Temple Baptist Church - 2-25-2026
I Corinthians 12:1
Introduction:
A. In Paul’s day, there was much ignorance concerning the gifts that God gave to the believers.
1 Corinthians 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
1. They were ignorant in that some of these gifts were permanent, and some were passing. We will deal with that in chapter 13, but I need to mention it as I preface chapters 12-14.
2. By the same token, there is much ignorance in our day concerning which biblical gifts are relevant today and what gifts have passed away through the completed revelation of God’s Word, which we have in our hands, the King James Bible.
3. Paul did not want the Corinthian church to be ignorant of these divinely given gifts, and, as your pastor, I do not want you to be ignorant either.
B. To rightly understand these gifts, we must understand the times in which they were given and God’s rules for using them, found in chapter 14. Thus, the importance of understanding the transition period between the Old and New Covenants is found in the Old and New Testaments.
1. The Four Hundred Silent Years.
a. From the Book of Malachi until the Book of Matthew was a period of approximately 400 years. During these years, the heavens were silent. There were no miracles, no new revelations from God. God was using these 4 centuries to set the stage for the coming of Israel’s Messiah, the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world.
1) The Transition Period was actually 500 years from Malachi to the end of the Apostolic Age around 100 AD.
a) Transition Period: Malachi to John the Baptist (The last of the Old Testament Prophets, who did no miracles – to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world – to the end of the Apostolic Period, ending with John the Beloved writing the Book of the Revelation of Christ at approximately 95 AD.
b) Though the New Testament was canonized in 367 AD, John the Beloved had completed “That which is perfect”, the Book of the Revelation, approximately around 95 AD. The Word of God was finished.
b. Galatians 4:4 explains the value of these silent years concerning the coming of Christ.
Galatians 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
c. “The fullness of time” means that the world scene had to be set:
1) Politically, the influence of the seventh and last world power, Rome. During this time, we find the rise and fall of world powers as the Persian Empire gave way to the Greek Empire, and the Greek Empire gave way to the Roman Empire. Under Rome, roads were built for military purposes to move armies, but they also made travel much easier and quicker from one nation to another, which allowed the Apostles to turn the world upside down.
2) Culturally, the influence of Greece. The Greeks brought about koine Greek, which became the common language of the New Testament world. Virtually all people spoke this common form of Greek from which the New Testament is translated. Now the Gospel could be shared with all people.
3) Historically, the shift of concentration. The Old Testament is all about the Nation of Israel and the Jews, while the New Testament is about the Church: Jew and Gentile, male and female, the bond and free, the Body of Christ.
4) Ecclesiastically, the synagogue established. In the 400 silent years, we find the introduction of the synagogue. Historically, congregational worship took place at the Tabernacle and later at the two Temples, Solomon’s and Zerubbabel’s.
a) Though both the Lord Jesus and his disciples went to the Temple on certain days, we also find them worshipping in local assemblies called synagogues and later churches.
b) By 70 AD, both of these Temples had been destroyed, and local churches (ἐκκλησία ekklēsia ek-klay-see'-ah), called-out assemblies, were established, which remain today. “Church” or “churches” is mentioned 117 times in the New Testament.
2. The transition from the Old Testament Covenant of Law to the New Covenant of Grace.
John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
a. The Mosaic Law given. The Law given to Moses on Mount Sinai was threefold: the Moral Law, the Civil Law, and the Ceremonial Law. Though the bulk of the Mosaic Law remains in effect today, some of it applies only to the Nation of Israel, especially the Ceremonial Law.
1) The Ceremonial Law was based upon the work of the worldly priests in a worldly Tabernacle offering worldly (animal) sacrifices. The Old Covenant was based upon animal sacrifices, with the blood placed upon the Mercy Seat by the High Priest.
2) Atonement, a covering, a putting off. Both sacrifice and priesthood were to undergo a vital change as the priesthood was sinful and had to sacrifice for themselves, and the blood of bulls and goats could never pay God's demand for sin.
b. The New Covenant applied. As the Law came by Moses and reigned for 1500 years, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
1) By the works of the flesh, no man can be justified, as man is dead in trespasses and sin. Human merit is based upon “filthy rags,” which can never take away sin. The truth showed our feeble attempts to be right with God through human merit miserably failed.
2) A Finished Product. One eternal Sacrifice for all, sin not covered but GONE. It took the Gospel of Christ, the vicarious death-burial-resurrection, and the precious blood to purchase our redemption, and that, my friends, is called GRACE!
3. The transition from sight, the partial gifts, to faith in the Word of God and full salvation.
a. This brings us to 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14. In chapter 12, Paul mentions some of these partial gifts along with those gifts that would remain. Sign gifts were given to transition from the Old to the New Covenants. As the Word of God was not yet complete, God gave certain miraculous signs to show that His power was upon His people.
b. Walking by Sight. Signs were meant for the unbelieving Jews, not the Gentiles. Though Gentiles also used them, they were to be used to show the Jews that the power of God was upon the Gentiles also.
1 Corinthians 1:21-24 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. (22) For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: (23) But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; (24) But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
1) The unbelieving Jews REQUIRED a sign. Unless they could see, they refused to believe. God, in His marvelous grace, did something for His covenant people that He refused to do for us Gentiles. He allowed them to walk by sight.
c. Walking by Faith. The Gentiles operated by faith, not sight.
Romans 14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
2 Corinthians 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
4. Now, as we open the Scriptures to the New Testament Church, 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14 are the only mention of the partial gifts as there is no need for extra-biblical revelations. Since we will look at this in depth in chapter 13, we will now begin looking at these divine gifts, both partial or passing and permanent. Why God gave them and the regulations by which they were be used.
a. Be careful when you develop your doctrine out of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts, as these are transitional books written before the coming of “that which is perfect,” the complete canon of Scripture.
2 Peter 1:19-21 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: (20) Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. (21) For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
b. As the transition period began to close, the Apostles had already begun to lose these transitional or partial/passing gifts. Primarily, the gifts of healing, tongues, and prophecy.
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