What a spiritual gift is not:

• A Spiritual Gift Is Not A Place Of Service: The gift of teaching can be done in a school, a church, a home, a park, or even at Dairy Queen.
• A Spiritual Gift Is Not An Office: In this regard, there is much confusion over the gift of pastor. The gift is to shepherd people and can be done by he who occupies our ecclesiastical office of pastor, or it could be done by a father or mother, or anyone who is shepherding people.
• A Spiritual Gift Is Not A Particular Age Group: There is no gift of youth work, or children’s work, etc. People of all ages need to be served by pastors, teachers, administrators, helpers, etc.
• A Spiritual Gift Is Not A Specialty Technique: There is no spiritual gift of writing or Christian education or music or dating. These are techniques through which spiritual gifts may be channeled.

While the topic of gifts is important, and one which he will return to shortly, it is important for believers to understand their Christian duty to each other. While the church is the bride, the people and the family of God, the ekklesia, the chosen ones, the citizens of the kingdom of Heaven, we are also something somewhat more earthy: we are the body. In 12.12-14 Paul introduces the figure of the church as the body. This stresses the unity of the church. We are not only one people, we are one body, organized and given life by one Spirit. This is a powerful analogy because it is both simple and obvious. It describes well the relationship of members to other members as being a collaborative one. And just like the physical body, the body of Christ isn’t always beautiful. It is subject to rashes and blemishes, and it too can be polluted by taking in the wrong kind of substance. As the church body our diet is to be God’s Word and to drink, God’s Spirit. The body was not intended to take in modern fads, trends and teachings. Our clothing is to be our righteousness and acts of worship, not community service projects, inter-faith prayer meetings or any other work done for all to see. Once more the problems of the modern church are clearly reflected in the pages of 1 Corinthians.

In verses 15 through 20 we see the first potential problem of the church: people de-valuing their own position. A foot is not to envy the hand and the ear is not less important for not being an eye. While there is diversity in function within the body, they were all organized and unified by God. Each has the place He created for it. The solution to the problem of devaluing our position is properly relating to the head, which is Christ Jesus. By understanding the function He gives us we have value.

In verses 21-25 we see the second potential problem for the church: people devaluing others’ gifts and positions. The eye cannot say to the hand “I don’t need you!” nor can the head say likewise to the feet. Every part of the body, whether weak or strong, is important and indispensable. Every part of the body, that is every member of the church, is to treat the other with equal concern and respect. The solution to this problem is properly understanding the relationship of the head (Christ) to each member of the body.

In the following verses (12.26-13.13) Paul will drive home his point of unity in diversity. Beginning in verse 26 we see the depth of the body’s commitment to each member: If one part suffers, all suffer; if one part is honored, all rejoice. Verse 27 simply re-states the fact of the body’s commitment. The function’s of this commitment are outlined in 12.28-.31. God appoints certain people to the church, some as apostles, preachers/teachers, prophets, and even workers of more miraculous gifts. All believers have at least one spiritual gift (l Peter 4.10), but not everyone has every gift. Not everyone can be a teacher, or a prophet or else the body would fall out of balance and die. This is an important lesson for all who seek to obtain a gift they have not been given, or who are frustrated with the gift they have. Only when we can perfectly use what God has given us should we ask for anything more, lest we appear ungrateful for His mercies. We must recognize God’s sovereignty; He gives His children good gifts. We should not presume to know “better” than God by being dissatisfied with the gift He has imparted to us or with the role He has given us to play in the body.

While it is important to discover one's spiritual gift, that is one’s role in the body, there is one more aspect to the gift not yet discussed: how it is to be exercised. At the beginning of chapter 12 we learned that a spiritual gift is a God-given ability to serve the body of Christ wherever and however He directs. Though exercised as a service, is to be performed out of love. As we grow in love for one another, we never miss an opportunity to serve each other. By serving we learn what gifts God has already given us, and we leave ourselves open to God's enabling us with another gift. Why does God give good gifts to his children? Because he loves us. Why do we exercise our gifts in service to each other? Because we love God and each other. And what is the greatest gift ever given to mankind? Love. Immediately following Paul's lengthiest discussion of gifts, he concludes, “Let me show you a more excellent way.” That most excellent way, far more excellent than any gift he discussed before, is the way of love.