Chapter # 12 Paragraph # 3 Study # 2
November 24, 2019
Humble, Texas
(026)
1769 Translation
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, [
let us prophesy] according to the proportion of faith;
7 Or ministry, [
let us wait] on [
our] ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, [
let him do it] with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
1901 ASV Translation
6 And having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us, whether prophecy, [
let us prophesy] according to the proportion of our faith;
7 or ministry, [
let us give ourselves] to our ministry; or he that teacheth, to his teaching;
8 or he that exhorteth, to his exhorting: he that giveth, [
let him do it] with
liberality; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness.
- I. Paul's Background To The Instructions Regarding Our Participation In The Grace-Gifts.
- A. The larger goal: being an active player in the function(s) of The Body.
- B. The larger picture: being mindful of the dominating reality of our tendency to pride while being committed to the responsibilities of possessing divinely given capacities to help one another.
- II. The Instructions.
- A. Paul selectively addresses certain of the grace-gifts as "patterns" to be followed.
- 1. Because none of the texts in the New Testament provide an exhaustive list of the various "grace-gifts", I assume that there are "grace-gifts" in existence that are not identified by scripture.
- 2. There is the "option" of concluding that if we put all of the texts together we will have a comprehensive list. However, it is far more likely that, like the human body in its variety of members, the Body of Christ has more members than are identified by divine revelation in words.
- 3. My "assumption" requires that the "Church" recognize a "grace-gift" when it is exercised, just as the "Church" recognized the productions of the Spirit in His task of producing the various portions of the inspired Scriptures.
- a. This does leave the issue of whether one person's "beneficial behavior" is the result of a specific "grace-gift" or simply the result of a person's spiritual walk of faith and love.
- b. But, if a person's "beneficial behavior" is "typical" beneficial behavior in the "Church" (i.e., it shows up regularly but is outside the boundaries of the specifically identified "functions" as listed in Scripture, it is highly likely that it is driven by a "Spirit-given" capacity).
- B. The selected examples.
- 1. Prophecy.
- a. The word is used in 19 texts of the New Testament and predominantly means "to speak of things not yet present", a definition derived from both etymology and usage. This "ability" is to be "desired" (1 Corinthians 14:1) for the sake of the "edification" of the church (1 Corinthians 14:4). However, desired or not, it is a "grace-gift" distributed by the Spirit "as He wills" (1 Corinthians 12:11).
- b. The "gift" is the ability to speak of things that are due to come at some point yet future. It does not necessarily mean to "predict" events to come because the idea of "prophetic utterances" may only mean utterances that further develop an already known "truth" so that it is better understood with more details. In the Old Testament a "prophet" was a "mouthpiece" for the words of God, whether forward looking or not. However, typically "prophets" did have at least some ability on occasion to "predict" (Acts 21:10-11). Ephesians 2:20 makes this "grace-gift" foundational for the Church along with the "apostles".
- c. Its "exercise" (how it is to be "inserted" into the life of the Body): "according to the standard of a 'repetition of a given saying' with added content for greater understanding".
- 1) The prefix "ana" has a "stand-alone" content that points to the idea of a particular and distinct issue (translated "each" within the idea of "many").
- 2) The main word, "logia", typically refers to a "saying" (a particular expression).
- 3) The "standard" is that of the "faith" previously mentioned just three verses earlier as the ability to trust God's promise(s).
- a) This "faith" was given by God in a specific "measure" so that we would not "over estimate" ourselves.
- b) The outworking of this statement by Paul is that some with the "grace-gift" of "the ability to point people to yet not present, but inevitably coming, realities" will be able to do that with a significant amount of insight and others will be significantly limited in that ability because of what their "measure of faith" from God is.
- c) This "variety of degrees of ability" is somewhat of a puzzle, but the lesser degrees are compensated by the larger group of "prophets" (1 Corinthians 14:32).
- 4) Bottom line: the "grace-gift" of "prophecy" is the ability to point to "yet not present" things with some measure of "insight" that others may not have. Thus, Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to be willing to hear such declarations, but to be cautious about where they may "take the hearer" ("Prove all things [so prophesied] and hold fast to the good [the parts of the declarations that have been "proven" (1 Corinthians 14:32)]; 1 Thessalonians 5:20). The reality is that "partial" additions to previously "partial" declarations of things to come have two potentials: 1) to take the hearer deeper into the truth; and 2) to cause the hearer to run off down a rabbit trail that will not prove helpful. However, the "prophet" can only do what his "measure of faith" enables him to do in the utterances of his/her prophecies.