1 Cor 12 – Studies

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each chapter is divided into a number of studies and each study or passage has a simple four-Part, verse-by-verse approach, to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: 1 Cor 12:1-6

1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to dumb idols. 3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus be cursed,’ and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

A. Find Out:    

1. What subject does Paul now move on to? v.1
2. What had they gone to when they were unsaved? v.2
3. What does he say about what people speak? v.3
4. What does he now say about gifts and the Spirit? v.4
5. What does he say about service and the Lord? v.5
6. What does he say about ways of working and God? v.6

B. Think:

1. How had they been led astray when they were non-Christians?
2. What point does Paul now make about the Holy Spirit’s presence?
3. What three things does he mention that then come from God?

C. Comment:

The starting word “Now” indicates Paul is covering another of the questions they had sent to him. He reminds them that when they had been non-Christians they had been led by the enemy into false beliefs, but now they are led by the Holy Spirit, that will have certain effects in their lives. First of all it will affect their speech, for no Christian being led by the Spirit can speak against Jesus, just as no person can acclaim Jesus as their Lord unless it is by the Spirit’s help.

So it is the Spirit who inspires Gifts (which he’ll shortly go on to describe), it is the one Holy Spirit. There aren’t different spirit’s who express different gifts like there are different demons who express different spirits. No, it is the One Holy Spirit who inspires each of these gifts, it is the one Lord Jesus Christ who leads us into different forms of Service, it is the One God who releases His power to be seen in different workings.

The emphasis by Paul here in this passage is twofold: first on WHO it is who originates all these “spiritual manifestations”, and then on the unity that there is between them. Perhaps there had been conflicts in Corinth between people with different gifts. It shouldn’t be so, says Paul, because they all have the same origin.

D. Application:

1. The Holy Spirit wants to express Himself through us.
2. All such gifts have the same origin – the Lord.

Passage: 1 Cor 12:7-11

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

A. Find Out:

1. How does Paul describe what happens? v.7
2. What two “messages” can the Spirit bring? v.8
3. What are the next two things that he mentions? v.9
4. What are the next five things he mentions? v.10
5. How do they come? v.11

B. Think:

1. Which of these “gifts” are receiving-revelation gifts?
2. Which of them are power-action gifts?
3. Which of them involve speaking out?

C. Comment:

Each of these gifts, says Paul, is a manifestation or visible expression of the Holy Spirit. They are supernatural and are not able to be done without the enabling of the Lord, and except for tongues and interpretation (which he didn’t need) they were all seen in the ministry of Jesus. There is a sense that every one of them requires us to speak out as part of the expression of them. They can be basically divided into gifts of revelation and gifts of power.

The gifts of revelation would be:

• a)   a word of wisdom – a word telling what to do in a difficult situation  [e.g. Jn 8:1-],
• b)   a word of knowledge – a revelation of an otherwise unknown fact [e.g. Jn 4:18],
• c)   prophecy – speaking out the now word of God [e.g. Jn 2:19],
• d) distinguishing between spirits – recognising the spirit source in the person before you [e.g. Jn 1:47],
• e)   speaking in tongues – an ability to speak in an unknown language, and
• f)   interpreting those tongues in a public meeting – bringing the meaning of  that person’s heart cry to God.

     The gifts of power are therefore,

• a)   faith – the ability to step out in assurance beyond human capability [e.g. Jn 11:33-],
• b)   healings – the ability to bring healing to another [e.g. Lk 14:2-], and
• c)   performing miracles – ability to do the humanly impossible to

      transform an earthly situation [e.g. Mt 15:36-].

       Look for each of these in the book of Acts.

D. Application:

1. Spiritual gifts are imparted by the Spirit for us to serve Jesus.
2. He gives them as the need & opportunity arises.

Passage: 1 Cor 12:12-20

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body – whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 And so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

15 Now if the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

A. Find Out:

1. What does Paul first say about the body? v.12
2. What were we made and how? v.13
3. So what point does Paul again then make? v.14
4. What two illustrations does he use and for what point? v.15,16
5. What does he go on to say about the body? v.17-19
6. With what conclusion, yet again? v.20

B. Think:

1. What is Paul’s key emphasis in this passage?
2. How might awareness of others’ gifting have made some feel they weren’t part of the body of Christ, the church?
3. How does Paul overcome that fear?

C. Comment:

Remember, the biggest problem in the Corinthian church was that of disunity (this has come through in a number of ways in Paul’s letter). Now he is viewing it in the light of their problems with spiritual gifts. What seemed to be happening was that some people were using their spiritual gifts in such a way that others were feeling inferior and even doubting whether they were in the church at all because they didn’t have the same gifting.

Three times in this passage Paul emphasizes that there are many parts to the body. Different parts mean different gifting and different areas of service (different roles). It was the Holy Spirit coming into us and therefore us into Him, that made us part of this body, and He is the one who gives us the gifts, and we are all different.

Because you are different from other more noticeable parts that doesn’t mean that they are the body and you aren’t. If the body was made up of all the same bits it would no longer be a body and couldn’t function. No, the body is made up of lots of different parts and they are all needed.

D. Application:

1. The Holy Spirit gives you the gifts He wants you to have.
2. We each have different gifts or different measures of gift but that is by God’s design. Rest in your gifting.

Passage: 1 Cor 12:21-26

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honourable we treat with special honour. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honour to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it.

A. Find Out:

1. What may our temptation be to say? v.21
2. What is Paul’s first answer to that? v.22
3. What else does he say about the “lessor” parts? v.23
4. What has God done? v.24
5. What is his conclusion to all this? v.25
6. What do we need to remember? v.26

B. Think:

1. How does our way of assessing people differ from God’s?
2. What effect should that have on our thinking about unity?
3. How do you think this makes the church different from the world?

C. Comment:

Paul has been explaining why we all need to be different in the body of Christ, the church. Now he tackles the problem of some people feeling inferior, or some people writing others off. Our temptation may be to look at some members of the church who we may feel are either very young in the faith, or rather weak in the faith, or contributing little to the life of the church, and write them off.

Wrong, says Paul, those parts that seem weaker are actually indispensable. God’s heart is for the poor, He uses the weak, it’s the world that only uses the strong! He then goes on to describe how we look after the parts of our body and the implication must be that we do the same with people.

In the kingdom of God, as we’ve said, God particularly cares for the weak and the poor. We should look after them and esteem them. Those who we consider “unpresentable”, because they are people with big social problems, we should protect while Jesus is bringing healing and change to them. Those of us who are “middle of the road” don’t need any special treatment, but some members do. If there are members who are hurting or being excluded, the rest of us suffer. We may not realise it, but it IS true.

D. Application:

1. Do we love & accept those we consider weaker & poorer?
2. Do we guard & protect those with problems?

Passage: 1 Cor 12:27-31

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.

And yet I will show you the most excellent way.

A. Find Out:

1. How does Paul describe them, corporately & individually? v.27
2. How many ministries does Paul mention? v.28
3. What does he ask about this? v.29.30
4. What does he instruct them to do? v.31a
5. What does he say he will now do? v.31b

B. Think:

1. What point is Paul making in these verses?
2. How does he encourage them on?

C. Comment:

Paul has been going to some lengths to say to the individual, “You are important!”. He’s said (v.14-20) that the body is made up of lots of different parts, and then gone on (v.21-26) to say they are all needed whatever their part. Now he mentions some of the most obvious gifts of ministry that Jesus gives to his church.

There are apostles, or sent ones, sent to found the church with special grace and wisdom. There are prophets to speak the now-word into the new church. There are teachers who impart and convey the Scriptures to the new church. There are workers of miracles who persevere against the odds doing the impossible to open doors as God leads them. There are those with gifts of healing to bring health and wholeness to the church. There are mercy bringers, people specially graced with ability to under gird others in need. There are tongues speakers who utter the cry of the heart in the worshipping congregation.

Paul’s point in mentioning these, and these aren’t every gift (check this list with Rom 12:6-8 and Eph 4:11), was to emphasise that there are many different gifts that God gives to the body for the spreading of the Gospel and establishing the church – but we won’t have them all, we’re only one part. Now there’s nothing wrong in aspiring to greater even more fruitful giftings, to be used more fully by the Lord, that’s why he says “eagerly desire” gifts that will build & establish.

D. Application:

1. Am I aware of how God has gifted me? I am using his provision?
2. A gift is for now! It may change, it’s not necessarily for a lifetime.