Part 1 of this series showed how pagan man in his systems of religion and mythology was endeavouring to find the answer to the great questions of life—the First Cause, Good and Evil, the way to life, without success. ln 1 Cor.13 St. Paul seeks to show his Corinthian converts that their new faith has the answers they previously sought.

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Between those former days when the Corinthian brethren worshipped at the idol's shrine, and these later days when Paul wrote to them these searching words, these converts to the Christian faith had been endowed with extraordinary supernormal powers. They had been invested with "gracious gifts" (charismata - 1 Cor.12.31 Diaglott). They are also called "spiritual gifts" (pneumatikon) in Chap.14.1. The possession of these gifts enabled them to do and say many things entirely outside and beyond the range of their natural capacities. They were intended to be a source of help in their witness-bearing before their former friends and relations in the early days of the Church's establishment.

The use of such supernormal powers was not an entirely new feature in their lives, for they would have seen and heard the heathen priesthood exercising similar powers many times. Supernormal exhibitions of occult power were of frequent occurrence in the worship at the shrine—while the pronunciation of cryptic oracles, or the infliction of the most terrible taboos, under demonic influences, were but regular features of the priesthood's daily functions. To produce impressionistic effects upon the worshippers' minds black magic of many kinds was employed, while other features of the black arts were used either to restore to health or to blast to death such individuals as the priest might choose. Men have been known, so historians say, to wilt and die forthwith under the priestly curse. We are told by competent authorities that occurrences of this sort took place in every land where a demon-inspired priesthood held sway, hence these at Corinth would be no exception to the rule.

But in those former days these brethren had been no more than observers and witnesses of these Satanic happenings. None but the priesthood with their acolytes had been thus endowed. While therefore the sight of these happenings was really no new thing in their lives, it was most surely a new experience entirely for themselves to be endowed and equipped with such supernormal powers. And in that endowment lay its danger to themselves. Ingrained as that way of life had been from their infant days, into the very fibres of their soul, every act and experience, every word and thought had been tinctured through and through with occult influence. When passing over into the Christian Church these Corinthians seemed to have brought much of this early heritage along with them. They had not all cut entirely clear from its entangling influence. Some of them still attended at the idol shrine, and sat with family and friends at its festive board. With them they still partook of the "offered" meat, while others scrupled not to lend themselves to immorality. Seemingly, for some of them, the "pull" of the newer faith was yet too weak to neutralise the fascination of the ancient shrine.

And yet there was some "pulling power" in the new faith. They came at the appointed times to the place of fellowship and mingled with other communicants of like mind. It was at these times that the new influence came to rest upon them. It was in this place that the heavenly "Charismata" enabled them to speak without premeditation or other preparation in their own foreign tongues. Some were accorded ability to interpret a "foreign tongue", and make it of use and service in the general ministry. Others were given insight into an ancient prophecy, which was then communicated to all for the common good. Others had ability conferred to heal the sick or work minor miracles.

Thus, within the limitations of their own ecclesia, these one-time heathen worshippers were endowed with supernormal powers. And, in that they lay outside the range of their own natural abilities, they were in this sense, akin to those of their former priests, though intended for nobler ends. With men inclined to be wholly good - men like Paul and Peter and the whole Apostolic band - these "charismata" could be of untold benefit, both to the recipient himself and to the wider circle around him, but with men not yet cut clear from evil things and evil ways, they could well be a source of great danger and immense difficulty. With men such is these in the assembly other "powers" also invaded the place where they were "come together in the name of the Lord". Under demonic influence some one or more had openly said "Jesus is accursed" (1 Cor.12.3) a state of things which Paul assured them was not promoted by the Holy Spirit of God in their midst. Perhaps also from the same source came the unyielding reluctance to give place to another speaker who may have had a "leading" from the Lord at the same moment of time. In this way the occasion which should have been devoted wholly to Divine worship became reduced to a noisy babel of conflicting sights and sounds.

The bestowment of these "gifts" was intended first and foremost to stand as witness that the Most High was in their midst. Any stranger entering in among them at these times ought to have been convicted by the earnestness and sincerity of each and all, in consequence of which the secrets of his own heart would be disclosed (by a confession of penitence) and then falling on his face, would worship God and declare that God was really in their midst (1 Cor.14.24 25).In addition to this witness to the stranger, the exercise of these "gifts" was intended for the edification of all. (1 Cor.14.3 and 26).

Unlike ourselves in these later days, they had no completed New Testament available with its clear outlines of redemptive and moral truth, and such copies of the Old Testament as they may have had were not easy to understand, hence they stood in need of heavenly aid to enable them to conduct their ministry. Thus, a flash of insight here into the meaning of a promise or a line of reasoning there regarding the purport of a prophecy might be a means of broadening out the foundation of their hopes. Or again the reading of a Psalm might help to deepen the devotion of the hour. In all things Paul sought to have them look upon the whole assembly as though they were members of a human body, of which no member could say to a fellow-member "I have no need of you". He desired them so to conduct their services that all might be edified, choosing rather to have them speak five simple words in their own native utterance than ten thousand in an unknown tongue.

The object therefore behind these "gifts" was that of leading them apparently into a new way of life. And yet, under the circumstances then prevailing it could not be a perfect way, for there were tares among the wheat. Not every member of the ecclesia could be accounted to be "in Christ". From the very inception of the Church's history there has always been a Church within a Church or (to turn the statement round—and the statement then is just as true) a Church outside a Church. Always there have been more Christians there in name than Christians in fact. As seen by Scripture there has always been a greater company that has loved moral goodness and just dealing than has loved the way of sacrifice. Out of the myriads who have been attracted by the Gospel story not everyone has been called of God to become conformed to the Image of His Son, and of the many that have been "called", only the "few" will come through as the elect of God. The eye of man has seen the whole assembly of the Church visible, the Eye of God alone has seen the faithful core within. For this reason alone the assemblies in the ecclesias, in the early Church (or now) could never claim to constitute the "perfect" Society—that is to say, the Society in which the "perfect" way of life could express itself.

That general statement, true of the whole Church of this Gospel Age, was particularly true of the Corinthian Assembly. From its very inception it was greatly handicapped by the influence of the old-time tradition and environment. Heathen worship was always a divided thing—there were "gods many" in the land, each god claiming its own particular following. The Corinthians were well accustomed to think of as many sects and cults as there were gods. This was the outlook they brought over into the Christian Church, and did not scruple to range themselves in divided companies, behind this leader or that. Again, they had looked upon frequent scenes of impurity in the heathen festivals without undue concern. They also brought this state of indifference and unconcern over into their congregational life to work great havoc in their midst. The failure to make a clean break from the old way of life gravely jeopardised any prospect of making the new "way" a success.

But even with the best of them, and under the best conditions possible it seems obvious that no really new way of life could have been introduced by the use of the "Charismata", seeing that, in the main, they were mechanical gifts operating from without, upon hand and eye and brain, enabling the recipient to do and say certain things which lay outside the range of normal capacity - a kind of supernormal obsession from outside themselves, producing effects for which they themselves were only, in part, responsible. And the fact that some among them laid themselves open to demonic control - as is evidenced by some one or more of them saying "Jesus is accursed" - greatly complicated the situation for the whole assembly. A counterfeit obsession by the evil powers - a state of things which few seemed able to detect or correct - produced consequences in their midst far from good or desirable.

In any case, the influence of the evil powers had showed itself too strong to be corrected by the heavenly gifts, as their divisions, their indifference to sin, their readiness to "go to law" proved most unmistakably. Even their very "love-feasts", with which their usual gatherings terminated, had degenerated into seasons of drunkenness and gluttony.

These were sad scenes in a Christian Church, and make grievous reading even when lightly sketched. And the Corinthians were not the only Church in this tragic plight as reference to Ephesians and the Pastoral Epistles will show. The Church at Corinth stands before us in the nature of a window, through which we may view the state of many congregations in those early days, shackled and fettered as so many of them were by the heathen influence of former days.

What then was effected among them by the "Charismata"? Were there no good results therefrom? Yes, indeed, there was great good where the heart and motive of the recipient was pure, but to produce praiseworthy effects the heart must first be pure. The mere possession of a "gift" did not by itself purify the heart.

What was the real purpose of the bestowment of these "gifts"? The answer is - it was to show the need of some better thing! Taken in their widest sense, these "gifts" were endowments of an enabling Power - Holy Spirit Power - accorded to believing men to assist them in their witness-bearing to the new faith, and to call attention to the changes that were being introduced in the earth. But a dispensation of "Power" alone was not enough to purify and sweeten hearts so supersaturated with sin. The hosts of wickedness under Satanic control could also dispense wonder-working power to their representatives, enabling them also to perform prodigies before men. And, being what he was, man would respond more readily to the evil display than to the good. The great and all-essential purpose behind the bestowment of these "gifts" was to show the need for the dispensing of "something" which God alone possessed - a "something" not possessed by any evil power - a "something" that would penetrate below brain and hand and eye, and win response from the deep discerning qualities of the heart. Mere "power" that operated from outer sources upon eye and hand and brain was not enough; it must be the deep call of One great Heart - able and ready to help to the uttermost - to every other heart which had come to know its need of help. There is but one attribute that is ample enough for this great task; it had its source in God.

For a little while therefore God gave the lesser "gifts", which were destined in due time to pass away, to show to men, (even to believing men) their need for a more excellent thing.

(to be continued)

TH