corinthians 8:6:
yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
The point is that when the apostle wrote the phrase of 1 Corinthians 12:5 but the same Lord he means the Lord Jesus Christ.
To the second question of what is meant in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 12:5 but the same Lord. The apostle intended for us to understand that the Lord Jesus apportions ministries to believers in the church, that is, that He calls believers to various ministries they are involved. The apostle was certain that the Lord Jesus apportions ministries to believers because he considered his appointment to the ministry as coming from the Lord Jesus. Thus, as the apostle bid his farewell to the elders of the church of Ephesus, he conveyed that it is the Lord Jesus that appointed him to his ministry in the passage we cited previously, that is, Acts 20:24:
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.
The sentence the task the Lord Jesus has given me may be translated the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus. The same understanding that the Lord Jesus appointed the apostle to his apostolic ministry is mentioned in his epistle to Timothy as we read in 1 Timothy 1:12:
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service.
The phrase appointing me to his service is more literally placing me into ministry. The point is that since the apostle recognized that his appointment into the apostolic ministry was from the Lord Jesus, he meant for us to understand that it is the Lord Jesus that apportions various ministries to believers as that is what he meant in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 12:5 but the same Lord. An implication of this truth is that no one should underrate the ministry of another by thinking it is insignificant compared to others since that ministry is given to the individual by the Lord Jesus.
Recall we stated that we will explore the concept of the three persons of the Triune God that in our study of 1 Corinthians 8:6 indicates that there is unity in function of the persons of the Godhead although a particular member may be emphasized with respect to a given function. Our interpretation of the phrase of 1 Corinthians 12:5 the same Lord to mean the Lord Jesus apportions various ministries to believers in the church supports both the concept of plurality of persons in the Godhead and the unity of function although a specific member may predominantly be associated with respect to a given function. The Lord Jesus is the person of the Godhead often associated with apportioning of ministries but that does not mean that such a function is limited to Him. The apportioning of ministry by the Holy Spirit is implied in the commissioning of Apostles Paul/Saul and Barnabas to the ministry of taking the gospel to Gentiles as stated in Acts 13:2:
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
It is true that the Holy Spirit speaks of the work assigned to these two apostles, but the work assigned to them is the preaching of the gospel which is a specific ministry. That aside, that the apportioning of ministry is carried out by the three persons of the Triune God is implied when Apostle Paul stated the ministry, he and his team have is from God in 2 Corinthians 4:1:
Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.
The word “God” is to be understood in a general sense that includes all members of the Godhead. This being the case, we are correct to deduce that all members of the Triune God are involved in the apportioning of ministry with the primary responsibility being that of the Lord Jesus.
Again, remember the message of the section that we are considering is that God is responsible for spiritual gifts, ministries, and activities of spiritual nature in the church of Christ. We have considered the apportioning of spiritual gifts and ministries as responsibilities of the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus, so we turn our attention to the responsibility of apportioning of activities that require special capability, that is, the third thing to be apportioned. The concept of activities that require special capability is given in the first sentence of 1 Corinthians 12:6 There are different kinds of working.
The word “working” (energēma) appears only twice in Greek NT. In its other occurrence, it means “miraculous power” or “effective power” as it is used in describing spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:10:
to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 12:6, it means “activity as expression of capability” or “the act of implementing (providing a practical means for accomplishing something).” Thus, the sentence recognizes that God apportioned to each believer the capability necessary to carrying out any required activity in the spiritual life.
It is God that enables believers to carry out whatever activity they are involved. It is this fact that is stated in the last clause of 1 Corinthians 12:6 but the same God works all of them in all men. Literally, the Greek reads but the same God the (one) working all (things) in all.
We would expect that the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul would have mentioned the Father but that was not the case. We are simply given the phrase the same God to imply that the Father is also involved since the apostle had already indicated that He is the source of all things as he stated in 1 Corinthians 8:6:
yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
Anyway, the apostle’s use of the phrase of 1 Corinthians 12:6 the same God is a way to focus on all the members of the Triune God.
The question regarding this last clause of 1 Corinthians 12:6 but the same God works all of them in all men is whether the working of God is for all human or only believers. There is no doubt that God certainly controls all humans but here the apostle is concerned with God providing the capability for believers to carry out their task. This is supported by the fact that the context is concerned with apportionments directed to believers. Thus, they are the ones that God works in such a way to enable them carry out their activities or ministries. You see, Apostle Paul recognized this by asserting that God worked in the ministry of Apostle Peter and himself as we read in Galatians 2:8:
For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles.
The apostle reminded the Philippians, and so all believers, that it is God who works in them to desire to do His will as stated in Philippians 2:13:
for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
Anyway, the point is that it is God that provides capability for believers to function in the spiritual life. By the way, the apostle’s use of the word “God” is his way of referencing the supreme being that we call God that exists in three distinct persons. Of course, implied in the word “God” is the fact that God the Father is involved in the two apportionments of spiritual gifts and ministries that he discoursed in verses 4 and 5 of 1 Corinthians 12. In any event, we end by reminding you of the message of 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 which is God is responsible for spiritual gifts, ministries, and activities of spiritual nature in the church of Christ.
05/05//22