1 Corinthians 12
Introduction to Spiritual Gifts 1–3
Unity in Diversity: The Source of Gifts 4–11
The Church as the Body of Christ 12–26
Structure and Ordering of Gifts in the Church 27–31
Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain
Study Notes for 1 Corinthians 12
Verse 1
spiritual gifts — Pneumatikos means ‘spiritual’, and ‘gifts’ is the KJV’s own addition, so the phrase can be read ‘spiritual things’. The word returns in 14:1, ‘desire spiritual gifts’, while the gifts themselves are called charismata in v.4. ‘I would not have you ignorant’ is how Paul opens a point (Rom 1:13; 1 Cor 10:1).
Verse 2
dumb idols — Aphonos means voiceless. The LORD’s charge against idols is the same: ‘They have mouths, but they speak not’ (Ps 115:5); ‘the maker… to make dumb idols’ (Hab 2:18). The Corinthians had been ‘carried away’ to them; Thessalonica also ‘turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God’ (1 Thess 1:9).
Verse 3
Jesus is the Lord — Kyrios, ‘Lord’, is the confession on which Rom 10:9 rests salvation: ‘confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus’. ‘Accursed’ is anathema, used by Paul of any other gospel (Gal 1:8–9) and of the one who loves not the Lord (1 Cor 16:22). John gives the matching test of spirits (1 John 4:1–3).
Verse 4
diversities of gifts — Diairesis, a dividing out, is found only in vv.4–6, three times, and its verb diaireo returns in v.11, ‘dividing to every man severally’. ‘Gifts’ is charisma, a thing given by charis, grace: ‘gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us’ (Rom 12:6). The Giver here is ‘the same Spirit’.
Verse 5
administrations — Diakonia is service, the word rendered ‘ministry’ in ‘the work of the ministry’ (Eph 4:12), where Christ ‘gave some, apostles; and some, prophets’ for that work (Eph 4:11). The gifts are services done under ‘the same Lord’. Vv.4–6 name the Spirit, the Lord and God in turn.
Verse 6
operations — Energema, a thing worked out, occurs only here and in v.10; its verb energeo is ‘worketh’. God is the one who ‘worketh all in all’, as he ‘worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure’ (Phil 2:13). Every gift is an effect of his working, whoever carries it out.
Verse 7
manifestation of the Spirit — Phanerosis, a making visible, occurs elsewhere only in 2 Cor 4:2, ‘manifestation of the truth’. ‘To profit withal’ is sympheron, what is profitable, the word of 10:33, ‘not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many’. The gift is given ‘to every man’ (hekastos, each one), and for the good of others.
Verse 8
word of wisdom — ‘Word’ is logos, ‘wisdom’ sophia, ‘knowledge’ gnosis. Paul had already said he spoke ‘wisdom among them that are perfect’ (2:6) and that God ‘hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit’ (2:10). The pair stands together in Col 2:3, ‘the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’, which are hid in Christ.
Verse 10
discerning of spirits — Diakrisis, a distinguishing, is the word of Heb 5:14, ‘to discern both good and evil’. It answers the call to ‘try the spirits whether they are of God’ (1 John 4:1) and the test given in v.3. ‘Interpretation’ (hermeneia) occurs only here and in 14:26, both times beside tongues.
Verse 11
dividing to every man severally — Diaireo, to distribute, occurs elsewhere only in Luke 15:12, where the father ‘divided unto them his living’. ‘As he will’ is boulomai, to purpose: the Spirit gives by his own decision, as Heb 2:4 also says, ‘gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will’.
Verse 12
so also is Christ — ‘Christ’ is used here for the body joined to him: the church is ‘one body in Christ’ (Rom 12:5), and he is ‘the head of the body, the church’ (Col 1:18). ‘Members’ is melos, a limb, which is why the parts that follow, foot, hand, ear, eye and head, are named as limbs.
Verse 13
baptized into one body — The baptizing is ‘by one Spirit’, as John said of Christ: ‘he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost’ (John 1:33). ‘Gentiles’ here is Hellen, a Greek, as in Gal 3:28, ‘neither Jew nor Greek’. ‘Made to drink’ is potizo, the verb Paul uses of Apollos in 3:6, ‘Apollos watered’.
Verse 15
If the foot shall say — Paul gives the members speech. The foot reasons that because it is not the hand it is not of the body, and the question ‘is it therefore not of the body?’ answers that belonging does not rest on having the same task: ‘all members have not the same office’ (Rom 12:4).
Verse 17
where were the hearing? — Akoe, hearing, is the word of Rom 10:17, ‘faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God’. ‘Smelling’ (osphresis) occurs only here in the New Testament. A body that was one member throughout would have lost every other kind of work, and so the whole.
Verse 18
hath God set the members — Tithemi, to place, the same verb as ‘God hath set some in the church’ (v.28), so the church’s offices are placed as the body’s limbs are. ‘As it hath pleased him’ (thelo, to will) answers in sense to the Spirit’s ‘as he will’ (v.11, a different verb, boulomai): the placing is God’s choice, not the member’s.
Verse 21
The eye cannot say unto the hand — The second pair reverses the first. The foot and ear spoke from a sense of lack (vv.15–16); the eye and the head speak of having ‘no need’ (chreia). The Corinthians had said as much in effect: ‘Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us’ (4:8).
Verse 22
more feeble — Asthenes, weak, is the word of 1:27, ‘God hath chosen the weak things of the world’, and 4:10, ‘we are weak, but ye are strong’. The members that ‘seem’ (dokeo) weaker are ‘necessary’ (anagkaios), so the principle laid down in 1:27 holds inside the church too.
Verse 23
upon these we bestow more abundant honour — ‘Less honourable’ (atimos) and ‘uncomely’ (aschemon, found only here) name the parts usually covered. ‘Bestow’ is peritithemi, to place around, as the scarlet robe was put on Christ (Matt 27:28). The need to cover goes back to Gen 3:7, when the man and woman ‘knew that they were naked’.
Verse 24
God hath tempered the body together — Sygkerannymi, to blend, occurs elsewhere only in Heb 4:2, ‘not being mixed with faith’. The blending is God’s act, and its result is more honour ‘to that part which lacked’ (hustereo). The ‘comely’ parts (euschemon) need nothing added.
Verse 25
no schism — Schisma, a rent, is the word for the divisions Paul named at the opening of the letter: ‘that there be no divisions among you’ (1:10) and ‘I hear that there be divisions among you’ (11:18). The remedy is that the members ‘have the same care one for another’ (merimnao, to be concerned for).
Verse 26
suffer with it — Both verbs are compounds of syn, ‘with’: sympascho, found only here and Rom 8:17, ‘we suffer with him’, and synchairo, which also gives ‘rejoiceth in the truth’ (13:6). ‘Be honoured’ is doxazo, to glorify. The command is spelled out in Rom 12:15, ‘Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.’
Verse 27
the body of Christ — The comparison of v.12 is now stated outright and addressed to the Corinthians. Elsewhere ‘we are members of his body’ (Eph 5:30), built up for ‘the edifying of the body of Christ’ (Eph 4:12). ‘In particular’ comes from meros, a part, the word of 13:9, ‘we know in part’.
Verse 28
God hath set some in the church — Tithemi, the verb of v.18. ‘First… secondarily… thirdly’ number only the first three, apostles, prophets and teachers; apostles and prophets are the ‘foundation’ in Eph 2:20. ‘Helps’ (antilepsis) and ‘governments’ (kubernesis, steering) occur nowhere else in the New Testament. Eph 4:11 gives another list.
Verse 29
Are all apostles? — Each of these questions begins with me, the particle that expects the answer ‘No’. Paul puts the offices of v.28 to the whole church and the answer is the one he gave in vv.4–6: one Spirit, one Lord, one God, and many gifts. ‘Workers of miracles’ is literally ‘powers’ (dynameis), as in v.28.
Verse 31
covet earnestly — Zeloo, to be zealous for, is the verb of 14:1, ‘desire spiritual gifts’, and 14:39, ‘covet to prophesy’. ‘More excellent’ is hyperbole, ‘beyond measure’, as in ‘far more exceeding’ (2 Cor 4:17). The way is love, agape: ‘the greatest of these is charity’ (13:13).