Upon consideration it may therefore be better to omit from the translation all additional words, and read as follows: 'Now concerning the spiritual, brethren, I would not have you ignorant'. Because the masculine or feminine gender is absent from the Greek text, it may not be strictly correct to imply this meaning, but inferentially the whole epistle supports this view. If this be allowed, it will be found to place the emphasis upon brethren, where it ought to be, and not on gifts, however gifted those brethren may be.
This may well be the better way, for such a rendering is in harmony with the wording of the challenge laid down at the end of chapter 14, which reads 'if any man think himself to be spiritual', and not 'if any man is sufficiently spiritually gifted'; in the final analysis the man is the gift, not the gifts the man has. Be that as it may, we must understand that spiritual gifts are provided by God to be used by spiritual persons only. But although this is so, we must not think that gifts make a person spiritual: on the contrary it is rather to be understood that it is the person who makes the gift spiritual. The gift
is given to him to be: (1) an instrument of God's power, (2) a declaration of the spiritual quality of his own life, and (3) for the extension of his ministerial usefulness,
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G.W. North (1913 - 2003)
G. W. North was born in London England in 1913. As a young man he became aware that the Lord was calling him into the work of the ministry. At timely stages the Lord placed folk in his path who were able to direct him into the truth of heart purity and a more expansive understanding of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He held pastorates in Kent and Bradford. By the late 1960s, following a significant period of ministry in Liverpool, he began a more itinerant ministry. This led him to many parts of the world, and occupied him until well into his eighties. His powerful preaching and the unique sense of the Lord's presence, which seemed to brood over his meetings, were always intensely challenging.The true secret of his remarkable ministry stemmed from his personal communion with the Lord Jesus. To him, 'entering the holiest' was not merely a theological concept; it was a distinct spiritual reality - and the central feature of his spiritual life. It was here, in the place of worship, that his revelatory ministry found its source. He preached from understanding and conviction. He was never the echo of another, nor did he take on board the ebb and flow of various contemporary emphases. He was not a man of 'books'; he soaked himself in Scripture and allowed it to saturate his heart and mind. Truly, this is a man who has lifted up a standard for the people. Mr North went to be with the Lord on 29th April 2003, shortly after his ninetieth birthday.