Read the Passage: 1 Corinthians 12

Listen to the Redeemed Mind Podcast: 1 Corinthians 12

Many Gifts (12:1–11)

In 1 Cor. 12–14 Paul focuses on the topic of spiritual gifts. Given the amount of space Paul allocates to this subject, it is clear that this was an important topic for the Corinthian church. Note other passages in the New Testament where spiritual gifts are addressed include: Rom. 12:3–8; Eph. 4:11–16; and 1 Pet. 4:10–11. Spiritual gifts can be defined as special abilities for ministry, which are bestowed by the Holy Spirit, that Christ uses to build His church for the glory of God. By way of contrast, Paul reminds these believers that previously, they had been “carried away to . . . dumb idols” (1 Cor. 12:2). Paul’s point here is that serving and being misled by false gods should not be confused with the use of spiritual gifts in the church. Indeed, since spiritual gifts are for the glory of God, their use should never lead people to call “Jesus accursed” (1 Cor. 12:3a), but ought to result in believers declaring that “Jesus is Lord” (1 Cor. 12:3b).

In 1 Cor. 12:4 Paul observes that “there are diversities of gifts,” a teaching that he will unfold in more detail throughout this chapter. Indeed, there are at least fifteen different spiritual gifts mentioned in this chapter, and more than twenty gifts are listed in the entire Bible. Observe that scholars do not agree on the exact number of spiritual gifts cited in Scripture, as it is unclear which gifts overlap. As Paul mentions various individual gifts in this passage, he repeatedly alludes to the need for unity in the church, as he refers to “God who works all in all” (1 Cor. 12:6), he notes that spiritual gifts are given “for the profit of all” (1 Cor. 12:7), he mentions four times that spiritual gifts are bestowed by “the same Spirit” (1 Cor. 8, 9a, 9b, 11), and he teaches that spiritual gifts are not self-generated, but are given “as God wills” (cf. 1 Cor. 12:11). In sum, while there are many gifts, there is only one church, which ought to be unified.

One Body (12:12–19)

Given the sinful divisions in the Corinthian church it is not surprising that Paul emphasizes unity as he teaches about spiritual gifts. Indeed, it might seem logical to assume that since there are a variety of spiritual gifts, there should be different factions in the church that come together around common gifts. However, Paul repeatedly teaches that the variety of spiritual gifts in the church does not mean that divisions are acceptable. In fact, in 1 Cor. 12:12–14 Paul uses the term “one” six times to emphasize unity in the church. Yet, to keep from being misunderstood as teaching that the church is completely homogenous, Paul writes, “The body is not one member, but many” (1 Cor. 12:14). Next, as he continues his body analogy, in the verses that follow Paul explains that to be fully functional, the church must have a diversity of gifts. Believers shouldn’t be jealous, for God gives gifts to each member as He pleases.

Unified Function (12:20–31)

In 1 Cor. 12:20–26 Paul continues his teaching on the variety of spiritual gifts within the church. Whereas in 1 Cor. 12:15–19 Paul had addressed believers who were envious of the gifts of others, in 1 Cor. 12:20–26 Paul confronts Christians who were dismissive of the gifts of others. As Paul will explain in the following chapters, some in the Corinthian church desired to have more showy spiritual gifts (e.g., prophecy, tongues, miracles, etc.). In contrast, some who had the more sought after gifts were belittling those who possessed less prominent spiritual gifts. In this passage, as he continues to liken the church to a body, Paul teaches that just as certain parts of a body are more-or-less visible, so various spiritual gifts are more-or-less prominent. Yet, the different parts of a body and the diversity of gifts in a church are both needed for proper health and flourishing of its members.

While earlier Paul had written mostly in general terms about spiritual gifts, in 1 Cor. 12:27–31 Paul lists eight specific gifts: apostles, prophets, teachers, miracles, healings, helps, administration, and tongues. Since this list contains a mingling of public (or visible) and private (or behind-the-scenes) gifts, it is likely that Paul’s ordering of these gifts in his list is not significant. Rather, it seems that Paul’s point here is to reiterate and emphasize two of his earlier teachings in this chapter: first, the church is made of up individuals with different spiritual gifts (cf. 1 Cor. 12:27), and second, not everyone has the same gifts, thus the church is dependent upon all of its members to function properly (cf. 1 Cor. 12:29–30). Since Paul had been arguing for the basic equality of spiritual gifts, his appeal in 1 Cor. 12:31 to covet better gifts is peculiar; yet Paul will explain this notion more fully in the following chapter.

Application Questions:

1. How important are spiritual gifts for the functioning of the church? How can believers discover their own spiritual gift(s)?
2. Have you ever witnessed spiritual gifts being misused or misapplied within the church?
3. Are spiritual gifts distributed equally within the Body of Christ, or are some gifts more common than others?
4. Have you ever been jealous of the spiritual gifts of another? How can we further enable others to use their own spiritual gifts?
5. In the modern church, which spiritual gifts are the most prized and which gifts are the least desired?