1 Corinthians 12:1–2

Of the Use and Purpose of Spiritual Gifts. 1 Cor. 12, 1–31.

All spiritual gifts from God: V. 1. Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. V. 2. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.

Other matters might be postponed until the apostle would be able to carry out his plan of visiting Corinth, but the subject broached by him in this section must be attended to at once: But about spiritual things, that is, gifts or powers, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant.

He wanted to teach the proper use of spiritual gifts, just as he had given them the right information about the celebration of the Lord's Supper; for there was a certain amount of danger connected with these gifts, since they were, generally speaking, supernatural phenomena proceeding from the Spirit and belonging within His sphere.

And in order to put his readers into the right relation to the admonition which he is about to make, and to keep them in the proper state of humiliation as to their absolute lack of merit in the acceptance of these gifts, he reminds them of their former heathen state: You know that Gentiles you once were, being carried away to the voiceless idols, as you were led.

Two thoughts are here brought out, namely, that heathenism is an estrangement from the true God, and that it is a slavery of the lowest kind. To be led away to the worship of idols, whom the apostle characterizes as dumb, voiceless, Psalm 115, 5; 135, 16, marks the entire Gentile world.

The Gentiles are carried off to this foolish, futile worship; their priests are very well aware of the fact that the claims which they advance are without foundation; but they keep the people in superstitious slavery. At the nod of their priests the ignorant heathen bowed down in worship to their dead idols, whose dumbness was a part of their nothingness, and who never returned an answer, no matter how urgent the supplication. The knowledge of their former state was such as always to make the grace of God stand out the more wonderfully by contrast in their minds.