My daughter and I saw “Breaking Dawn, Part 2” the other day, the final movie of the Twilight saga. The heroine Bella (Kristen Stewart) died at the end of Part 1 and was reborn in Part 2 as a beautiful, powerful vampire. Bella was warned that her lust for human blood would be insatiable. As Edward (Robert Pattinson) helped her to hunt her first deer, Bella caught the scent of a lone rock climber who had slipped and cut himself. She streaked off after him with Edward in hot pursuit. But just as suddenly some mysterious control possessed her and reminded her who she was and aspired to be. She left the rock climber and returned to stalk the deer. Then in mid-leap she altered her course and brought down the mountain lion preying on her deer instead.
Breaking Dawn, Part 2 is a story of the magical gifts possessed by vampires and how they used them to help and protect their friends and loved ones. It was impossible for me not to recall the writings of Paul (1 Corinthians 12:1, 4-11 NET):
With regard to spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed…Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different results, but1 the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the benefit of all. For one person is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, and another the message of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another2 faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one3 Spirit, to another performance of miracles, to another prophecy, and to another discernment of spirits, to another4 different kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. It is one and the same Spirit, distributing as he decides to each person, who produces all these things.
Eventually the three main protagonists—Bella, Edward and Jacob (Taylor Lautner)—were saved by Edward’s sister Alice (Ashley Greene) who used her gift not only to benefit her friends and family but their enemies as well. It was a more satisfying ending to the tale than I had expected. My daughter and I had no heavy spiritual conversation after the movie. We simply enjoyed our brief time together. She could see as well as I that it was about love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (ἐγκράτεια) [Table].5 I have gone on and on about the fruit of the Spirit since she was six, even if I haven’t always lived up to it in front of her.
I hope she understands that those times I was led by the flesh rather than God’s Spirit were proof that the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that flows from his Spirit are not magical powers I possess in and of myself. As Paul wrote, we have this treasure in clay jars, so that the extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.6 In the real world goodness requires a real source. Why do you call me good? Jesus asked. No one is good except God alone.7 Goodness doesn’t arise spontaneously out of evil, except in fantasy tales like the Twilight movies.
Addendum: October 28, 2024
Tables comparing 1 Corinthians 12:6 and 12:9, 10 in the KJV and NET follow.
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1 Corinthians 12:6 (KJV) |
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| And there are different results, but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. | And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. |
| καὶ διαιρέσεις ἐνεργημάτων εἰσίν, ὁ |δὲ| αὐτὸς θεὸς ὁ ἐνεργῶν τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν | και διαιρεσεις ενεργηματων εισιν ο δε αυτος εστιν θεος ο ενεργων τα παντα εν πασιν | και διαιρεσεις ενεργηματων εισιν ο δε αυτος εστιν θεος ο ενεργων τα παντα εν πασιν |
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1 Corinthians 12:9, 10 (KJV) |
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| to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, | To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; |
| ἑτέρῳ πίστις ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ πνεύματι, ἄλλῳ δὲ χαρίσματα ἰαμάτων ἐν τῷ ἑνὶ πνεύματι | ετερω δε πιστις εν τω αυτω πνευματι αλλω δε χαρισματα ιαματων εν τω αυτω πνευματι | ετερω δε πιστις εν τω αυτω πνευματι αλλω δε χαρισματα ιαματων εν τω αυτω πνευματι |
| to another performance of miracles, to another prophecy, and to another discernment of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. | To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: |
| ἄλλῳ δὲ ἐνεργήματα δυνάμεων, ἄλλῳ [δὲ] προφητεία, ἄλλῳ [δὲ] διακρίσεις πνευμάτων, ἑτέρῳ γένη γλωσσῶν, ἄλλῳ δὲ ἑρμηνεία γλωσσῶν | αλλω δε ενεργηματα δυναμεων αλλω δε προφητεια αλλω δε διακρισεις πνευματων ετερω δε γενη γλωσσων αλλω δε ερμηνεια γλωσσων | αλλω δε ενεργηματα δυναμεων αλλω δε προφητεια αλλω δε διακρισεις πνευματων ετερω δε γενη γλωσσων αλλω δε ερμηνεια γλωσσων |
1 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εστιν (KJV: it is) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.
2 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δε (not translated in the KJV) at the beginning of this clause. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.
3 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἑνὶ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτω (KJV: same).
4 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δε (not translated in the KJV) at the beginning of this clause. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.
6 2 Corinthians 4:7 (NET)
7 Mark 10:18 (NET)