What Is Meant By "Desire The Best Gift?"

Paul’s exhortation concerning the best gifts seeks to correct the mistaken applications of the public use of tongues. The private use, which is designed mostly for self-edification, was being confused by public exercise. "Best" might be defined as that gift or those gifts most suited to the given situation, and an example is present: for example, prophecy is functionally "better" than tongues in public because it edifies the church (14:4,5), unless, of course, the "tongue" is interpreted. However, the example from the

human body precludes all value ranking of gifts (12:22-25). No negative conclusion about the worth of tongues may legitimately be drawn form the fact that it appears last in the lists. Is self-control the least important virtue in the fruit of the Spirit because it is listed last (Gal. 5:22, 23)? Using the same logic, love should be of less importance than faith and hope, but Paul calls it the greatest (1 Cor. 13:13). A more excellent way is not a negative comparison between gifts and love, since the temporal adverb yet indicates the continuation of the subject. All manifestations of the Spirit must at the same time manifest the ways of love, for love is the ultimate issue behind all things.