Useful Bible Studies > 1 Corinthians Commentary > chapter 12
The purpose of the questions in 1 Corinthians 12:29-30 is to remind Christians that God does not give the same gifts to them all. They do not all do the same kind of work for God. God has many different ways by which he works in and through their lives.
That fact helps us to understand why Christians should not separate themselves from each other. God does not do anything without a proper purpose. So when God gives any gift to his people, they need that gift. If he does not give that gift to everyone, he still wants Christians to benefit from that gift. So, other Christians need the person with that gift to do God’s work among them. Christians depend on each other.
In fact, some of God’s gifts even depend on other gifts. One gift is to interpret tongues. A person speaks in tongues when he speaks in an unknown language by the power of the Holy Spirit. But if nobody spoke in tongues, the gift to interpret it would be without purpose.
Paul explains this in order to show the Christians in Corinth that they should not separate from each other. Already, there were opposing groups in their church. They had argued with each other and they had even taken each other to court.
But Paul told them that they needed each other. The gifts that the Holy Spirit had given them were evidence of that fact. So was the special work that God had given some of them to do. God had not given this work, these gifts or these skills to everyone. So, other Christians needed them; and they needed those other Christians.
Next part: Love and the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:31)
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© 2014, Keith Simons.