1 Corinthians 12 Footnotes
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12:1 As Paul began this letter, he gave thanks for God’s grace evident among the Corinthians in the fact that they did “not lack any spiritual gift” (1:7). Yet, they were not handling this spiritual endowment well. Some wisdom and instruction were needed in the exercise of spiritual gifts and in recognizing the spiritual gifts of others within the body.
12:3 The evidence of having God’s Spirit is confessing (at baptism), “Jesus is Lord.”
12:4-7 Speaking in tongues and prophesying are just some gifts among others in the multi-gifted membership of the body of Christ. Gifts are not evidence of spirituality or superiority. In fact, gifts not employed in others-centered, self-forgetting love are useless. Gifts are God’s provision for this present age; love is what matters in the end (12:31–13:13). In fact, the displays of some of the believers were contributing to chaotic, noisy meetings that failed to build up believers and scandalized visiting unbelievers (14:20-36).