Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.  To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

1 Corinthians 12:4-7

Chapters 12-14 of 1 Corinthians records Paul teaching on the subject of miraculous spiritual gifts which were given to some Christians within the early church when an apostle laid his hands upon them (Acts 6:5-6, 8; 8:5-7, 14-18; 19:6; Rom. 1:11; 2 Tim. 1:6).  In the passage we will study here, he lists and describes them by first discussing how there are “varieties” (diairesis, to distribute, allot, divide, or apportion) of them.  It’s noteworthy that the apostle describes these different allotments of spiritual gifts as not only “gifts” (charisma, a gift or favor), but also as different distributions of “service” (diakonia, ministry, acting as a servant) and “activities” (energema, works, actions, ways to operate).  His basic point is that the different miraculous spiritual gifts which some of the Corinthians saints had were all given to them by the grace of “God,” the “Lord” Christ, and the “Spirit” for the specific purpose of acting and operating in ways that would serve the cause of Jesus for “the common good” of all within the church (12:4-7).  As we will see in further study of these chapters, this was a reminder the Corinthians sorely needed.

The apostle now begins to list the different types of miraculous gifts, repeatedly reminding the Corinthians that whichever power each of them “individually” had was “given” to them “through,” “according to,” and “by” no one except “the Spirit,” and according to his own will rather than their own desires (12:8-11).  Several of these spiritual gifts relate to each other.  For example, the gift which is “the utterance of wisdom” (12:8a) – divinely inspired wisdom coming not from education or experience but rather from above, wisdom which far surpasses human wisdom (cf. 2:6-13; 2 Pet. 3:15-16; Proverbs) – is closely correlated with the gift of “the utterance of knowledge” (12:8b), the gift of “prophecy” (12:10b), and “the ability to distinguish between spirits” (12:10c).

To prophesy (propheteia) literally means to speak on behalf of God.  To do so miraculously would mean that the Spirit of God directly put the message he wanted conveyed into their minds, thus giving them instantaneous theological knowledge and wisdom which they did not get through the non-miraculous means of Bible study and experience (Matt. 10:19-20; Acts 2:4; cf. Ex. 4:12; Num. 23:5).  It would also require God directly putting information into their minds for them to accurately know what is within other’s hearts and minds and thus correctly “distinguish between (their) spirits” (John 2:24-25; cf. 1:48; 5:42; 6:61, 64; Matt. 9:4; 12:25; Acts 5:1-10; 1 John 4:1).

There were other miraculous spiritual gifts which were closely correlated with each other.  The gift of miraculous “faith” would be needed to perform miraculous “gifts of healing” and “the working of miracles” (12:9-10a; cf. Matt. 17:18-20); possibly in order to obtain the aforementioned gift of wisdom as well (cf. James 1:5-8).  In like manner, the gift of “various kinds of tongues” was closely related to the gift of “the interpretation of tongues” (12:10d).  Speaking in tongues or interpreting other tongues as described in the Bible was nothing more than being instantaneously given the miraculous ability to be completely fluent in an existing societal or national language or dialect which was different from your native language so as to expedite Christ’s command to bring the gospel to all nations (cf. Acts 2:4-11).  It never was being able to speak in unknown gobbledygook which supposedly no one but God could understand, as is commonly taught in charismatic churches today.

The purpose of the early church having these miraculous gifts was to confirm the gospel message which they preached to the whole world (Mk. 16:20; Heb. 2:1-4) and to spiritually edify and instruct their brothers and sisters in Christ (14:5, 12, 19, 26).  This took place in a time when the complete written will of God had yet to be revealed because the New Testament canon was not yet complete (cf. 13:8-10).  We have that completed Word of God today, which is all we need (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

— Jon