1 Corinthians 12:1

The matter about the gifts. Supernormal gifts from the Holy Spirit were needed in the beginning, because: (1) they did not yet have the New Testament to guide them; (2) they were racing against time (Matthew 24:14). Many at Corinth took a superstitious view of the "gifts from the Spirit," especially the ability to speak in strange tongues. They viewed these gifts as being similar to those seen in the pagan temples, but with much greater power. [There have always been counterfeit gifts and miracles. Compare Exodus 7:10-12.] But the biggest problem at Corinth was their competitive spirit! Each one said his gift was the greatest and tried to seize the glory for himself!!! And since speaking in strange tongues gave the most opportunity to show off, that was the one which everybody wanted!!! Paul's purpose is to: (1) lay down a rule-of-thumb to separate gifts from the Holy Spirit from gifts given by evil spirits (demons); (2) to show the diversity in the gifts from the Spirit.