Corinthians 1 Corinthians: Chapter 12 Summary

99 Problems, But A Gift Ain't One

  • Paul moves on to discuss gifts. No, you're not getting a new iPad. He's talking about spiritual gifts from God.
  • For example: how do we know the difference between people who are spiritually gifted and people who are just off their rockers?
  • Well, Paul says, as long as they're not cursing Jesus, they're good. It's a pretty low bar, but we're with him so far.
  • There are all kinds of different gifts people can have, but they all come from God. What are some of the gifts Paul recognizes? We're glad you asked:
  • Wisdom
  • Knowledge
  • Faith
  • Healing
  • Working miracles
  • Prophecy
  • Discerning spirits
  • Speaking in tongues
  • Interpretation of tongues

Rock That Body

  • Different people have different gifts, but this is just like a human body. Oh, time for Anatomy 101.
  • All the parts—eyes, ears, feet, hands—need to work together so the body can function. You can't have a foot going off on its own or the whole thing falls apart.
  • All Christians make up the body of Christ and every single part is important for keeping this body healthy. Hear that, Corinthians?
  • You're all in this together.
  • Paul even says that sometimes the puniest, weakest parts of the body turn out to be the most important. Like fingernails? Or toes?
  • So to recap: we're all very special little snowflakes.
  • If everyone could make miracles or everyone spoke in tongues things would be a huge mess. Everyone's gifts are needed to make things awesome.