“that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge…”

in all utterance and all knowledge

God enriches the believer with “all utterance and all knowledge.” God gives supernatural facility of speech and knowledge to do His work. The Corinthians were a richly gifted church, as seen in chapters 12-14.

God gifts His church with the gift of communication skills – “utterance.” Oratory was one of the highest values of Greek culture. The Romans conquered the Greeks, but they could not conquer their culture. The Corinthians were enriched with communication skills. Christians can tell God’s truth if they choose. We have the God-given ability to share the gospel or the Word. God enriches the believer with wealthy possession and wealthy message.

Knowledge is necessary for effective Christian communication. We cannot use what we do not know exists. God enriched the Corinthians with “knowledge.” Knowledge is the ability to grasp facts of the truth. Grace gives Christian plutocrats an understanding of the message of grace.

These two gifts of utterance and knowledge are special, supernatural capacities to do the work of God. Paul, later in chapters 12-14, details the most significant discussion on this subject in the Word of God. Interestingly, the most carnal church in the New Testament was the most gifted church. The possession of a spiritual gift does not make a Christian great. It is possible to be very gifted and still carnal.

PRINCIPLE:

God gives every believer a capacity for usefulness.

APPLICATION:

God speaks to the human race through believers. Most Christians do not take the time to understand the message of grace. We must clearly grasp the concept of grace and its significance to our lives. God deposited grace at our disposal to illumine our spiritual lives.

There is no excuse for not speaking for the Lord. We cannot say, “Well, I don’t know what to say (utterance), how to say it or what to say (knowledge),” for God gives us the ability to say it. Sharing our faith is not optional.

Ac 1:8, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Ep 6:19, …and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel…

If we open ourselves to be used of God, He will speak through us with a power beyond ourselves. He will give us “all” the right wisdom and words.

1 Pe 3:15, But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

Bill Bright had the gift of evangelism, but someone else has the gift of helps. It does not follow that Bill Bright was greater than the person with helps. How great they are rests on their walk with the Lord and to what degree they apply truth to experience. People are not better than others based on their spiritual gifts.