1 Corinthians 12- On Spiritual Gifts

Spiritual Gifts Bestowed

1 Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I don't want you to be uninformed. 

Spiritual gifts- or expressions of the Spirit of God- are important and available to us. We need to understand them.

2 You know that before you followed the Master, you were influenced and seduced, led astray by speechless idols. 

3 And so I want you to understand that no one who speaks by the Spirit of God can curse Jesus, and that no one can say that Jesus is the Master except by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

4 Now there are different gifts, but they all come from the same Spirit. 

5 And there are different ways to serve each other, but we all have the same Master. 

6 And there are different ways of doing things, but it is the same Supreme Spirit who [directs] it all. 

7 Everyone is given an expression of the Spirit [of God] for the good of all of us.

8 The Spirit gives one person wisdom, another knowledge.

Knowledge is information (education, learning, Divine revelation.) Wisdom is logic, knowing how to use the knowledge available.

9 Another faith (trust and confidence in God), another the gifts of healing and curing.

God calls some to be doctors/healers.

10 Another the ability to work miracles, another the gift of speaking God's message, another distinguishing between spirits (is it godly or not?), another different kinds of languages, another the translation/explanation of languages. 

Miracles are things outside of the natural order. This differs from the gift of healing because healing is the instinct of knowing how to use (manipulate) the natural order to produce a reversal of disease. For example, both herbs Chamomile and Peppermint will sooth and cure a stomachache. The gift of healing is knowing which to use when. A "Miracle" would be simply laying your hand on the tummy and praying and it feeling better. Both are healings from God; one directly, one through His design of the natural world. He created Chamomile and Peppermint, after all. It's no accident they do what they do.

11 It is the One and only Spirit of God who directs all of these, giving everyone whatever expression of His Spirit He wants them to have.

This is not an exhaustive list. There are many other "expressions of the Spirit of God" that aren't listed here. God gives to each of us what gifts we need to accomplish His will in the Kingdom of Heaven. 

And, surprisingly comfortingly, He takes into account our stupidity and faults when He gives us those gifts and their accompanying assignments. 

God is like the Conductor of an orchestra and we are each a musician. The tuba player can't play the violin, and the violin player can't play the drum. But when we each do what we do best and pay attention to our Conductor a beautiful song is produced. 

Which leads us into the next subject...

Many Members, One Body

12 The Anointed One is just like the body, which is one unit. It has many parts, and all the parts of that one body, even though there are a lot of them, are still only one body. 

13 Though some of us are Jews and some gentiles, some slaves and some free, God has baptized us all into the same body, and we all drink in the same Spirit.

14 Because the body is not just one part, but a lot of different parts. 

15 If the foot were to say, "Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body." does that make it not part of the body? 

16 And if your ear says, "Because I am not the eye, I am not part of the body." does that make it not part of the body? 

17 If the entire body was an eye, how would you hear? If the entire body was hearing, how would you smell? 

18 But God has all the different parts into the body in the way that pleases Him.

19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part!- New Living Translation

20 But there really are many different parts within one body. 

21 The eye can't tell the hand, "I don't need you." Neither can the head say to the feet, "I don't need you."

22 No, those parts of the body that seem to be the weakest are in fact the most necessary. 

23 And those parts of the body that we think to be less honorable we cloth with greater esteem. And the parts we think indecent we cloth with more embellishment. 

24 While our presentable parts don't need this kind of care. God has put the body together so that the more humble parts have more dignity. 

25 So that there won't be any divisions in the body, but that all the different parts should take care of each other.  

26 And if one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it. Or if one part is honored, all the parts rejoice with it.

27 Now you are the body of the Anointed One, and each of you is an individual part.

Spiritual Gifts

NLT- Here are some of the parts God added to the church...

28 And God first put in the church apostles (missionaries, church starters), second He added prophets (foretellers, inspired speakers, poets), third He added teachers, after that (NLT- but He also added....) those who work miracles, those with the gifts of healing (Healing, curing, remedy... doctors?), those good at helping others, leaders, those who speak different languages. (parenthesis are the Strong's definitions).

The word apostle is from the Greek word apostolous and means emissary or "one who is sent off." "To send off" in Latin is "missionem" or in modern English "missionary."  

29 Is everyone a missionary? Is everyone a poet? Is everyone a teachers? Does everyone work miracles? 

30 Is everyone a doctor? Is everyone gifted in speaking a lot of different languages? Is everyone an interpretor of unknown languages? 

31 So desire the best gifts, but I want to show you an even better path.