1 Corinthians 12
12
1Now about “spiritual gifts.”#12:1. Paul takes up another issue that the Corinthians have asked him about. My brothers and sisters, I want to explain this to you. 2You know that when you were pagans, you were deceived, being led astray by worshiping idols who couldn't even speak. 3Let me make it clear to you: no one who speaks in the Spirit of God says, “Curse Jesus!” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord!” except by the Holy Spirit. 4Now there are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but they come from the same Spirit. 5There are different kinds of ministries,#12:5. Or “service.” but they come from the same Lord. 6There are different ways of working, but they come from the same God, who is at work in all of them. 7The Spirit is given to each of us and is revealed for the good of all. 8One person is given by the Spirit the ability to speak words of wisdom. Another is given a message of knowledge by the same Spirit. 9Another receives the gift of strongly trusting in God by the same Spirit. Another receives gifts of healing from that one Spirit. 10Another is given the ability to perform miracles. Another receives the gift of prophecy. Another is given the gift of spiritual discernment. Another receives the ability to speak different languages, while another is given the gift of interpreting languages. 11But all of these gifts are the work of the one and the same Spirit, sharing with each person as he alone chooses.
12Just like the human body is one unit but has many parts—all the parts of the body even though there are many of them, make up one body—so is Christ. 13For it was through one Spirit that we were all baptized into one body. It doesn't matter whether we are Jews or Greeks, slave or free—we all were given the one Spirit to drink. 14The body is not made of one part, but many parts. 15If the foot were to say, “Because I'm not a hand, I'm not part of the body,” would that make it not part of the body? 16If the ear were to say, “Because I'm not an eye, I'm not part of the body,” would that make it not part of the body? 17If the whole body was an eye, how could you hear anything? If the whole body was an ear, how could you smell anything?
18But God has arranged each part in the body, every last one of them, placing them just as he wanted. 19If they were all the same part, what would happen to the body? 20However, since there are many parts, they make up the body. 21The eye can't tell the hand, “I don't need you,” or the head tell the feet, “I don't need you.” 22Quite the opposite: some of those parts of the body that seem the most insignificant are the most essential. 23In fact those parts of the body we do not consider to be decent to reveal we “honor” more by covering them up—what is indecent we treat with greater modesty! 24What's presentable doesn't need such covering up. God has so arranged the body that more honor is given to the parts that are less presentable. 25This is so there wouldn't be any conflict within the body—the different parts should care equally for each other. 26So when one part is suffering, all the other parts of the body suffer with it, and when one part is treated well, then all the other parts of the body are happy too!#12:26. Here Paul seems to be thinking far more of the body of the church than a physical body.
27Now you are the body of Christ, and each one makes up a part of it. 28In the church, God has arranged first for some to be apostles, secondly for some to be prophets, thirdly teachers. Then there are those who perform miracles, those with healing gifts, those who can help others, those good at administration, and those who can speak different languages. 29Not everyone is an apostle, or a prophet, or a teacher, or able to perform miracles. 30Not all have healing gifts, or the ability to speak languages, or to interpret languages. 31But you should really want to have the most significant gifts.#12:31. Having discussed the different spiritual gifts, Paul states that believers should desire the most important ones. Of course which these are would be a matter of much debate. What he really is doing is setting the scene for the next chapter, for without love none of these gifts, even those considered the most significant, are worth anything. So now I will show you a far better way.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
1 Corinthians 12
12
Spiritual Gifts
1Now, dear brothers and sisters,#12:1 Greek brothers. regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you to misunderstand this. 2You know that when you were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols. 3So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.
4There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. 5There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 6God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.
7A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice#12:8a Or gives a word of wisdom.; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.#12:8b Or gives a word of knowledge. 9The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages,#12:10 Or in various tongues; also in 12:28, 30. while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
One Body with Many Parts
12The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles,#12:13a Greek some are Greeks. some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.#12:13b Greek we were all given one Spirit to drink.
14Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? 17If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?
18But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
22In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
27All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 28Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church:
first are apostles,
second are prophets,
third are teachers,
then those who do miracles,
those who have the gift of healing,
those who can help others,
those who have the gift of leadership,
those who speak in unknown languages.
29Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? 30Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not! 31So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.
But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.
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