Section 16
rampant in Corinth. Thus, from Ephesus he wrote his first letter to the Corinthians adjusting them for the abuse of the miraculous gifts. After writ ing that letter he visited Corinth personally. While he was staying in Corinth he wrote the book of Romans. These are facts of history. First Corin thians was written either in A.D. 56, 57, or 59, and Romans was written approximately a year afterward. In 1 Corinthians Paul adjusted the abuse of tongue-speaking and of the other mi raculous gifts. Soon afterward, when he wrote the book of Romans, he said nothing about the miraculous gifts, probably because he was keenly aware of the confusion they had wrought in Corinth. Remember that he wrote the book of Romans from Corinth, the scene of confusion and abuse regarding miraculous gifts. We should not neglect history, for it has many lessons to teach us. It is quite significant that the book of Romans was written from Corinth. At that time Corinth was the hotbed of miraculous gifts, yet Paul did not say a word about miraculous gifts in the book of Romans. This is very significant, and it deserves our attention.
I want to speak a little more about the gifts that proceed out of the growth of life. Before Paul talked about the gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14,