1 Corinthians · Bible in Basic English
1 Corinthians 12 Bible in Basic English
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 But about the things of the spirit, my brothers, it is not right for you to be without teaching.
1 Now concerning spiritual things, brothers, I don’t want you to be ignorant.
2 You are conscious that when you were Gentiles, in whatever way you were guided, you went after images without voice or power.
2 You know that when you were heathen, you were led away to those mute idols, however you might be led.
3 So it is my desire for you to be clear about this; that no one is able to say by the Spirit of God that Jesus is cursed; and no one is able to say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Spirit.
3 Therefore I make known to you that no man speaking by God’s Spirit says, “Jesus is accursed.” No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” but by the Holy Spirit.
4 Now there are different qualities given to men, but the same Spirit.
4 Now there are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 And there are different sorts of servants, but the same Lord.
5 There are various kinds of service, and the same Lord.
6 And there are different operations, but the same God, who is working all things in all.
6 There are various kinds of workings, but the same God who works all things in all.
7 But to every man some form of the Spirit's working is given for the common good.
7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the profit of all.
8 For to one are given words of wisdom through the Spirit; and to another words of knowledge through the same Spirit:
8 For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit,
9 To another faith in the same Spirit; and to another the power of taking away disease, by the one Spirit;
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
10 And to another the power of working wonders; and to another the prophet's word; and to another the power of testing spirits; to another different sorts of tongues; and to another the power of making clear the sense of the tongues:
10 and to another workings of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of languages, and to another the interpretation of languages.
11 But all these are the operations of the one and the same Spirit, giving to every man separately as his pleasure is.
11 But the one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing to each one separately as he desires.
12 For as the body is one, and has a number of parts, and all the parts make one body, so is Christ.
12 For as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ.
13 For through the baptism of the one Spirit we were all formed into one body, Jews or Greeks, servants or free men, and were all made full of the same Spirit.
13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all given to drink into one Spirit.
14 For the body is not one part, but a number of parts.
14 For the body is not one member, but many.
15 If the foot says, Because I am not the hand, I am not a part of the body; it is no less a part of the body.
15 If the foot would say, “Because I’m not the hand, I’m not part of the body,” it is not therefore not part of the body.
16 And if the ear says, Because I am not the eye, I am not a part of the body; it is a part of the body all the same.
16 If the ear would say, “Because I’m not the eye, I’m not part of the body,” it’s not therefore not part of the body.
17 If all the body was an eye, where would be the hearing? if all was hearing, where would be the smelling?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the smelling be?
18 But now God has put every one of the parts in the body as it was pleasing to him.
18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body, just as he desired.
19 And if they were all one part, where would the body be?
19 If they were all one member, where would the body be?
20 But now they are all different parts, but one body.
20 But now they are many members, but one body.
21 And the eye may not say to the hand, I have no need of you: or again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
21 The eye can’t tell the hand, “I have no need for you,” or again the head to the feet, “I have no need for you.”
22 No, those parts which seem to be feeble are the more necessary;
22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.
23 And to those parts of the body which seem to have less honour we give all the more honour; and to those parts of the body which are a cause of shame to us we give the greater respect;
23 Those parts of the body which we think to be less honorable, on those we bestow more abundant honor; and our unpresentable parts have more abundant modesty,
24 But those parts of the body which are beautiful have no need of such care: and so the body has been joined together by God in such a way as to give more honour to those parts which had need of it;
24 while our presentable parts have no such need. But God composed the body together, giving more abundant honor to the inferior part,
25 So that there might be no division in the body; but all the parts might have the same care for one another.
25 that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.
26 And if there is pain in one part of the body, all the parts will be feeling it; or if one part is honoured, all the parts will be glad.
26 When one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. When one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and every one of you the separate parts of it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
28 And God has put some in the church, first, Apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers; then those with wonder-working powers, then those with the power of taking away disease, helpers, wise guides, users of strange tongues.
28 God has set some in the assembly: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracle workers, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, and various kinds of languages.
29 Are all Apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? have all the power of working wonders?
29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all miracle workers?
30 Are all able to take away disease? have all the power of tongues? are all able to give their sense?
30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with various languages? Do all interpret?
31 But let your desires be turned to the more important things given by the Spirit. And now I am pointing out to you an even better way.
31 But earnestly desire the best gifts. Moreover, I show a most excellent way to you.
Cross references (30)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 1 Corinthians 12:4–11; Ephesians 4:11; 1 Corinthians 14:1–18; 1 Corinthians 14:37
- 2 1 Peter 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 1:9; Psalm 115:5; Galatians 4:8; Ephesians 2:11–12
- 3 1 John 4:2–3; Matthew 16:16–17; Romans 10:9; 2 Corinthians 3:5; John 13:13
- 4 1 Peter 4:10; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Romans 12:4–6; Hebrews 2:4; 1 Corinthians 12:8–11
- 5 Ephesians 4:11–12; Romans 14:8–9; Romans 12:6–8; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Matthew 23:10
- 6 1 Corinthians 3:7; John 5:17; 1 Corinthians 12:11; Hebrews 13:21; Ephesians 4:6
- 7 1 Peter 4:10–11; Romans 12:6–8; 1 Corinthians 14:19; 1 Corinthians 14:12; 1 Corinthians 14:17
- 8 Proverbs 2:6; 1 Corinthians 2:6–10; Ephesians 1:17–18; 2 Corinthians 8:7; Psalm 143:10
- 9 James 5:14–15; Ephesians 2:8; 2 Corinthians 4:13; Hebrews 11:33; Matthew 17:19–20
- 10 1 Corinthians 14:39; 1 John 4:1; Mark 16:17; 1 Corinthians 12:28–30; Joel 2:28
- 11 Hebrews 2:4; 1 Corinthians 12:4; 2 Corinthians 10:13; 1 Corinthians 12:6; Ephesians 4:7
- 12 Romans 12:4–5; Colossians 3:15; 1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 4:15–16; Colossians 2:19
- 13 Ephesians 4:5; Colossians 3:11; Galatians 3:28; John 7:37–39; Romans 6:3–6
- 14 1 Corinthians 12:27–28; 1 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 4:25; 1 Corinthians 12:19
- 15 Judges 9:8–15; 2 Kings 14:9
- 16 Romans 12:3; Philippians 2:3; 1 Corinthians 12:22; Romans 12:10
- 17 Psalm 139:13–16; Psalm 94:9; Proverbs 20:12; 1 Corinthians 12:21; 1 Corinthians 12:29
- 18 1 Corinthians 12:28; Romans 12:3; 1 Corinthians 12:11; 1 Corinthians 3:5; Luke 12:32
- 20 1 Corinthians 12:14; 1 Corinthians 12:12
- 21 Nehemiah 4:16–21; Ezra 10:1–5; Job 29:11
- 22 Proverbs 14:28; Ecclesiastes 9:14–15; Ecclesiastes 4:9–12; Ecclesiastes 5:9; 2 Corinthians 1:11
- 23 Genesis 3:21
- 24 Genesis 3:11; Genesis 2:25
- 25 2 Corinthians 13:11; 1 Corinthians 1:10–12; John 17:21–26; 2 Corinthians 8:16; 2 Corinthians 7:12
- 26 Romans 12:15; Galatians 6:2; Hebrews 13:3; 1 Peter 3:8
- 27 Ephesians 4:12; Ephesians 5:30; Romans 12:5; Colossians 1:24; 1 Corinthians 12:12
- 28 Ephesians 4:11–13; Romans 12:6–8; 1 Corinthians 12:18; 1 Corinthians 12:7–11; 1 Timothy 5:17
- 29 1 Corinthians 12:4–11; 1 Corinthians 12:14–20
- 30 1 Corinthians 12:10
- 31 1 Corinthians 13:1–14:1; 1 Corinthians 14:39; Philippians 3:8; Matthew 5:6; 1 Corinthians 8:1
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
This whole place is very obscure: but the obscurity is produced by our ignorance of the facts referred to and by their cessation, being such as then used to occur but now no longer take place. And why do they not happen now?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 12 (1889)
Let us take our body for an example. The head is nothing without the feet, and the feet are nothing without the head; yea, the very smallest members of our body are necessary and useful to the whole body.
For although the Spirit of the Saviour that is in Him "searcheth all things, even the deep things of God," yet as to us "there are diversities of gifts, differences of administrations, and diversities of operations;" and we, while upon the earth, as Paul also declares, "know in part, and prophesy in part." Since, therefore, we know but in part, …
But I am not such a one, "for I am a sinful man." Yet do I also magnify Thy name; and He who hath "overcome the world" maketh intercession to Thee for my sins, accounting me among the "feeble members" of His body, because Thine eyes saw that of him which was imperfect; and in Thy book all shall be …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)
"But covet earnestly," saith he, "the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way." And when he was to declare this "way," he spoke not of raising the dead, not of cleansing of lepers, not of any other such thing; but in place of all these he set charity.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)