Showing the Spirit: A Theological Exposition of 1 Corinthians 12-14

I do not always agree with D.A. Carson (although I mostly do), but I always admire and appreciate him. He is a true scholar who tempers his great mind with a heart for God.Dr. Carson has written a masterpiece! This volume is an intelligent and definitive grappling with a passage that focuses upon spiritual gifts: I Corinthians 12-14.He devastates the non-charismatic viewpoint that claims the Bible teaches that tongues would end of themselves upon the completion of the New Testament canon or at the end of the apostolic age. He fortifies (unintentionally) the view of non-charismatics who say, "God can give the gift of tongues today. But we do not see the real thing, so He must not be doing that right now." Although he strains to conclude otherwise, this is where his evidence could easily lead. His actual conclusion is that the gift of tongues is being given today, but not meant for all and not intended to be the believer's focus.Carson likewise corrects common charismatic abuses by proving the following: (1) every true believer has been baptized in the Spirit, (2) there is no one gift possessed by every believer, but we should seek prophecy over tongues, (3) it is not God's will for all believers to be healed, but God can and does heal miraculously as He pleases.Carson's exegesis is reasonable, respectful, well-informed, scholarly to the nth degree, clearly delineated and thoroughly documented. Although he addresses the entire text, he particularly focuses upon two of the most controversial spiritual gifts: tongues and prophecy. His views regarding prophecy are about the same as Wayne Grudem's: New Testament prophets do not bear the authority of Old Testament prophets (rather, New Testament authority is vested in the Apostles). Prophecy is God bringing something to mind, and the prophet may mix his own thoughts and thus muddy the prophecy. Unlike OT prophets who were labeled as true of false, in the NT, individual prophecies are to be weighed. There is much to commend this view.His work on tongues is more exhaustive (but still not complete-see my list of unanswered questions below). He points out that repeated evaluation by linguists have shown that tongues are not human languages. He argues that some legitimate tongues may be coded languages or patterns (for example, a language with its vowels omitted). This is somewhat questionable, though possible (since apparently there has never been a study conducted by expert code-breakers).What is most fascinating is his conclusion that no verifiable correct interpretations of tongues have been made. Although thorough tests have not been done, Carson mentions a friend who recorded a recitation of a passage in Greek and presented the tape to two individuals claiming the gift of interpretation. They presented interpretations that differed from one another and had nothing to do with the text. He writes, "I know of no major work that has researched hundreds or thousands of examples; but it could be a very revealing study."But based on this and other similar accounts, we might conclude that if God is not (to the best of our knowledge) truly giving the gift of interpretation, then tongues are not for use in church meetings (where interpretation is demanded). In essence, tongues at this point are limited to private use and personal edification.Although pensive and thorough, Carson has still left a number of unanswered questions, including: (1) How do the tongues seen in evangelical charismatic assemblies vary from those seen in Hindu, Mormon, or Animistic groupings? (2) Can every human being, saved or not, speak in ecstatic utterances? If so, is this the basis for Biblical tongues (since lost people can often teach and yet we find a New Testament gift of teaching, etc.)? (3) If Christian tongues were not qualitatively different from tongues-speakers in non-Christian religions, then are they really miraculous? (4) Should we allow people to speak in tongues, if interpreted, even though the evidence we do have seems to indicate that the gift of interpretation may not exist in our time or in our country? (5) What about the possibility that some of these gifts are distributed more where the Gospel is being established (as opposed to where the church has been embedded)? Is there evidence to commend or reject this theory? Is it possible that the reportedly high level of miracles in Indonesia is an example of this?This book is not written at a popular level, but challenges the mind. Pastors and theologians will find it stimulating (and it really is not difficult to understand), but its style, vocabulary, evaluations and refutations may be a stretch for the dedicated laymen.I love books like this!

This book is very academic but accessible if one is familiar with the debates about the gifts of the Spirit. I suspect that most balanced charismatics (like myself, if I may say so) will appreciate the conclusions of this book and will be challenged at many points. Carson is gentle even when he is firm, and all through he interacts with the Bible, history, and experience in an admirable way. My takeaway from this book - “Do not quench the Spirit; but also not everything that sparks is the fire of the Spirit.” All charismatic gifts must be practiced within the confines of what scripture permits.

D.A. Carson is a respected and thorough Theologian and I appreciated his fair treatment of the text as well as his honest look at both charismatic and non-charismatic viewpoints with their respective strengths and weaknesses. I have grappled with what the bible says about the role of spirit's ministry through spiritual gifts and have found no biblical warrant for concluding that they have ceased. Regardless of charismatic abuses and misunderstandings of certain 'sign' gifts! I appreciated D.A. Carson's acknowledgement of this as well as his equally measured response of the non-charismatic reactionary theology on many levels too. In conclusion, I thought this was one of the better books I have read on the subject and it reverberated within me and my experience as a Christian as well as my understanding of what the bible has to say on the subject of the Spirit's ministry and role in the church until Jesus returns. I have been in church leadership for a number of years and have seen both sides of the argument up close and personal. I have also seen misuses of scripture to defend and prop up both sides of the argument for and against cessation of the gifts as well. However, although abuses abound in charismatic circles with respect to the gifts, as they did back in Corinth in Paul's day, the marginalization of the Spirit's ministry and power is a sad reality in many congregations and denominations today in the USA as well. D.A. Carson brings clarity, sobriety, and, holds us accountable to the biblical text no matter what side of the argument you are on.

I purchased this book to study the question concerning the place of Spiritual gifts, prophecy, miracles, and heals for our present day. Dr Carson answers the question from his exposition of 1 Corinthians 12, 13 and 14 with a resounding yes, backed up with thorough exegesis, analysis, and refutation of all the counter views. Yet, we continue to see myriads of evangelical churches dispute or meliciously ignore the plain teaching of Scripture. I recently heard a pastor of 30 years close the door on healing, miracles, tongues, and any thing else that had an emotional component or expression, all rejected out of hand with not a word of Scriptual evidence. And we wonder why the "Nones" are becoming the majority. Tradition trumps truth in too many churches in spite of books like this which was published over 30 years ago.

My respect for D.A. Carson increases with each book of his I read. I admire his courage in tackling one of the most controversial portions of Scripture. While many have attempted this (see the massive bibliography), I can't imagine a more thorough academic (yet also spiritual) approach. Here is one who deeply cares about the truth and how it affects people; also how some interpretations can be damaging. The debate on gifts will continue till the End of Days, but this book should have a profound impact on the thinking of any who read it carefully. I would add that anyone wishing to do a study of I Corinthians should add this to their list, even though it covers only three chapters.

But I wish I had ordered a paperback. It's not as portable as you'd think, especially if your phone is basically worthless.

In this book, I think Carson is trying to please everyone, especially the Charismatics. He says in his final chapter that "Charismatics are a blessing to the church". Even the devil won't believe that.Not upto the mark, especially from someone like Carson. As much as his exposition of John or his other works have taken him on a high pedestal, this has pulled him down to the ground.

This book is exegetically thorough, responsible and sound. A must read for all who desire to understand 1 Cor 12-14 and in particular Paul’s stance on the χαρίσματα (gifts).

Bon livre à lire!!!

Ohne auf der einen oder anderen Seite vom Pferd zu fallen, erklärt Carson die umstrittenen Kapitel 12-14 des 1.Korintherbriefs. Er legt mehrere Meinungen dar und geht auch auf diese ein. Ohne groß zu spekulieren und recht nüchtern erklärt er seine Meinung. Positiv zu erwähnen ist vor allem die Auslegung insgesamt: Der Kontext wird beachtet und es macht Sinn, wenn er erklärt, WARUM Paulus das hier jetzt schreibt und wie es in sein Gesamtargument passt. Leider werden die Verse, die behandelt werden nicht nochmal abgedruckt. Man muss das dann immer nochmal in der eigenen Bibel nachlesen. Auch wird stark auf den griechischen Urtext eingegangen. Es ist sicherlich nicht notwendig, Griechsich zu verstehen, um dem Buch zu folgen, aber schlecht ist es bestimmt auch nicht.Wer diese schwierigen Verse besser verstehen möchte, dem sei dies empfohlen. Ob man sich seiner Meinung anschließt oder nicht, ist ja immer noch dem Leser überlassen.

Having been converted in a church that was a cessationist, and then spent many years in an Assemblies of God church I've grown up with a chip on both shoulders!! I was never convinced by the cessationist position, but neither was I impressed by the AOG position with dubious healings, doubtful prophecies and a unconvincing theological position. For example, one well respected figure once told me regarding the gift of tongues, 'why would God give it to one christian and not another?' Why indeed?So because I had never had some amazing 'baptism' and because no one gave me a satisfactory answer for either position, I ignored it.Then after many years I purchased Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology whose relevant sections concerning the Holy Spirit was refreshingly helpful and Don Carson's 'Showing the Spirit' equally so. This book is not as technical as other Baker Books (helpfully so) yet still manages to present a well thought out position regarding the subject, and offers pastoral insight as well.If I was to criticise I would wonder about some of his thoughts regarding tongue speaking.....but I don't think I would dare!!A must for any christian who is thinking about issues surrounding the gifts, and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Sell your shirt for this one.