CHAPTER 12

(A.D. 59)

SPIRITUAL GIFTS

¹Now concerning Spiritual Gifts, Brethren (in this case, this has to do with the nine Gifts of the Spirit outlined in Verses 8 through 10), I would not have you ignorant (proclaims the Spirit of God, through Paul, saying He wanted the entirety of the Church to know about these Gifts).

²You know that you were Gentiles (meaning that, before their conversion, they had no knowledge of God), carried away unto these dumb idols, even as you were led. (They were primarily led by superstition and witchcraft.)

³Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed (the True Spirit of God would never do such a thing; so those who did such, were not of God): and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Spirit. (Any other manner will be incorrect. It is the Holy Spirit Alone, Who reveals the Lordship of Christ to the Believer.)

DIVERSITIES

⁴Now there are diversities of Gifts (different types of Gifts), but the same Spirit (all of this means the Holy Spirit never contradicts Himself).

⁵And there are differences of Administrations (different Services, Ministries, Offices), but the same Lord. (Christ is the One Who assigns the different Ministries, with the Holy Spirit then carrying out the function. As well, Christ never contradicts Himself.)

⁶And there are diversities of Operations (different ways the Gifts work), but it is the same God which works all in all (has reference to the fact it is God the Father Who energizes all things and all ways).

PURPOSE

⁷But the manifestation of the Spirit (pertains to that which the Gifts make manifest or reveal) is given to every man to profit withal. (If the Gifts are allowed to function properly, which they definitely will if the Holy Spirit has His Way, all will profit.)

NINE GIFTS

⁸For to one is given by the Spirit (proclaims the Holy Spirit as being the One Who carries out the instructions of Christ, relative to who gets what) the Word of Wisdom (pertains to information concerning the future, whether of people, places, or things); to another the Word of Knowledge (concerns the past or the present, relative to persons, places, or things; it is to be noted that its the Word of, which means a small amount) by the same Spirit (it is the Holy Spirit Who functions in all of these Gifts);

⁹To another Faith (special Faith) by the same Spirit; to another the Gifts of Healing (prayer for the sick) by the same Spirit;

¹⁰To another the working of Miracles (extraordinary things); to another Prophecy (this is for edification, exhortation, and comfort [I Cor. 14:3]; this has nothing to do with the Office of the Prophet); to another discerning of spirits (whether the Spirit of God, human spirits, or evil spirits); to another divers kinds of Tongues (meant to be interpreted); to another the interpretation of Tongues:

DISTRIBUTION

¹¹But all these work that one and the selfsame Spirit (refers to the fact that all the abilities and powers of the Gifts are produced and operated by the energy of the Spirit), dividing to every man severally as He (the Holy Spirit) will. (All the distribution is within the discretion of the Holy Spirit, which means that men or women cannot impart Gifts to other individuals. That is the domain of the Spirit Alone!)

ONE BODY

¹²For as the Body (Church) is one, and has many members, and all the members of that one Body, being many, are one Body (refers to the Church as being the Body of Christ): so also is Christ (presents the Saviour as oneness in multiplicity, as is the Church).

¹³For by one Spirit (the Holy Spirit Alone does this) are we all baptized into one Body (at Salvation, the Holy Spirit Baptizes the Believing sinner into the Body of Christ, which is the Born-Again experience; it doesnt refer to Water Baptism), whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free (all must come in the same manner, by and through Jesus Christ and what He did for us at the Cross); and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (The Holy Spirit is the agent Who affects the work of Redemption carried out in our lives, which is made possible by the Death, Burial, Resurrection, Ascension, and Exaltation of Christ.)

¹⁴For the body (human body) is not one member, but many.

¹⁵If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

¹⁶And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? (Just because these various organs are different in their functions does not make them any less necessary for the successful working of the entirety of the human body.)

¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? (For a human body to be whole, it has to have the various different organs.)

¹⁸But now has God set the members every one of them in the body (human body), as it has pleased Him.

¹⁹And if they were all one member, where were the body? (If the human body were one great eye or one large ear, etc., it would no longer be a body, but rather a monstrosity.)

²⁰But now are they many members, yet but one body.

²¹And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of you: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you (proclaims a mutual interdependence in the human body, which beautifully typifies the interdependence in the Body of Christ).

²²No, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary (all play their important part, without which there would be serious repercussion):

²³And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour (probably speaks of the internal organs); and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness (in reference to covering and dress).

²⁴For our comely parts have no need (being comely, they do not need the same attention as others): but God has tempered the body together (giving dignity to all, but special dignity to the inferior parts), having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:

²⁵That there should be no schism in the body (refers to disunion and disruption); but that the members should have the same care one for another (refers to the fact that all should be treated alike).

²⁶And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it (presents it the way it ought to be); or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

²⁷Now you are the Body of Christ (refers to the Church), and members in particular. (This refers to every single individual in the Church who is truly Born-Again.)

²⁸And God has set some in the Church (man or religious denominations cannot do the setting, that being Gods domain in its entirety), first Apostles (God-called Apostles set the tone for the Church because of the special Message God has given them), secondarily Prophets (is meant to include Evangelists as well, even as Teachers are meant to include Pastors; Prophets have the same function under the New Covenant as the Old, with one exception; Apostles have taken their place in the realm of Leadership; as well, this is the Office of the Prophet), thirdly Teachers (those who explain the Word), after that Miracles (pertains to this particular Gift of the Spirit), then Gifts of Healings (examples of Gifts of the Spirit which should operate in the Ministry), Helps (refers to every kind of help God sets in the Church, whatever it might be), Governments (those who endeavor to hold the Church strictly in the Government of God, with all its many functions), Diversities (many different languages, but unknown by the speaker and normally unknown by the hearer) of Tongues (the Gift which requires interpretation).

²⁹Are all Apostles? are all Prophets? are all Teachers? are all workers of Miracles? (There are different Offices and Gifts, but all are needed, as all organs of the physical body are needed.)

³⁰Have all the Gifts of Healing? (The answer is obviously, no.) do all speak with tongues? (Paul is not addressing himself here to the initial Baptism with the Spirit, which is always and without exception accompanied by speaking with other Tongues, but rather is addressing the Gift of Tongues, which all do not have, although Baptized with the Spirit.) do all Interpret? (Again, the answer is no, but some do!)

³¹But covet earnestly the best Gifts (in essence, speaks of that which the Holy Spirit wants a particular Believer to have): and yet show I unto you a more excellent way. (This refers to the Foundation of Love that must undergird all we have and do in the Lord, which the Apostle addresses in the next Chapter.)