Paul's treatment concerning spiritual matters in 1 Corinthians 12-14 makes a unique contribution to the subject of the gifts of the Holy Spirit to the church since the day of Pentecost. The matters he treats are of considerable debate in today's church, just as they were to the members of the body of Christ at Corinth during his time. But they are as relevant and significant as they were when the apostle put pen to paper to bring correction and instruction when abuses and misunderstanding reigned during the formative years of the New Testament church. This portion of Scripture is nothing like anything else on the subject that Paul or any other author deals with anywhere else in Scripture. Since the Holy Spirit himself is central to all that is discussed, believers do themselves damage by ignoring the teaching the apostle brings regarding the role these gifts have in empowering, guiding, and enriching the church in its task of worldwide evangelism today. The methodology followed in this treatment attempts to be true to scholarship while demonstrating in a practical manner how the issues play out in reality in the real world.
