1 Corinthians 12
1 Now concerning the spiritual things, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.
Now, my fellow believers, [I will answer your questions] about the things God’s Spirit [enables believers to do]. I want you to know clearly [LIT] [about these things].
2 Ye know that, while Gentiles, ye were being carried away to the voiceless idols, as ye were led.
You know that before you became Christians, various things led you to [worship] idols, which are unable to tell you [any of God’s message].
3 Therefore I make known to you, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God says, Jesus is accursed, and no man can say, Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.
So [the first thing] that I will tell you now is that it is not the Spirit of God who would cause anyone to say, “Jesus deserved to die,” and that the Holy Spirit is the only one who can enable anyone to say, “Jesus is [truly] the Lord.”
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.
There are various things [that God’s] Spirit enables [various believers to do], but it is that same Spirit [who enables us to do them].
5 And there are varieties of services, and the same Lord.
There are many different ways to serve [the Lord], but it is the same Lord [whom we all are serving].
6 And there are varieties of functions, but it is the same God who works all in all.
[We believers] have the power to do various [tasks], but it is the same God who gives all of us the power [to do] these things.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each man toward that which is beneficial.
[God’s] Spirit gives his power to each believer in order to benefit all the other [believers].
8 For to one, the word of wisdom is given through the Spirit, and to another, the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit,
To some, the Spirit gives the ability to speak very wise messages. To others, the same Spirit gives the ability to know [things that he reveals to them].
9 to a different man, faith by the same Spirit, and to another, gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
To others, the same Spirit gives the ability to believe [that God will work miracles]. To others, the Spirit gives the ability to heal [sick people].
10 and to another, workings of miracles, and to another, prophecy, and to another, discerning of spirits, and to a different man, kinds of tongues, and to another, the interpretation of tongues.
To others, he gives the power [to perform] miracles. To others, he gives the ability to speak messages that come directly from God. To others, he gives the ability to tell [if a message is really from God or not]. To others he gives the ability to speak messages in languages [MTY] [that they have not learned]. To others, he gives the ability to tell the meaning of those messages [MTY].
11 But the one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each man individually as it wills.
It is the same Spirit who gives all these abilities. He gives whatever abilities he wants to give, to whatever person he wants to give them.
12 For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ.
Although a person’s body has many parts, all the parts form just one body [DOU]. It is like that [with those who belong to] Christ.
13 For also by one Spirit we are all immersed into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bondmen or freemen, and we were all made to drink into one Spirit.
When we were baptized {When people baptized us}, the one [Holy] Spirit caused us to become one group [of believers]. It does not matter whether we are Jews or non-Jews. It does not matter whether we are slaves or not slaves. [When we believed in Christ], the one Spirit came to live [MET] within all of us.
14 For the body also is not one part, but many.
[Our] bodies do not have only one part. They have many parts [with various functions].
15 If the foot should say, Because I am not a hand I am not of the body, it is not by this not of the body.
If our foot could [talk and] say [to us], “Because I am not [your] hand, I am not a part of [your] body,” it would still be a part of [our] body.
16 And if the ear should say, Because I am not an eye I am not of the body, it is not by this not of the body.
If our ear could [talk and] say, “Because I am not [your] eye, I am not a part of your body,” it would still be a part of our body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?
If our body were only an eye, (we would not be able to hear./how could we hear?) [RHQ] If our body were only an ear, (we would not be able to smell [anything]!/how could we smell [anything]?) [RHQ]
18 But now God has placed the parts, each one of them, in the body just as he intended.
But the truth is that God has put all the parts of our bodies together exactly as he wanted to put them.
19 And if they were all one part, where would be the body?
If [our body] had only one part, it would not be a body. [RHQ]
20 But now of course there are many body-parts, but one body.
But the truth is that there are many parts [in our body], but it is still only one body.
21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of thee, nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
That is why if our eye [could talk], it should never say to our hand, “I do not need you!” And if our head [could talk], it should not say to our feet, “I do not need you!”
22 Instead, much more the parts of the body that seem to be more feeble are necessary.
Instead, the parts of our body that seem to be weaker are the ones that are absolutely necessary.
23 And those things of the body presumed to be without esteem, we place around these more abundant worth. And our unpresentable parts have more abundant propriety,
And the parts that we do not think highly of are the parts that we clothe carefully. And we protect carefully those parts that we do not show to people.
24 whereas our presentable parts have no need. Instead, God united the body together, having given more abundant worth to the part that lacks,
The parts that are [all right to] show people, we do not need to protect. Instead, God, who has put all the parts of our bodies together, causes us to care for in a special way the parts that we think are less important.
25 so that there would be no schisms in the body, but that the parts would have the same care for each other.
He does that in order that all the parts of our body will work together harmoniously [LIT], and so that all the parts will care for all the other parts equally.
26 And if one part suffers, all the parts suffer together, or one part is honored, all the parts rejoice together.
If one part of our body hurts, [it is as though] all the parts of our body are hurting. If we pay special attention to one part of our body, [it is as though] all the parts of our body feel pleasure [MET].
27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and body-parts individually.
[Everything I have just said about how the parts of our bodies relate to each other applies to how] all of you who belong to Christ [should relate to each other]. Each of you belongs to him, [but you have not all been given the same abilities and work].
28 And in the church God has placed men who are first apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, kinds of tongues.
God has placed apostles in our congregations. Apostles are first [in rank]. Next [in rank] are those who speak messages which come directly from God. Next [in rank] are those who teach [spiritual truth]. Then there are those who have the power to work miracles, those who have the ability to heal [sick people], those who have the ability to help [others], those who have the ability to govern [the affairs of the congregation], and those who have the ability to speak [messages] in languages [MTY] [that they have not learned].
29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all do miracles?
Certainly not all [believers] are apostles. [RHQ] They all do not have the ability to speak messages that come directly from God. [RHQ] They do not all have the ability to teach [spiritual truth]. [RHQ] They do not all have the power to work miracles. [RHQ]
30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
They do not all have the ability to heal people. [RHQ] They do not all have the ability to speak [messages] in languages [MTY] [they have not learned]. [RHQ] They do not all have the ability to tell others the meaning of those messages. [RHQ] [Certainly not!]
31 But be zealous for the better gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.
But you should eagerly desire to have [the abilities that will help other believers] the most (OR, [the abilities that God considers] to be the most important). But now I will tell you the best way [to use the abilities that God’s Spirit has given you].
