1 Corinthians 12:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,

NIV: to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,

NASB: to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,

CSB: to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit,

NLT: The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing.

KJV: To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

NKJV: to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,

Paul is listing some of the gifts the Holy Spirit delivers to believers. Not every believer is given every gift. Paul wrote in the previous verse that one is given the utterance of wisdom, while another is given the utterance—or "message"—of knowledge.

Now he adds that one might be given the gift of faith, while another gifts of healing. In all cases, Paul's emphasis is that these gifts are given by the same Holy Spirit of God. He is the source of each of them, and all the power behind them comes from God.

By definition, every born-again believer has faith in Christ and faith to believe God's Word. The spiritual gift of faith, as narrowly implied here, seems to involve the ability to trust God with a confidence or certainty that is beyond the ability of other Christians. Some scholars suggest this gift is tied to the rest of the gifts in this list, including the gifts of healing.

The gifts of healing provide the supernatural ability for the person who possesses the gift to restore health or even to hold off death. This is not to be confused with the ability to practice the medical arts or sciences. Those with the gift of healing are empowered by the Holy Spirit to heal a specific ailment supernaturally, often immediately.

First Corinthians 12:1–11 details Paul's specific teaching on what spiritual gifts are, who receives them, and why they are given. Every believer in Jesus is spiritual, because each Christian has God's Spirit with him or her. The Spirit gives one or more spiritual gifts to every believer for the common good, to be used in service to the church. Nobody acquires or earns their own gifts. The same Spirit gives them away, for free, as He sees fit, meaning that having one or the other gift does not make a Christian more important than another.

Apparently in response to further questions from Corinth, Paul describes what spiritual gifts are, who receives them, and what they are for. His emphasis is that particular spiritual gifts do not make believers spiritual. Every believer is spiritual because every Christian has God's Spirit with him or her. In addition, the Spirit gives one or more spiritual gifts to each believer to be used to serve the church. The church is like a body, in which every part is needed, and all the parts exist to serve one another. Every believer must discover how they are gifted by the Spirit and value the function they serve in Christ's body.

After tackling the issues of head coverings for women and the Lord's Supper in the previous chapter, Paul moves to the issue of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12. Paul insists that the display of spiritual gifts does not make one believer more spiritual or important than another. Every believer in Jesus has the Spirit, and the Spirit gives to every believer one or more spiritual gifts. The gifts are given for the common good, and the church is like a human body. Each gifted function in the church represents a body part, and all the parts are essential. This sets up a description of love, as defined from a Christian viewpoint, and famously recorded in chapter 13.

First Corinthians is one of the more practical books of the New Testament. Paul writes to a church immersed in a city associated with trade, but also with corruption and immorality. These believers are struggling to properly apply spiritual gifts and to resist the ungodly practices of the surrounding culture. Paul's letter gives instructions for real-life concerns such as marriage and spirituality. He also deals with the importance of unity and gives one of the Bible's more well-known descriptions of love in chapter 13.