1 Corinthians 12:31 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

NIV: Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will show you the most excellent way.

NASB: But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And yet, I am going to show you a far better way.

CSB: But desire the greater gifts. And I will show you an even better way.

NLT: So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts. But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.

KJV: But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

NKJV: But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

This concludes a section about the importance of the spiritual gifts in the life of the church. Paul encourages the Corinthians to earnestly desire the higher gifts. By this, he likely means they should want to see gifted apostles, prophets, and teachers in their church. This might seem confusing, since Paul has labored over these last verses to explain why there is honor and value in all gifts and roles. So, why would Paul say this about these certain spiritual abilities?

Perhaps it is because through these gifted functions that God is best able to communicate needed truth to His people. Or perhaps the Corinthians did not value these leadership roles among them nearly enough. From all Paul has had to correct in their understanding and practice of Christianity, it's possible that they either lacked or did not receive good teaching from gifted leaders.

Even keeping with the body analogy, this still makes sense. A professional athlete certainly desires to hone the abilities of their arms, or legs, or fingers. That's a good thing, and not something to be ashamed of. That same athlete, however, still knows that there is importance and value in those other, less-visible body parts. They realize that extraordinary accomplishments by the arms and legs require support and care for those other members of the body.

The chapter ends with a teaser of sorts for what Paul will discuss next. He calls it the "more excellent way." The theme explored in this passage forms a well-known discussion of the biblical concept of love.

First Corinthians 12:12–31 continues Paul's teaching on the spiritual gifts as they cooperate to empower God's will for the church. The Christian church is like a human body. It is one individual organism made up of many different parts that serve a wide variety of functions. All those functions matter. Nobody should decide they don't like their gift or their role in the church and try to quit. The body needs each member to do its part in order to work properly. We must respect and value each other for the vital roles we serve in the church.

Apparently in response to further questions from Corinth, Paul describes what spiritual gifts are, who receives them, and what they are for. His emphasis is that particular spiritual gifts do not make believers spiritual. Every believer is spiritual because every Christian has God's Spirit with him or her. In addition, the Spirit gives one or more spiritual gifts to each believer to be used to serve the church. The church is like a body, in which every part is needed, and all the parts exist to serve one another. Every believer must discover how they are gifted by the Spirit and value the function they serve in Christ's body.

After tackling the issues of head coverings for women and the Lord's Supper in the previous chapter, Paul moves to the issue of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12. Paul insists that the display of spiritual gifts does not make one believer more spiritual or important than another. Every believer in Jesus has the Spirit, and the Spirit gives to every believer one or more spiritual gifts. The gifts are given for the common good, and the church is like a human body. Each gifted function in the church represents a body part, and all the parts are essential. This sets up a description of love, as defined from a Christian viewpoint, and famously recorded in chapter 13.

First Corinthians is one of the more practical books of the New Testament. Paul writes to a church immersed in a city associated with trade, but also with corruption and immorality. These believers are struggling to properly apply spiritual gifts and to resist the ungodly practices of the surrounding culture. Paul's letter gives instructions for real-life concerns such as marriage and spirituality. He also deals with the importance of unity and gives one of the Bible's more well-known descriptions of love in chapter 13.