Daily Devotions
1 Corinthians
"One and the same Spirit..."
Text: 1 Corinthians 12:11
A CLEAR AND STRONG EMPHASIS
Even as Paul was writing about spiritual gifts, there was strong emphasis on the Spirit of God at work, and not on the gifts, nor on the person who possessed these gifts.
“But one and the same Spirit works all these things,
distributing to each one individually as He wills.”
1 Corinthians 12:11
1. “But one and the same Spirit”
a) Many gifts were mentioned.
b) However, no names were mentioned at all. (Not even the apostles!)
c) The word “the Spirit” was repeated (1 Corinthians 12:4a, 7, 11).
d) The phrase “the same Spirit” was used to emphasise His authority and power.
2. “Works all these things”
a) Behind every use of the spiritual gift was the Holy Spirit.
b) The word “work” has the following significance:
i) He energised
ii) He empowered
iii) He enabled
c) Without the Spirit’s power, the gifts would not work at all!
3. “Distributing to each one individually”
a) It was the Spirit of God who distributed the gifts.
b) He could give an individual one gift.
c) He could also give to an individual several gifts.
d) The Distributor is the Holy Spirit Himself!
e) The gifted person is only a humble recipient (and nothing more).
4. “As He wills”
a) The Spirit of God being Divine has the same sovereignty as the Father or the Son of God.
b) This phrase, “As He wills” highlights His sovereignty.
c) It was all up to His divine will to distribute as He saw fit.
WHY WAS THERE THIS STRONG EMPHASIS?
There were existing problems that threatened the Corinthian Church. Division in the church was already noted. There were already factions! Then there was also the problem of carnality among the church brethren. The Person and the Ministry of the Holy Spirit had to be emphasised to stem the problem of further erosion of spiritual unity in the Church!