"Be Watchful"

The Thirty-Second (and Final) in a Series of Sermons on Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians

In the last chapter of 1 Corinthians, we are reading someone else’s mail.  As Paul wraps up this epistle, we learn a number of things.  We find Paul’s personal comments about those in the Corinthian church who have earned the Apostle’s respect and who should serve as examples to the Corinthians.  We read of several exhortations which Paul extends to members of this church who are struggling to leave behind pagan ways of thinking and doing.  We also learn of Paul’s personal desires and future travel plans, and we see the Apostle bristle a bit in defending his flock.  So, even though this letter is addressed to a particular congregation (Corinth), we learn much about the early church and the expectations that the Apostle had for this congregation which he helped to found.  But what Paul says to the Corinthians, he says to us as well.   

As we conclude our series on 1 Corinthians, we now come to the end of our study of this remarkable letter.  As we look back at the ground we have covered, it is apparent, I hope, how important this letter is for those of us living in the midst of a pagan culture here at the beginning of the 21st century.  There is, perhaps, no letter in the New Testament which speaks as directly to the issues we face as a congregation as this one.  The religious and cultural issues facing the Corinthians are very similar to those with which we must deal here in Southern California.  As we have seen, the comparison between Orange County in 2010s and the Corinth of 55 A.D. is simply remarkable.

One of the problems with preaching through an entire letter like this one is that Paul intended this letter to be read aloud in the church in one hearing.  If you listen to an audio file of 1 Corinthians, it takes about 40 minutes or so.  But it has taken us thirty-two, thirty-minute sermons (and nearly an entire year) to make our way though this letter.  Because of this, many of us have forgotten a number of the things Paul has addressed earlier in this epistle.  So, I would encourage you to sit down and read through this entire letter again (or listen to it on audio in one sitting), now that we have concluded our study.  It is an interesting exercise to see how such a letter strikes us both before we study it, and after we spent so much time working through it.  But I do hope that we see the importance of this letter and that we become as familiar with it as we are with Romans and Galatians.

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"In the Twinkling of an Eye" -- 1 Corinthians 15:35-58

The Thirty-First in a Series of Sermons on 1 Corinthians

We have all thought about it.  We talk about having eternal life, but what does that really mean?  How will we spend eternity?  What, exactly, will happen to us on that day the Lord returns to judge the world, raise the dead and make all things new.  What will our resurrection body be like?  In 1 Corinthians 15:35-58, Paul tells us. 

We are nearing the end our series on 1 Corinthians and we have been making our way through one of the richest chapters in all the Bible in terms of doctrinal content–chapter fifteen of that letter.  In this chapter Paul defines the gospel (vv. 1-11), discusses the fact of the resurrection (vv. 12-19), points out how that resurrection is tied to Christ’s return at the end of the age (vv. 20-28), and reminds us that Jesus’ resurrection establishes Christian ethics (29-34).  Paul closes out his discussion of Christ’s resurrection and its importance for us by discussing the nature of that body in which we will be raised at the end of the age.  The very idea of a bodily resurrection presented a problem for first century Greeks who believed that the body was the source of urges and passions from which people finally escape at death.  Paul must correct this false assumption by making a compelling case that God will indeed raise the dead, bodily.

Since we have a great deal of ground to cover, we take up Paul discussion of the resurrection body beginning in verse 35, of 1 Corinthians 15.  Paul opens this section by asking a question, and then answers it using a number of analogies, beginning with that of seeds and bodies.  “But someone will ask, `How are the dead raised?  With what kind of body do they come?’”  The question is either rhetorical (Paul asks the question that a hypothetical person might ask in light of his previous discussion about the resurrection of the body) or else the question actually comes from the letter sent by the Corinthians to Paul.  We don’t really know which.  But the question is very simple.  “How are the dead raised?”  “What will the resurrected body be like?” 

Not only would the Greek mind have trouble with the physical body being raised in the first place, but once the body decomposes, how can it be raised?  What on earth would such a body be like?  How can God reanimate a dead and decaying body?  There may be a bit of Greek skepticism in the question.  But as we see in verse 36, Paul will have none of such skepticism!  “You foolish person!  What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.”  Paul actually labels those raising such an objection “foolish,” a reference to someone who has not truly considered God’s perspective on this subject.

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"He Must Reign" -- 1 Corinthians 15:20-28

The Thirtieth in a Series of Sermons on 1 Corinthians

Paul has made his case that the Christian faith stands or falls based upon whether or not Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead.  Paul has told the Corinthians that the gospel he preached to them, which they accepted as true, is grounded in the facts of Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection according to the Scriptures.  If Jesus Christ was bodily raised from the dead, then Christianity is true, and so is the gospel the Corinthians accepted.  But if Jesus did not rise again from the dead, then Christianity is false and the Corinthians have believed that gospel in vain, because a dead savior cannot save anyone if he can’t even save himself.  Having affirmed that Jesus Christ did rise again from the dead, Paul now addresses the relationship between Jesus Christ’s own death and resurrection, and our bodily resurrection at the end of the age.  And this brings us to Paul’s discussion of the second coming of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead at the end of the age, and the course of redemptive history in between.

We are nearing the end of our study of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church, as we make our way though 1 Corinthians 15, one of the most important chapters in all the Bible.  We have covered Paul’s discussion of the gospel in verses 1-11, as well as Paul’s treatment of the fact of the resurrection in verses 12-19.  And then in verses 29-34, we saw that for Paul, the resurrection is the basis for Christian ethics because the resurrection not only establishes the truth of Christianity, it gives meaning and purpose to everything we do.  Unlike the pagans, who see death as that moment when the soul is finally liberated from the body (and its bodily urges), Christians anticipate the resurrection of our bodies, when God rejoins body and soul which have been torn apart by death.  It is here that we find our hope for the future.  Not having such hope, pagans can only live for the moment–“eat and drink for tomorrow we die.” 

Christians, however, look ahead to that glorious day when Jesus Christ returns to judge the world, raise the dead and to make all things new.  We live our daily lives in light of that great event yet to come.  This gives everything we do meaning and purpose.  So, in this sermon we turn our attention to verses 20-28 of 1 Corinthians 15, where Paul briefly maps out the course of the future period of time between Christ’s own resurrection that first Easter and the last day, when Jesus returns, and all those who have died in Christ are raised from the dead. 

Although Bible prophecy devotees run wild with all kinds of speculation about the Rapture, the antichrist, the Battle of Armageddon, and a future millennial kingdom in which lions lie down with lambs and where Jesus rules the world from the city of Jerusalem, when Paul maps out the course of the future, none of these things are mentioned.  For Paul, our hope is grounded in Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead, which is the first-fruits of the great harvest yet to come, the general resurrection at the end of the age, when Jesus Christ returns and all of human history comes to its final climax.

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"Christ Has Been Raised" -- 1 Corinthians 15:12-34

The Twenty-Ninth in a Series of Sermons on 1 Corinthians

Imagine the shock and sheer panic you would feel upon hearing news that the body of Jesus had been found in a tomb somewhere near the city of Jerusalem, and that the remains were positively identified as those of the central figure of the New Testament.  What would your reaction be?  Fear?  Anger?  Would it even matter?  Would you still call yourself a Christian?  While no one is going to find the body of Jesus in a tomb near Jerusalem because Jesus was raised from the dead the first Easter, nevertheless, the question is an important one because it pushes us to face a more fundamental question.  How do we know that Christianity is true?  Why are you a Christian?  And why does any of this really matter?

Having spent considerable time working our way through Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, we come to 1 Corinthians 15, one of the most important chapters in all the Bible.  I speak of 1 Corinthians 15 as an especially important chapter because it is here that Paul defines the gospel (vv. 1-11), that Paul addresses the fact of the resurrection (vv. 12-19), that Paul speaks of the relationship between the second coming of Jesus Christ and the bodily resurrection of believers (vv. 20-28), that Paul speaks of the relationship between our Lord’s bodily resurrection to the Christian life (vv. 29-34), before he takes up the subject of the nature of the resurrection body in verses 35-56.  What makes this particular chapter so important is that all of these topics are foundational to Christianity, and all of these topics are the object of attack from those outside the church, or else subject to much confusion within the church.  This is what makes understanding this chapter so important.

Last time we dealt with the opening verses of chapter 15 (vv. 1-11) in which Paul defines the gospel in terms of those historical facts associated with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, according to the Scriptures.  This is the gospel which Paul preached and which the Corinthians believed.  It was this gospel which established the church in Corinth as well as churches elsewhere.  To preach the Christian gospel is to proclaim these facts to both Christians and non-Christians alike in such a way that everyone understands we are making a truth claim (i.e., that Christianity is true and all other religions are false), and that we are speaking about our salvation being accomplished for us by Jesus Christ in ordinary human history through the shedding of blood (which is rh typable), on a Roman cross (which would have given you splinters if you rubbed your hand across it).  The gospel itself is a truth claim.

We also know that Jesus was raised from the dead the first Easter because the tomb in which he had been buried was empty despite a huge stone which sealed the tomb’s entrance, and despite the fact that the Romans placed a guard on the tomb.  We also know that Jesus was raised from the dead because the risen Jesus appeared visibly to all the apostles, to over five hundred people at one time, and then finally to Paul, who considered himself completely unworthy of such an honor.  Paul not only appeals to the fact that he himself saw the resurrected Jesus while traveling on the road to Damascus, Paul also appeals to the fact that most of the five hundred people who saw Jesus were still alive–the implication being that the Corinthians knew who many of these people were, and that the events associated with the gospel were not only true, they were common knowledge. 

The Christian faith therefore is a public faith.  It is based upon certain historical facts which if true, establish Christianity as the only true and viable religion, and which if false (i.e., these things did not happen) then Christianity cannot be true no matter how many people claim to be followers of Jesus.

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"The Gospel" -- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

The Twenty-Eighth in a Series of Sermons on 1 Corinthians

What is the gospel?  If White Horse Inn producer Shane Rosenthal walked up to you with his digital recorder and asked, “what is the gospel?” what would you say?  If you can’t come up with the answer immediately, then please pay close attention.  The gospel is what Jesus Christ did to save sinners.  The gospel is called “good news” because the gospel is the proclamation of a certain set of historical facts–that Jesus suffered and died as a payment for our sins, and that he was raised by God from the dead on the third day as proof that his death turned aside God’s wrath toward sinners.  Apart from the good news of the gospel, we have no hope of heaven because we are sinners and cannot save ourselves, not even with God’s help.  This is a non-negotiable and fundamental article of the Christian faith.  It is a sad commentary that so many professing Christians are so confused about such an important matter.

We come to the last major topic Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians–the bodily resurrection of believers.  While I want to qualify what I am about to say by affirming that all of Scripture is God-breathed, and therefore profitable for teaching, rebuking and training in righteousness, Paul’s discussion of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15 is one of the most important chapters in all the Bible–especially in our current context.  The reason for this is simple.  Paul defines the gospel in verses 1-11.  He speaks of the fact of the resurrection in verses 12-19, and of the relationship of the bodily resurrection of believers to the second coming of Jesus Christ in verses 20-28.  Paul goes on to define the importance of the resurrection for Christian living in verses 29-34, before addressing the nature of the resurrection body in verses 35-58.  All of these things matter because they deal with the very foundation of our faith.

Since the wages of sin is death, and since we are all sinners, death is an inevitability.  Try as we will, we cannot escape the reality of death.  Death has claimed three of our own church members, and affected virtually every family represented here this morning.  Therefore, we ignore this subject to our own peril.  In the face of this horrible foe, Paul anchors the Christian’s hope in the resurrection of our bodies.  Just as Jesus died and was raised from the dead three days later, so too shall we be raised on that final day when Jesus comes to judge the world, raise the dead, and makes all things new.  At death, our bodies and souls are torn apart.  In the resurrection God reunites them.  This is why Paul’s discussion of the resurrection body in 1 Corinthians 15 is so important, since it is in this resurrected state that we will live for all of eternity in the presence of Christ on a new heaven and earth.

The doctrine of the bodily resurrection was a serious problem for the Greeks in Corinth, who were taught that at death, the soul (which was pure spirit and therefore good) was liberated from the prison house of the body (which was material, and therefore evil).  To the pagans, death was almost a good thing, since we are finally rid of our bodies which are the source of bad habits and evil desires.  According to his comment in verse 12 of chapter 15–“how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?”–Paul must address this matter with the Corinthians because a number of them were laboring under the mistaken and pagan assumption that the resurrection is spiritual only, and that the dead will not be raised (bodily), but exist throughout eternity as disembodied spirits.

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"Decently and In Order" -- 1 Corinthians 14:20-40

The Twenty-Seventh in a Series of Sermons on 1 Corinthians

It has been said that the true creed of the Reformed and Presbyterian churches is Paul’s assertion in 1 Corinthians 14:40 to “do everything in good order.”  While we often joke about the Reformed obsession with rules and proper procedure, we must not overlook the fact that this statement is Paul’s concluding point in his lengthy response to the Corinthian’s question to him about the role and proper exercise of the gift of tongues.  Sadly, division and confusion reigned in the Corinthian church, and Paul is writing to correct a number of problems in the church, problems which led unbelievers to think the Corinthian Christians were crazy.

We now wrap up our study of chapters 12-14.  Paul is answering a question put to him by the Corinthians about the role and practice of the gift of tongues.  Apparently, the way in which the Corinthians were exercising this gift was causing division in the church, as well as creating much chaos during the Lord’s day worship service.  Paul has emphasized the need for Christians to earnestly desire the gifts of the Spirit because these gifts are for the common good, they strengthen the churches, and they enable us to love one another (the more excellent way).  Now, he gives explicit instructions as to how the Corinthians are to use this gift, as well as the gift of prophesy.

Throughout this chapter, Paul makes the point that while the tongue-speaking is indeed a true gift of the Holy Spirit, the gift of tongues is inferior to the gift of prophecy.  The reason for this is that those who speak in a tongue (whether that tongue is known or unknown to the speaker) cannot be understood by the assembled church unless the tongue is interpreted, while those who prophesy (which is Spirit-enabled speech, likely from the text of the Old Testament) speak in such a way that the congregation understands what is said.  Therefore, the congregation is said to be edified by some word or revelation from God.

Last time, we covered the first nineteen verses of this chapter, so we will now take up the balance of the chapter, verses 20-40.  In the last half of the chapter, Paul addresses the effects of uninterpreted tongue-speaking upon unbelievers who may happen to visit the Corinthian congregation during worship.  Not only do believers remain unedified (because they cannot understand what is being said), but non-believers will be completely put off by the confusion and chaos created by uninterpreted tongues and by everyone speaking at once.  Seeing the confusion and disorder in the service, visitors will think Christians are crazy!  Or, even worse, visitors will think that Christians behave no differently than pagans.  This explains why Paul exhorts the Corinthians in verse 20, “brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.”  Paul softens the stern rebuke a bit by affectionately referring to the Corinthians as ‘brothers.”  But the force of the imperative (command) must not be missed–“stop thinking like children.”  The Greek text literally reads, “stop being children in mind.”  To paraphrase Paul: “grow up!  Quit acting like children.”

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"Strive to Excel in Building Up the Church" -- 1 Corinthians 14:1-19

The Twenty-Sixth in a Series of Sermons on 1 Corinthians

One of the most divisive theological controversies of my lifetime was the charismatic movement with its stress upon speaking in tongues.  Whenever the charismatic renewal spread to a new church, it immediately divided the church into two camps–those who experienced what they claimed was a new work of the Holy Spirit which manifested itself in the speaking with tongues, and those who thought such a thing was demonic and who did everything in their power to stamp out the movement before it could spread.  Thankfully, that controversy has long since died down.  It amazes me that we now are able to tackle with little if any sense of controversy, what was once considered to be a very controversial biblical text and subject.

As we continue our series on Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, we come to chapter 14 and Paul’s discussion of speaking in tongues and proper behavior in Christian worship.  It is clear from the Apostles’ discussion that the Corinthians were greatly divided about the role and purpose of tongue-speaking in public worship, and they wrote a letter to Paul in which they asked him about this very thing.  Although we don’t have their letter to Paul, and so we don’t know what exactly the Corinthians asked Paul, we do know that it takes Paul three chapters to answer the Corinthian’s question.

In the opening verses of chapter 12, Paul begins by addressing the Corinthian’s faulty understanding of spiritual things (pneumotikon), before taking up a discussion of gifts of the Spirit (the charismata) in which Paul uses the metaphor of the human body as an illustration of the church of Jesus Christ.  In chapter 13, Paul pointed out that love of our brothers and sisters is the context in which any discussion of spiritual gifts must take place.  In chapter 14, Paul turns his focus to the specifics of the controversy causing so much consternation among the Corinthians, speaking in tongues during worship. 

It is clear from Paul’s response that certain individuals among the Corinthians who had the gift of tongues, thought themselves to be superior to others who did not.  Once he has established the proper categories to discuss such things (“spiritual things” and “spiritual gifts”), Paul can now proceed to the specifics of the controversy plaguing the Corinthians, how to properly exercise the gift of tongues so that this gift strengthens the body and that it is exercised in love.  Those who claim to be spiritual, must demonstrate love for others, or else they demonstrate that they are nothing but windbags.

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"The Greatest of These Is Love" -- 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

The Twenty-Fifth in a Series of Sermons on 1 Corinthians

What the Bible says about love, and the way most Americans think about love, are often two different things.  Our culture thinks of love as essentially an emotional feeling, most often associated with romance.  Pop culture images of the hearts and cupids of Valentine’s Day are ingrained in us from an early age.  For those of us who grew up in the sixties and seventies, love is tied to a utopian dream when people experience a powerful sense of brotherhood and unity.  Sadly, these images are far from the biblical meaning of love–an emotion which issues forth in action, and which arises not from romantic or sentimental images, but from the Good News that the blood of Jesus, shed on a Roman cross, redeems sinners–people like us who are anything but worthy of the love God showers upon us in Christ’s work of redemption.

We have now come to chapter 13 in our series in 1 Corinthians, one of the most familiar passages in all the Bible.  As one writer states about this chapter, “this is one of the most beloved passages in the New Testament, and for good reason.  It is one of Paul’s finest moments: indeed, let the interpreter beware lest too much analysis detract from its sheer beauty and power.”  Well said, and very true.  This is a beloved passage for a reason.  It is both beautiful and powerful.

Throughout our study of 1 Corinthians, we have seen that the church in Corinth was plagued by division and factions.  This church was composed of new Christians, who were struggling to leave their pagan ways of thinking and doing behind.  When they asked Paul about the role and purpose of speaking in tongues–something which apparently was a source of on-going division within the church–Paul answers their question in chapters 12-14.  In the opening verses of chapter 12, Paul makes an important distinction between spiritual things (pneumotikon), and spiritual gifts (charismata), of which tongue-speaking was the least.  According to Paul, you cannot properly understand spiritual gifts unless you first understand spiritual things.  And you cannot understand spiritual things unless you confess that Jesus is Lord–Jesus is the only Savior from sin, the creator of all things, and whose death upon the cross takes away the wrath of God toward sinners.  The cross is the picture of that love of which Paul now speaks.

To make his case that all Christians are members of the spiritual body of Christ (the church) and are given gifts of the Spirit for the common good, Paul uses the metaphor of the human body.  Each one of us is a member of Christ’s body (the church) through faith in Jesus.  Although not all members of Christ’s body serve the same function (just as eyes are not toes), each member of that body is essential to the health and well-being of the whole.  This is why Paul ties various gifts of the Spirit to the offices of the church, before exhorting Christians to earnestly desire the higher gifts, so that the Corinthians will be stronger and better able to resist the temptations of their pagan past, as well as the sinful tendency to put our own interests ahead of others.  At the end of chapter twelve Paul had written, “but earnestly desire the higher gifts.  And I will show you a still more excellent way.” 

That more excellent way is the way of love.   To read the rest of this sermon, Click Here

"Earnestly Desire the Higher Gifts" -- 1 Corinthians 12:27-31

The Twenty-Fourth in a Series of Sermons on 1 Corinthians

It is very difficult to have a sane and thoughtful discussion about a hot-button theological topic when a doctrine has loyal and emotional adherents, a controversial history and has caused division, and lends itself to sensationalism.  When this is the case, there is a natural tendency to seek to distance ourselves from those who abuse or distort that doctrine, instead of dealing with what Scripture actually says about that doctrine.  If you’ve ever witnessed what takes place nightly on the set of TBN or have witnessed a revival meeting, you might just conclude that you want nothing to do with the gifts of the Spirit.  Yet, Paul exhorts the Corinthians (and us) to “earnestly desire the higher gifts.”  What does Paul mean by this exhortation?  What is the role and function of these higher gifts?  How are they connected to the offices in the church–like minister, elder, and deacon?

We are in a series on 1 Corinthians and we now wrap up our study of chapter 12.  As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, it is really too bad that we cannot tackle this entire section of Corinthians (chapters 12-14) in one sitting because all of Paul’s points are interconnected–but then that would take us several hours.  Given the length and complexity of Paul’s three-chapter answer to a question the Corinthians had submitted to him, we have to unpack each of Paul’s points in chapter 12 not only to understand why he will devote so much ink to a discussion of speaking in tongues in chapter 14, but also because the points Paul makes in chapter 12 are so important to the life and health of Christ’s church.  If there is one letter in the New Testament which speaks to the circumstances of those of us now living in Southern California, it is Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.

Sadly, this section of Corinthians has been the source of great controversy–especially with the rise of Pentecostalism early in the twentieth century.  Pentecostals look to this section of 1 Corinthians for support for many of their doctrines and practices.  As I have been pointing out in the past few sermons, the key to avoiding some of the problems associated with Pentecostalism is to understand what these spiritual gifts actually entailed, as well as determining what role they played in the apostolic churches.  One purpose of these gifts was to confirm the preaching of the gospel (this was especially the case with miracles and healing).  Another purpose of these gifts was to equip each member for service in Christ’s church for the common good.  A third purpose was to enable a diverse group of believers to love one another because Christ has loved us first.

As Paul lays the groundwork in chapters 12 and 13 to answer the Corinthian’s question about the role and purpose of tongue speaking in chapter 14, Paul reminds the Corinthians that in order to properly exercise the gift of tongues, the Corinthians first need to understand the role that spiritual gifts (the charismata) were to play in Christ’s church.  But we cannot understand the role of spiritual gifts without placing them in the broader category of spiritual things (the pneumotikon).  In making a distinction between spiritual things and the gifts of the Spirit, Paul is able to contrast the pagan conception of “spirituality” with the way Christians should view the person and work of the Holy Spirit. 

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"One Body, Many Members" -- 1 Corinthians 12:12-26

The Twenty-Third in a Series of Sermons on 1 Corinthians

Almost all peoples and cultures have some sort of utopian dream–a world of universal peace and harmony.  John Lennon’s Imagine anyone?  The problem is that ours is a fallen race.  Because we are a fallen race we are divided along racial, socio-economic, political and theological lines.  Much like the ancient Corinthians, we struggle to find true unity in a world of diversity.  Because of human sin, the only way unity can be obtained is through force (“agree or else”), through coercion or deception (like that of a false religion or a political ideology), or through “kumbaya” unity (a superficial “herd” mentality).  The bad news is there will be no earthly utopia this side of Christ’s second advent.  The good news is that God does provide us with a true unity based upon our common faith in Jesus Christ realized in the church through the person and work of the Holy Spirit.  And while this unity is imperfectly realized in this life, nevertheless, in Christ’s church, God takes a whole host of diverse and different people and forms them into one body, the church of Jesus Christ in which his Holy Spirit dwells.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 12, Paul is addressing a question the Corinthians had asked him in a letter.  Based on Paul’s answer–which runs all the way from 1 Corinthians 12:1-14:40–the original question certainly had something to do with the role and practice of speaking in tongues (a subject addressed in chapter 14).  In chapter 12, Paul begins to answer this question by laying the groundwork for how we should understand the gifts of the Spirit in general (the charismata).  The Apostle begins by making the case that unless we confess that Jesus is Lord–that is, we confess that Jesus is Lord of all things, that he is the very Son of God, that he died for our sins and that he was raised from the dead for our justification–we cannot understand “spiritual things” (the pneumotikon).

But, says Paul, we cannot confess that Jesus is Lord except by the power of the Holy Spirit.  And it is the Holy Spirit whose gifts are given to those who are members of Christ’s church, which is his body.  In the previous section of this chapter (verses 4-11), Paul has made the point that God gives these gifts of the Spirit–which are supernatural endowments of the Spirit–as he wills for the common good of the church.  Although the Corinthians were struggling with the mistaken assumption that the greater the gift the more important the person who possessed that gift, Paul emphasizes that these gifts were not given so that people could boast about their spiritual prowess, or so that they could call attention to themselves, or even use these gifts as a pretense for dividing the church into factions.  No, these gifts were given for the common good, the building-up of the body of Christ.

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