One Spirit, Many Gifts: For the Common Good of the Church

The Holy Spirit gives different gifts to different believers for one shared purpose: to glorify Christ and build up the church. Paul writes this section to a church that was spiritually gifted but spiritually immature. The Corinthians loved displays of power and eloquence, and they were drawn to the more dramatic spiritual gifts—especially tongues—often elevating those certain gifts and those who had them as more “spiritual” than others (sound familiar today?). This bred pride, comparison, and division. It seems that some forgot that these gifts were never meant to spotlight individuals, but to glorify Christ and build up the whole church. Coming from a pagan background, some were also confused about how to discern the source of their spiritual experiences, remembering their past in idol worship, where ecstatic speech or supernatural phenomena could happen apart from the Spirit of God. Paul writes to correct their misunderstanding: true spiritual gifts come from the Holy Spirit, they always exalt Jesus as Lord, and they are given to every believer— not as personal trophies, but as tools for the “common good” (for the benefit) of the body. This passage is the foundation for Paul’s larger teaching in chapters 12 thru 14 on unity, diversity, and the proper exercise of gifts in corporate worship.