The Bible Recap with Tara-Leigh Cobble

Episode: Day 336 (1 Corinthians 12–14) – Year 7
Date: December 2, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Tara-Leigh Cobble guides listeners through 1 Corinthians chapters 12 to 14, unpacking Paul's instructions to the Corinthian church regarding spiritual gifts, the supremacy of love, and order in worship gatherings. She highlights the complexities around spiritual gifts—how they function, who gets them, and ongoing debates in the Christian community—while always circling back to Paul's central message: every gift is valuable when motivated by love.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Understanding Spiritual Gifts (00:02–05:40)

• Spiritual Gifts Differ from Natural Gifts

  • Spiritual gifts are given exclusively by the Holy Spirit when one enters a relationship with God. They are distinct from personality traits or natural talents.
  • Quote: "One of the common misunderstandings about spiritual gifts is that they're personality adjacent. But since these gifts are given by the Spirit, they only show up when we get the Spirit, when we enter into a relationship with Yahweh." – Tara-Leigh Cobble (00:37)
  • Spiritual gifts assessments or tests often measure natural abilities, not necessarily supernatural gifts.

• Discerning Your Gifts

  • Ask other church members how your presence builds up the church.
  • Spiritual gifts may change over time as God gives or develops them.

• Cessationism vs. Continuationism (05:40–07:18)

  • Cessationism: Belief that supernatural gifts (like tongues and prophecy) ceased after the first century.
  • Continuationism: Belief that these gifts continue today, though opinions differ on their use.
  • More information is available in the show notes, with links to further reading.

• Variety and Hierarchy of Gifts

  • Paul lists various gifts but indicates a ranking, mentioning speaking in tongues last, perhaps because the Corinthians overemphasized it.
  • Quote: "The Corinthians were fixated on one gift, primarily speaking in tongues, which Paul mentions last in his apparent hierarchy." (07:03)
  • Emphasis on diversity: Each gift, used together, serves one united purpose.

2. The Centrality of Love (1 Corinthians 13) (08:32–10:39)

• Love: The Essential Motivator
  • Good deeds and spiritual gifts are meaningless or harmful without love.
  • Quote: "If love isn't our motivating factor, all our good deeds are multiplied by zero. Or worse yet, they can even be harmful to the body." (08:55)
  • Love will outlast faith and hope because someday faith will be fulfilled and hope realized, but love remains eternal.
  • Memorable Moment: "I can't wait to be faithless and hopeless. But love will remain Always." (09:48) – [Tara-Leigh's playful way of stating how faith and hope will be unnecessary in God’s presence]

3. Prophecy and Speaking in Tongues (Chapter 14) (10:40–15:00)

• Preference for Prophecy

  • Paul desires all to prophesy—speak truth—for the common good.
  • The ‘tongues’ described may refer to unintelligible prayer language rather than human languages (as in Acts 2).
  • Paul prioritizes prophecy over tongues for its broader benefit to the congregation.

• Use of Tongues in Worship

  • When speaking in tongues publicly, an interpreter must be present.
  • Opinions differ: Is ‘tongues’ another human language or a mysterious language enabled by the Spirit?
  • Paul personally practiced tongues more than anyone but still prioritized prophecy.

• Quote: "Paul says he wants them all to speak in tongues, but not as much as he wants them to prophesy because that holds greater value for the church at large." (12:40)

4. Guidelines for Orderly Worship (15:01–17:53)

• Structure for Worship Services

  • Limit on the number of people speaking in tongues (2–3) and require interpretation.
  • Limit on number of prophecies (2–3), then have others discern their truth.
  • Diversity and order prevent chaos and help the community flourish.

• Complexities Regarding Women Speaking in Church

  • Some interpret Paul's words as limiting women’s participation, but previous passages allow women to prophesy and pray.
  • Possible local concerns: disruptions stemming from women calling into the main meeting from outside.
  • Quote: "So Paul is like, just ask them when you get home today. It might be like asking people to silence their cell phones in a service so that things can function in an orderly manner without chaos and distraction." (16:45)
  • Paul's intent seems to be peace, unity, and order, not restriction of women's spiritual contributions.

• Affirmation of Women’s Gifts

  • Early church included women leaders, like Priscilla (Romans 16:3).
  • Paul elsewhere affirms and encourages women's participation in ministry.

5. The Big Picture: Diversity Reflects God's Glory (17:54–19:15)

• God’s Love for Diversity
  • God gives diverse gifts so the church can reflect His multifaceted glory.
  • Each member enhances the experience and growth of others, glorifying God and benefiting the body.
  • Quote: "He isn’t building a one-dimensional kingdom where we all look and act the same. He gives his diverse body unique gifts to offer back to him and connects them all in an orderly fashion like only he can do. He's where the joy is." – Tara-Leigh Cobble (18:35)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Gift Assessments:
  "If Moses, who wasn't good with words, had taken a spiritual gifts test, he probably wouldn't have tested as a prophet, teacher or leader. But those are the ways God's spirit equipped and used him, so there's not always a correlation." (02:23)

• On Lasting Qualities:
  "Ultimately, love will outlast everything, even faith and hope." (09:38)

• On Prophecy:
  "In verse three, Paul says God uses prophecy for upbuilding, for encouragement, and for consolation." (13:41)

Important Timestamps

• 00:02 – Introduction & spiritual gifts misunderstood
• 05:40 – Cessationism vs. continuationism explained
• 08:32 – The necessity of love over gifts (1 Corinthians 13)
• 10:40 – Prophecy vs. tongues, and orderly worship
• 16:45 – Navigating women’s roles in worship & local context
• 18:35 – God’s design for diversity and unity in the church

Closing Reflections

Tara-Leigh wraps up by tying the day’s content to the grand narrative of God’s love:
"Through God's work in us, we actually enhance each other's existence. He isn’t building a one-dimensional kingdom where we all look and act the same. He gives his diverse body unique gifts to offer back to him and connects them all in an orderly fashion like only he can do. He's where the joy is." (18:35)

She encourages listeners to stay rooted in the Word, especially in busy or emotionally complex seasons, as understanding God’s love is the true anchor and center of the biblical story.