Tuesday, May 23, 2023

For the Profit of All

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1 Corinthians 12:4-7 “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.”

 

Our Wednesday evening Small Group Bible Study is going through  series on the Holy Spirit. Natural we come to the gifts of the Spirit and the manifestation of the Spirit, but less known is the reason for the gifts and their manifestation. The purpose to these gifts to born-again Believers is for the profit of all. This reminds me of what is written in Matthew 16:26, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” 

 

In 1 Corinthians 12:7, the Greek word for “profit” is “sympherō”, meaning that which is profitable. In Matthew 16:26 it is the Greek word “Ōpheleō”, meaning to assist, to be useful or advantageous, to profit. The point is that the purpose of the gifts and manifestations of the Holy Spirit to the born-again Believer is not about their profit, as much as it is about equipping them for the profit of others. Each individual saint (meaning those who have been sanctified in Christ) has the same Lord and has been given different spiritual gifts for ministry by the same Spirit for the advancement of the kingdom of God. 

 

1 Corinthians 12:12-14 goes on to say, “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.” The children of God are the body of Christ, each uniquely gifts as the Spirit willed for a specific ministry use that works in unison with the other uniquely gifts brothers and sisters in Christ for the common good of the entire body and the profit of all. 

 

1 Corinthians 12:24-27 goes on to explain that “God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” The is honor, purpose and value in every part of the body of Believers, and each gifted individual respected for their valuable contribution to the entire body as a whole. 

 

God cares about each individual that He created, but we cannot become conceited about the spiritual gifts that we are given. They have a godly purpose and it’s not about “me”, but about “us” and “them”, helping and encourage others for the glory of God and the spread of the Gospel. They are ultimately for the profit of all.

 

In Christ, Brian

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