Readings:
2 Chronicles 25-28
Sirach 28
1 Corinthians 12

1 Corinthians 12

Paul moves on to talk about spiritual gifts. The fact that such gifts were so common in the apostolic age, and are seemingly uncommon today, leads some to erroneously believe that they no longer exist for us now, and have ceased in the world. But this is not what the church teaches. Yes they were more common then, but that could be bed they helped establish the church in its infancy and have a different role today. They still exist, and are evidenced by the miracles that the church has approved in ever age.

From this chapter we get the impression that the church in Corinth was valuing more spectacular gifts like speaking in tongues over less impressive ones like administrators or teachers, but all spiritual gifts are for the building up of the body of Christ and all parts of the body are important. The hand and the ear serve different functions but one is no less important than the other. This is the point Paul is making and he intentionally ranks the gifts with tongues at the bottom.

He closes this portion by telling them to desire the “higher gifts” and that leads into his famously beautiful exposition on love that we’ll read tomorrow, because that’s the greatest of the gifts.

Tomorrow’s Readings:
2 Chronicles 29-30
Sirach 29
1 Corinthians 13