Paul warns believers to beware of following after spiritual experiences that do not honor the Lord. He explains that the Spirit of God should be evident when individual believers exercise their individual spiritual gifts.
The gifts of the Spirit are listed: word of wisdom (wise counsel); word of knowledge (knowing the facts); faith (in addition to the saving faith that every believer has); gifts of healing; working of miracles; prophecy (proclaiming prophetic Scripture and its fulfillment); discerning of Spirits (identifying erroneous doctrine); tongues (speaking in foreign languages); interpretation of tongues (understanding/translating foreign languages).
Believers are instructed to use their gifts working together with other believers in unity, rather than allowing themselves to covet each others' gifts and thereby allowing division because of their pride.
The Corinthian church was divided rather than unified: they followed various preachers based on their style of preaching rather than on any relevant doctrinal issue (Chapters 1-3); they elevated the wealthy over the poor (chapter 11); and they honored the church members who appeared to be more talented over those whose gifts were less glamorous. In a word, they were worldly.
The pride of life ( 1 John 2:16) is not of God but of the world's system. The world's system presents a form of "wisdom" that is not true wisdom at all (James 3:13-18). Worldliness causes division in the church. Believers who follow Christ will not (and cannot) be unified with persons who are following the world system ( these worldly ones are probably not true believers--see James 4:4 and 1 John 2:15-16).
The Corinthian church was divided rather than unified: they followed various preachers based on their style of preaching rather than on any relevant doctrinal issue (Chapters 1-3); they elevated the wealthy over the poor (chapter 11); and they honored the church members who appeared to be more talented over those whose gifts were less glamorous. In a word, they were worldly.
The pride of life ( 1 John 2:16) is not of God but of the world's system. The world's system presents a form of "wisdom" that is not true wisdom at all (James 3:13-18). Worldliness causes division in the church. Believers who follow Christ will not (and cannot) be unified with persons who are following the world system ( these worldly ones are probably not true believers--see James 4:4 and 1 John 2:15-16).
Arrogance, envy, and love of worldly success negate any chance of unity of the church in regard to exercising spiritual gifts in a meaningful way. "(W)hosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God" (Jm 4:4). Believers must courageously identify, confront, and eliminate worldliness in the church before they will see the ministry of the Spirit in power.
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