Unity and Diversity in the Church: the Different Spiritual Gifts, and their proper use (1 Corinthians 12:1-13:13)

Introduction

I don’t know much about boats. But I know the difference between the rudder and the propeller. The rudder determines where the boat goes. But the propeller determines whether the boat goes at all. Rudder for direction, propeller for propulsion.

If the direction is not under control, better not to have propulsion. Think of the Titanic. I bet the captain in those final hours wished he had better direction and less propulsion.

Paul has said at the very beginning of First Corinthians,

Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. (1 Corinthians 1:7 NIV)

The Corinthians have got spiritual gifts coming out of their ears. But that doesn’t mean they are living godly or holy lives. They aren’t. Paul calls them fleshly, worldly, infantile, full of jealousy and quarrelling (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). They’ve got incest in the Church of a type that makes the pagans blush (1 Corinthians 5:1). They are seriously countenancing sex with prostitutes. There is arrogance and pride among them.

And so Paul rebukes them for their divisiveness. Paul has rebuked them for dividing over personalities. ‘I follow Paul, I follow Apollos, I follow Christ.’ Paul has said the husband must not divide from the wife, and vice versa. God has judged them for dividing rich and poor at the Lord’s Supper

And in chapter 12 and 13, Paul will remind them that gifts of the Spirit aren’t as important as fruit of the Spirit. Competency is not as important as character. Gracious gifting is not as important as gracious acting. Knowledge puffs up but love builds up.

The Corinthian rudder is all wrong. They are selfish and divisive. And so Paul will remind them that God-given gifts aren’t meant to divide the church, but unite the church. That’s chapter 12. And the propeller of love needs to be kicked over. For it is love that gives the gifts the right direction for their use. That’s chapter 13.

The One Confession of ‘Spiritual’ people: Jesus is Lord (chapter 12 verses 1-3)

Because they are so divisive, Paul reminds the Corinthians of the unity they already have. Paul points out something that every Christian everywhere shares. Paul does not point to any one gift of the Spirit. Possession of any one gift of the Spirit is not the basis of Christian unity. Christian unity is not based on tongues, or miraculous powers, or being able to teach. No.

But there is something that everyone who has the Spirit does. Everyone who has the Spirit confesses the Lordship of Christ. ‘Jesus is Lord.’ That is the one thing that the Spirit-filled all have in common. 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 3:

Therefore I tell you 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. (NIV)

The ability to recognize Jesus as Lord, is God given, and Holy Spirit empowered God reveals himself to people by his Spirit. And so, if someone confesses Jesus as their Lord, that is the only evidence you need of the Holy Spirit’s work in their life. You don’t need any particular gifts to show that you have the Holy Spirit. If Jesus is your Lord, you have the Holy Spirit. You couldn't have Jesus as Lord without the Holy Spirit.

Unity and Diversity in God and the Church (Chapter 12)

There is a famous song, ‘I am, you are, we are Australian’. It starts off, ‘We are one, but we are many…’

The desire for the many to be one and the one to be many is great. Nations and countries only succeed with unity of values and purpose. Marriages only survive with mutual love and respect. Families only stay together with common values, honour and care.

It is built into our very language. Community. We don’t just occupy the same geographic space and time. There is a common unity and purpose for which we live.

And friends what our nation, our marriages, and our families desire, God has, and we have. God has unity and diversity. God is one God, and God is three persons in God. He is Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And the church has unity and diversity. The Church is the one body of Christ, with one body and one Spirit, and it is many members.

The Many Gifts, the One God (chapter 12 verses 4 to 11)

Now the Spirit gives the various gifts to the many members (verse 11). But those gifts are also gifts of the Father, Son, and Spirit. Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of lights above (James 1:17), so they are gifts of the Father. When Christ ascended on high, he gave gifts to men (Ephesians 4:7-8), so they are gifts of the Son. And the Spirit is manifested in his gifts. The gifts distributed to the church are gifts of the triune God, Father, Son and Spirit. 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 4 to 6:

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord [that is, the Lord Jesus]. There are different kinds of working, but the same God [that is, God the Father] works all of them in all men. (1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NIV)

In the Triune God’s working in the world, there is a pattern and order. Each person of the trinity has a distinct work and role. The Father initiates and begins, as fountainhead and source. The Son, the risen Lord Jesus Christ, who is the eternal Word of God, mediates, redeems, arranges and distributes. The Holy Spirit operates, empowers and brings into effect in our world. The whole Trinity gives the gifts to the church. But the Godhead does so in an ordered way.

The Spirit is the way and means the transcendent God operates in our world. Our Father is in Heaven. The Risen Christ is ascended and seated at the Right hand of the Father. There is a sense where the Father and the Son are away. But the Father and the Son send the Spirit to do God’s work in the world. The Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. The Father and the Son indwell the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit brings about God’s purposes in the world. Each Trinitarian person mutually indwells the other, so that if you have one member of the Trinity, you have the whole Trinity. And the whole Trinity is busy and active in the whole church, through the ministry of the Spirit. Verse 7:

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:7 NIV)

The Spirit gives the whole church gifts. No one in the church misses out, no one is left behind. Notice, gifts are given to each one…. ‘now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given…’ To each member of the church, God gives his gifts, through the Spirit.

We will get to the gifts themselves later. But notice now the purpose of the gifts. Every gift is not for personal aggrandizement, nor even for individual edification. The gift are given for the common good. The good of the many, not the good of the one, is the reason for the gifts.

So if you have Jesus as Lord, the Spirit has gifted you. No Christian is without a gift, a manifestation of the Spirit. You yourself are a gift to the church. And you have been given gifts for the church. You might have been given the gifts, but they are for the church. You merely hold whatever gifts you have on trust. They are yours in that they are given to you, and not to another. They are given to you so you play your part in the church.

And the other thing to remember is this. No Christian has all the gifts. No one Christian is omni-competent. Each one of us needs the others, we depend on each other. No single Christian receives the full range of gifts. You and I have to play our part in the whole for the good of the whole.

Moreover, the distribution of the gifts is according to the will of the Spirit Verse 11:

All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. (1 Corinthians 12:11 NIV)

The Spirit is a distinct divine person within the Trinity. He is not an impersonal force, as the Jehovah’s Witness, Christadelphians, and Unitarians teach. The Holy Spirit is a distinct, eternal person, the third person of the Trinity. And He determines, wishes and wills, and brings about that will in the world.

Of course, the Spirit’s will is in agreement and perfect harmony with the Father and the Son. Notice chapter 12 verse 18:

But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. (1 Corinthians 12:18 NIV)

The Spirit distributes them as he wants, which is as the Father wants, which is as Christ distribute them. The Spirit is united in will as well as in essence with the Father and the Son. But the Spirit has a real will of his own, as is fitting for a divine person.

One Body, Many Members, All Belong (chapter 12 verses 12 to 27)

Now, let’s look at the body to which the Spirit gives the gifts. 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 12:

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. (NIV)

Again, verse 27:

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. (NIV)

We are the body of Christ. The body of Christ is the Church. It is one, and it is many.

It is one because it has one God and Father, one Lord Jesus Christ, and one Spirit. And those three are one. And every member of the church is baptized in one Spirit and given one Spirit to drink (1 Corinthians 12:13).

And the church is many because the body has many members. You and I are the individuals that make up the church. Verse 14:

Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. (1 Corinthians 12:14 NIV)

Paul illustrates the one and the many with the human body. Our bodies are walking talking breathing illustrations of the one and many. Each body part – arms, legs, eyes, nose, ears – is part of the body. And we all get that. You know this.

Of course, as we grow older, we discover we have different body parts, as different parts of us get sore. I discovered that I had a meniscus, recently. You do, too. I aggravated the soft tissue around my right knee. And there’s this structure associated with your knee called a meniscus. I discovered it because the physio decided to give it a rigorous working over. Boy, did I discover the meniscus.

When someone needs to get a hip replacement, you can’t just send the hip away in the post pack to get fixed. You have to go in hospital, and the highly skilled, highly paid doctors have to anaesthetise you, cut open your side, move separate muscle from bone, saw out the bad hip, bang in the new one, sew you up again. And then you have to spend weeks of pain recovering and doing exercise to get the hip working again. It’s not just the hip that suffers, but the whole person.

The members of the body are many and diverse, but the body is one. We need each bit of our body to function properly. Just lose a bit for a little while. Of course, you can still live without a leg, arm, or eye. But it is not the ideal. And the whole body, the whole person will have to readjust. Verse 26:

If one part suffers, every part suffers with it (1 Corinthians 12:26 NIV)

For Paul, this is all an illustration of the church, which is the body of Christ. Verse 27:

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. (NIV)

And that means that every Christian matters. Every member has a gift, every member has a ministry. If one suffers, the whole suffers.

The Different Gifts (chapter 12 verses 8-10, 28-31)

Now we come to the different gifts. I want to make some more general comments before we look at the two gift lists in chapter 12. The New Testament contains three other such lists of gifts[1]. And the lists all mention different gifts. No one list is complete. No list is exactly the same as the others. And even if we stuck them all together, they are probably not exhaustive. They are probably selective lists relevant for particular churches in particular times and places.

When we look at the lists themselves, there are some unexpected things. I want to mention 5 unexpected things. At least, I didn’t expect them.

First, in chapter 12 verse 28, Apostles, Prophets and Teachers come before specific gifts. But they are offices, not gifts or abilities (1 Corinthians 12:28). And the Apostles now have ceased. They now minister to us through their writings in the New Testament.

Second, ‘faith’ is said to be a spiritual gift given to only some in the congregation. Chapter 12 verse 9:

To another faith by the same Spirit. (NIV)

But faith is what every believer has. Faith in Christ is the common heritage of the saints and the common evidence that someone is a Christian. So ‘faith’ here may well mean a gift of especially strong faith, of trusting God in extra-ordinary ways, a faith that can move mountains, perhaps.

Third, there are two gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 which to some might sound not very spiritual but pretty ordinary. 1 Corinthians 12:28:

…those able to help others, those with gifts of administration… (NIV)

The person who helps others, holds the hammer for a working bee, cuts up the fruit for homework help club, or makes sure the kids don’t escape, is and has a spiritual gift. The treasurer is a spiritual gift to the church. It is an important gift of administration. The wardens and parish secretary and taking phone messages and making sure the mail gets answered and preparing the rosters and making sure morning tea happens are a gift to the church and just as spiritual as speaking in tongues and prophesying and being an Apostle or teacher. Doing the vaccuming, which is helping others, and administering the church, is a gift to the church as much as miraculously healing the sick.

Fourth, there seems to be a ranking of the gifts. In chapter 12 verse 28, Paul says, first Apostles, second Prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, and so forth. There are greater gifts and lesser gifts. Chapter 12 verse 31:

But eagerly desire the greater gifts. (NIV)

But if I was writing the list, I wouldn’t have ranked them that way. For a start, in verse 28, teaching comes before working of miracles. Paul puts teaching ahead of miracle working. But teaching is pretty ordinary and garden variety, and miracles are extraordinary. And then, the gift of helping others and administration is more important than speaking in tongues or interpreting. Garden-variety, ordinary gifts seem to rank ahead of the astonishing and miraculous gifts.

So the things that we evangelicals are often told that we are missing out on, healing and tongues, rank respectively behind teaching, and helping/administering, which we have spades of in our churches.

And fifth and finally, not every one has every gift. 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 29 to 30:

Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? (NIV)

And the answer to these questions is ‘No’. These are all questions expecting the negative answer. More literally,

Not all are apostles, are they? Not all are prophets, are they? Not all are teachers, are they? Not all are workers of powers, are they? Not all have gifts of healings, do they? Not all speak in languages, do they? Not all translate, do they?

And the answer is no. Not all are apostles. We don’t have them anymore, despite what the Pope thinks of himself, or despite what the Mormons set up for themselves. And not everyone teaches and heals and works miracles and speaks languages and translates. So we shouldn’t expect everyone to.

In fact, you are not missing out if you don’t have any of these gifts, but you have faith in Christ. You have everything you need to live a godly life when you have faith in Christ. You have the Spirit when you have Jesus as Lord. And in the church, the body of Christ, the community of believers gathered, God makes up for what we lack.

Sometimes people get disappointed in their gifting. They rank what other Christians have been given as better than what they have.

In the Director's Cut of Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, there is a scene where the nine companions of the ring are leaving Lothlorien. And the Elvish Queen Galadriel gives gifts to each member of the fellowship. And each member gets gifts appropriate to them. Samwise Gamgee gets elvish rope and box of soil. Samwise perhaps was a little disappointed because he said, ‘Thank you M’Lady … Have you ran out of those nice shiny daggers’. When everybody else is getting nice shiny daggers, Sam gets a box of dirt!

Do you think your gift is dirt? Maybe you do? You see the shiny daggers others get, and wish you didn’t get rope and dirt? Well remember this, at the very end of the story, Samwise put Bag End to rights. And the soil he was given brought Lothlorien to the Shire. Each of his beloved plants came to life with a couple of grains of that soil planted with them.

Only from the perspective of the end, do we see the benefit of all God’s gifts. Trust God, that the gift he has given you is for the good of the church. And in time, you will see its fruit.

The Propeller of Ministry: Love (Chapter 13)

The Necessity of Love (chapter 12 verse 31 to chapter 13 verse 3)

But in the end, the Apostle will prefer love to any gifting. Fruit of the Spirit is more important than gifts of the Spirit. Character is more important than competency. Godliness is more important than gifting. Chapter 13 verses 1 to 3:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NIV)

The Corinthians knew lots of stuff and had lots of gifts. But it seems that they lacked love. And Paul suggests that it is possible to be very gifted but lack love. It is possible to believe in God more than the average Christian, but lack love. Or be very generous with all your worldly goods, yet lack love. Or even be a Christian martyr, yet lack love. Or to be able to speak miraculously in human or angelic languages, yet lack love. Indeed, that may have been happening in Corinth.

Applying it to church life, you or I might be a great preacher, or understand deep theology, or have great insight into people, or receive specific messages from God, or give heaps of money away, but if we do it without love, grudgingly, grumpily, angrily, boastfully, proudly, selfishly, we’ve not understood about God, about relationships, about life. We are still worldy, infantile, ungodly.

The Character of Love (chapter 13 verses 4 to 8)

So what does love look like?

Paul first puts it positively. This is what love does.

Love is patient, love is kind. Love puts up with a lot. Love has a long fuse. It suffers and still keeps loving.

But there are some thing love doesn’t do. And so Paul spends some time saying what love doesn’t do. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. In other words, love isn’t a show-off with a big head. Love is the humble servant who genuinely thinks of others as more important than themselves..

Neither is love rude. Love doesn’t humiliate others or shocking them with obscenity.

Love is not self-seeking. Love doesn’t look out for number one. Love sees that Number One is the other person, not me.

Love is not easily angered. The anger of man does not bring about the righteous life that God requires (James 1:20). So love keeps its voice down. Love doesn’t lose its temper or hit the roof or tear strips off people.

Love keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not keep a list of wrongs to use as ammunition for the next fight. It doesn’t drag out the museum pieces to use against the others. Love forgives, just as it has been forgiven. As Jesus said, whoever has been forgiven much, loves much.

Again, Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Love takes no pleasure in another’s failure or sin, even when it brings down an enemy. Like David always wishing Saul well, love loves the enemy.

And finally, love always does some things. It always protects. Love looks after the weak and vulnerable, the needy, those who can’t speak or act for themselves. Love always trusts, always hopes. Love is not naïve, but it realises that God is bigger than any situation and any sin, and God will bring good out of it, And finally always perseveres. Love never gives up. And so Love never fails. Love lasts into eternity.

The Greatness of Love (chapter 13 verses 8 to 13)

So the character of love is more important than competency in ministry. There will be a time when prophecy will be unnecessary. In the new heaven and earth, the curse of babel will be undone. We will understand each other properly, as humans originally did, as happened briefly at Pentecost.

We won’t need the bible then. We won’t need Apostles, or prophets, or teachers, or healing, or tongues, or interpretation, The dwelling of God will be with us, and we will see him face to face. And we will know better than we do now.

Then faith will no longer be necessary, because we will have God and Jesus and not simply God’s promise and word. Now we live by faith, and not by sight. Then we will see face to face, and will have received the goal of our faith, the salvation of our souls.

Then hope also will no longer be necessary, because we will have what we have hoped for, and hope doesn’t have, but looks forward to it.

So love is the greatest, because then we will have received what we’ve promised, and we will have what we hoped for, and all that is left to do for an eternity is to love… to love God and our neighbor perfectly, as we were created to do.

Conclusion

So how are you going with loving others? As you run chapter 13 verses 4 to 8 over your life, do you need to repent?, Have you lacked patience, and kindness? Have you boasted, been proud, and arrogant? Or are you rude, with swearing and course joking and obscenity? Are you easily angered, a grumpy old man, a short-tempered person? Do you hang on to wrongs and find it difficult to forgive? Do you delight when your enemy falls? Does your love take initiative to protect the poor, the weak and vulnerable? Can you see beyond your current situations to God, who brings out good from evil?

I know that this bitter, grumpy, loud, angry, middle aged, mid-life crisis sort of man has things he needs to repent of.

Let’s pray.

[1] Romans 12:6-8: We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Ephesians 4:11-12: It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up; 1 Peter 4:10-11: Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. (NIV)

1 Corinthians 12

12:1Now concerning spiritual gifts [concerning the spirituals, Περὶ δὲ τῶν πνευματικῶν], brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed [ignorant, ἀγνοεῖν ] 12:2 You know [Οἴδατε] that when you were pagans [ἔθνη, gentiles] you were led astray to mute idols [led to the speechless idols, πρὸς τὰ εἴδωλα τὰ ἄφωνα], however you were led. [ὡς ἂν ἤγεσθε ἀπαγόμενοι, being led away.] 12:3 Therefore [διὸ] I want you to understand [γνωρίζω, make known to you] that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says [οὐδεὶς ἐν πνεύματι θεοῦ λαλῶν λέγει] “Jesus is accursed!” [Ἀνάθεμα Ἰησοῦς, ‘Anathama Jesus’] and no one can [is able to, δύναται εἰπεῖν] say “Jesus is Lord” [Κύριος Ἰησοῦς] except in the Holy Spirit [εἰ μὴ ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ].

12:4 Now there are varieties of gifts [Διαιρέσεις δὲ χαρισμάτων εἰσίν; διαίρεσις, division, distribution, diversities, distinction, difference], but the same Spirit [τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ πνεῦμα]; 12:5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord [καὶ διαιρέσεις διακονιῶν εἰσιν, καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς κύριος]; 12:6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone [καὶ διαιρέσεις ἐνεργημάτων, workings, also v. 10; εἰσίν, ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς θεὸς ὁ ἐνεργῶν τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν, who works all [things] in all [things].

12:7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good [ἑκάστῳ δὲ δίδοται ἡ φανέρωσις τοῦ πνεύματος πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον, συμφέρω, I bring, bear together, carry with others; collect or contribute to help, hence, to help, be profitable, expedient. Also 1 Cor 7:35, 10:33, 12:7; Heb 12:10]. 12:8 For to one is given through the Spirit [ᾧ μὲν γὰρ διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος δίδοται] the utterance [word] of wisdom [λόγος σοφίας], and to another the utterance [word] of knowledge according to the same Spirit [ἄλλῳ δὲ λόγος γνώσεως κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ πνεῦμα], 12:9 to another faith by the same Spirit [ἑτέρῳ πίστις ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ πνεύματι], to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit [ἄλλῳ δὲ χαρίσματα ἰαμάτων ἐν τῷ ἑνὶ πνεύματι], 10 to another the working[s] of miracles [ἄλλῳ δὲ ἐνεργήματα δυνάμεων], to another prophecy [ἄλλῳ [δὲ] προφητεία], to another the ability to distinguish between [passing judgments over] spirits [ἄλλῳ [δὲ] διακρίσεις πνευμάτων], to another various kinds of tongues [languages; ἑτέρῳ γένη γλωσσῶν], to another the interpretation of tongues [languages; ἄλλῳ δὲ ἑρμηνεία γλωσσῶν]. 12:11 All these are empowered [worked] by one and the same Spirit [πάντα δὲ ταῦτα ἐνεργεῖ τὸ ἓν καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ πνεῦμα], who apportions to each one individually [his own] as he wills [διαιροῦν ἰδίᾳ ἑκάστῳ καθὼς βούλεται].

12:12 For just as the body is one and has many members [Καθάπερ γὰρ τὸ σῶμα ἕν ἐστιν καὶ μέλη πολλὰ ἔχει], and all the members of the body, though many, are one body [πάντα δὲ τὰ μέλη τοῦ σώματος πολλὰ ὄντα ἕν ἐστιν σῶμα], so it is with Christ [οὕτως καὶ ὁ Χριστός, in the same way also [is] the Christ]. 12:13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body [καὶ γὰρ ἐν ἑνὶ πνεύματι ἡμεῖς πάντες εἰς ἓν σῶμα ἐβαπτίσθημεν]—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free [εἴτε Ἰουδαῖοι εἴτε Ἕλληνες εἴτε δοῦλοι εἴτε ἐλεύθεροι]—and all were made to drink of one Spirit [καὶ πάντες ἓν πνεῦμα ἐποτίσθημεν]. 12:14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many [Καὶ γὰρ τὸ σῶμα οὐκ ἔστιν ἓν μέλος ἀλλὰ πολλά].

12:15 If the foot should say [ἐὰν εἴπῃ ὁ πούς], “Because I am not a hand [ὅτι οὐκ εἰμὶ χείρ], I do not belong to the body [οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐκ τοῦ σώματος],” that would not make it any less a part of the body [οὐ παρὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ σώματος;, question expecting ‘yes’ answer, “[it is] not for this [reason] not from the body, is it?”]. 12:16 And if the ear should say [καὶ ἐὰν εἴπῃ τὸ οὖς], “Because I am not an eye [ὅτι οὐκ εἰμὶ ὀφθαλμός], I do not belong to the body [οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐκ τοῦ σώματος],” that would not make it any less a part of the body [οὐ παρὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ σώματος;, question expecting ‘yes’ answer, “[it is] not for this [reason] not from the body, is it?”]. 12:17 If the whole body were an eye [εἰ ὅλον τὸ σῶμα ὀφθαλμός], where would be the sense of hearing [ποῦ ἡ ἀκοή;]? If the whole body were an ear [εἰ ὅλον ἀκοή, ‘[for] hearing’?], where would be the sense of smell [ποῦ ἡ ὄσφρησις;]? 12:18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body [νυνὶ δὲ ὁ θεὸς ἔθετο, set τὰ μέλη], each one of them, as he chose [ἓν ἕκαστον αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ σώματι καθὼς ἠθέλησεν]. 12:19 If all were a single member [εἰ δὲ ἦν τὰ πάντα ἓν μέλος], where would the body be? [ποῦ τὸ σῶμα;] 12:20 As it is, there are many parts [members], yet one body [νῦν δὲ πολλὰ μὲν μέλη, ἓν δὲ σῶμα.]. 12:21 The eye cannot say to the hand [οὐ δύναται δὲ ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς εἰπεῖν τῇ χειρί], “I have no need of you [χρείαν σου οὐκ ἔχω],” nor again the head to the feet [ἢ πάλιν ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῖς ποσίν], “I have no need of you.” [χρείαν ὑμῶν οὐκ ἔχω]·

12:22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem [are thought] to be weaker are indispensable [ἀλλὰ πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὰ δοκοῦντα μέλη τοῦ σώματος ἀσθενέστερα ὑπάρχειν ἀναγκαῖά ἐστιν, ἀναγκαῖος, indispensable], 12:23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honourable we bestow the greater honour [καὶ ἃ δοκοῦμεν ἀτιμότερα εἶναι τοῦ σώματος τούτοις τιμὴν περισσοτέραν περιτίθεμεν, we place around these more abundant honour], and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty [καὶ τὰ ἀσχήμονα, unattractive, indecent, unpresentable, ἡμῶν εὐσχημοσύνην περισσοτέραν ἔχει], 12:24a which our more presentable parts do not require [τὰ δὲ εὐσχήμονα ἡμῶν οὐ χρείαν ἔχει, [εὐσχήμων, εὔσχημον, good, pleasing external appearance graceful, beautiful, presentable].

12:24bBut God has so composed the body, giving greater honour to the part that lacked it [Ἀλλ’ ὁ θεὸς συνεκέρασεν τὸ σῶμα τῷ ὑστερουμένῳ περισσοτέραν δοὺς τιμήν], 12:25 that there may be no division [schism] in the body [ἵνα μὴ ᾖ σχίσμα ἐν τῷ σώματι], but that the members may have the same care for one another [ἀλλὰ τὸ αὐτὸ ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων μεριμνῶσιν τὰ μέλη μεριμνάω, I care for, am concerned about, also in 7:32.]. 12:26 If one member suffers [καὶ εἴτε πάσχει ἓν μέλος], all suffer together [συμπάσχει πάντα τὰ μέλη]; if one member is honoured [εἴτε δοξάζεται, glorified, [ἓν] μέλος], all rejoice together [συγχαίρει πάντα τὰ μέλη].

12:27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually [Gk ‘ἐκ μέρους’] members of it [Ὑμεῖς δέ ἐστε σῶμα Χριστοῦ καὶ μέλη ἐκ μέρους]. 12:28 And God has appointed [placed] in the church [Καὶ οὓς μὲν ἔθετο ὁ θεὸς ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ] first apostles [πρῶτον ἀποστόλους], second prophets [δεύτερον προφήτας], third teachers [τρίτον διδασκάλους], then miracles [ἔπειτα δυνάμεις], then gifts of healing [ἔπειτα χαρίσματα ἰαμάτων], helping [ἀντιλήμψεις, those who help [ἀντίλημψις, ἀντιλήψεώς, ἡ, laying hold of, help, assistance; plural helpful deeds; by metonymy, those who help], administrating [κυβερνήσεις, those who give guidance [κυβέρνησις, κυβερνήσεως, ἡ, the skill of a pilot guiding a ship, leadership skill administrative ability,], and various kinds of tongues [γένη γλωσσῶν].

12:29 Are all apostles? [μὴ πάντες ἀπόστολοι;] Are all prophets? [μὴ πάντες προφῆται;] Are all teachers? [μὴ πάντες διδάσκαλοι;] Do all work miracles? [μὴ πάντες δυνάμεις;] 12:30 Do all possess gifts of healing? [μὴ πάντες χαρίσματα ἔχουσιν ἰαμάτων;] Do all speak with tongues? [μὴ πάντες γλώσσαις λαλοῦσιν;] Do all interpret? [μὴ πάντες διερμηνεύουσιν;] 12:31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts [ζηλοῦτε, be zealous, δὲ τὰ χαρίσματα τὰ μείζονα]. And I will show you a still more excellent way [Καὶ ἔτι καθ’ ὑπερβολὴν ὁδὸν ὑμῖν δείκνυμι, the best way by far.].

All of these are questions expecting a ‘no’ answer: 12:29Not all [are] apostles, are they? Not all [are] prophets, are they? Not all [are] teachers, are they? Not all [are workers of] miracles, are they? 12:30Not all have gifts of healings, do they? Not all speak in languages, do they? Not all translate, do they?

1 Corinthians 13

13:1 If I speak in the tongues [languages] of men and [even] of angels [Ἐὰν ταῖς γλώσσαις τῶν ἀνθρώπων λαλῶ καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων], but have not love [ἀγάπην δὲ μὴ ἔχω], I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal [γέγονα χαλκὸς ἠχῶν ἢ κύμβαλον ἀλαλάζον]. 13:2 And if I have prophetic powers [καὶ ἐὰν ἔχω προφητείαν], and understand all mysteries and all knowledge [καὶ εἰδῶ τὰ μυστήρια πάντα καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γνῶσιν], and if I have all faith [καὶ ἐὰν ἔχω πᾶσαν τὴν πίστιν], so as to remove mountains [ὥστε ὄρη μεθιστάναι, μεθίστημι and μεθιστάνω, transfer from one place to another], but have not love [ἀγάπην δὲ μὴ ἔχω], I am nothing [οὐθέν εἰμι]. 13:3 If I give away all I have [κἂν ψωμίσω πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντά μου, ψωμίζω, I dole out, feed by morsels, give away bit by bit], and if I deliver up [hand over] my body to be burned [so that I might boast, καὶ ἐὰν παραδῶ τὸ σῶμά μου ἵνα καυχήσωμαι], but have not love [ἀγάπην δὲ μὴ ἔχω], I gain nothing [οὐδὲν ὠφελοῦμαι].

[καυχήσωμαι is supported by early and weighty evidences (P⁴⁶ a A B 6 33 69 1739* cop^{sa, bo} goth^mg Clement Origen Jerome and Greek mss^{acc. to Jerome}), while καυθήσομαι (and καυθήσομαι) ‘so that I might be burned’ is supported by an impressive number of witnesses, including C D F G K L Y most minuscules it vg syr^{p, h} goth^txt arm eth^pp, and numerous patristic writers, including Tertullian Aphraates Cyprian Origen Basil Chrysostom Cyril Theodoret Euthalius Maximus-Confessor John-Damascus. However, the earlier and weightier ones should be preferred: Metzger.]

13:4 Love is patient and kind [Ἡ ἀγάπη μακροθυμεῖ, angers [only] slowly, χρηστεύεται]; love does not envy or boast [ἡ ἀγάπη οὐ ζηλοῖ, can be translated ‘zealous’ or ‘jealous’, depending on whether it has a negative or positive connotation, [ἡ ἀγάπη] οὐ περπερεύεται, περπερεύομαι, I brag, boast about myself]; it is not arrogant [οὐ φυσιοῦται, puffed up [φυσιόω, I inflate, blow up, blow out, cause to swell up; puff up, make proud. Used in 4:6, 18, 19; 5:2; 8:1] 13:5 or rude [οὐκ ἀσχημονεῖ, ἀσχημονέω, I act disgracefully, unbecomingly. Also 7:35]. It does not insist on its own way [οὐ ζητεῖ τὰ ἑαυτῆς, it does not seek its own things]; it is not irritable or resentful [οὐ παροξύνεται, παροξύνω, I make sharp; Metaphorically, I stimulate, spur on, urge, irritate, provoke, rouse to anger; passive, scorn, despise, burn with anger, οὐ λογίζεται τὸ κακόν, it does not keep account of evil]; 13:6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing [οὐ χαίρει ἐπὶ τῇ ἀδικίᾳ, injustice], but rejoices with the truth [συγχαίρει δὲ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ]. 13:7 Love bears all things [πάντα στέγει, στέγω, I cover, protect, preserve, keep secret, hide, conceal, excuse, hold out against, endure, bear, forbear], believes all things [πάντα πιστεύει], hopes all things [πάντα ἐλπίζει], endures all things [πάντα ὑπομένει, ὑπομένω, I remain, stay, not recede or flee, persevere, endure, bear bravely].

13:8 Love never ends [Ἡ ἀγάπη οὐδέποτε πίπτει, falls]. As for prophecies, they will pass away [εἴτε, if, δὲ προφητεῖαι, καταργηθήσονται·]; as for tongues, they will cease [εἴτε, if, γλῶσσαι, languages, παύσονται]; as for knowledge, it will pass away [εἴτε, if, γνῶσις, καταργηθήσεται].13:9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part [ἐκ μέρους γὰρ γινώσκομεν καὶ ἐκ μέρους προφητεύομεν], 13:10 but when the perfect comes [ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ τὸ τέλειον, completion], the partial will pass away [τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται].

13:11 When I was a child [ὅτε ἤμην νήπιος, infant], I spoke like a child [ἐλάλουν, impf, ὡς νήπιος], I thought like a child [ἐφρόνουν, impf, ὡς νήπιος], I reasoned like a child [ἐλογιζόμην, impf, ὡς νήπιος·]. When I became a man [ὅτε γέγονα ἀνήρ], I gave up childish ways [κατήργηκα τὰ τοῦ νηπίου, the things of infancy]. 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly [βλέπομεν γὰρ ἄρτι δι’, through, ἐσόπτρου ἐν αἰνίγματι, αἴνιγμα, -τος, τό, An obscure saying, an enigma, an obscure thing], but then face to face [τότε δὲ πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον]. Now I know in part [ἄρτι γινώσκω ἐκ μέρους]; then I shall know fully [τότε δὲ ἐπιγνώσομαι], even as I have been fully known [καθὼς καὶ ἐπεγνώσθην]. 13:13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three [Νυνὶ δὲ μένει πίστις, remain, ἐλπίς, ἀγάπη, τὰ τρία ταῦτα]; but the greatest of these is love [μείζων δὲ τούτων ἡ ἀγάπη].