1 Corinthians 12

1 Corinthians 12:7

7. But the manifestation of the Spirit &c.] The exercise of these spiritual gifts, whereby the Spirit manifests Himself to be in any man, is designed still for some benefit of the church, and therefore those powers, that tend to no advantage in the church, are to be suspected not to come from the Spirit of God. Dr. Hammond.

1 Corinthians 12:8

8-10. For to one is given by the Spirit &c.] It is difficult to fix the true import of all these spiritual gifts: their meaning is probably as follows. “The word of wisdom,” may mean the wisdom given to the Apostles to reveal the Gospel to the world: “the word of knowledge,” the gift of understanding mysteries, or things concealed, more especially the mystical sense of the Scriptures of the Old Testament: by “faith” we may understand a miraculous faith, enabling them to do things most difficult, but chiefly a peculiar impulse that came upon them when any difficult matter was to be performed, which inwardly assured them God’s power would assist them in the performance of it: “the gifts of healing” appear to denote a general power of curing diseases, both of body and of mind; and “the working of miracles” that of silencing and casting out devils, of inflicting diseases and death on incorrigible sinners; or more especially the wonderful power of raising the dead: “prophecy” may signify teaching and the interpretation of Scripture, when done by particular inspiration, but rather the prediction of things future, in order to the exhortation to some duty, exercised also by foretelling who would be fit persons to do good service in the church: “the discerning of spirits” not only imports the faculty of discerning betwixt false and true prophets, and betwixt the lying wonders of evil spirits and the power of the Holy Ghost, but also a power of discerning the spirits of other men, whether they were qualified for particular offices in the church, and accordingly choosing them out for such works; as also a power of discovering the inward purposes of men’s thoughts and hearts: “divers kinds of tongues” denote the ability of speaking languages without having learned them: and “the interpretation of tongues” signifies the power of interpreting strange languages to such in the congregation as had not understood the language that was spoken. These extraordinary and miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit were bestowed upon the church in her infant state, but withdrawn as she grew up, and became capable of subsisting without these extraordinary helps and supplies. Dr. Whitley, Burkitt.

To allege the Apostles as instances of illiterate preachers, is of all fallacies the grossest. Originally perhaps

1 Corinthians 12:11

11. — severally as he will.] Here seems to be a plain argument for the personality of the Holy Ghost, because a will is here ascribed to Him. Dr. Whitby.

1 Corinthians 12:12

12. — so also is Christ.] That is, saith St. Chrysostom, the body of Christ, or the church; all the members of which, though they be many, and adorned with different gifts, make but one mystical body, united to their head Jesus Christ. Dr. Whitby.

1 Corinthians 12:13

13. For by one Spirit are we all baptized &c.] By one and the same Spirit of God, working with and by the outward elements, are we baptized into the communion of one and the same church; and are all made partakers of the same sacramental cup, and therein of the same blood of Christ, by the working of the same Spirit. Bp. Hall.

As proselytes among the Jews by baptism were admitted into the communion and privileges of the Jewish, so thereby are we received into the like communion and

1 Corinthians 12:14

14—17. For the body is not one member, &c.] As the body is made up of several members for several uses, so is the church of Christ; each of them profitable for some end: and therefore though one be inferiour to some others, yet hath that no reason to envy them. Dr. Hammond.

1 Corinthians 12:18

18. But now hath God set the members &c.] It hath therefore seemed best to God, to give several men several offices in the church, which they are to be content with, not repining that they are not more honourably employed. Dr. Hammond.

1 Corinthians 12:21

21. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, &c.] The rulers, pastors, and wisest members of the church, need even those weak and inferiour Christians, whom the world makes small account of. Burkitt.

1 Corinthians 12:23

23. And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, &c.] It seems as if he had said, The face, on which the image of God is particularly stamped, we leave uncovered: but as for those parts, which decency or custom teaches us to conceal, we contrive not only to cover them, but also as far as we conveniently can to adorn by covering. Dr. Doddridge.

1 Corinthians 12:24

24. — but God hath tempered the body together, &c.] God hath so disposed of the several parts of the body, that some shall have a natural beauty, others that want that shall be supplied by clothes, which are an artificial beauty. Dr. Hammond.

1 Corinthians 12:25

25. That there should be no schism in the body; &c.] That there may be no separation of interests or desires in the body, and so likewise in the church; but that the several members may be as solicitous, every one for another member, as for itself. Whence it follows, ver. 26.

Different degrees and offices in the church. Anno DOMINI 39.

1 Corinthians 12:27

27. Now ye are the body of Christ, &c.] The Apostle, having finished his elegant and excellent comparison between the members of the natural and those of the mystical body, comes now to make a particular application of it to the Corinthian believers; who are, being considered altogether, the church, though not the church universal, yet a special part thereof, the church of Corinth, and so the mystical body of Christ; and the several persons among them members of that body, that particular church. Burkitt, Dr. Hammond.

1 Corinthians 12:28

28. And God hath set some in the church, &c.] And the chief officers constituted by God in the church are as follows. Dr. Hammond. “Apostles,” persons sent forth immediately by Christ to lay the foundation of Christian churches, and on whom the care of all the churches lay. “Prophets,” or persons immediately inspired with the knowledge of future things. “Teachers,” who having received the doctrine of faith from the Apostles, preached it for the conversion of others, and so “laboured in the word and doctrine,” 1 Tim. v. 17. “Miracles,” that is, persons endued with the power of working them. “Gifts of healings,” that is, persons endued with an extraordinary power of healing diseases. “Helps,” or deacons, who assisted in ministering to the poor, and in holy things also, particularly in baptizing and distributing the Eucharist. “Governments,” the rulers of the church and spiritual guides. “Diversities of tongues,” or persons enabled to speak divers languages without the help of study. Burkitt, Dr. Whitby. We find the Apostle in this epistle blaming the Corinthians for some faults which they had committed, amongst which this is particularly mentioned, that they had not always made the best and most discreet use of spiritual and miraculous gifts: he directs them how to exercise these gifts: and he tells them that charity, that is, the love of our fellow-creatures, and a study to promote peace, happiness, and virtue amongst men, is a more excellent thing than any miraculous power whatsoever: which, by the way, is not the language of an enthusiast. In his next epistle, he commends the respect and obedience which they had paid to him; and to convince some of them still further that he deserved such regard, he reminds them of the miracles, which he had wrought amongst them: “I ought to have been commended of you,” &c. see 2 Cor. xii. 11, 12. Now if the Corinthians had no such supernatural gifts, and if St. Paul had never wrought any miracles amongst them, it is impossible to think that they would have retained any regard to him and to his doctrine. If we think so, we must suppose them to have been persons, who lived in a polite country, and had not the sense of savages; men, who had nothing of men besides the outward shape and resemblance; men, of a different kind from any that the world ever saw before or since: for the most enthusiastick sect would forsake their founder and teacher, if he should write them long and grave epistles, full of matters of fact, which they all knew to be false; appealing to miracles, which he had never wrought; and directing them to a discreet use of powers, which themselves never had. Dr. Jortin. If indeed the Apostle had told the Corinthians, that they were inspired by the Spirit of God in some ineffable manner, which they alone could understand, but which did not discover itself by any outward distinct operations, they might mistake the impulse of enthusiasm for the inspiration of the Holy Ghost: but they could not believe against the conviction of their own minds, that they spoke languages they did not speak, or healed distempers they did not heal, or worked other miracles when they worked none: undoubtedly if the Corinthiians were not fully assured, that such miraculous powers had been and were still exercised amongst them, they must have regarded the author of this Epistle as a wild and frantick visionary, instead of revering him as an Apostle of God. Lord Lyttelton.

1 Corinthians 12:29

29. Are all apostles? &c.] As if he had said, Thus do the several offices and gifts in the church belong to several persons, and not one to all; and each is to be content with his lot, and use it to the benefit of the church. Dr. Hammond.

1 Corinthians 12:31

31. But covet earnestly the best gifts: &c.] The Apostle concludes the chapter with this advice, that they