Should we or should we not??
Ok babes and dudes,have asked ganshi about whether we should ask god for gifts and the following is his response,without any extra/less words from me :)
Hi Jie Ying,
Have read the interesting discussion on blogspot you pointed out, just some quick comments:
1. J is right that "zelos" does have the negative connotation of covetousness (e.g. see 1 Cor 13:4), however, note that it has also been used in a positive manner (e.g. see 2 Cor 11:2), and hence contra J, we cannot come to an immediate conclusion that here the negative sense is employed. A closer reading of the text is then necessary.
2. Also, as J has pointed out, the indicative and imperative forms of "zelos" are identical. So which one is it then? While the indicative option is attractive, because of the polemic that Paul was already engaged against the Corinthians as J has pointed out, I would lean towards the imperative reading of the verb simply because of the existence of a similar clause in 1 Cor 14:1.
In 1 Cor 14:1, the exact same form of "zelos" is used (i.e. "zeloute"), but is clear that 14:1 uses it in the imperative sense. This verse also ties in the two related ideas of "follow the way" and "desire greater gifts" as per 12:31 (note however that 14:1 uses "spiritual" gifts instead of "greater" and is significant, but not in this discussion yet), making it much more likely that 1 Cor 12:31 was using it in an imperative sense.
3. So it seems that here Paul did command the believers to seek gifts from God. But does that mean love is the greater gift to be sought? Actually, this is a common misconception for love has never been described in the bible as a "gift". Rather it is described here as a "way" (also in 14:1). Love forms the context and background for which the spiritual gifts that are desired should operate, without which the church would descend into self-centeredness and one-upmanship, with the Corinthian church as the first example of this but not the last.
Hence based on this text alone, there is insufficient support to conclude that spiritual gifts are not to be sought by believers. Rather, Paul's main concern was that gifts should be sought in an environment of love, for without love, all the gifts are meaningless.
Hope I have not misinterpreted your query. Great job J.
Blessings
Liyu
i know some of you might find both guoyuan's and ganshi's parts abit hard to understand (dun worry you are not alone..im there with you!!wahaha..),but any more questions about what they are saying im sure they are more than willing to clarify for you :) so just shoot!(your questions i mean...)
Hi Jie Ying,
Have read the interesting discussion on blogspot you pointed out, just some quick comments:
1. J is right that "zelos" does have the negative connotation of covetousness (e.g. see 1 Cor 13:4), however, note that it has also been used in a positive manner (e.g. see 2 Cor 11:2), and hence contra J, we cannot come to an immediate conclusion that here the negative sense is employed. A closer reading of the text is then necessary.
2. Also, as J has pointed out, the indicative and imperative forms of "zelos" are identical. So which one is it then? While the indicative option is attractive, because of the polemic that Paul was already engaged against the Corinthians as J has pointed out, I would lean towards the imperative reading of the verb simply because of the existence of a similar clause in 1 Cor 14:1.
In 1 Cor 14:1, the exact same form of "zelos" is used (i.e. "zeloute"), but is clear that 14:1 uses it in the imperative sense. This verse also ties in the two related ideas of "follow the way" and "desire greater gifts" as per 12:31 (note however that 14:1 uses "spiritual" gifts instead of "greater" and is significant, but not in this discussion yet), making it much more likely that 1 Cor 12:31 was using it in an imperative sense.
3. So it seems that here Paul did command the believers to seek gifts from God. But does that mean love is the greater gift to be sought? Actually, this is a common misconception for love has never been described in the bible as a "gift". Rather it is described here as a "way" (also in 14:1). Love forms the context and background for which the spiritual gifts that are desired should operate, without which the church would descend into self-centeredness and one-upmanship, with the Corinthian church as the first example of this but not the last.
Hence based on this text alone, there is insufficient support to conclude that spiritual gifts are not to be sought by believers. Rather, Paul's main concern was that gifts should be sought in an environment of love, for without love, all the gifts are meaningless.
Hope I have not misinterpreted your query. Great job J.
Blessings
Liyu
i know some of you might find both guoyuan's and ganshi's parts abit hard to understand (dun worry you are not alone..im there with you!!wahaha..),but any more questions about what they are saying im sure they are more than willing to clarify for you :) so just shoot!(your questions i mean...)
posted by Bright and Beautiful at
11:26 PM
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