CONCERNING SPIRITUAL GIFTS
Tom Harding
1 Cor. 12: 1-11

Those who are chosen by God’s grace, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ and quickened and made alive by the Holy Spirit have no reason to boast of any personal achievement. The apostle Paul uses this powerful phrase, "no man" two times in one verse to exclude any from exalting the deeds of the flesh. We were ignorant Gentiles, carried away unto dumb and dead idols, until the grace of God set us free in Jesus Christ our Lord (Eph. 2:11-13). Consider these three statements:

1). All that every believer knows; God, in His mercy taught us! The gospel of God’s grace and glory is not something that the natural and carnal mind reasons out. The gospel must be revealed by the Holy Spirit. Salvation is not by education, but rather by revelation. The world by wisdom does not know God (1 Cor. 1:21). God, the Holy Spirit must take the things concerning Jesus Christ and shew them unto us, or we will never understand the true gospel. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit" (1 Cor. 2:9-10).

2). All that every believer has; God, in His love gave us! There is not a single spiritual blessing that the believer enjoys that has not been freely given to us (1 Cor. 1:30). We are justified freely by His grace (Rom. 3:24). God has loved His people freely in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world (Hosea 14:4). Although all the spiritual blessings are freely given to us, they came at a great price to our Lord. He fully paid our sin debt with a great price, His own blood (Acts 20:28). "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Rom. 8:32).

3). All that we are; God, in His grace made us! By nature we are born in sin and shapen in iniquity (Psalm 51:5). By His grace we have been made trophies of His love and mercy (Eph. 2:4-8). Every believer can truly say with the apostle Paul, "by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10). We are saved from our sin by His grace (Rom. 4:16). We are redeemed from the curse of the Law through Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:13).

Therefore every believer can rightly boast of what God has done for us through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Salvation is all of God’s grace, all in Christ Jesus and all for His glory. We say with the apostle, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Gal. 6:14).