All have been given gifts of various kinds … those who believe have been given spiritual gifts.

The one who created us is a gift giving God … not just materially but also, to those in the church, spiritually. The use of these gifts in the church sometimes gets ‘bad press’. The problem, however, is not with the gift itself but with its abuse.

In this passage the apostle Paul seeks to address problems with the use of spiritual gifts in the church. It seems that some got overexcited with the use of these gifts and started using them for the wrong purpose.  The gifts had been given for the common good, not personal pride. Also the diversity of the gifts which had been given was not meant to be grounds for division.

A right understanding of the context in which the gifts had been given needed to be understood. The gifts were meant to complement one another … like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. Each member of the church has worth and value, just like the body. If one part suffers, the whole body suffers.  Some parts, which are relatively unseen, are given greater honour. There is only one hero, however, who is worthy of honour and that is Jesus … the ‘head’ of the body.