Quote:
Originally Posted by mfblume
But the same instance is found in 14:1 and 14: 12 and the word GIFTS is in italics, not in the Greek, and it would not make sense to not be speaking about the gifts, because of context in chapter 13, and the rest of 14.
1 Cor 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
1 Cor 14:1 Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.
1 Cor 14: 12 Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church. |
The Greek for "desire" in
1 Corinthians 14:1 is ζηλοῦτε or
zeloute, from the Greek word
zelos, that is to say, our word "zealous". In
1 Corinthians 14:12, we see the word zealous, from ζηλωταί, or
zelotai, from
zelos as well, but note a difference:
In
1 Corinthians 14:1,
zeloute is a verb. In
1 Corinthians 14:12,
zelotai is a noun.
Also in
1 Corinthians 14:1, prior to spiritual, or
pneumatika (an adjective not a noun), we have the definite article τὰ or
ta indicating the English word "the".
https://biblehub.com/interlinear/1_corinthians/14-1.htm
https://biblehub.com/interlinear/1_c...ians/14-12.htm
So, Paul wants the Corinthians to be zealous of or for
the spiritual ______.
What should go in the blank? The word "gifts"? I don't think so. He had already established in
1 Corinthians 12:1 that he is writing about spiritual brethren, as I showed before.
So, in
1 Corinthians 14:1, Paul is writing something like this:
Be zealous of/for the spiritual [ones], referring back to the spiritual (remember in the text that
pneumatika is an adjective, just like spiritual is in this sentence) brethren gifted by the Holy Spirit, understanding his use of zealous to be jealous of (in a good sense), as Thayer has it:
"in a good sense, to imitate emulously".
https://biblehub.com/greek/2206.htm
So, Paul is encouraging the congregation of the Corinthians to pay close attention to the charismatically gifted members of their church and to imitate them, particularly, I would say, in their level of devotion and sincerity to Christ, and so, become spiritual as well (as opposed to being carnal, the main problem in Corinth, as we know) and so, by jealously imitating these spiritual brethren, they might grow and mature and become spiritual as well, and so, be likewise endowed by the power of the Spirit with charismata.
In this way, the purpose of
1 Corinthians 1:5-7 could be achieved and the Corinthians really would not come behind anyone else in the charismata of the Spirit.
Now, as it pertains to
1 Corinthians 14:12, remember that
zelotai is not a verb, but a noun.
The verse begins with Οὕτως or
Houtos and, as an adverb, means "thus so, in this manner".
https://biblehub.com/greek/3779.htm
In what manner does Paul mean or refer? He is building his case from the verses previously written, particularly the idea that the church should be edified through prophecy, as opposed to a single member personally edified through tongues, and that speaking loudly in tongues makes someone sound like a "barbarian" to anyone who can't understand the language.
He wants them to become zealous people (nouns, that is) who are warmly affectionate toward and desiring to imitate, the spiritual brethren in the church, so that, by so doing (from
houtos) they too could edify the whole church and not just themselves.
This passage is a call to maturity, to move on from carnal simplicity to spiritual complexity, that the whole church would emulate their leaders who have been endowed by the Spirit with charismata so that the church and the world at large around them can be and become even more blessed and fruitful, to the point that all the members might one day prophesy in turn when an unbeliever is in attendance and so have the secrets of his or her heart revealed by the Lord and so, fall upon his or her face and confess that God is truly in the saints of Corinth.
What this teaches us then, is that, as we already know, Corinth was a carnal mess, full of heresy, factions, and other forms of unrighteousness. But not everyone was that way. The household of Chloe, who reported the problems to Paul, for instance. Stephanus, as well. There were some leaders in Corinth whose ships were sailing well, but a lot of work needed to be done for the rest of the Body.
Paul's teaching then in
1 Corinthians 12-14 shows us that many of the saints in Corinth were not spiritual and had not been endowed with any charismata, and likely never would be unless and until they got their heads on straight and learned to submit themselves to the commandments of the Lord. One way of doing that was to be zealous for their spiritual brethren, the example setters, those apostles, and prophets, and teachers, and etc., who God was using regularly in the gifts of the Spirit.
So, the gifts are in a sense, for everyone in the Body, but they aren't randomly or promiscuously handed out to just anyone just because somebody received the Holy Spirit and was baptized. There is a method to them. A growing up that needs to be accomplished. They aren't just given, they are
entrusted. God is a God of decency and order and expects His gifts to be administered and operated accordingly. So, those who use them well and righteously are to be admired and appreciated and learned from, even emulated, in their walk with God, so that what they have been given might be given again, when the time is right and the next up and coming person is ready.
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