A River Runs Through Them

Mike Hosey, Elder

Any land that has a river running through it is nourished, fertile, usually beautiful, and is teeming with life.  It is the river that grows the land, moves the inhabitants of the land, shapes the land, and in many ways holds the land together. A land without a river is often dead, or dusty, or dry.

The land of spiritual gifts is exactly the same way. There’s a river that should flow through any body of believers as they exercise their spiritual gifts. Consider how Paul addresses this river reality to the Corinthian church. He does it in an odd way, spanning three whole chapters. Paul spends a good a bit of time in 1 Corinthians 12:4-31 explaining to them that spiritual gifts are diverse and have many different purposes, and that this diversity is necessary and good. Everyone should practice the gift they have been given. Then, he spends an entire chapter on the concept of love in the “Love Chapter” (1 Corinthians 13:1-13). In chapter 14, he returns to his discussion of the spiritual gifts, and takes some time to explain how some of those gifts are more important than others (1 Corinthians 14:1-40) and how their use within the public setting of church meetings should always be done decently and in order.

This construction seems to be for a reason. The Corinthian church was a church in which people seemed to abuse their spiritual gifts (among other things – 1 Corinthians 11:30). This abuse was probably for personal profit. But Paul tells them in chapter 13 that love should nourish all their gifts. Without love, he tells them, their gifts are empty, noisy and meaningless – in a word, they are dry.

Paul seemed to know that the person who loved – that is the person who was committed to the wellbeing of others and to the edification of the church -- would use his gifts appropriately. If each person concentrated on his or her own gift instead of using it for the building of the church (1 Corinthians 13:26-33) then no one is actually helped. Without actual love, there is no river to nourish those gifts, and the people that those gifts are designed to grow.

Paul places a great premium on the gift of love. When all other gifts pass away, he argues, love will remain and is the greatest gift of all. (1 Corinthians 13:13). Paul was wise enough to know that God is love (1 John 4:8), and that with Him as the river, a church can grow well (Psalms 1:3).