SOURCE FOR QUESTIONS
1 Corinthians 12:1 through 16:24

‍KEY VERSE FOR MEMORIZATION
“For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.” (1 Corinthians 12:12)

BACKGROUND

Instead of building up and unifying the Corinthian church, a misconception regarding spiritual gifts was dividing it. This misconception revolved around some members thinking they were more “spiritual” than others because of their gifts.

In chapter 12, verses 1-11, Paul described many spiritual gifts given by God. He then explained how essential each gift was in unifying the Body of Christ, the Church. Imagery of the human body was common in the ancient world, although Paul used it in a special way. He stressed both sides of the picture — first, the oneness of the body, and second, its diversity. Paul compared the necessity of each gift in the Church to the necessity of each part in the body; each part has its own function and all must work together for the good of the whole.

Chapter 13 reveals the greatest of God’s gifts, which is charity (love). In morally corrupt Corinth, the word love had little meaning. Four Greek words which translate into the English word “love” are:

1)    Agape — selfless, sacrificial love that acts in conformity to the character and nature of God.

2)   Phileo — endearing love that cherishes, such as the husband/wife relationship, the love of a brother/sister, or dearest friend.

3)   Eros — passionate or physical love.

4)   Storge — affectionate love, such as the loyalty of an employee to his employer.

Of the four, 1 Corinthians 13 describes agape love. Translators had no proper word to use when attempting to convey the true meaning of Christian love. Hence, in this chapter, the English word chosen to represent agape love was “charity,” which is related to “cherish.”

The misuse of the gift of speaking in tongues by some individuals was also a concern in the Corinthian church because it had caused disorder in worship. Paul instructed that speaking in tongues was a legitimate gift from the Holy Spirit, but should not be used as a sign of spiritual superiority. Rather, it should be a means to spiritual unity.

Chapter 14, verses 34-35, address the practices of women in the church. It is clear from chapters 12 through 14 that women had spiritual gifts and were encouraged to exercise them in the Body of Christ. However, in the Corinthian culture, women were not allowed to confront men in public. Apparently, some of the women who had become Christians thought their Christian freedom gave them the right to question men in public worship. This was causing division in the church. In addition, women of that day did not receive formal religious education, as did the men. Paul was asking the women not to flaunt their Christian freedom during the worship service. He did this to promote unity, not to teach about a woman’s role in the church.

In Chapter 15, Paul reviewed the subject of resurrection. Corinth was a Greek city. Greeks generally believed in immortality of the soul, but not physical resurrection of the body. Christianity, in contrast, teaches that the body and soul will be united after resurrection. Because the church at Corinth was in the heart of Greek culture, Paul addressed this point of confusion and disbelief among its members. He lovingly but fervently emphasized to the Corinthian believers, the importance of their belief in physical resurrection, giving detailed examples of what Christians’ resurrected bodies will be like.

At the conclusion of this epistle, Paul offered brief comments about his travel plans and the plans of his co-workers, Timothy and Apollos, and then made his closing remarks. He directed the Corinthian believers to be alert to spiritual dangers, to remain true to the Lord, to behave maturely, to be strong, and to do all things with kindness and love.

SUGGESTED RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS

1. What does 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 reveal about the unity and diversity of spiritual gifts? Consider what unique talents God has given you. How might they be used to benefit the Body of Christ?
   
   Each gift is unique, but all the diverse gifts are from one Giver: God. Each gift is specially formed to fill a place in the Body of Christ, and if even one person were missing, the Body would be incomplete. Point out the fact that God himself is “Trinity in Unity.” Mention the various functions of ministers, Sunday school teachers, musicians, janitors, gardeners, cooks, altar workers, etc. Ask students to consider what would happen if we did not have people to fulfill these positions. Who would preach God’s Word? Who would teach Sunday school students? Who would clean the church? When each member performs his or her God-appointed duty, the church will be in unity, working together for the good of the Gospel.
   
2. What are the sixteen traits of charity as described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8?
   
   It is interesting that the first two traits of charity describe the patient kindness of charity. The next eight describe selfish qualities absent from charity and revolve around self-centeredness rather than selflessness. The final six describe the courage and character of charity.
   
   •    Charity “suffereth long” (13:4) – Love is patient.
   
   •    Charity “is kind” (13:4) – Love is courteous and helpful, and actively engaged in doing good to others.
   
   •    Charity “envieth not” (13:4) – Love does not begrudge others their earthly goods, positions, or spiritual gifts.
   
   •    Charity “vaunteth not itself” (13:4) – Love is unassuming and never boastful.
   
   •    Charity “is not puffed up” (13:4) – Love does not assume an air of superiority.
   
   •    Charity “doth not behave itself unseemingly” (13:5) – Love is tactful and polite.
   
   •    Charity “seeketh not her own” (13:5) – Love is more interested in others’ welfare than in personal gain.
   
   •    Charity “is not easily provoked” (13:5) – Love is good-natured and without temper.
   
   •    Charity “thinketh no evil” (13:5) – Love forgives and forgets slights and imagined slights.
   
   •    Charity “rejoiceth not in iniquity” (13:5) – Love is grieved or saddened by sin.
   
   •    Charity “rejoiceth in truth” (13:6) – Love appreciates and affirms that which is right.
   
   •    Charity “beareth all things” (13:7) – Love holds up, no matter what manner of trial appears.
   
   •    Charity “believeth all things” (13:7) – Love eagerly trusts and creates a spirit of trust by ascribing the best motives to others.
   
   •    Charity “hopeth all things” (13:7) – Love expects good to triumph.
   
   •    Charity “endureth all things” (13:7) – Love remains true in the most adverse circumstances, facing every assault of the enemy with courage and a conquering spirit.
   
   •    Charity “never faileth” (13:8) – Love cannot lose a battle.
   
3. Why did Paul encourage the Corinthians to esteem charity more than the gifts listed in chapter 12? (1 Corinthians 13:8)
   
   The gifts the Corinthians valued were only temporal. They were not to esteem such gifts more than charity, which is eternal.
   
4. Give an example of a time when you needed to exercise one of the traits of charity named by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
   
   Class input.
   
5. Why is charity the ultimate solution to the problems at Corinth and in any other church?
   
   Love is what makes spiritual gifts useful. Great faith, acts of dedication or sacrifice, and miracle-working power produce very little without love. Love is the greatest of human qualities, and although there are many different spiritual gifts, love is available to everyone. Love is an attribute of God himself, and involves unselfishly giving of oneself to others. Love leaves no foothold for resentment.
   
   Faith is the foundation and content of God’s message, hope is the attitude and focus, and love is the action. When faith and hope are in line, people are free to love completely because they understand how God loves. See 1 Corinthians 13:13.
   
6. In 1 Corinthians 14:3, what does Paul define as the three purposes of prophesying?
   
   Prophesying provides edification, exhortation, and comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3). Edification is defined as “instruction or enlightenment.” The definition of exhortation is “something that urges or warns” or “giving of urgent advice.” Comfort is defined as “to provide relief,” or “to cheer someone.”
   
   
7. What are the general principles that govern church services? (1 Corinthians 14:26,40)
   
   All things should be done for the edification of the church and with decency and order. Those involved in a church service must have love as their chief motivation when giving useful words or help that would strengthen the faith of other believers. Services without order or direction cause confusion among believers.
   
8. What do you suppose is meant by the phrase, “They have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints”? (1 Corinthians 16:15) What might this have to do with unity?
   
   Members of the household of Stephanas had apparently given themselves wholeheartedly to arranging and caring for the needs of the saints. When we put others’ needs ahead of our own, and dedicate ourselves to helpful and compassionate care of others, we will certainly be strengthening the bonds between believers and building up the unity of the church.

CONCLUSION

We each have a part to contribute to the health of the Body of Christ. When each member in the Body fosters love that is patient, kind, humble, generous, and everlasting, the unity among believers will increase. How thankful we are that we can look to Jesus Christ as the perfect example of this perfect love.