1 Corinthians 12:4–11

The Corinthians forgot these truths. They wanted to use the gift of tongues to lift themselves up and win glory for themselves. Yet what was it but a gift given to them, and by the Spirit just as He would? In truth, every gift was, as its name implies — charisma — a favour given to its owner by the Holy Spirit, just as He chose. The person had not deserved it, and could not claim it. He only received it. And each gift of the Spirit was for the profit of all.

Along with this testimony there were "varieties of gifts," yet not many spirits, "but the same Spirit." And there were "varieties of service, but the same Lord" — not "many lords"; Jesus was Lord. There were "varieties of activities, but the same God who empowers them all in everyone," for the activities were truly divine. There were not "many gods": all were the working of the one true God.

Though all who speak by the Holy Spirit exalt Christ, it does not follow that all have the same gift. This leads the apostle in verses 4 to 6 to speak of the diversity of spiritual gifts. The apostle tells us there are varieties of gifts. At the same time he reminds us that variety of gifts does not sacrifice unity of aim. For the same Spirit controls the varieties of gifts, and so all lead to the exaltation and expression of Christ.

In verses 4-6 we hear of the Spirit, the Lord, and God; the same Spirit — the same Lord, and the same God. Yet there is not a division into three classes of gifts, but the same thing is seen in three relations. The varieties of gifts are by the same Spirit; He gives them all. These gifts are also in relation to the Lord. They are for ministries — that is, service for the Lord, under whose authority and for whose glory we use them. And the whole working is of God, who works all in all.

These verses (4-6) rebuke, and at the same time correct, much of the serious disorder in Christendom. Christendom demands human ability, human wisdom, and theological training first, before anyone may use a gift. No, says the apostle. You need what no schools of men can give and no human attainments can supply — you need the power and energy of the Holy Spirit.

There are varieties of gifts, "but the same Spirit." These gifts differ greatly in character, yet they all come from the same source. God has to do with one as truly as with another. There is an immense difference between the lesser and the greater gifts, but still "the same Spirit." If I would respect the Spirit of God, I should respect the least gift that comes from Him.

Like them, we are inclined to talk a great deal about the greater gifts. We leave very little room for the exercise of the lesser. Sometimes the lesser gifts get shut out, either by arrangement beforehand or by strong preferences. Wherever that happens, the Spirit is quenched, and the assembly loses the benefit of the variety of gifts.

This is not the Trinity as such. Still, "the Spirit" and "the Lord" could not be brought in this way unless they were God just as the Father is. But it is plain that our Lord appears here not so much in His divine glory as the Son, but in the official position given to Him... it is not a division into three classes of gifts. It is the same thing seen in three relations. Gifts, in relation to the Spirit, through whom they come. Services, in relation to the Lord, under whom and for whose glory we carry them out as responsible servants. Operations, or workings, or effects, in relation to God, for it is God, and not man, who works the whole in all.

There were, along with this testimony, "diversities of gifts," yet not many spirits, but the same Spirit. There were differences of administrations (that is, ministries), but the same Lord — not "lords many"; Jesus was Lord. There were diversities of operations, but the same God who works all in all, for the operations were truly divine. There were not "gods many": all were the operation of the one true God.

Ministry is always under the Lord: "there are differences of administrations (ministries), yet but one Lord." The apostle says this just after he had said, "there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit." (1 Cor. 12:4-5.) The two things are very different: the power is of the Spirit; rule and oversight belong to the Lord.

Verse 5 adds another thing: "And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord." You cannot have a gift without being a servant. You are not your own master in the use of the gift; you are a servant of the Lord Jesus. This the Corinthians had forgotten. They were acting independently. Even the Holy Spirit Himself has been willing to take the place of a servant. Having come down to that place, He lifts no one above it.

The Spirit witnesses to Jesus and glorifies Him by showing His perfections to the eye of faith. In the same way, all spiritual service flows directly to one common object, from the labour of an apostle to the simplest act of kindness for the Master's sake. For to us there is one Lord. We serve Him if we love Him, and are His disciples if we keep His sayings.

If there is the possession of a spiritual gift, the only one to whom the possessor of that gift is responsible is the Lord. He is responsible to go out in the exercise of that gift to the Lord, and where the Lord may lead him. He is no man's, and no church's servant, though delighted to serve all, if in doing so he can please his Master.

We must always remember this. If, by the power of God, we are free from all men, and responsible to God alone for the use of the gift He has entrusted to us, it is so that we may be the servants of all... He has made us free from self, free from independence, free from our own wills. He freed us to act as God acts, as He has acted in Christ — not to please ourselves, but to serve one another in love.

It is not a division into three classes of gifts. It is the same thing in substance, seen in three relations. They are gifts in relation to the Spirit, through whom they come. They are services in relation to the Lord, under whom and for whose glory we are responsible to use them. They are operations or workings or effects, in relation to God, for it is God, and not man, who works the whole in all. So if the Spirit gives a gift, using it is a ministry or service of the Lord, carried on by His authority. And it is God who makes it all effective.

The word "operations" means inner workings in the spirit of those in whom the Holy Spirit dwells. In every case God Himself alone sets these workings in motion and controls them by His active will.

And there are "diversities of operations" or results produced, but it is "God that works them all" — the same spring of power. There may be many separate streams through which He is pleased to reveal Himself. But one source of supply feeds them all.

The words are framed so that nothing escapes His working. No member is so small or unnoticed that his part falls outside it. No small deed, no act such as giving out a hymn, no simple thing done by any member of the body of Christ happens apart from Him. God Himself is the One Who works all things in all. What a holy character this truth gives to assembly activity!

There were varieties of gifts, yet not many spirits, but the same Spirit. There were differences of ministries, but the same Lord — not many lords; Jesus was Lord. There were varieties of operations, but the same God who works all in all, for the operations were truly divine. There were not many gods. All were the work of the one true God.

Power belongs to God. What He wills He works, resisted or unresisted, in the armies of heaven, or with men upon the earth. But these words point above all to God's power at work now, and to its results. He shows those results in creating and preserving the Church, both to the faith of His chosen and to the rulers and powers in the heavenly places.

The Spirit is named first, because His working is what makes life and godliness exist and continue. The Lord comes next, because the Spirit bears direct witness to Him, and all spiritual teaching leads to obedient acknowledgment of Him.

This is not the Trinity as such, though certainly "the Spirit" and "the Lord" could not be introduced this way if they were not God equally with the Father. Our Lord appears here not so much in His divine glory as the Son, but in the official position given to Him. And God is spoken of as God, not in His personal distinctiveness as Father.

What are we to understand by "the manifestation of the Spirit"? To manifest is to make the presence of the Spirit plain and clear to others. What is hidden is not manifest. The Holy Spirit Himself is here in this world in an invisible form. The Lord Jesus Christ, God the Son, was manifest in flesh. He was seen by angels, as well as men... but the Holy Spirit did not take a body of flesh, so His presence and His action stay hidden for the most part. The manifestation of the Spirit is through the members of the body of Christ.

Take the first example given. A certain man has the word of wisdom; there it is in his soul... The Spirit has given it to him, and he enjoys it himself. But the rest of the assembly knows nothing of it, until the Holy Spirit leads that person to use the word of wisdom for the comfort and well-being of his fellow members. Then the action of the Holy Spirit is made manifest.

The Spirit gives the manifestations of the gifts to "every man." He refuses to gather all His manifestations into one man, or into one particular class of men. This rebukes the greatest of all disorders in Christendom: setting apart a special class of men for the ministry. That splits the professing people of God into clergy and laity. Scripture allows no such distinction... No, says the apostle, it is to every man in the Assembly.

Every true Christian has been given something for service in the body, perhaps only a little wisdom. Everybody has something for service to the body, like a hand or a foot or an eye. But not everybody has a prominent gift, like a pastor or an evangelist.

The Corinthians were acting much like children. They treated the spiritual gift they had been given as a new toy, to use and enjoy for their own pleasure and standing. It was not that. It was a gift given to one member for the benefit of the whole body.

It is given in view of the common good. It is not given for the exaltation or prominence of the individual, for obtaining personal influence or gain, or as a means of living. It is given for profit — spiritual profit.

It pains me to have to reject an idea some hold, an idea so opposed to the grace of God: that this verse is about the work of the Spirit in a man for his own salvation. The question here is the Spirit's manifestations in the church, and their purpose was the common good.

Here the apostle is speaking strictly of the church. To each one inside it the manifestation of the Spirit is given, and it is given with a view to the common good, not for personal influence or display... It is not a question of miracles only, as the very first examples (the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge) prove. Nor is it a sign to unbelievers. It is for the profit of believers.

It is in a practical interest, and in the interest of all, that the Spirit manifests Himself. So the responsibility of everyone who has any gift at all is that by this he is made a debtor to others, for whose profit the gift is given. He is not his own in this sense. He belongs to those among whom God has given him his place.

The very fact that he had it made him responsible to use it — responsible to Him who did not give it for nothing. The gift itself carried both the ability to serve and the right to serve, for I am bound to help and serve with what I have. And if souls are helped, they hardly need to ask whether I had official permission to do it.

The faith here is not simple faith in the gospel. That is not a special gift which one believer may have and another may not. This is clear. It is the faith, the energy, that God gives. It overcomes difficulties. It rises above dangers. It faces them and is not alarmed by them.

Faith is the power to take hold of God, to take hold of His word, and to count on Him in the face of every difficulty and every enemy. God the Spirit gives this faith to some. We are all believers, but not every believer has the faith Paul speaks of here. It is the faith that removes mountains. It is the faith that stands against Satan and puts out his flaming arrows. It is the faith that always wins. It is the faith that walks even on the waves of the sea.

Scripture recognises specific faith about a specific thing. One of the people who received a miracle had faith to be healed (Acts 14:9). And 1 Corinthians 12:9 plainly teaches that there is a distinct spiritual gift of faith, which some have and some do not. Perhaps this is the special faith the Lord means when He says, "whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (Mark 11:24). Real, God-given faith is meant here, not mystical or imagined faith. Many have probably tried this promise as an experiment, only to be disappointed. But God does not give His promises and the power of His Spirit to be tested out of curiosity, or used to serve private ends.

Then he says, "to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit." Why does this varied list repeat the words "by the same Spirit"? Because we so easily approve only of the one gift that pleases us, and forget how varied the Holy Spirit's work is.

No one could use the gift of healing, or gifts like it, whenever he chose. These gifts appeared only at the right time, and they worked only by the direct will of God. Power is His, and always in His hands. When Trophimus was sick, Paul's wish could not restore him. Yet the believer can come to the Lord in prayer and claim His power. In time of need we must seek refuge not in God's gifts, but in the faithfulness of the Giver.

It is worth noticing that the disciples never did miracles to save themselves from suffering, or to heal their friends when they were ill. Paul left Trophimus sick at Miletus. It was only God's mercy that healed Epaphroditus. The miracles the apostles did confirmed the testimony, and Christ glorified with the Father was the subject and source of that testimony.

Some teach that every believer who receives the baptism of the Spirit shows it by speaking in tongues. But that is not what Scripture teaches. 1 Corinthians 12:9-10 says, "to another [not to ALL] gifts of healing by the one Spirit … to another [not to ALL] various kinds of tongues."

Another might have "operations of powers." The Rheims and King James Versions wrongly render this as "the working of miracles." These were not "healings." They were power over material things, or over spiritual beings, as promised in Mark 16:17-18 and shown in the Acts of the Apostles.

Thinking of the Old Testament prophets, we may limit prophecy to foretelling future events. But that was only a small part of the prophet's work, even in Old Testament days. His great mission was to apply the word of God to the conscience and heart, to build people up. This is still the prophet's service in Christian times, and in this sense the gift continues.

A man surely builds others up when he strengthens souls by holding up Christ and making His love better known. So does the man who exhorts or teaches well. But none of these things is prophesying. Prophesying is that character of truth which puts a man's conscience in the presence of God. It gives the soul the certainty that His mind is in what is spoken. It strips and lays bare thoughts, motives, feelings, everything.

This gift is not about discerning whether or not people were Christians. It is about discerning whether the spirit by which they spoke was of God or of Satan.

This was one of the gifts in the early church, needed for "testing the spirits," because even then many false prophets had gone out into the world. 1 Cor. 12:10; 1 John 4:1-3. This gift was especially necessary at the time when the word of God was not fully written.

The deliberate distribution of these gifts stands out in the last two. "Kinds of tongues" means a variety of languages the speaker never learned. It is set apart from "interpretation of tongues," which is given to another, though 1 Corinthians 14:13 suggests how desirable it is for the two to go together.

Tongues, and the interpretation of tongues that completes them, come at the close of this list. That shows their relative importance from God's point of view. The primary gifts are always those that develop the church in love and faith and the knowledge of Christ. Scripture, on the other hand, always places the sign-gifts lowest on the scale, though people tend to value them differently and far too highly.

1 Corinthians 14 makes it clear that the gift of tongues was not only miraculous. It was also a sign to unbelievers, unlike prophesying, which was expressly for building people up. So it was forbidden to speak "in a tongue" in the Christian assembly, unless someone there could interpret the unknown language for the profit of the saints. The sign-gifts are the ones the Holy Spirit has seen good to withdraw. He still grants all the others that are needed for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, and for building up the body of Christ.

It is taught that every believer who receives the baptism of the Spirit shows it by speaking with tongues. But that is not the teaching of Scripture. 1 Corinthians 12:9-10 says, "to another [not to ALL] gifts of healing by the one Spirit… to another [not to ALL] various kinds of tongues."

Here it is what God does, not man. The Spirit gives to one the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge, to another faith. To another He gives miraculous gifts, to another prophecy, to another the gift of tongues. "AS HE WILLS" covers all this. It is the assertion of sovereignty, an essential attribute that belongs to God alone.

Many passages prove His personality — a matter of great importance, often lost sight of by those who constantly speak of Him as an influence. Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3). He "apportions to each one individually as He wills" (1 Cor. 12:11).

Here we see the unity of the Spirit. He not only distributes each gift to each person; He works all the gifts, so keeping up dependence on His power. We see no less His sovereign activity as a divine Person… Evil and error may have as many springs as there are men and demons with their varied and often conflicting wills, lusts, and passions. But the very same Spirit works all that glorifies Christ in these different gifts. He gives them out at His pleasure to each servant of the Lord.

God's order for His assembly is a variety of gifts, given to different people, exercised by one will — the power and will of the Holy Spirit. All true order in the assemblies of God's people is the outcome of God Himself working among His people. The Christian world at large ignores this order in practice, if not in doctrine. It does so by its human arrangements, its appointed ministers and its fixed ritual.

Setting aside a special class as priests limits the action of the Spirit of God to one class. It plainly contradicts the Scripture, "who apportions to EACH ONE individually as HE wills" (1 Cor. 12:11).

The Corinthians, unmindful of these truths, wanted to exercise the gift of tongues for their own exaltation and self-glorification. Yet what was it but a gift given to them, and by the Spirit just as He would? In truth, every gift was what its name meant — charisma, a favour. The Holy Spirit granted it to the one who had it, just as He chose. The person had not deserved it, and could not claim it. He only received it. Each gift of the Spirit was for the profit of all.

God is sovereign in His choice of instruments, true; but He morally fits the instrument for the purpose He has in view… So it is always true that in giving His gifts the Holy Spirit "apportions to each one individually as He wills" (1 Cor. 12:11). It is equally true that for the exercise of these gifts He selects those whom prayer and the diligent study of His word have fitted for His service.

The Holy Spirit is Sovereign, but He does not work in one member independently of all the others. I think no two gifts are alike. There are varieties of gifts, but one Spirit, and He alone has distributed them. We would do well to pay attention to this, and to the fact that services differ while there is one Lord. Man cannot make gifts; God gives them… If we understood the differences of services, and that each of us is responsible to the Lord, it would keep us from imitating others, or criticizing them.