Spiritualities – πνευματικός
Spiritual:
“always connotes the ideas of invisibility and of power. ..it is in fact an after-Pentecost word.
the activities Godward of regenerate men are ‘spiritual sacrifices,’ 1Pe 2:5; their appointed activities in the churches are also called ‘spiritual gifts,’ lit., ‘spiritualities,’ 1Cr 12:1; 14:1;
Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words Adjective Strong’s Number: g4152 Greek: pneumatikos
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
First Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians 12:1 King James Version
I want to begin HERE by proceeding with the Apostle’s letter to the church in Corinth because SPIRITUAL GIFTS seem not only mysterious, but frequently misused in preaching and therefore confusing to Christians growing in our faith.
So in addition to working our way through 1 Corinthians 12 we will also examine and hopefully clarify the context of these spiritualities of which the Apostle writes throughout his epistle.
The Corinthian connection of Spiritualities
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.
You know that when you were pagans, to mute idols you were led, as being carried away.
Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking in the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed,”
and no one is able to say, “Jesus is Lord,” if not in the Holy Spirit.
Ignorant?
21st century Common Era christians don't use such offensive self-evaluation of ANYONE in our church, do we? Yet the Apostle Paul did in asking church members to examine themselves.
ἀγνοέω – agnoeō – verb
- to be ignorant, not to know
- not to understand, unknown
- to err or sin through mistake, to be wrong
We may eventually acknowledge what we formerly did not know or did not understand. But how we avoid confession of current err and continuing sin.
Yet the Apostle consistently corrects the Corinthian church in these things pointing to Christ in a Spiritual sense:
For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them, and the rock was Christ.
1 Corinthians 10:1-4 :: Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)
In 1 Corinthians 10 Paul outlines the SIN and ERR of IDOLATRY
Soon the Apostle warns the Corinthians that God may not recognize some worshippers gathering for their communions:
But if anyone remains G50 ignorant G50 about this, he is ignored G50 by God.
Spiritual Gifts
Let’s clear this up FIRST through basic and ROOT definitions of this important adjective.
REMINDER that an adjective describes a person (you, me, a fellow saint).
pneumatikos
relating to the human spirit, or rational soul, as the part of man which is akin to God and serves as his instrument or organ
- opposed to ἡ ψυχή: hence, τό πνευματικόν, that which possesses the nature of the rational soul, opposed to τό ψυχικόν,
The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.
1 Corinthians 15:46
- The Apostle Paul uses pneumatikos 15 times in his first letter to the Corinthians.
Root Word (Etymology)
From πνεῦμα (G4151)
pneuma – spirit
neuter noun From πνέω (G4154)
The KJV translates Strong’s G4151 in the following manner: Spirit (111x), Holy Ghost (89x), Spirit (of God) (13x), [more]
“See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit G4151 does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost G4151 which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1 Corinthians 6:19 KJV
Paul uses the Greek πνεῦμα (pneuma) 41 times in 33 verses in 1 Corinthians, pointing to the spirit in the body and also referring to the Holy Ghost.
Now there are diversities G1243
And there are differences G1243
1 Cor 12:5a KJV
And there are diversities G1243
1 Cor 6a KJV
What distinctions?
- gifts
- administrations
- operations
1 Cor 12: 4b,5b,6b KJV
OR perhaps less formally:
- spiritual gifts
- ministries or service
- effects or workings
And the Paul’s connection of these three outlined?
- but the same Spirit [G4151] pneuma
- but the same Lord. [G2962] kyrios
- Root Word (Etymology)
- masculine noun
- From kuros (supremacy)
- but the same God [G2316] theos is working all things in everyone.
No matter which English translation or version of Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians you prefer note the frequency of applying this
Higher Authority over the Church.:
πνευματικός
pneumatikos – pnyoo-mat-ik-os’
- relating to the human spirit, or rational soul, as part of the man which is akin to God and serves as his instrument or organ
- belonging to a spirit, or a being higher than man but inferior to God
- belonging to the Divine Spirit
- of God the Holy Spirit
- one who is filled with and governed by the Spirit of God
- pertaining to the wind or breath; windy, exposed to the wind, blowing
πνεῦμα – pneuma – Spirit
occurs 40 times in 32 verses in ‘1Co’ in the MGNT Greek.
1 Corinthians 12:7- 11 BSB
Now to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit, for the common profiting.
For truly, to one is given a word of wisdom by the Spirit, and to another a word of knowledge according to the same Spirit, and to a different one faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another working of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another distinguishing of spirits, and to a different one various kinds of tongues, and to another interpretation of tongues.
Now one and the same the Spirit works all these things, apportioning individually to each as He wills.
1 Corinthians 12:11 BSB – Spirit,
Πνεῦμα (Pneuma)
Noun – Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong’s 4151: Wind, breath, spirit.
spiritualities (or spiritual gifts)
The Apostle assures that these spiritualities (or spiritual gifts) are just that: GIFTS of the Holy Spirit of God.
Therefore the Lord chooses which saint may receive what gift,
θεός – theos – God
occurs 106 times in 86 verses in ‘1Co’ in the TR Greek.
And where in the Apostle's first letter to the Corinthians did Paul first point to the Highest Authority of God?
Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, G2316 …
From his call by Jesus Christ after the Lord's resurrection and consequent authority 'through the will of God' the Apostle Paul will proceed to instruct Christ's body (the Church, as he will illustrate) in the humility and nature of the gifts of their spiritualities.
And God G2316 hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
MORE on that NEXT time...
κύριος – kyrios – Lord, lord and master
From kuros (supremacy)
occurs 69 times in 59 verses in ‘1Co’ in the TR Greek.
— he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord
Lexicon :: Strong’s G2962 – kyrios
And when does Paul first mention the Lord and at the same time extend the line of His authority and mission to Corinth?
To the church of God in Corinth,
to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy,
together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:
Salutation of the Apostle Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians 1:2 BSB
Throughout his letter Paul reveals the unseen unfolding mysteries of Christ through the Spirit of the Triune God.
The Corinthian saints are no more like the communities in which they live who have spiritualities of their own.

Were the communities and spiritualities of Corinth so different from our own 21st century C.E. gatherings and communions which include all with great diversity, yet with considerable ignorance of the Spirit?
And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
NEXT: Members in Christ's body
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