BIBLE COMMENTARY/1Corinthians 12: 8
1CORINTHIANS 12: 8 – For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit.
– As the Bible has stated in James 3: 2, we human beings have been struggling in many things, like when we speak. There is almost no one who did not stumble on their words, and because of that, no one seems to care to check their words every time they speak. Most people like to say what they have on their mind, not because they want to be honest, but because they want themselves to be heard, be praised by others, or to be appreciated. They could even want to lie to others for their own benefits.
– People use their tongues for good and for bad according to their ways of life, their perceptions. That’s why many people lie with a straight face without feeling guilty to achieve their goals. They think the goal justifies the mean, so even lying is necessary.
– According to God’ standards, lying cannot be accepted and it will be one of the many reasons why men would be punished for eternity (Revelation 21: 8, 21: 27). Satan is the liar from the beginning and also the father of it (John 8: 44). So, if men would not be punished for their lies, Satan would also be free from eternal punishment, but that will never happen.
– Therefore, Christians should always be honest, even if it costs us dearly. We should be willing to pay the cost for it, because of our eternal life. Here in this main verse (1Corinthians 12: 8), the Bible tells us a secret to avoid speaking untruthfully: We must ask for help from the Holy Spirit. He will teach us when to be honest and when to keep silent as the truth cannot be revealed at a particular moment. The Bible called it as speaking with wisdom and knowledge. With God’s wisdom and knowledge by the blessing of the Holy Spirit, we will know how to be truthful without telling a lie.
QUOTED VERSES:
PSALM 5: 6 – You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
JOHN 8: 44 – You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
REVELATION 21: 8 – But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
REVELATION 21: 27 – But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.