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Understanding Spiritual Gifts: A Verse-by-Verse Study of 1 Corinthians 12-14
This thorough study of spiritual gifts will help Christians understand their God-given gifts and how they should use those gifts in the church. Thomas explains each gift, examining them in the light of the Word. He also deals with the issues concerning the source, purpose, and nature of spiritual gifts. Understanding Spiritual Gifts will give readers new insight into how their gifts can be used for God's glory and service.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 10, 2023
A very technical and in depth commentary of some very controversial chapters of the Bible. I found it very thoroughly reasoned, and the best case for the cessation of the miraculous gifts I have ever been presented with.
November 18, 2013
I found the appendix to be the best part. Don t miss it.
March 11, 2026
Helpful, thorough, and a little dense at times.
1) The bulk of this book is a commentary on 1 Corinthians 12-14. I feel like it's safe to say that this is the hotspot passage for the cessationism/creationism debate. Thomas dives right in and thoroughly explores each verse in this three chapter chunk. I admired his thoroughness and willingness to engage with the text at such a deep level. This kind of engagement is necessary to expose the shallow and often weak exegetical argumentation that often flows from the continuationist side.
2) The appendices provided some helpful content. Appendix A presented Thomas' case for what 1 Corinthians 13:10 means. This was dense but made an interesting case. Wayne Grudem's views on NT prophecy were rightfully challenged in Appendix B and a practical overview of how to discover your spiritual gifts and use them was found in Appendix E was a refreshing way to end the book.
3) This book was revised in 1999. I would love to see how Thomas' arguments have held up in the last 25 years.
4) Thomas won't win any style points with his writing. He writes academically with no frills. Definitely a dryness there which always functions as a bit of a deterrent in my book. But not enough o detract from the value of this work.
Overall, a thorough investigation conducted with clear conclusions. Its value lies primarily in its in depth examination of 1 Corinthians 12-14.
1) The bulk of this book is a commentary on 1 Corinthians 12-14. I feel like it's safe to say that this is the hotspot passage for the cessationism/creationism debate. Thomas dives right in and thoroughly explores each verse in this three chapter chunk. I admired his thoroughness and willingness to engage with the text at such a deep level. This kind of engagement is necessary to expose the shallow and often weak exegetical argumentation that often flows from the continuationist side.
2) The appendices provided some helpful content. Appendix A presented Thomas' case for what 1 Corinthians 13:10 means. This was dense but made an interesting case. Wayne Grudem's views on NT prophecy were rightfully challenged in Appendix B and a practical overview of how to discover your spiritual gifts and use them was found in Appendix E was a refreshing way to end the book.
3) This book was revised in 1999. I would love to see how Thomas' arguments have held up in the last 25 years.
4) Thomas won't win any style points with his writing. He writes academically with no frills. Definitely a dryness there which always functions as a bit of a deterrent in my book. But not enough o detract from the value of this work.
Overall, a thorough investigation conducted with clear conclusions. Its value lies primarily in its in depth examination of 1 Corinthians 12-14.
August 30, 2017
An excellent and in depth book relating to the topic of Spiritual gifts, the categories there of, cessationism and the modern counterfeits of the sign gifts. I had to rush it towards the end as I have other books to get into for a sermon in about one month's time. However, I do intend to come back, re-read and spend more time comparing what Robert Thomas teaches to Scripture. I'll also have time to read the foot notes. One that note, I prefer books that have their foot notes on the same page as the main text rather than at the end of the book, as this one does. Being on the same page makes reading a lot easier and I don't have to find a second bookmark :)
September 1, 2018
This is an excellent resource for dealing with these controversial chapters of 1 Corinthians. It's structured much more like a commentary, breaking down each verse exegetically. That means that someone looking for an easy, expositional read may be somewhat disappointed. It's not a technical commentary, however, transliterating and defining only a few key Greek terms, and so sparing readers who may not read the original languages. Perhaps the best part of reading Thomas here is that he's careful and methodical. As such, I definitely recommend him for those looking for a more detailed understanding of these chapters.
July 20, 2023
Excellent commentary on 1 Cor 12–14! It’s 6 Appendix chapters are also wonderful in giving thorough discussion to spiritual gifts and how one might discover their own and how they might go about practicing them for the building up of the body of Christ. Wonderful.
February 10, 2025
An excellent, thorough, extremely text-based study with very substantial endnotes to cover nearly all controversial interpretations and prove the best textual option. Dr. Thomas expertly demonstrates what Paul's intent was in his writing on the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians.
November 20, 2020
Good short commentary on 1 Cor 12-14
June 17, 2021
Very helpful in exegeting these passages. Also, the appendix of spiritual gifts at the end is something I have used over and over as a reference when studying the passages which mention them.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews