1 Corinthians Chapter 12

Teaching on Spiritual Gifts

            ¹ About spiritual gifts. ² You know that when you were pagans, in one way or another, idols that couldn’t talk were leading you astray. ³ So I tell you, nobody that speaks by God’s Spirit claims, “Jesus is accursed”; and nobody can claim, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.                                                                                                     

⁴ There’s a variety of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit; ⁵ a variety of ministries, but the same Lord; ⁶ a variety of activities, but the same God, who accomplishes everything in everyone. ⁷ The demonstration each person has from the Spirit serves for the benefit of the rest. ⁸ The same Spirit gives a message about wise living to one and a message about understanding to another, ⁹ faith to one and gifts of healing to another; ¹⁰ working miracles to one, prophesying to another, and distinguishing between spirits to another; speaking different languages to one and translating languages to another. ¹¹ The same Spirit does them all and distributes to each person as he sees fit.      

1 Cor 12:1-11

The Church as a Body

¹² As one body has many parts, so does Christ. ¹³ We were baptized in one Spirit into one body—whether Jew or Greek, bond or free—and drank from one Spirit. ¹⁴ The body doesn’t have one part, but many. ¹⁵ If a foot says, “Since I’m not a hand, I’m not part of the body,” is it then not part of the body? ¹⁶ If an ear says, “Since I’m not an eye, I’m not part of the body,” is it then not part of the body? ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, how would it hear anything? If the whole body were hearing, where would it smell anything? ¹⁸ God has placed each part in the body just the way he wants it. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the whole body be? ²⁰ There are many parts, but one body. ²¹ An eye can’t tell a hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t tell the feet, “I don’t need you.” ²² More notably yet, parts we consider weaker are necessary. ²³ Parts we consider less honorable we give more attention to; our less presentable parts become more presentable, ²⁴ and parts that are already presentable get less attention. God has put the body together in a way that gives greater honor to the part that lacks it, ²⁵ so there’s no division in the body because the parts take care of each another. ²⁶ If one part suffers, they all suffer; if one receives honor, they all rejoice.

1 Cor 12:12-26

²⁷ As a group you’re Christ’s body, and individually you’re parts of it. ²⁸ In the church, God has appointed apostles first, prophets second, teachers third, then miracles, gifts of healing, helps, administrations, kinds of languages. ²⁹ Not everyone is an apostle or prophet or teacher or miracle worker, are they? ³⁰ Not everyone has gifts for healing or speaks in languages or translates, do they?          

1 Cor 12:27-30

Love , the All-Purpose Virtue

³¹ Earnestly desire the more important gifts, but I’ll show you something even better. ¹ If I speak in the languages of people and angels, but don’t love, like a noisy gong or crashing cymbal I mean anything. ² If I prophesy, understand all mysteries, know everything, have enough faith to move mountains, but don’t love, I am nothing. ³ If I give everything I own to feed the poor and give up my body so I can take pride in doing it, but don’t love, I gain nothing.

            ⁴ Love is patient and kind, not jealous or proud. ⁵ It’s considerate, not selfish or easily offended; it doesn’t dwell on what’s wrong. ⁶ Love doesn’t enjoy doing people in; it enjoys the truth. ⁷ Love bears up under everything; it tends to trust; it hopes for the best. Love lasts.                                                      

⁸ Love never falls out of the picture. But prophesying will pass away; languages will stop; knowledge will disappear. ⁹ We know partially and prophecy partially. ¹⁰ But, when what’s final comes, what’s preliminary will disappear. ¹¹ When I was a kid, I talked like one, thought like one, reasoned like one. When I grew up, I quit doing what a kid does. ¹² We see in a mirror blurry now, but we’ll see directly then. I know partly now, but then I’ll know as I’m known. ¹³ There’s faith, hope, and love now—those three; but love is the most important.

1 Cor 12:31- 13:13