Psalm 103:8-14 1 Corinthians 12:1–11 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
A More Excellent Way
There is a question that runs beneath much of Paul's correspondence with the Corinthians and that is: What does it actually mean to be a spiritually mature believer?
It is an important question because the Corinthians seemed to have developed a rather distorted understanding of spirituality. Some appeared to have measured their spiritual standing by the gifts they possessed, the knowledge they had acquired, the eloquence with which they spoke, and the recognition they received from others. Certain gifts had become markers of status, and those who possessed them had begun to regard themselves as more important than those who did not.
But this was not simply a disagreement about spiritual gifts. It was symptomatic of something much deeper…it was symptomatic of a failure to understand the very nature of the Church and what it means to belong to Jesus Christ.
We have already encountered this problem in Paul's discussion of the Lord's Supper. Those who had more were behaving as though they were more important, while those who had little were being humiliated and neglected. The very meal intended to proclaim the self-giving love of Jesus had become an occasion for division and selfishness.
Now Paul turns his attention to spiritual gifts, but his concern remains essentially the same. The question is not how impressive our gifts are, but how we use them. The question is not who is the most spiritual, but whether our lives demonstrate the character of the Spirit who dwells within us…of the Saviour who humbly gave up everything in his bid to save us…of the God who reveals himself as the God of love and mercy and grace.
Paul begins by addressing those who consider themselves spiritual. The Greek word pneumatikos can refer either to spiritual people or spiritual things, but in the context of this letter, Paul seems particularly concerned with those who regard themselves as spiritually superior.
He reminds them of their former lives as pagans, when they were led astray by mute idols…lifeless objects, incapable of revealing anything to those who worshipped them. But then he contrasts the lifeless idols of their previous religious lives with the Holy Spirit who animates the Church as a living community. "No one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says, 'Jesus is accursed!' and no one can say, 'Jesus is Lord' except in the Holy Spirit." (12:3, ESV)
In other words, if true spirituality begins with an honest and true confession that Jesus is Lord, then whoever makes such a confession should be regarded as a spiritual person. That levels the playing field, so to speak. Everyone who truly confesses Jesus as Lord is spiritual…so no one can claim to be more (or less) spiritual than the other. It is the Holy Spirit who enables us to recognise, acknowledge, and submit to the lordship of Jesus. And so true spirituality is not determined by the possession of extraordinary abilities, but by our relationship with Jesus.
Paul then develops this thought by explaining that although there are different gifts, different forms of service, and different kinds of activity, they all originate in the same God. And I want you to notice the repetition: Different gifts, but the same Spirit. Different forms of service, but the same Lord. Different activities, but the same God.
Paul is deliberately removing any grounds for spiritual boasting. The Greek word diaireseis, which is sometimes translated as varieties or diversities, carries the sense of different allocations. God distributes different gifts to different people. They are not achievements to be accumulated, nor rewards for those who have attained some higher spiritual standing. They are gracious provisions of God for the interdependent building up of the whole church body.
Paul makes their purpose unmistakably clear: "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." (12:7) And this purpose is crucial. The gifts are not given for personal fulfilment, individual recognition, or spiritual advancement. They are given for the benefit of the whole community.
At this point, Paul offers several examples: words of wisdom and knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, works of power, prophecy, discernment of spirits, different kinds of tongues and the interpretation of tongues.
Now, I think Paul is just giving us a few examples here rather than an exhaustive list of spiritual gifts, because the thrust of his argument is not the gifts themselves but the fact that each one is given by the same Spirit and therefore one gift is not more important than the other. All are necessary as each one contributes to the building up of the whole body.
And so we need not settle every question concerning the precise nature of each gift to understand Paul's central argument. "All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills." (12:11)
In other words, the Spirit determines what is given and to whom it is given. Consequently, there is no room for pride, competition or boasting. No one can claim superiority because of a gift, because no one has given that gift to themselves. And equally, no one should feel inferior because they have not received a particular gift that someone else might have been given. God has not overlooked them but is wisely creating an interdependent community in which every member has a contribution to make.
The principle is wonderfully simple: The gifts are different, the recipients are different, but the Giver is the same. And the purpose of every gift is the same: the building up of the whole Church.
Paul now moves from the gifts themselves to the relationship between those who receive them. He introduces one of the most familiar illustrations in Scripture: the human body. "Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptised into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and all were made to drink of one Spirit." (12:12-13)
I think that here, Paul is deliberately taking us back to the Exodus imagery he has already introduced in chapter 10. Just as the Israelites were baptised into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all drank from the spiritual Rock, so believers have been incorporated into a new covenant community through the work of the Holy Spirit. Our backgrounds may be different. Our social standing, ethnicity, education, abilities, and experiences may be different. But the same Spirit has brought us into one body.
There is no privileged entrance into the Church. No one belongs more fully than another. We are all equally dependent upon the grace of God.
And at this point, Paul begins to dismantle the assumptions that were creating division in Corinth. In the body, the foot cannot say that because it is not a hand it does not belong to the body. The ear cannot say that because it is not an eye it has no place. Nor can the eye dismiss the hand, or the head declare that it has no need of the feet. The absurdity of such thinking is obvious. If the entire body were an eye, there would be no hearing. If the whole body were an ear, there would be no sense of smell.
In other words, the body requires diversity to function properly. And so, “as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose." (12:18)
This is not accidental diversity. It is purposeful diversity. The God who formed our individual bodies in our mothers' wombs (Psalm 139:13–14) has also arranged the members of Christ's body according to his wisdom and purpose. We are not all meant to be the same. We are not all meant to possess the same gifts, perform the same tasks or exercise the same ministries. God has deliberately made us different because we need one another.
And this leads Paul to address two opposing problems. First, there are those who feel inferior because they do not possess the gifts or abilities that others seem to value. Second, there are those who consider themselves superior because they possess gifts that others do not.
Both attitudes are wrong. The first is wrong because no member should consider themselves unnecessary. The second is wrong because no member should consider themselves indispensable. Indeed, Paul turns the argument upside down: "On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable." (12:22) And those parts we regard as less honourable we treat with greater honour. Those parts that are less presentable receive special modesty and attention.
Paul is making a profound point. The apparent importance of one part of the body is not necessarily an indication of its actual importance. Some of the most essential functions of the human body are performed by members that remain (thankfully) hidden from view.
The same is true of the Church. Not everyone stands at the front. Not everyone preaches, teaches, leads worship, or exercises a publicly recognised ministry. Some pray quietly, encourage the discouraged, visit the lonely, care for the sick, give generously, welcome strangers, and serve faithfully without ever receiving recognition. But these members are no less important. Indeed, without them the Church would be impoverished.
And here Paul returns to the problem that has been troubling him throughout this letter and that is “that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another." (12:25)
This is what unity actually looks like. It is not simply agreeing with one another, attending the same meetings, or belonging to the same congregation. It is having such a profound sense of belonging to one another that the suffering of another becomes our suffering, and the joy of another becomes our joy. "If one member suffers,” Paul says, “all suffer together; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together." (12:26)
Remember the poorer members of the Corinthian congregation whom we encountered in chapter 11? Some were going hungry while others ate and drank to excess. Some were being humiliated and neglected while others enjoyed their privileged position. How could they possibly claim to be one body while behaving in this way? The Jerusalem church had demonstrated a very different understanding of Christian community. They shared what they possessed so that no one was left in need (Acts 2:44–47; 4:34–35).
So, Paul is reminding the Corinthians that the Church cannot be healthy when some members are flourishing at the expense of others. We cannot claim to love Christ while neglecting those who belong to him. We cannot claim to be spiritual while remaining indifferent to the suffering of our brothers and sisters. We cannot claim to be one body while behaving as though the needs of others have nothing to do with us.
Paul concludes this section by reminding them that God has appointed different ministries within the Church: apostles, prophets, teachers, those who perform works of power, those who exercise gifts of healing, helping and guidance, and those who speak in tongues. But his questions are deliberately rhetorical. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all perform miracles? Do all speak in tongues? Of course not! The Church is not meant to be a collection of identical people competing for the same positions. It is a community of different people, with different gifts and responsibilities, brought together by the same Spirit to serve the same Lord.
So, Paul has therefore established two important principles: no one is superior because of their gifts, and no one is inferior because of their lack of particular gifts.
But he is not finished. In fact, he is about to show them that even these wonderful gifts that have been given by the Holy Spirit that are so essential to the functioning of the Church are not the most important thing.
Now allow me to paraphrase what I think Paul is trying to say here in verse 31…this is my translation of the Greek: "But while you may earnestly desire the higher gifts, I am showing you a still more excellent way." You see, the Greek verb usually translated "I will show" is actually in the present tense: "I am showing you." So Paul is not simply promising to introduce another subject. He is drawing their attention to something that should already be governing everything they do. In fact, it is the climax of an argument that has been building throughout the letter.
If we were to ask the Corinthians (and perhaps modern-day Christians as well) which spiritual gifts they most admired, we might reasonably expect them to mention speaking in tongues, prophecy, knowledge, extraordinary faith and miraculous works. These were the gifts that seemed (and still seem) to attract attention and confer status. Paul therefore begins by taking their most highly prized gifts and placing them alongside something far more important. Even if someone could speak every human language or possess the ability to communicate in the language of angels, without love that person would amount to little more than a piece of noisy metal.
It is a striking image, particularly in a city accustomed to the noise of pagan worship and the instruments accompanying religious ceremonies. Paul is saying that impressive spiritual speech, however extraordinary, is meaningless when it is disconnected from love.
But then he continues to progressively raise the stakes. Imagine possessing extraordinary prophetic insight, understanding the deepest mysteries of God, having an almost incomprehensible knowledge and exercising a faith capable of moving mountains.
Yet, Paul says, without love, none of that amounts to anything. Indeed, Paul does not merely say that such a person has achieved little. He says that person is nothing.
This is particularly significant when we remember that some of the Corinthians, having acquired spiritual gifts, had begun to regard themselves as important. But Paul is saying that without love, all their newfound status is meaningless.
He then goes further still. Even the most extraordinary acts of generosity and self-sacrifice are of no value if they are not motivated and governed by love. This is an important corrective to the assumption that impressive religious behaviour necessarily demonstrates genuine spirituality.
A person may give everything away and still be selfish. A person may make enormous sacrifices and still be seeking personal recognition. Even the willingness to suffer or die for a cause does not, in itself, establish that the person is acting out of love. Even suffering martyrdom is not something to pursue for personal glory. Christian sacrifice must be governed by rightly ordered love.
Paul's point is unmistakable. Spiritual gifts, knowledge, faith, generosity and even extraordinary sacrifice cannot substitute for love.
But what exactly is love? Paul answers by describing it, not as an emotion or an abstract ideal, but through the actions and attitudes by which it becomes visible.
Now consider how directly this addresses the problems in Corinth. Love is patient. It does not become frustrated with the weaknesses and shortcomings of others. Love is kind. It actively seeks the welfare of others rather than exploiting their vulnerabilities. Love does not envy. It does not resent the gifts, opportunities, or recognition received by someone else. Love does not boast or become arrogant. It does not use its achievements or abilities to elevate itself above others. Love is not rude. It does not behave in ways that humiliate or dishonour another person. Love does not insist on its own way. It is prepared to surrender personal rights for the benefit of others.
Love is not irritable or resentful. It does not continually revisit past offences or keep a record of wrongs. And finally, love does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.
In other words, the person who is filled with Christian love rejoices in behaviour that reflects the God we serve.
And now Paul concludes with four further expressions. Love bears with the weaknesses and failures of others. It never ceases to trust, even when circumstances are difficult. It never abandons hope that God can bring about transformation, and it perseveres rather than giving up.
This does not mean that love is naïve, ignores wrongdoing, or accepts everything as true. Rather, it means that love remains committed to the welfare of others, always seeking what is good and true…focusing on the positive, rather than on the negative…on what can be, rather than on what is.
But what is particularly important for us to note here is that almost everything Paul says about love is the opposite of what had been happening in Corinth. Indeed, the contrast is devastating. Paul is effectively saying that the Corinthians may possess all the spiritual gifts they desire, but unless their lives demonstrate the love of God, they have fundamentally misunderstood what it means to be spiritual.
The gifts that the Corinthians so highly prize are temporary. Prophecies will pass away. Tongues will cease. Knowledge will be forgotten. All these gifts are necessary for the present, but they belong to an age in which our understanding remains incomplete. "For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away." (13:9–10)
So, Paul is looking towards the completion of God's purposes, when we will no longer need the partial revelation and understanding that characterise our present existence and he illustrates this with the difference between childhood and adulthood.
"When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways." (13:11) Of course, there is nothing wrong with being a child. Childhood has its own proper place. But we would hardly expect an adult to remain content with the limitations of childhood.
Likewise, our present understanding of God is real, but incomplete and there are limitations of our present knowledge. We see something of God's glory, we understand something of his purposes, and we experience something of his grace, but we do not yet see everything clearly.
However, there is a day coming when that will change. We will see Jesus, face to face. We will know fully, not because we become omniscient, but because the barriers and limitations of our present existence will have been removed. And when that day comes, the spiritual gifts that we now value so highly will have served their purpose.
We will no longer need prophecy to communicate what God has revealed. We will no longer need tongues to overcome the limitations of human communication. We will no longer need partial knowledge because we will see the Lord face to face.
And yet one thing will remain for all eternity. Love will remain. Indeed, love is not simply a gift for the present age. It belongs to the very nature of God and therefore transcends the limitations of this present life.
Faith, hope, and love are the enduring characteristics of Christian existence. Faith looks towards God and trusts him. Hope looks towards the fulfilment of his promises. But love expresses the very character of God. And therefore the greatest of these is love because God himself demonstrated that love, not through the display of extraordinary power, nor through the accumulation of knowledge, nor through the exercise of authority, but through the self-giving sacrifice of his Son.
This is the love we are called to imitate. It is the love that puts others before ourselves…that refuses to exploit or humiliate…that forgives, serves, perseveres, and seeks the good of others.
So, as we draw these two chapters together, I think we need to recognise that Paul has been addressing something far more important than a disagreement about spiritual gifts. He has been challenging the very way we understand what it means to be the Church.
The gifts of the Spirit are given to build up the body, not elevate individuals above it. All our gifts, ministries, knowledge, achievements and sacrifices must be governed by love. Indeed, if we do not love one another, we have missed the very heart of the Gospel.
It is possible to be doctrinally correct but unkind. It is possible to be passionately committed to ministry but insensitive to the needs of others. It is possible to defend the truth while treating those who disagree with us without grace. It is possible to be so concerned with the success of our own ministry that we forget the people we are supposed to be serving.
None of these things are evidence of spiritual maturity. The true measure of our spirituality is whether our lives increasingly reflect the character of Jesus.
And perhaps this is where we need to examine ourselves. Are we patient with one another? Are we kind? Do we rejoice when others are recognised and honoured, or do we quietly resent their success? Do we put the needs of others before our own? Do we bear with one another's weaknesses? Do we persevere in love, even when relationships become difficult? These are not secondary questions. They go to the very heart of what it means to be a Christian community.
The greatest evidence that we truly belong to God is not the gifts we possess, but the love we demonstrate.
So let us earnestly desire the gifts of the Spirit. Let us use whatever God has entrusted to us faithfully and generously. Let us encourage one another, build one another up and recognise the value of every member of Christ's body.
But above all, let us pursue the more excellent way. The Church becomes most spiritually compelling not when it displays how gifted it is, but when it demonstrates how deeply it loves.
Shall we pray?
© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2026
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