1 Corinthians 12

1 Corinthians 12 is the first chapter of the section of 1 Corinthians spanning chapters 12–14 that concerns "spiritual things," that is, the gifts of the Holy Spirit (abilities bestowed as gifts). The preceding chapter, 1 Corinthians 11, dealt with head coverings in worship and the Lord's Supper; this chapter turns to how the gifts are to be understood within the community.

Outline

• Verses 1–3 Paul reminds his readers how, as Gentiles, they were carried away to "dumb idols." He states that no one can confess Jesus as Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
• Verses 4–11 He says that there are diversities of gifts, administrations, and operations, but the same Spirit, the same Lord, and the same God. He then lists the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, the working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, divers kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues, and says that the one Spirit divides them as He wills.
• Verses 12–13 He uses the analogy of a body that is one yet has many members. Jews and Greeks, bond and free, have all been baptized by one Spirit into one body.
• Verses 14–20 He offers the foot and the hand, the ear and the eye as examples, and says that God has set the members in the body as it has pleased Him.
• Verses 21–26 No member can say of another that it is not needed; indeed, the members that seem more feeble are necessary. When one member suffers, all the members suffer with it.
• Verses 27–31 After listing those whom God has set in the church—apostles, prophets, teachers, and others—he asks, "Are all apostles?" He urges his readers to covet earnestly the best gifts and says he will show them "a more excellent way."

Key Verses

• 1 Corinthians 12:3 "no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost" — cited as a basis for regarding the confession of faith itself as the work of the Holy Spirit.
• 1 Corinthians 12:13 "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body" — speaks of the unity of the church that transcends differences of ethnicity and social status.
• 1 Corinthians 12:27 "Now ye are the body of Christ" — the classic verse for describing the church as "the body of Christ."

People and Places

• Paul — the author of the letter. In this chapter he does not give his name but speaks in the first person.
• Corinth — the city in southern Greece where the church that received the letter was located.

Points for Reflection

• Do the gifts continue today? Views differ on whether prophecy, tongues, and healing are still given today (cessationism and continuationism). Some in the Reformed tradition hold that such gifts ceased with the apostolic age, while Pentecostalism and the charismatic movement hold that they continue today.
• The baptism of verse 13: Many Protestant traditions read this verse as referring to every believer's incorporation into the body of Christ at the moment of faith. Pentecostal traditions accept this interpretation but often distinguish it from baptism in the Holy Spirit, which they regard as a separate experience received after conversion.
• The nature of the gift lists: Because the lists in verses 8–10 and verse 28 differ from each other, and also from those in Romans 12 and Ephesians 4, many interpreters regard them as illustrative rather than exhaustive.
• The following chapters: The "more excellent way" of verse 31 leads into the discussion of love in 1 Corinthians 13. 1 Corinthians 14 addresses how prophecy and tongues are to be used in worship.

In the Korean Church

The analogy of the body and its members is frequently used in sermons on the need for various ministries and church offices to work together. In Pentecostal churches, the chapter is emphasized as a biblical basis for gifts such as tongues and divine healing.