- 1 Corinthians
- <
- 12
- >

12
About spiritual gifts
1 Now concerning the spiritual things, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. 2 You know that when you were pagans you were always led toward the mute idols,* By whom or what? I would say that it was by Satan's emissaries, in one way or another. being carried away. 3 Therefore I inform you that no one speaking by God's Spirit calls Jesus accursed, and no one can declare Jesus to be Lord† Of course anyone, including demons, can mouth the phrase, ‘Jesus is Lord’; Paul is talking about personal commitment. except by the Holy Spirit.
4 Now there are allotments of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are allotments of ministries, and the same Lord. 6 And there are allotments of activities, but the same God is He who works them all, in all.‡ If gifts, ministries and activities are all allotted by God, then the life of any congregation is supposed to be under His direct control. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the common good.§ Nothing that God gives is with the intent of feeding our ego.
A list of gifts
8 So to one a word of wisdom is given, by the Spirit; to another a word of knowledge, by the same Spirit; 9 to a different one faith, by the same Spirit; to another presents of healings,* There is no such thing as ‘the gift of healing’, at least not in the Text. ‘Healings’ is always a noun, not a verb, and is always plural; ‘gifts’ is also always plural, never singular. So the Spirit distributes gifts or presents of healings. That said, it also appears to be true that certain people receive an unusual number of such presents, giving rise to a ‘ministry of healing’. by the same Spirit; 10 to another workings of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discernings of spirits;† Why ‘discernings’ (pl), which is what the Text says? I suppose one could say it was discerning at different times, but if a gift is used more than once, that meaning is automatic. Could it refer to the different kinds of spirit beings? I can think of five: the Holy Spirit, good angels, demons (fallen angels), a normal human spirit, and a projected human spirit (all of which are usually invisible to us, which is why special discernment is needed). I would now say that humanoids (demon with woman) should be added to the list. to a different one kinds‡ The Text plainly says ‘kinds’ (plural) of languages. I never understood this until I heard a student of mine using more than one language. I am a linguist (PhD) and I know when I am listening to a real language (it has structure). This student had (and presumably still has) one language for worship, another for intercession, another for warfare, and I think there was at least one more—they were very different, but were clearly real languages. Later I got to know a competent surgeon who has at least four languages. Whoever claims to have the gift of tongues should have more than one; after all, in all Bibles ‘tongues’ is plural, and plural means more than one. of languages, to another interpretation of languages. 11 However, the one and the same Spirit produces all of these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.§ No one gets a gift just because he wants it; the Holy Spirit has His own criteria for distributing them. However, in verse 31 below we are commanded to desire the best gifts. We are to ask, and the Holy Spirit takes it from there.
An analogy from the body
12 Now just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of that one body, though being many, are one body, so also is the Christ. 13 For we also were all baptized into one body by one Spirit* It is the Holy Spirit who places us into the Body of Christ.—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and were all given to drink into one Spirit.† The imagery here seems awkward; but if you drink something, it is then inside you, and once regenerate we have the Holy Spirit inside us. But He is much, much bigger than we are, so we wind up inside Him (perhaps a little like swallowing water while swimming). 14 For in fact the body is not one part but many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” it would not therefore cease to be of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” it would not therefore cease to be of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would the smelling be? 18 But God has really placed the members in the body, each one of them, just as He pleased.‡ This is true of our physical bodies, but it is also true of any congregation. 19 (If the whole were just one member, where would the body be? 20 But in fact the parts are many but the body one.)§ To the ‘Western’ mind this may seem redundant, but recall that Paul was a Jew. Can you imagine a body that is nothing more than a huge, monstrous tongue?
21 Further, the eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I do not need you.” 22 Much to the contrary, those members of the body that seem to be weaker are necessary. 23 And the parts of the body that we consider to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentables have special modesty, 24 while our presentables do not need it. Yes, God has blended the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacks it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another; 26 and if one member suffers, all the members should suffer along, or if one member is honored, all the members should rejoice along.* Since both the Textus Receptus and the eclectic Greek text currently in vogue have ‘suffer’ and ‘rejoice’ in the Indicative (following 60% of the Greek manuscripts), most versions do too. But the 40% includes the best line of transmission and has the verbs in the Subjunctive. Since Paul is applying the figure of a body to people, it is obvious that although we should share, we are not obliged to do so, and often do not.
Functions in the Church
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. 28 And those whom God has appointed in the Church are: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; after that miracles, then† It should be observed that the terminology here is clearly hierarchical: ‘1st, 2nd, 3rd, then, then…’ (similar lists in other places lack this terminology) [the Kingdom of God is not a democracy]. Next, if God has appointed these functions, there must be a good reason for them, and to deliberately exclude any of them is to go against God. Here in Brazil, with a few exceptions, the churches have no place for teachers; they simply are not allowed. The consequences are not pretty.
Presumably even the most ardent ‘cessationist’ will grant that “teachers”, “helps” and “administrations” are still around. But this letter was written around 55 AD, well into the Church Age, therefore. Why would God “appoint in the Church” things that would be extinguished in a few decades. If miracles come “after” teachers, how can miracles be gone if teachers are still here? We have the command to “earnestly desire the best gifts”, so which ones are the best? Presumably those at the top of the hierarchical list. Why would God command us to earnestly desire a gift like apostleship, if He was going to extinguish it before the end of the first century? In such an event the command would be meaningless for the last 1900 years! presents of healings, helps, administrations, kinds of languages. 29 All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not miracle workers, are they? 30 All do not have presents of healings, do they? All do not speak languages, do they? All do not interpret, do they?‡ The Greek grammar of verses 29 and 30 is plain: no gift is given to everybody—not everyone is an apostle and not everyone speaks languages. Those churches that teach that speaking in tongues is the necessary sign of being ‘baptized in the Spirit’ (and until you are ‘baptized’ you are a 2nd class citizen, if a citizen at all), have done untold damage to their people. Since the Holy Spirit simply does not give ‘tongues’ to everybody, those who do not get it are out in the cold. But the social pressure is intolerable, so many end up faking it. Since many of the leaders are also faking it, the social problem is solved; the person is ‘in’. But since Satan is the source of all lies, someone who fakes it is living a lie and invites Satan into his life. I have been in many Pentecostal, neo-pentecostal, charismatic, whatever churches and have heard thousands of people ‘speaking in tongues’—a large majority were faking it, while a few were speaking a real language, but under demonic control. A church that teaches a lie invites Satan into the church, and he does not hesitate. Of course some had the genuine gift. 31 But earnestly desire the best gifts.

- 1 Corinthians
- <
- 12
- >

*12:2 By whom or what? I would say that it was by Satan's emissaries, in one way or another.

†12:3 Of course anyone, including demons, can mouth the phrase, ‘Jesus is Lord’; Paul is talking about personal commitment.

‡12:6 If gifts, ministries and activities are all allotted by God, then the life of any congregation is supposed to be under His direct control.

§12:7 Nothing that God gives is with the intent of feeding our ego.

*12:9 There is no such thing as ‘the gift of healing’, at least not in the Text. ‘Healings’ is always a noun, not a verb, and is always plural; ‘gifts’ is also always plural, never singular. So the Spirit distributes gifts or presents of healings. That said, it also appears to be true that certain people receive an unusual number of such presents, giving rise to a ‘ministry of healing’.

†12:10 Why ‘discernings’ (pl), which is what the Text says? I suppose one could say it was discerning at different times, but if a gift is used more than once, that meaning is automatic. Could it refer to the different kinds of spirit beings? I can think of five: the Holy Spirit, good angels, demons (fallen angels), a normal human spirit, and a projected human spirit (all of which are usually invisible to us, which is why special discernment is needed). I would now say that humanoids (demon with woman) should be added to the list.

‡12:10 The Text plainly says ‘kinds’ (plural) of languages. I never understood this until I heard a student of mine using more than one language. I am a linguist (PhD) and I know when I am listening to a real language (it has structure). This student had (and presumably still has) one language for worship, another for intercession, another for warfare, and I think there was at least one more—they were very different, but were clearly real languages. Later I got to know a competent surgeon who has at least four languages. Whoever claims to have the gift of tongues should have more than one; after all, in all Bibles ‘tongues’ is plural, and plural means more than one.

§12:11 No one gets a gift just because he wants it; the Holy Spirit has His own criteria for distributing them. However, in verse 31 below we are commanded to desire the best gifts. We are to ask, and the Holy Spirit takes it from there.

*12:13 It is the Holy Spirit who places us into the Body of Christ.

†12:13 The imagery here seems awkward; but if you drink something, it is then inside you, and once regenerate we have the Holy Spirit inside us. But He is much, much bigger than we are, so we wind up inside Him (perhaps a little like swallowing water while swimming).

‡12:18 This is true of our physical bodies, but it is also true of any congregation.

§12:20 To the ‘Western’ mind this may seem redundant, but recall that Paul was a Jew. Can you imagine a body that is nothing more than a huge, monstrous tongue?

*12:26 Since both the Textus Receptus and the eclectic Greek text currently in vogue have ‘suffer’ and ‘rejoice’ in the Indicative (following 60% of the Greek manuscripts), most versions do too. But the 40% includes the best line of transmission and has the verbs in the Subjunctive. Since Paul is applying the figure of a body to people, it is obvious that although we should share, we are not obliged to do so, and often do not.

†12:28 It should be observed that the terminology here is clearly hierarchical: ‘1st, 2nd, 3rd, then, then…’ (similar lists in other places lack this terminology) [the Kingdom of God is not a democracy]. Next, if God has appointed these functions, there must be a good reason for them, and to deliberately exclude any of them is to go against God. Here in Brazil, with a few exceptions, the churches have no place for teachers; they simply are not allowed. The consequences are not pretty. Presumably even the most ardent ‘cessationist’ will grant that “teachers”, “helps” and “administrations” are still around. But this letter was written around 55 AD, well into the Church Age, therefore. Why would God “appoint in the Church” things that would be extinguished in a few decades. If miracles come “after” teachers, how can miracles be gone if teachers are still here? We have the command to “earnestly desire the best gifts”, so which ones are the best? Presumably those at the top of the hierarchical list. Why would God command us to earnestly desire a gift like apostleship, if He was going to extinguish it before the end of the first century? In such an event the command would be meaningless for the last 1900 years!

‡12:30 The Greek grammar of verses 29 and 30 is plain: no gift is given to everybody—not everyone is an apostle and not everyone speaks languages. Those churches that teach that speaking in tongues is the necessary sign of being ‘baptized in the Spirit’ (and until you are ‘baptized’ you are a 2nd class citizen, if a citizen at all), have done untold damage to their people. Since the Holy Spirit simply does not give ‘tongues’ to everybody, those who do not get it are out in the cold. But the social pressure is intolerable, so many end up faking it. Since many of the leaders are also faking it, the social problem is solved; the person is ‘in’. But since Satan is the source of all lies, someone who fakes it is living a lie and invites Satan into his life. I have been in many Pentecostal, neo-pentecostal, charismatic, whatever churches and have heard thousands of people ‘speaking in tongues’—a large majority were faking it, while a few were speaking a real language, but under demonic control. A church that teaches a lie invites Satan into the church, and he does not hesitate. Of course some had the genuine gift.

© 2016 Wilbur N. Pickering, ThM, PhD