1Corinthians 12:1-31 comments: everyone has a purpose

12:1 ¶  Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. 2  Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.

3  Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 4  Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5  And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6  And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 7  But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8  For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9  To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10  To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11  But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

Paul begins an argument here on the exercise of gifts given by the Holy Spirit to the early church. God gives to each man and woman their own special gift but all come from the same Spirit. Each person in the church has a purpose, a gift they can exercise that they have been given, and, as he states in Romans 12:3, their own measure of faith.

Notice the three parts that make up God in 4, 5, & 6. Gifts given by the Spirit. Administrations or ministry given by the Lord, which is Christ. God the Father ordains operations or workings of the church. Whatever gifts are manifest come from the same Spirit.

Here also we have a list of gifts, some of which were unique to first century Christianity when the Apostles were walking the earth. Gifts include the ability to express God-given wisdom and knowledge, and faith. Then, there are gifts unique to the first century such as healing, miracles, prophecy, the ability to distinguish between true and false prophets, the ability to speak in languages the speaker does not know, and the ability to translate what the speaker says which was important to the spread of the gospel in the first century cosmopolitan world of the Roman empire.

Rather than argue here about which gifts were no longer present after the death of the last Apostle I think a more important point should be made. Your gifts should be permitted to be exercised in the church without being dismissed by those who view themselves as the spiritual champions. There are those who would belittle other people’s attempts to do works for God based on what He has given them. They are implacable and cannot be pleased by anyone’s effort because they are not like their efforts as other Christians, whom they think are weaker, do not have their convictions. This is a wickedness expressed by socially dominant people, what some call the alpha-male or alpha-female, and should always be stamped out before they split a church by driving people away in discouragement.

12:12 ¶  For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13  For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14  For the body is not one member, but many. 15  If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 16  And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 17  If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? 18  But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. 19  And if they were all one member, where were the body? 20  But now are they many members, yet but one body. 21  And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. 22  Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: 23  And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. 24  For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: 25  That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. 26  And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

We all have our unique and special gifts and talents, tempered by the experiences and nature that God has given us. We should not look down on others’ sincere efforts to serve God but delight in the functioning of many parts to one body, which is Christ’s. We need to respect each other. The person who willingly cleans the toilets is no less than the Sunday School teacher. They just have different gifts and callings and all are necessary to the functioning of the church. Humans love hierarchies, who is more important than who. We love to know who is number one. Well, Christ is number one and we are all part of His body functioning on earth. Let go of your self-professed superiority. Repent of that wickedness. It splits churches and makes coming to church like going to the funeral of an unsaved person we loved; just a negative, stressful, and sad experience.

   12:27 ¶  Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. 28  And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that

miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. 29  Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? 30  Have all

the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? 31  But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

 We are all part of the body of Christ, each of us individually. God had placed the Apostles, prophets, teachers, and other gifts after that. What Paul has done here is to prepare the introduction for the argument that the primary function of the church, and the best gift of all, is to love one another. The next chapter is one of the most profound writings in the Bible and in the history of mankind for that matter.