What does Paul mean in the letter to the Corinthians when he tells us about the greatest gifts?
The apostle about the spiritual gifts he teaches us: "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? Now eargerly desire the greater gifts" 1 Corinthians 12:27-31
The greatest gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:31, are the gifts of the doctor or the teacher, because to be an apostle or prophet you must first be a doctor, the scriptures explains that these gifts are received by the laying on of hands:
"When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they receive the Holy Spirit" Acts 8:15-25
Then Paul insist and clarifies: "Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be earger to prophecy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues", 1 Corinthians 14:39
Fundamentally, Paul is talking about the gifts of knowledge, the gifts of adulthood: the gift of wisdom, the gift of discernment and the gift of knowledge. These gifts are allway together. In the Christian faith these are the gifts that are received in the laying on of hands, after baptism. The prophecy is a consequence of the listening that comes form knowledge.
Jesus teach to us how the gift of prophecy works:
"Teacher we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?
He saw through their duplicity and said to them. Show me a denarious. Whose image and inscription are on it?
Caesar's they replied.
He said to them: "Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's", Luke 20:21-25
Also:
"Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say? They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them: "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her", John 8:4-7.
Desiring the greatest gifts means that we must ask insistently and persistently with faith, for wisdom and knowledge to God.
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