1 Corinthians – Chapter 12

(Please notice the "Index" shown above. This may help you navigate through the former studies. I added it in response to a suggestion from one of my friends and readers.)

Many of the gifts Paul talks about in this chapter may seem foreign to us today. Before the New Testament was completed, there was a need for the Holy Spirit to give miraculous manifestations in the form of special gifts. This was necessary because the Apostles were few, the churches were far apart, ideas could travel no faster than people could at that time, and the churches were being overrun with false teachers. Without written records as to the actual facts, they had no way of knowing the truth except through the work of the Holy Spirit’s gifts. Today, we have God’s Holy Word, written by chosen ones with the help of the Holy Spirit, rendering some of those gifts unnecessary. Do they still exist? I don’t have the answer to that. Only the Holy Spirit knows which gifts He bestows on each born again believer. It is our job to figure out which gift He has given each of us and use it to the best of our ability. But today we do have the New Testament Scriptures, which tell us how to discern false teachings from the truth. If they don’t agree with the Scriptures, they are false.

Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.

Paul starts this part of his letter with “now about…,” which suggests he is answering another question the Corinthians raised in their letter to him.

Spiritual Gifts:  a gift of grace from the Holy Spirit enabling one to minister to the needs of the body of Christ, the church.

 ²You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.

In the past, the Corinthians had been influenced to worship ‘mute’ idols. These idols did not speak or give guidance in any way. They were mere statuettes or figurines. But now they are led by the Holy Spirit.

 ³Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

Paul used the Greek translation of the Old Testament Hebrew name “Yahweh”. When the text was translated into English, it was translated as “Lord.” Anyone possessing the Holy Spirit cannot put a curse on Jesus. But only someone possessing the Holy Spirit can confess Jesus as Lord from his/her heart.

⁴There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. ⁵There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

These verses reflect the Trinity. The Holy Spirit distributes gifts to those saved by grace.

The Lord Jesus is who we serve when we serve the church. The word used here for “serve” indicates service to the Christian community. The same word is later used for the office of deacon as in Philippians 1:1.

The Greek word translated as “working” means “power that is in operation.” God works within each of us in different ways. He helps us use our spiritual gifts to produce obvious results.

⁷Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

Every member of the body of Christ is given a spiritual gift as evidence of the Holy Spirit working in his/her life. All of the gifts together are intended to build up the Christian community. They are not to be used selfishly. Paul probably mentions this because some of the Corinthians were using their gifts for profit or fame, or bragging that their gift was more superior than someone else’s, and therefore they must be more spiritual. We must never use gifts as a means to manipulate others or serve our own self-interest.

 ⁸To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues, ¹¹All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

The Greek word translated as ‘tongues’ also means ‘languages.’ On the day of Pentecost, the apostles were able to understand and speak the different languages and dialects of different groups of people.

All Christians have faith, but verse 9 is speaking of faith to meet a specific need within the body of Christ. The Greek word translated as “gifts of healing” should have been translated in the plural, “gifts of healings.” The double plural indicates several kinds of illnesses and various ways God heals them.

In verse 10, we read about how some have ‘miraculous powers,’ or deeds of power. In Scripture, a miracle is an action that cannot be explained by natural means. It is an act of God as evidence of His power and purpose.

Another gift is that of prophesy, which is the communication from the mind of God imparted to a believer by the Holy Spirit in the form of a prediction or an indication of the will of God in a particular situation.

“Distinguishing between spirits” is the ability to tell the difference between truth from the Holy Spirit and falsehoods from evil spirits. This ability usually reveals itself through fervent prayer and study of Scripture.

¹²Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.

Not everyone has the same gift. The Holy Spirit distributes the gifts as He determines they are needed. It may be the gift of knowledge of the Scripture, or the gift of organization, or the gift of interpreting other languages, or the gift of caring for others, or one of many other gifts. Each of us is different and has been given different abilities and strengths. If your gift is working to collect food and goods for the needy, that’s what you need to concentrate on doing. However, if someone else does not share your passion for that particular job and will not help with that chore, don’t accuse that person of not serving. His/her gift may be leading them in a different direction to serve in another capacity. That’s what makes the body function properly. Each part working to do their part in the way it was intended.

¹³For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free —and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

It doesn’t matter what our background might be, once we become a part of the body of Christ through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we are all given the same love and grace from our Lord. We are equal in His sight. There is no discrimination.

 ¹⁴Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. ¹⁵Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁶And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

All gifts are important. Some in the Corinthian church felt some gifts were more important than others, but Paul tells them none of the gifts are inferior to others. An ear is as important as an eye. A foot is as important as a hand. The same is true of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. When all the parts work together, the entire body of Christ, the church, runs smoothly with Christ as the head leading us. This diversity of gifts is intended to accomplish God’s unified purpose. God uses diversity to create unity.

²¹The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²²On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.

This was written to those who felt their gifts were insignificant. Paul explains  some parts of the body may seem weak, but they are actually indispensable. Just as we feed our stomachs, which no one sees and therefore it may seem unimportant, we should give honor and support to the Christians in the church who have seemingly ordinary gifts. Christians whose functions may be obscure in the church are to be given special respect. Those with more obvious gifts do not need to be given special honor.  

²⁶If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

There should be mutual respect between each member of the body of Christ so there will be no divisions within the church. When there is discord, the entire body of the church suffers. When we show honor and respect for one another, everyone rejoices.

²⁷Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. ²⁸And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. ²⁹Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will show you the most excellent way.

All have different gifts. Everyone cannot expect to be given the same gift. Some will be teachers, some prophets, some helpers, and others healers. Paul’s list seems to be random, possibly naming those gifts most desired or looked upon by the Corinthians to be most important. Apparently, the Corinthians were seeking status according to the gifts they were given, but Paul explains they should follow his advice from this letter. He does not list love as a gift. It is rather a fruit of the Spirit. By showing love for each other and not competing with one another according to their gifts, they will find it to be “the most excellent way,” which Paul continues to explain in the next chapter.

Using this same analogy Paul used, we can take it a step further. An eye is an important part of the body. Yes, the body can function without it, but eyes enhance the body’s experience. However, is the eye any good without the body? Of course not. You may have a gift and feel you can use it without being a part of a church. But without the body, the single part loses its importance and function. It cannot be productive without the body. It cannot survive if isolated from the rest. All parts must cooperate to form a single, unified body.

The Holy Spirit bestowed a gift to you to use to unify and help the church carry out God's purpose, not to keep hidden and use for your own purposes.