Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: (2) You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. (3) 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 manifestations 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. In chapter 12 Paul wants his readers to understand the origin and intent of the extraordinary manifestations of divine power and to be able to discern between true and false claimants to possession of the gifts of the Spirit. Each and every member of Christ’s church has a special gift appropriate for that individual – and the results of spiritual gifts are openly displayed for all to see. These gifts are to be expressed and exercised for the benefit of others in the church and to touch the lives of others around them. The spiritual gifts are not for the benefit of the individual alone – gifts are not given for show that man may attract attention to himself but for the blessing of others. All gifts are given that Christ may be exalted.

Paul is contrasting the former status of his readers with their present condition – they were Gentiles and are now Christians. They had worshipped dumb idols who could never have given spiritual gifts but now worship the living and true God whose Spirit is the source of all gifts. Paul then cuts off any who denied Jesus is Lord from all pretense to possess spiritual gifts. The general diffusion of gifts extended to all classes – male and female, young and old, regardless of race, ethnicity. Some were/are dissatisfied with their gifts; some were/are deluded imposters; some envious of others with more ostentatious powers – Paul is writing to correct these evils.

The Soirit dwells in all believers as the body of Christ manifests in one way in one person and another way in another person. Paul uses the separate parts of the body making a whole to illustrate this point. When the gifts of God – natural or supernatural – are perverted as a means of self exaltation it is a sin against their giver as well as against those for whose benefit they were intended; the spiritual gifts were/are not for benefit of the individual alone. The promises and prophecies of the Old Testament were literally fulfilled by the Spirit of God in believers – from the prophet Joel, one of my favorite passages in the Bible: “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, And also on My menservants and on my maid servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.”