The Practice of Spiritual Gifts in the Local Church (2)

Dec 7, 2025  •  Roger Skepple

The Practice of Spiritual Gifts

in the Local Church (2)


The Benefits to Our Study

The Background of 1 Corinthians 12

The Structure of Paul’s Argument:

I. The Test of Authenticity: The Reality of Counterfeit Spiritual Gifts (12:1-3)

II. The Summary: The Source, Purpose, and Nature of Spiritual Gifts (12:4-11)

III. The Explanation: The Realities of the Body (12:12-30)

A. The Construction of the Body (12:12-19)

B. The Interdependency of the Body’s Members (12:20-26)

C. Some Important Implications of these Realities (12:27-31)

I. The Test of Authenticity: The Reality of Counterfeit Spiritual Gifts (12:1-3)

A. The Matter at Hand: Spirituality and Spiritual Gifts (12:1)

● pneumatikos spiritual


● pneumatikos (spiritual) vs charisma (gift)

B. The Reality of Counterfeits (12:2)


know to have seen or perceived; knowing


something through personal experience


● led astray in the grasps of another


C. The Test of Authenticity (12:3)


● docetism denial of Jesus’ humanity

(Ebionitism, Adoptionism, Eutychainism)