SPIRITUAL GIFTS
AND THE RESURRECTION.
PAUL speaks of the experiences of the children of Israel in the wilderness as examples of God's dealing with men. They were written for our learning and admonition, that by heeding them we might avoid the fate of those who perished for disobedience. He seems to regard the passage through the Red Sea as a type of baptism, and intimates that the manna, and the water from the rock, were emblems of the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper. In the depths of the sea, the people were buried from sight by the immense wall of waters on either hand, and by the dense cloud that overhung their pathway; and since the manna was angel's food, it fitly represented the Bread of Heaven, while the water from the rock, like the blood of Christ, was a gift from God to save the perishing. But although the Jews all enjoyed such wonderful tokens of the favor of God, many of them were after-ward so headstrong and self-willed that he could not take them through to the Promised Land. They fell by the way, as will many in the present dispensation. Presuming upon the goodness of God, who had done such great things for them, they boldly disobeyed him, thus bringing upon themselves sudden destruction, as Paul shows by referring to instances in which thousands fell in a day. "Wherefore," says the apostle, "let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." To encourage those who might be disheartened, he adds: "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
After thus warning his Corinthian brethren against giving way to their lusts, Paul admonishes them not to join in the profane feasts of their idolatrous neighbors, and reproves them for their careless manner of celebrating the Lord's Supper. He tells them that the cup they bless is the communion of the blood of Christ, and the bread they break is the communion of the body of Christ. Such an occasion is no time for feasting, or even for satisfying hunger. Those who partake of this supper without recognizing its sacredness, bring a curse upon themselves rather than a blessing. In speaking of Spiritual gifts, the apostle says that they are all bestowed through the agency of the same Spirit, the special gifts being but different manifestations of the one Spirit. This he illustrates by the human body, all the members being essential to the whole, and each alike important in its appropriate office. Paul then admonishes them to seek earnestly the best gifts; but recommends charity, or the love of God in the heart, as more to be desired than all things else. The choicest gifts unsanctified by this love are of no avail. The love of God will fill the soul, and give it unutterable joy, when the gifts of prophecy, of healing, and of tongues, are no longer needed. As the sun causes the stars to disappear in the sky, so will the perfect light and knowledge of the world to come, eclipse the brightest gifts now bestowed upon men.
With all the tender solicitude of a father, Paul urges the church at Corinth to exercise toward one another that Christian charity, which he has so highly recommended. They are to be orderly and quiet in all their assemblies; to consider carefully what effect their words and actions may have upon others; to avoid making any display of the gifts they may possess; and always to speak in such a way as to strengthen and comfort their brethren, rather than to discourage even the weakest. He says, "Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth, . . . . even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved."
It seems that some had denied the resurrection of the dead, but Paul tells them that if the dead are not to be raised, then Christ has not risen; and if Christ is not risen, both his preaching and their faith are vain, and all who have preached the resurrection of Christ are false witnesses. He declares that Christ has risen from the dead; and that as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
In answer to the questions, "How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come? "Paul says: "It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: it is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body." And again:
"Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord."