1 Corinthians 12

1 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].

In the next place, friends, I do not want you to be ignorant about spiritual gifts.

2 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].

You know that there was a time when you were Gentiles, going astray after idols that could not speak, just as you happened to be led.

3 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.”

Therefore I tell you plainly that no one who speaks under the influence of the Spirit of God says “JESUS IS ACCURSED,” and that no one can say “JESUS IS LORD,” except under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

4 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].

Gifts differ, but the Spirit is the same;

5 There are many different ways to serve [the Lord], but it is the same Lord [whom we all are serving].

ways of serving differ, yet the Master is the same;

6 [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.

results differ, yet the God who brings about every result is in every case the same.

7 [God’s] Spirit gives his power to each believer in order to benefit all the other [believers].

To each of us there is given spiritual illumination for the general good.

8 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].

To one is given the power to speak with wisdom through the Spirit; to another the power to speak with knowledge, due to the same Spirit;

9 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].

to another faith by the same Spirit; to another power to cure diseases by the one Spirit; to another supernatural powers;

10 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].

to another the gift of preaching; to another the gift of distinguishing between true and false inspiration; to another varieties of the gift of “tongues”; to another the power to interpret “tongues.”

11 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.

All these result from one and the same Spirit, who distributes his gifts to each individually as he wills.

12 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.

For just as the human body is one whole, and yet has many parts, and all its parts, many though they are, form but one body, so it is with the Christ;

13 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.

for it was by one Spirit that we were all baptized to form one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, and were all imbued with one Spirit.

14 [Our] bodies do not have only one part. They have many parts [with various functions].

The human body, I repeat, consists not of one part, but of many.

15 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.

If the foot says “Since I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it does not because of that cease to belong to the body.

16 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.

Or if the ear says “Since I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it does not because of that cease to belong to the body.

17 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]

If all the body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If it were all hearing, where would the sense of smell be?

18 But the truth is that God has put all the parts of our bodies together exactly as he wanted to put them.

But in fact God has placed each individual part just where he thought fit in the body.

19 If [our body] had only one part, it would not be a body. [RHQ]

If, however, they all made up only one part, where would the body be?

20 But the truth is that there are many parts [in our body], but it is still only one body.

But in fact, although it has many parts, there is only one body.

21 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!”

The eye cannot say to the hand “I do not need you,” nor, again, the head to the feet “I do not need you.”

22 Instead, the parts of our body that seem to be weaker are the ones that are absolutely necessary.

No! Those parts of the body that seem naturally the weaker are indispensable;

23 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.

and those parts which we deem less honourable we surround with special honour; and our ungraceful parts receive a special grace which our graceful parts do not require.

24 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.

Yes, God has so constructed the body – by giving a special honour to the part that lacks it –

25 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.

As to secure that there should be no disunion in the body, but that the parts should show the same care for one another.

26 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].

If one part suffers, all the others suffer with it, and if one part has honour done to it, all the others share its joy.

27 [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].

Together you are the body of Christ, and individually its parts.

28 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].

In the church God has appointed, first, apostles, secondly preachers, thirdly teachers; then he has given supernatural powers, then power to cure diseases, aptness for helping others, capacity to govern, varieties of the gift of “tongues.”

29 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]

Can everyone be an apostle? Can everyone be a preacher? Can everyone be a teacher? Can everyone have supernatural powers?

30 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!]

Can everyone have power to cure diseases? Can everyone speak in “tongues”? Can everyone interpret them?

31 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].

Strive for the greater gifts. Yet I can still show you a way beyond all comparison the best.