1 Corinthians 12
12
The different functions of the Spirit
1Now as to the phenomena of your faith which show in a special way the presence of God and the action of the Spirit. Recollect this Spirit is one. Many of you are moved far beyond your ordinary capacity, and do things which in your own strength would be utterly impossible to you, — you prophesy, teach, heal, speak with tongues, and perform wonders, marvels — and this is not yourselves, it is the Spirit by which you are possessed. 2But recollect, my brethren, there is nothing in this similar to those possessions by spirits you were once familiar with in the old religions. At one time that worship was part of your life. You were carried away willy-nilly as you were led in the service of these dumb idols. 3-5And because this type of worship was so familiar to you, I bid you remember that, if anyone is possessed and cries out a curse on Jesus, such possession you will know comes not from God, whilst on the other hand to acknowledge Jesus as Lord can never be done except by those to whom the Spirit has been imparted. Now this Spirit, as I say, is one, absolutely one, throughout all its manifestations, and that is why all those phenomena which represent to us its operations are so mutually harmonious and complementary. 6-8One man may evidence one kind of gift or service, one man’s sphere of usefulness or inspiration may differ entirely from another’s, but he will not differ in the spirit.
The oneness of the Spirit
9It is the same Spirit, the same Lord, the same God which imparts, ordains, inspires, possesses. 10The word of knowledge, the word of wisdom, faith, gifts of healing, inspiration and genius, prophecy, spiritual insight and discernment, tongues and the interpretation of tongues — 11these all proceed in varying degrees displayed by different individuals from the one infinite Spirit. He, that Spirit, is all in all, and one, and all these gifts are constituted in His action and operation. 12The Christ is as it were one infinite body, wherein all the parts and members are mutually helpful and interdependent. 13In the unity of the same organism there cannot be inharmonious contradictory parts. 14-16Hand cannot say to foot, I have no need of you. Ear and eye are different members and have different functions, but what if the ear said to the eye, “because I am different from you, we belong to different bodies,” would it be true? And so all of us were baptised into one vast body, the infinite Christ, — Jews, Greeks, slaves, and free — and we all drank the wine of the one Spirit. Hence these different gifts, functions and offices which operate in us. This very variety constitutes the essential being of the Spirit, because the Spirit includes all. 17If the body were all eye, where would the hearing be? If it were all ear, where would the eyebrow be? 18-21Every part is beautifully formed to assist and be complementary to the others; none is otiose, negligible or useless, 22but on the contrary those very parts which are held in least honour often have the most important functions, 23-25and the visible parts of the body which form its beauty are the most dependent on the organs which are not seen and are less esteemed. 26If one member suffer, all suffer with it, and no one part of the body can be affected, for good or ill, without all the others feeling it. 27So is it in that infinite spiritual body of the Christ, which we together constitute, of which we are all members. 28Whether in the church there be those that are called apostles, prophets, teachers, healers, helpers, officers, speakers with tongues — what is this but the activity of one life? 29Because it is one thing, all are not therefore apostles, nor all prophets, nor all teachers, 30nor all healers, nor all speakers with tongues, nor all interpreters. 31True, some gifts are greater than others, and it is right to wish for the greatest gifts of all, and in that respect, I will point out to you a way that is better than all others.
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Translated in 1916, published in 1937.
1 Corinthians 12
12
Spiritual Gifts for the Body
1Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be ignorant.
2You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed by idols that cannot speak, and you got led astray.
3Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Ruach Elohim says, “Yeshua be cursed,” and no one can say, “Yeshua is Lord,” except by the Ruach ha-Kodesh.
4Now there are various kinds of gifts, but the same Ruach.
5There are various kinds of service, but the same Lord.
6There are various kinds of working, but the same God who works all things in all people.
7But to each person is given the manifestation of the Ruach for the benefit of all.
8For to one is given through the Ruach a word of wisdom, to another a word of knowledge according to the same Ruach,
9to another faith by the same Ruach, to another gifts of healings by the one Ruach,
10to another workings of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11But one and the same Ruach activates all these things, distributing to each person individually as He wills.
12For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of the body—though many—are one body, so also is Messiah.
13For in one Ruach we were all immersed into one body—whether Jewish or Greek, slave or free—and all were made to drink of one Ruach.
14For the body is not one part, but many.
15If the foot says, “Since I’m not a hand, I’m not part of the body,” is it therefore not part of the body?
16And if the ear says, “Since I’m not an eye, I’m not part of the body,” is it for this reason any less part of the body?
17If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?
18But now God has placed the parts—each one of them—in the body just as He desired.
19If they were all one part, where would the body be?
20But now there are many parts, yet one body.
21The eye cannot tell the hand, “I don’t need you!” or in turn the head to the feet, “I don’t need you!”
22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be less important are indispensable.
23Those parts of the body that we think to be less honorable, we clothe with greater honor; and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty;
24but our presentable parts have no such need. Rather God assembled the body, giving more honor to those who are lacking,
25so that there may be no division in the body, but so that the parts may have the same care for one another.
26If one part suffers, all the parts suffer together. If one part is honored, all the parts rejoice together.
27Now you are the body of Messiah, and members individually.
28God has put into His community first emissaries, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then healings, helps, leadership, various kinds of tongues.
29All are not emissaries, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All do not work miracles, do they?
30All do not have gifts of healing, do they? All do not speak in tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?
31But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And still I show you a far better way:
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