Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
(4) There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. (5) There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. (6) And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. (7) But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all
(12) For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. (13) For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free – and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
The first letter to the Corinthians was written by the Apostle Paul to the Christians at Corinth in response to reports that disputes among believers threatened to divide the local church. Today is Pentecost Sunday in the Catholic church when we celebrate the sending of the Spirit into our world. Chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians is written on the nature, intent and worth of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The Corinthians were once heathen and had no experience in spiritual things. They were worshippers of idols which had no utterance, no power – consequently the whole worship system of idols was man made. Now the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been preached there by Paul. Paul is saying that the confession – act of belief/faith – of Jesus as Lord means that Christians acknowledge the influence of the Spirit who was sent by Jesus – we do not discover the Lordship of Jesus by ourselves but as something which God in His grace has revealed to us.
In the church at Corinth amazing things were happening but there was probably hysterical excitement and self delusion – so Paul deals with the true manifestations of the Spirit. There were a variety of gifts for each man. Those directly bestowed by the Spirit were healing, the gift of tongues, prophesying/preaching and underneath it all was faith working by love. Paul is telling the Corinthians that there are many ministries and operations of the Church but there is the same God who works in all. There is a unity of source of all spiritual gifts which is essentially the unity of the Church. Paul compares the union of the faithful in Christ through the Spirit, with all their different gifts, to the organic union of the body with it’s different members functioning as a whole.
By saying all the faithful are baptized into one body, receiving one spirit, Paul means all – from the Jews to the Greeks (Gentiles), from slaves to free men – all are influenced by one Spirit. This is the unity of the Church. Within it there are differing gifts and functions just like the body and every one is a gift of the Spirit and designed for the good of the whole. Paul ends Chapter 12 by speaking of love. With the different gifts to believers there is danger of working against each other so we have the greatest gift – and command – of love to bind us together.