12:4 Although there is only one Holy Spirit He gives many different abilities to different people. Everything in this pericope revolves around these two ideas. "Gifts"(Gr. charismata, from charismeaning "grace") are abilities that enable a person to glorify and serve God. God gives them freely and graciously. That they are abilities is clear from how Paul described them here and elsewhere (Rom. 12).
12:5 Likewise there are different ministries or services (Gr. diakonia; opportunities for service) that the one Lord over the church gives.
12:6 Furthermore there are different effects or workings (Gr. energemata; manifestations of the Spirit's power at work) that the one God who is responsible for all of them bestows. Just as Spirit, Lord, and God are distinct yet closely related in verses 4-6, so are gifts, ministries, and effects. We should probably not view these words as representing entirely separate ideas but as facets of God's work in and through the believer. It is God who is responsible for our abilities, our opportunities for service, and the individual ways in which we minister including the results.
12:7 Each believer regardless of his or her gifts, ministries, and the manner and extent of God's blessing demonstrates the Holy Spirit through his or her life.277All three of these things manifest the Spirit's presence, not just the more spectacular ones in each category. Believers who have spectacular gifts, ministries, or effectiveness are not more spiritual than Christians who do not. Each believer makes a unique contribution to the common good, not just certain believers (cf. vv. 12-27; 3:4-10). Several examples of this fact follow in verses 8-10.
12:8 Paul mentioned nine ways in which the Spirit manifests Himself through believers. The list is representative rather than exhaustive as is clear when we compare this list with other similar ones (cf. vv. 28, 29-30; 7:7; 13:1-3, 8; 14:6, 26; Rom. 12:4-8; Eph. 4:11).
In this verse there is no definite article before the word "word"in either of its uses. This probably points to Paul's referring to an utterance of wisdom or knowledge, namely a wise or knowledgeable utterance (cf. 1:17-2:16).278The difference in the utterances probably lies in wisdom representing a mature perception of what is true to reality (cf. 1:24; 2:6-13; 14:6) and knowledge standing for understanding of God's mysteries (revelations) in particular (cf. 13:2; 14:6).
"It is the discourse, not the wisdom or knowledge behind it, that is the spiritual gift, for it is this that is of direct service to the church . . ."279
12:9 Faith is trust in God. Every Christian has some faith just as every Christian has some wisdom and knowledge. However some believers have more God-given ability to trust God than others just as some have more God-given wisdom or knowledge than others. All believers should seek to cultivate wisdom, knowledge, and faith, but some have a larger God-given capacity for one or the other of them than other Christians do.
The "gifts of healings"(literally) by definition refer to abilities to cause healing to take place. Evidently there were various types of healings that those so gifted could produce, for example physical, psychological, and spiritual healings. Counselors and medical doctors have a degree of ability to produce healing today. However most Christians believe God has not given the ability to restore people to health instantaneously today as He did in the early church.280
12:10 Miracles are mighty works (Gr. dynameis) that alter the natural course of events. Probably all types of miracles beside healings are in view. God gave the ability to do miracles to His Son and to some Christians in the early church to signify that He was with them and empowering them (cf. Luke 4:14-9:50; Gal. 3:5; Heb. 2:4).281
Prophecy has a three-fold meaning in the New Testament. Prophets foretold future events. They also declared things known only by special new revelation from God. Third, they uttered under the Spirit's prompting some lofty statement or message in praise of God, or a word of instruction, refutation, reproof, admonition, or comfort for others (cf. 11:4; 13:9; 14:1, 3-5, 24, 31, 39). Evidently the first and second of these abilities passed out of existence with the composition of the New Testament books.282
"First, although prophecy was an especially widespread phenomenon in the religions of antiquity, Paul's understanding--as well as that of the other NT writers--was thoroughly conditioned by his own history in Judaism. The prophet was a person who spoke to God's people under the inspiration of the Spirit. The inspired utterance' came by revelation and announced judgment (usually) or salvation. Although the prophets often performed symbolic acts, which they then interpreted, the mainstream of prophetic activity, at least as it came to be canonized, had very little to do with ecstasy,' especially frenzy' or mania.' For the most part the prophets were understood only too well! Often the word spoken had a futuristic element, so in that sense they also came to be seen as predicters'; but that was only one element, and not necessarily the crucial one."283
The ability to distinguish between spirits (i.e., the spirit of the prophet through whom a higher spirit or the Holy Spirit spoke) was apparently a gift of discernment. It enabled a person to tell whether a propounded prophecy was genuine or counterfeit, from the Holy Spirit or a false spirit (cf. 14:29; 1 Thess. 5:20-21).
The gift of tongues, about which Paul would say much more in chapter 14, was the ability to speak in one or more languages that the speaker had not learned. However the languages do not seem limited to human languages (cf. 13:1). Nevertheless they were intelligible with interpretation (14:10-14). They were not just gibberish.
It should be noted . . . that only tongues is included in every list of gifts' in these three chapters [12:8-10, 28, 29-30; 13:1-3, 8; 14:6, 26]. Its place at the conclusionof each list in chap. 12, but at the beginning in 13:1 and 14:6, suggests that the problem lies here. It is listed last not because it is least,' but because it is the problem. He always includes it, but at the end, after the greater concern for diversity has been heard."284
The person with the ability to interpret tongues could translate what a tongues-speaker said accurately so that others present could know the meaning of what he or she said. Presumably some Christians with the gift of tongues also had the gift of interpreting tongues so they could explain what they had said.
12:11 This section concludes with another reminder that though these manifestations of the Spirit vary they all indicate the presence and working of the Spirit of God. Paul also stressed again the Spirit's sovereignty in distributing the gifts (cf. John 3:8). The Corinthians should not try to manipulate the Spirit but accept and submit to His distribution of the gifts as He saw fit.
There is a general progression in this list from the more common to the more uncommon and esoteric gifts (cf. v. 28). The more unusual gifts that appear toward the end of this list attracted the Corinthians. Some gifts were probably more common at one place and in one church than were others depending on the Spirit's sovereign distribution (cf. 1:4-5). Some were probably more common at some times than at others, too, as the Spirit bestowed them.
