1 Corinthians 12 - Introduction

1 Corinthians 12. Diversities of Gifts but the Same Spirit. The question of spiritual gifts had apparently been raised in the church letter. The tendency at Corinth was to estimate gifts by their showy rather than their solid character. Paul reverses the scale of values, and argues that the true criterion is edification rather than display. He is also concerned to plead for differentiation of function as necessary for the body's health, and to protect from disparagement the lowliest member, the most commonplace function, as, equally with the highest, indispensable to the welfare of the whole. But in his crowning utterance he urges that all gifts are worthless apart from love.