1 Corinthians 12:7-10

Third principle: ‘All spiritual gifts are imparted for the common benefit of the body of Christ.'

Ver. 7. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit whatever may be his special gift to profit withal for the common good.

Ver. 8. For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom; and to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit. The former of these (according to New Testament usage, including that of our apostle), appears to mean the ability to open up Divine truth in its deeper principles; the latter, the aptitude to apply it to the affairs of life (see Colossians 2:3).

Ver. 9. to another faith in (or ‘by') the same Spirit not the faith which saves, for that is common to all Christians, and is the root of every Christian grace, but that faith which “removes mountains” (1 Corinthians 13:2; Matthew 17:20); that faith which, in the confident assurance that the effect would follow, had but to give the word of command, and be straightway obeyed and to another gifts of healings in (or ‘by') the one Spirit healings in various forms (Mark 16:18; James 5:14).

and to another... prophecy uttering by inspiration the mind of God about things past, present, or future; and to another discernings of spirits the gift of laying bare the secrets of others' hearts (Acts 5:3; Acts 5:9); but here, perhaps, meaning the gift of penetrating to the heart and mind of persons professing to speak by inspiration, and discovering whether they were actuated by the Spirit of God, or by an evil spirit, or by their own inflated spirit (1Co 14:29; 1 Timothy 4:1; 1 John 4:1; 1 Kings 22:19-25).

to another divers kinds of tongues real languages, unknown to themselves (Acts 2:4; Acts 2:7-8); and to another the interpretation of tongues the power of interpreting to the audience that unknown tongue.

Note. Three distinct kinds of gifts are here enumerated embracing probably all the supernatural endowments of the primitive Church, though not professedly with that view. And though the attempts that have been made to show that there is here a systematic arrangement of these gifts seem quite forced, there are some features common to them all, and some which are peculiar to one or two of them. They all suppose utterance in the gifted, directly or indirectly. “Wisdom” and “knowledge,” though in their own nature internal, behoved as gifts intended for edification to find utterance; and so they are termed “the word of wisdom,” and “the word of knowledge.” The “faith” meant here gives the word of command. As for “healings” and “workings of miracles,” they were exercised in the way of something spoken to the objects of them. Then “prophecy,” “tongues,” and “interpretation of tongues,” were of course uttered; while “discernings of spirits” came forth in audible expression (Acts 5:3; Acts 5:9).

Note further, that spiritual edification was the direct object of three of those gifts “wisdom,” “knowledge,” and “prophecy; ” that other three were designed to attest the presence of God with the gifted person, or the Divine authority of His message “faith,” “healings,” and “workings of miracles.” As for “tongues, and” interpretation of tongues,” they had a somewhat analogous object; while “discernings of spirits” was a sort of crowning gift. But all were Divine in their source, as is now to be emphatically repeated.