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Priscilla: I Corinthians 12:1-11
Spiritual Gifts

Dear God, my Beloved Father, I offer you my praise and gratitude for the Eternal Living Word of God that you bestow upon me every day. Your Word sanctifies my life, strengthens me, and helps me remain steadfast in faith, faithful until the coming of Christ. May your love and grace be with me as I meditate on your Word.

Father, today I present to You my meditation on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as written in I Corinthians 12:1-11.

1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.

Verse 1: The Apostle Paul wants the people of God in the city of Corinth to know the spiritual things, the mysteries of the spiritual world, that are given by God. The spiritual person is the one whose spirit can perceive and understand God because they are spiritually connected with Him. Only through this spiritual connection can they comprehend spiritual things. However, the natural person lacks this connection and cannot understand the spiritual things of God because they are foolishness to them. They are unable to comprehend them because they must be spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14).

2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.

Verse 2: The Apostle Paul speaks about the people of God in Corinth, who were formerly idolaters. They had no understanding of God and were led astray to worship idols made by human hands. I understand that this deception came from demons and those who crafted the idols.

3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

Verse 3: The Apostle Paul presents to the people of God in Corinth the distinction between those without the Spirit of God and those with the Spirit of God. Those who belong to the Lord have the Spirit of God, which is the understanding that comes from God. A person with spiritual understanding cannot say, “Jesus be cursed!” because they recognize Jesus, the incarnate Word of God, who died on the cross to redeem humanity from the power and consequences of sin. No one can confess Jesus as Lord unless they are moved by the Spirit within their spirit, enabling them to have knowledge of Jesus.

4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

Verses 4 to 6: God, in the person of the Spirit, bestows various spiritual gifts upon each member of the people of God in the Church. All these gifts are given by the same Spirit. Within the Church, there are different positions and roles, but they are all established by the same God and bestowed by the same Christ on certain individuals. Every work within the Church is empowered by God, in the person of the Spirit, for the purpose of fulfilling the roles that God has assigned to them in the building and growth of His Church.

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

Verses 7 and 8: God, in the person of the Spirit, has manifested his nature and actions through the various spiritual gifts bestowed upon each member of the people of God. Each gift brings benefits to the Church. Within the Church, some are gifted with “the word of wisdom,” which is the ability to speak knowledge and understanding of the Word of God and its implications without the need for formal learning. Others are gifted with “the word of knowledge,” which is the ability to discern clearly whether something is good or bad.

9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

Verse 9: Within the Church, each person is granted the gift of faith, which is faith in the salvation of God through the redemptive death of Jesus Christ. However, the Holy Spirit also bestows different amounts of faith upon each individual, along with other spiritual gifts, according to the tasks assigned to them within the Church. Through these gifts, everyone is able to fulfill their mission.

Within the Church, there are individuals who are gifted with the “gift of healing,” which is the ability to miraculously heal diseases and infirmities in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to restore health to the disabled, or to cure illnesses. Just as the Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles caused the lame to walk, the blind to see, the mute to speak and the deaf to hear, they also cured various types of diseases.

10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

Verse 10: “Working of miracles” refers to the performance of supernatural and extraordinary deeds recorded in the Bible, such as raising the dead or making the servant of a demon blind.

“Prophecy” can involve speaking forth what God has revealed about a future event to warn and awaken the people of God. It can also involve speaking out against someone or a local Church for their wrongdoing and calling for repentance. It can include proclaiming truths about God and giving Him honor, as well as revealing deep insights from Scripture. The prophet speaks forth these things through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, through dreams, visions, or direct messages.

“Discerning of spirits” is the ability to distinguish between false spirits claiming to be from God, false teachers, and false prophets. A person who is gifted with this ability can discern immediately when they encounter someone who is under the influence of a deceiving spirit.

Speaking in various tongues refers to the ability of human beings to speak different languages. There are individuals who are gifted by the Holy Spirit with the ability to speak in tongues that they have not previously learned. If someone is enabled by the Holy Spirit to speak a language that is unknown to the Church, there must be an interpreter present so that everyone can understand and glorify God. If there is no interpreter available, the person gifted with speaking in tongues should remain silent and not speak a language that is not understood within the Church. The gift of speaking in tongues edifies the individual who speaks, while the gift of prophecy edifies the entire Church.

“Interpretation of tongues” is the gift bestowed by the Holy Spirit to understand and interpret different languages within the Church. However, the person who possesses this gift may not have learned the languages they are interpreting.

11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

Verse 11: The Apostle Paul states that the aforementioned gifts are bestowed upon the people of God in the Church by God Himself in the person of the Spirit. God the Spirit grants these gifts to each individual in the Church according to His own will, for the purpose of benefiting and building up the faith of the Church. No one can cause another person to receive any of the gifts of the Spirit. If anyone claims to possess a gift from the Spirit that is not among the gifts listed by the Apostle Paul, it is a counterfeit gift and does not come from the Spirit.

Father, I am thankful to You and God the Spirit for bestowing upon me and my brothers and sisters in the Church each of these gifts according to our individual roles. These gifts are necessary for the edification and growth of the Church. Father, please help us to use the gifts we have received in a manner that yields worthy results, bringing glory to the name of God. Amen.

In the grace of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Priscilla Christian Huynh
05/22/2023