1 Corinthians 12
12
1And concerning the spiritual things, brethren, I do not wish you to be ignorant;
2ye have known that ye were nations, unto the dumb idols — as ye were led — being carried away;
3wherefore, I give you to understand that no one, in the Spirit of God speaking, saith Jesus [is] anathema, and no one is able to say Jesus [is] Lord, except in the Holy Spirit.
4And there are diversities of gifts, and the same Spirit;
5and there are diversities of ministrations, and the same Lord;
6and there are diversities of workings, and it is the same God — who is working the all in all.
7And to each hath been given the manifestation of the Spirit for profit;
8for to one through the Spirit hath been given a word of wisdom, and to another a word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit;
9and to another faith in the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healings in the same Spirit;
10and to another in-workings of mighty deeds; and to another prophecy; and to another discernings of spirits; and to another [divers] kinds of tongues; and to another interpretation of tongues:
11and all these doth work the one and the same Spirit, dividing to each severally as he intendeth.
12For, even as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of the one body, being many, are one body, so also [is] the Christ,
13for also in one Spirit we all to one body were baptized, whether Jews or Greeks, whether servants or freemen, and all into one Spirit were made to drink,
14for also the body is not one member, but many;
15if the foot may say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body;’ it is not, because of this, not of the body;
16and if the ear may say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body;’ it is not, because of this, not of the body?
17If the whole body [were] an eye, where the hearing? if the whole hearing, where the smelling?
18and now, God did set the members each one of them in the body, according as He willed,
19and if all were one member, where the body?
20and now, indeed, [are] many members, and one body;
21and an eye is not able to say to the hand, ‘I have no need of thee;’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’
22But much more the members of the body which seem to be more infirm are necessary,
23and those that we think to be less honourable of the body, around these we put more abundant honour, and our unseemly things have seemliness more abundant,
24and our seemly things have no need; but God did temper the body together, to the lacking part having given more abundant honour,
25that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same anxiety for one another,
26and whether one member doth suffer, suffer with [it] do all the members, or one member is glorified, rejoice with [it] do all the members;
27and ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
28And some, indeed, did God set in the assembly, first apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers, afterwards powers, afterwards gifts of healings, helpings, governings, divers kinds of tongues;
29[are] all apostles? [are] all prophets? [are] all teachers? [are] all powers?
30have all gifts of healings? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
31and desire earnestly the better gifts; and yet a far excelling way do I shew to you:
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1 Corinthians 12: YLT98
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maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society
1 Corinthians 12
12
The different functions of the Spirit
1Now as to the phenomena of your faith which show in a special way the presence of God and the action of the Spirit. Recollect this Spirit is one. Many of you are moved far beyond your ordinary capacity, and do things which in your own strength would be utterly impossible to you, — you prophesy, teach, heal, speak with tongues, and perform wonders, marvels — and this is not yourselves, it is the Spirit by which you are possessed. 2But recollect, my brethren, there is nothing in this similar to those possessions by spirits you were once familiar with in the old religions. At one time that worship was part of your life. You were carried away willy-nilly as you were led in the service of these dumb idols. 3-5And because this type of worship was so familiar to you, I bid you remember that, if anyone is possessed and cries out a curse on Jesus, such possession you will know comes not from God, whilst on the other hand to acknowledge Jesus as Lord can never be done except by those to whom the Spirit has been imparted. Now this Spirit, as I say, is one, absolutely one, throughout all its manifestations, and that is why all those phenomena which represent to us its operations are so mutually harmonious and complementary. 6-8One man may evidence one kind of gift or service, one man’s sphere of usefulness or inspiration may differ entirely from another’s, but he will not differ in the spirit.
The oneness of the Spirit
9It is the same Spirit, the same Lord, the same God which imparts, ordains, inspires, possesses. 10The word of knowledge, the word of wisdom, faith, gifts of healing, inspiration and genius, prophecy, spiritual insight and discernment, tongues and the interpretation of tongues — 11these all proceed in varying degrees displayed by different individuals from the one infinite Spirit. He, that Spirit, is all in all, and one, and all these gifts are constituted in His action and operation. 12The Christ is as it were one infinite body, wherein all the parts and members are mutually helpful and interdependent. 13In the unity of the same organism there cannot be inharmonious contradictory parts. 14-16Hand cannot say to foot, I have no need of you. Ear and eye are different members and have different functions, but what if the ear said to the eye, “because I am different from you, we belong to different bodies,” would it be true? And so all of us were baptised into one vast body, the infinite Christ, — Jews, Greeks, slaves, and free — and we all drank the wine of the one Spirit. Hence these different gifts, functions and offices which operate in us. This very variety constitutes the essential being of the Spirit, because the Spirit includes all. 17If the body were all eye, where would the hearing be? If it were all ear, where would the eyebrow be? 18-21Every part is beautifully formed to assist and be complementary to the others; none is otiose, negligible or useless, 22but on the contrary those very parts which are held in least honour often have the most important functions, 23-25and the visible parts of the body which form its beauty are the most dependent on the organs which are not seen and are less esteemed. 26If one member suffer, all suffer with it, and no one part of the body can be affected, for good or ill, without all the others feeling it. 27So is it in that infinite spiritual body of the Christ, which we together constitute, of which we are all members. 28Whether in the church there be those that are called apostles, prophets, teachers, healers, helpers, officers, speakers with tongues — what is this but the activity of one life? 29Because it is one thing, all are not therefore apostles, nor all prophets, nor all teachers, 30nor all healers, nor all speakers with tongues, nor all interpreters. 31True, some gifts are greater than others, and it is right to wish for the greatest gifts of all, and in that respect, I will point out to you a way that is better than all others.
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Translated in 1916, published in 1937.