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

by D.A. Carson

Partisans on both sides of charismatic issues are challenged by the even-handed consideration of nuances in the Greek text in these three crucial chapters.

Genres: Theology, Biblical Studies, Christian, Christianity, New Testament, Reference, Spirituality

230 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Donald A. Carson is research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He has been at Trinity since 1978. Carson came to Trinity from the faculty of Northwest Baptist Theological Seminary in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he also served for two years as academic dean. He has served as assistant pastor and pastor and has done itinerant ministry in Canada and the United Kingdom. Carson received the Bachelor of Science in chemistry from McGill University, the Master of Divinity from Central Baptist Seminary in Toronto, and the Doctor of Philosophy in New Testament from the University of Cambridge. Carson is an active guest lecturer in academic and church settings around the world. He has written or edited about sixty books. He is a founding member and currently president of The Gospel Coalition. Carson and his wife, Joy, reside in Libertyville, Illinois. They have two adult children.

Reviews

[Drake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me be clear up front: I am a cessationist. That is, I believe that the miraculous gifts in the New Testament ceased at some point near the completion of the canon of Scripture. D. A. Carson, however, is a continuationist. He believes that all of the spiritual gifts in the New Testament (except apostleship) are still active today. Yet in spite of this major difference in our perspectives, I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed his book on the subject of spiritual gifts. Carson's exegesis of 1 Corinthians 12-14 is extremely well done. Even though I don't agree with every one of his interpretations, his commentary on the text has dramatically shaped my views of apostleship, the superiority of love, the coming of the "perfect" in 1 Cor. 13, the "silence" of women in the church in 1 Cor. 14, and several other subjects, as well as helping me see the great importance of using my spiritual gifts for the good of the body of Christ rather than personal gain. Where I disagree most sharply with Carson is in his definitions of "tongues" and "prophecy." His treatment of tongues felt more like an attempt to "fit" the experience in the modern charismatic movement with the biblical text rather than a conclusion drawn from the text itself. A similar criticism could be said about his treatment of prophecy, in which Carson makes some interesting points yet jumps to a few premature conclusions that I don't find in the Scriptures themselves. Nevertheless, Carson writes in a very though-provoking manner, and I admire the humble attitude he displays on nearly every page. Christians on both sides of the cessationism/continuationism debate can gain much knowledge, wisdom, and spiritual insights from this work. My only caution is that Carson writes in an very academic style, which can be difficult to read and understand at times. For some lighter reading on the continuationist side, I would recommend books and articles by John Piper and Wayne Grudem, which contain many of the same arguments in an easier-to-read format.

[Jacob Aitken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carson, D. A. Showing the Spirit: A Theological Exposition of 1 Corinthians 12-14. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1987.

Carson steers a middle path between deistic cessationism and slappy clappy anything-goes charismania.  He endorses the substance behind Grudem’s thesis while calling particular details into account. This is the best, sane treatment of the charismatic movement.

While there are some nuances between “charismata” and “pneumatikon,” there isn’t enough to warrant a full doctrinal difference or application.

Notes and argument:

* The “perfect” in 1 Cor. 13 cannot refer to the completion of the canon, since that would have been anachronistic for Paul.

* Paul makes no distinction between regular gifts and super gifts (Carson 34).  12:7 links it all: each gift is for the manifestation of the Spirit. Each believer is given some manifestation and rather than divide it into super and regular, Paul’s argument does the exact opposite: don’t think one is better than the other.

* The ordering of the gifts doesn’t matter.  Paul changes the order every time (35ff).

*The chapter on tongues is interesting.  He leans towards their being actual languages, and hypothetically grants they continue today.  He hedges his bets by saying no one does it correctly. He draws upon an interesting article by Poythress and notes that the content of glossalia that tongue-speech is coded language (all languages have codes that repeat). So even if it is “gibberish,” if it has patterns then it still counts as a language.  Poythress gives the following example:

Praise the Lord, for his mercy endures forever.

Remove the vowels to achieve

Prs th lrd fr hs mrc ndrs frvr

This isn’t so strange, since some Semitic languages don’t have vowels.

Now we are going to remove the spaces

Prsthlrdfrhsmrcndrsfrvr

This still counts as a language, since most early languages didn’t have spaces.

Now we are going to add an “a” between each consonant.  It might sound gibberish, but it has all the necessary conditions for a language.  You can play with it and it will sound gibberish, but it still fits as a “language.”

Prophecy

Does Grudem’s view mean that each new prophecy means new revelation?  No.

a) It doesn’t seem like Philip’s daughters thought they were adding to the canon.
b) The parallel with OT false prophets really doesn’t work.  In the OT if a prophet were proved true, then he was good to go.  Sort of like tenure. Not so with NT prophets. Their oracles are to be carefully weighed (presumably again and again).
Were Tongues a Covenantal Sign?

It is true that Paul is probably alluding to Isaiah 28:16 in 1 Cor. 14:22ff.  Does this mean that each act of tongue-speaking in the church was a covenantal judgment on Jews for their unbelief?  It’s hard to see how that could be the case. Carson shows some problems:

a) The “unbeliever” for Paul is a Gentile, not a Jew.  There is no way that this can function as a covenantal sign against the Jewish unbeliever.
Carson ends the book with a rather pointed critique of charismatic excesses.  That’s understandable, since he spent the previous 150 pages debunking cessationist exegesis.

[Caleb Fendrich · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I’m being honest, I was kinda of out of my depth on this one. I recommend it, but you should know going in that it’s certainly not written for anyone who isn’t prepared for exegetical deep dives. If that’s your particular cup of tea, then it’s worth picking up.

[Andrew Fendrich · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're feeling academic, this is a really good conservative exposition of 1 Corinthians 12-14, highlighting arguments for the continuation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in a historic-salvation context. Have a Bible handy as you read this one. I read it on my lunch breaks at work and without a Bible, I got bogged down in the meticulous word studies. But it really is a fascinating read, and my family had a good discussion over it.

[Mike Fendrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for a family book discussion.

A thoughtful theological exposition of 1 Corinthians 12-14 attempting to answer the question are the spiritual gifts of tongues, healing and other not so mundane gifts applicable to the church today. Carson's answer is yes, but....

The fourth chapter, his concluding observations, is very helpful as the exposition of the chapters (1 Corinthians 12, 13 & 14) is very dense, heady and often over my head.

If your desire is to approach this topic thoughtfully and faithfully to the text and probable interpretations, this is a great place to start. It will certainly help you to take the absolutist edge off your thinking on either side.

Helpful book.

[Nana Yaw Okyere-Agyekum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful book. Very detailed and exhaustive. The author goes to great lengths to address it seems every possible opposing view point. While this is good, I think this also makes the book unnecessarily wordy in some areas because some of the objections that he addresses are so far out there that I’m not sure it is necessary to address those. The book can also get a bit technical at times and hard to read.

However,I think his exegesis of 1 Cor 12-14 is robust and sound. I agree with his conclusion on the spiritual gifts. I really appreciated his comments towards the end of the book showing his pastoral heart and wisdom on these thorny issues.

[Mike E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have miraculous spiritual gifts like tongues or prophesy ceased? No, says Carson. This book should be read by those who lean toward cessationism and those who do not. It's difficult to imagine a more helpful, reasonable, and Spirit-filled book on 1 Cor. 12-14. This may be a challenge for some to read. But you will be rewarded.

No serious cessationist can hold to his views without responding—at least internally—to this work that's been around for many years. Read for yourself.


QUOTES:

If Paul does not consider tongues to be the least of the spiritual gifts on some absolute scale, it is highly likely he makes it the last entry in each list in First Corinthians because his readers were far too prone to exalt this one gift.

In verses 14-19, he tells the outsiders that, precisely because of the diversity of gifts God has distributed in the church, the member that seems inferior cannot reasonably say it does not belong, or threaten to leave.

Indeed, a body consisting of a single organ—a giant eyeball, perhaps, or one single, massive toenail or knee—would be grotesque. The body requires the contribution of each member. So it is silly, for instance, for a Christian with the charisma of encouragement or of giving to feel hopelessly threatened by someone with the charisma of tongues.

Paul does not mean that each congregation is a part of the body of Christ, or a body of Christ. Each congregation, each church, is the body of Christ. Each local church, if I may put it this way, is the exemplification of the church. [on 12:27-30]

There is no stronger defense of the private use of tongues, and attempts to avoid this conclusion turn out on inspection to be remarkably flimsy. If Paul speaks in tongues more than all the Corinthians, yet in the church prefers to speak five intelligible words rather than ten thousand words in a tongue (which is a way of saying that under virtually no circumstance will he ever speak in tongues in church, without quite ruling out the possibility), then where does he speak them?
The only possible conclusion is that Paul exercised his remarkable tongues gift in private. (105)




QUOTES ON 1 COR. 13

Paul's point is the love he is about to discuss cannot be classed with the "charismata:" it is not one "charisma" of many, but an entire "way" of life, an overarching, all-embracing style of life that utterly transcends in importance the claims of this or that "charisma."

Paul's point is relatively simple. No matter how exalted my gift of tongues, without love I am nothing more than a resounding gong or a clanging symbol.

The point is that even the gift of prophecy, no matter how much reliable information comes from it, is intrinsically valueless if it operates without love.

In all of this, if there is no love, I gain nothing. In this divine mathematics, five minus one equals zero.

Love hopes for the best, even when disappointed by repeated personal abuse . . and "always ready to give an offender a second chance to forgive him 'seventy times seven.'" (Matthew 18:22)

When a young man reveals his heart with a passionate declaration, "I love you!" at least in part he means that he finds the woman he loves lovely. At least some of his love is elicited by the object of that love. But God loves what is unlovely. If, as John 3:16 tells us, God loves the world, it is not because the world is so lovely God cannot help himself: by John's use of the term "world," God loves the world only because of what _he_ is. And derivatively, that is how Christians learn to love: they learn to love with love that is, like God's, self-originating.

One day all the charismatics who know the Lord and all the non-charismatics who know the Lord will have nothing to fight over; for the so-called charismatic gifts will have forever passed. At that point, both of these groups of believers will look back and thoughtfully contemplate the fact that what connects them with the world they have left behind is not the gift of tongues, nor animosity toward the gift of tongues, but the love they sometimes managed to display toward each other despite the gift of tongues. The greatest evidence that heaven has invaded our sphere, that the spirit has been poured out upon us, that we are citizens of the kingdom not yet consummated, is Christian love.

[Peyton Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carson is brilliant. Pretty technical book which diminishes its approachability, which I doubt is the aim anyways. Could have used some more clear and succinct theological conclusions after walking through the various arguments, but the pastoral moments throughout and the final section proved helpful.

Feel challenged by this book to closely examine and survey the biblical text more!

[Luke Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is as an absolute treasure for its clarity, consistency to the text, and thorough fairness in engagement with other views and perspectives. A must read for anyone seeking to understand these scriptures in full context, but also for any seeking to understand the spiritual gifts.

[Stephen Willcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

It seems to me that Carson's work on 1 Corinthians 12-14 no longer make the cessationist a plausible theory. Carson certainly does excellent work on the abuses of speaking in tongues and demonstrates at length pastoral concern for much of what is done in the charismatic movement. Yet, Scripture is not so clear on the issue that we have authority from God's Word to write off and disregard every testimony that would fall under the categories of gifts that many such as MacArthur would argue has emphatically ceased. The Christianly thing to do would be love our brothers in Christ, affirm what good and renounce that which is not. This is far different than the suspicious and dogmatic claims that no such gifts can be displayed in the Church today. Furthermore, Carson affirms Grudem's work on the distinction between prophets and practice in the old Testament to that of prophets and practice in the age of the church. To my knowledge there has been no such scholarly response that has rendered a deathly blow to the work done on this issue by Grudem's book "The Gift of Prophecy in 1 Corinthians." Lastly, Carson's approach to bridging the gap between charismatics and cessationist who hold to a true gospel and renounce abuses of the gifts is a much more edifying word to the Body of Christ than I have read from many within Christianity. I would commend Carson's approach to all my brothers and sisters in Christ.

[Butch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good exposition of 1 Corinthians 12-14 as it relates to the issue of spiritual gifts and especially the charismatic gifts. Whether you agree with all of his conclusions he has put together a thoughtful discussion of the text and it's implications on the current day church.

[Adam Embry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most compelling book that helped me move away from charismatic / Pentecostal doctrine.

[Marshal Joel]

Below is the nonsensical thing I found from the book by D.A. Carson.
What he explained here is unbiblical and blasphemous.

It is pages 85-86:

“Suppose the message is:

Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.

Remove the vowels to achieve:

PRS TH LRD FR HS MRC NDRS FRVR.

This may seem a bit strange; but when we remember that modern Hebrew is written without most vowels, we can imagine that with practice this could be read quite smoothly. Now remove the spaces and, beginning with the first letter, rewrite the sequence using every third letter, repeatedly going through the sequence until all the letters are used up. The result is:

PTRRMNSVRHDHRDFRSLFSCRR.

Now add an ‘a’ sound after each consonant, and break up the unit into arbitrary bits:

PATARA RAMA NA SAVARAHA DAHARA DAFARASALA FASA CARARA.

I think that is indistinguishable from transcriptions of certain modern tongues. Certainly, it is very similar to some I have heard. but the important point is that it conveys information provided you know the code [bold reflects Carson’s use of italics]. Anyone who knows the steps I have taken could reverse them in order to retrieve the original message…

It appears, then, that tongues may bear cognitive information even though they are not known human languages–just as a computer program is a ‘language’ that conveys a great deal of information, even though it is not a ‘language’ that anyone actually speaks. You have to know the code to be able to understand it. Such a pattern of verbalization could not be legitimately dismissed as gibberish. It is as capable of conveying propositional and cognitive content as any known human language. ‘Tongue’ and ‘language’ still seem eminently reasonable words to describe the phenomenon…”


The Bible never taught such nonsense.

If that interpretation did not come from one of the most respected academic authors of our day, it would probably gain no traction in any serious forum. But because of that particular writer's reputation as a distinguished evangelical scholar, many charismatics cling to his idea as if it were a credible defense of their position.

I don't care what other thing he explained in the book.
A little leaven leavens the whole dough. Period.

[Christopher Humphrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Showing the Spirit: A Theological Exposition of I Corinthians 12-14" by D.A. Carson is a very technical, hyper-focused commentary on the issue of continuationism vs. cessationsim. This volume is not for the occasional student; rather, this is a volume for those who know and understand New Testament Greek along with a working knowledge of Greek grammar.

While I have greatly profited from Carson's other work, this book could have been and should have been (with proper editing) better. One has to work overtime to trace Carson's argument, which ultimately lands on the side of continuationism. I found reading this book frustrating because I know that Carson is able to write more clearly than was evident in this book. Some might chalk up the obscure writing to the fact that this is an academic text, and that well may be the case. However, scholarly writing should also be well written and clear. In my estimation, Carson did not achieve these goals in the writing of the book.

One may certainly profit from reading this book, but it will be a ponderous exercise indeed. I would encourage both the author and the publisher to try again with another edition that contains the same content in reasonably readable form. My comments are not meant to denigrate the author because I do respect his intellect and his christian commitment. My point is simply this: This was not his finest effort in written communication. Happy reading!

[Adam Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing as a conservative evangelical continuationist, Carson offers a careful exposition of the "spiritual gifts" chapters of 1 Corinthians, placed within their larger canonical context. His aim is to be both faithful and irenic, and I think he succeeds in both aspects. It's a book that students from across the charismatic/noncharismatic spectrum can benefit from reading. Some of it is quite technical and detailed, with regular discussions of scholarly disagreements, so it's not for a casual reader - though it is definitely not dryly academic, and Carson writes with pastoral concern and addresses personal and practical considerations. Quite a lot has changed since this was first published in 1987, including the fact that I was born - this doesn't affect any of the biblical arguments, but it does affect which writers and positions Carson interacts with and the assumptions he makes. If you want to explore the question of spiritual gifts, you might want to supplement this with a more recent volume for another perspective.

[Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an outstanding book! Carson is very thorough and nuanced in his discussion of these passages, but he writes in an engaging style that prevents the reader from getting bogged down in the technical details. He has a strong grasp of the scholarship around these issues and does a good job of navigating difficult topics.

That being said, I was a little surprised by the number of typos and printing errors in this book. Multiple periods were missing, and there were a few instances of misspelled words. In one instance, a word (“not”) was left out of a sentence in a way that completely altered the meaning. It was clear from the context what the author meant to say, but it was still distracting. These errors didn’t really undermine my enjoyment of the book, but I was surprised to find so many of them in this type of work.

I highly recommend this book! Carson provides a great overview of the debate surrounding these passages. It’s a bit technical/dense, but still very readable.

[Ryan Beneke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The scholarship is a little dated after 35 years—e.g, it does not take into account Grudem and other’s (Duiguid’s) more recent work on the various types of biblical prophecy—but still an excellent walkthrough of these central chapters in the ongoing spiritual gifts debate.

I found Carson’s conclusions mostly convincing, but from a cessationist perspective, I think you could argue that he does not give enough consideration to issues of canon and redemptive history. For example, there is no in-depth treatment of Ephesians 2:20 or 4:11 and only limited interaction with Gaffin’s work.

That notwithstanding, this is a great intermediate survey that highlights most of the major exegetical and theological issues in 1 Cor. 12-14.

[John Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I disagree with Carson on some points, but he is a fantastic model of how to think through a controversial issue. Always level-headed, constantly submissive to the Bible and willing to go wherever Scripture leads him, and constantly refusing to make either side into the villain. He presents each side in the best light possible rather than what many do - presenting the weakest straw-man argument of those you disagree with, then knocking it down with ease as if it was an open/shut case. Not to mention that the man knows the Bible like the back of his hand. I will read just about anything this man writes.

[Allen Church · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want a very thorough exegesis of 1 Corinthians 12-14 and a better grasp on the issue of spiritual gifts as a whole, this book is definitely very helpful. Although, it should come with warning that the book is fairly academic in style (both in language and footnotes), and will take significant time to really digest. But for me, I wanted a better grasp on what Scripture really says on the topics of the gifts, and this book definitely helped me understand a lot better. Although Carson is in the continuationist camp, I highly recommend this to anyone who wants a robust and more thorough exposition of a difficult section of Scripture.

[Daniel Addo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Academic and balanced assessment of charismata

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.

[Timothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A balanced treatment of the issue of charismatic gifts. Carson gives careful exegesis of 1 Corinthians 12-14 while also giving a treatment of the wider and more pertinent areas of theology through the rest of scripture. His biblical theology and exegesis display that charismatic gifts continue, but not as the mainstream charismatic movement argues that they do. His argument is careful and nuanced, removing much of the heat that exists between charismatics and non charismatics. If you follow his reasoning, you will not focus on the gifts but the Lord of the gifts, curbing abuses, emphasizing the gospel, and looking for the Spirit of God to act but not presuming on him to do so.

[Michael Abraham · Rating 4 out of 5]

One might be surprised to find both charismatics and cessationists praising Carson's book (spolier, Carson is a continuationist). Perhaps this shows the pastoral charity and sensitivity of Carson's writing.

The book was a little difficult to read, partially because of the big words (read with a dictionary) and also because of detailed exegesis.

Still I would highly recommend anyone interested in the debate to skip to the last chapter and read Carson's reflections. They're worth the laborious trek through the book.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The strength of Carson's approach here is that he talks about as many views as he can on each passage, evaluates them, and presents you with the one he finds most compelling. Sure, this can make for a slower-paced read, but having the opportunity to check the writer's math as he forms conclusions is in some cases as helpful as what is written. Carson's pastoral perspectives in the last chapter are interesting and helpful. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a serious and scholarly perspective on continuationism and cessationism based on this important text.

[Tim Goldsmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carson reminds me a little of C.S. Lewis. When he's writing in a "popular" way, he is clear and compelling, and when he's writing as an academic, he can feel almost impenetrable. This book falls firmly in the former category.
"Showing the Spirit" is certainly not lacking academic rigor, or deep insight, but it is written in such a way that it's a joy to read. If you have questions about the gifts of the Spirit and are looking for a good book to read on it, it's hard to look past the Don!

[Julius Tennal II · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was tremendously helpful in revealing the main thrust of Paul’s arguments in 1 Cor 12-14. Carson does a really good job exposing how Paul’s writing challenges both those who would consider themselves charismatics and those who wouldn’t. This is not an exhaustive commentary by any means, but it is thoughtful, clear, and humble in tone. I highly recommend for anyone interested in the topic of spiritual gifts.

[Michael Beck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good info here on various topics that arise in these passages. But Carson makes a poor case for continuationism. I respect Carson greatly and have benefited from his commentaries and books for years. But the silliness attempted on pages 85-86 to try and prove tongue speaking was not all academic, biblical, or logical. See here for more: https://thecripplegate.com/carson-and...

[Joshua Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ab-so-lutely splendid, to a surprising degree. Carson manages to avoid partisan exegesis and lay all the issues out as they are. I was not expecting an exegetical walkthrough of 1 Cor 12-14 to be so thrilling, and even funny at times. I even find myself persuaded to adopt a position on the gift of tongues that I've resisted for so many years. This will be the book i will always recommend to anyone who is exploring the doctrine of spiritual gifts and their use in church. A new favourite.

[Jon Anderson]

Based on a series of lectures given at a theological college, this book showcases Carson's exegetical gifts. However, it is detailed exegesis and interpretation, not sermonic, and thus is pretty dense in its presentation and argumentation. The book will be immensely helpful in understanding these three chapters but be prepared for a mental workout.

[Jennifer Bowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent look at biblical teaching on the sign gifts of the New Testament, by a professor who is neither a cessationist nor a charismatic. A lot of this was hard going, because it's intended as a seminary text, so it's heavy on the Greek, but even a lay person like me could follow his arguments. It helped that this is one of my favorite preacher/teacher/authors!

[Thomas Smyly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carson is even-handed as he deals with the complexities of the charismatic movement. I was personally challenged by his exegesis that allows for the continuation of the so-called "sign gifts." More than that, I was challenged not to allow my faith to become sterilized. Definitely recommend this book!