Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
Parallel translations
- WEB But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the profit of all.
- KJV But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
- NKJV But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
- NASB But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
- NLT A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The Spirit's manifestation is given to each believer for the common good. Gifts are meant to benefit the whole body, not exalt the individual.
Overview
Paul states the governing principle of spiritual gifts: each believer receives some manifestation of the Spirit, and its purpose is the profit of all. Gifts are not private possessions for self-display but tools for serving the community. This corrects the Corinthians' self-centered use of gifts and orients them toward love and the building up of the church.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- 1 Pet 4:10–11As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another.
- Rom 12:6–8We have different gifts according to the grace given us. If one’s gift is prophecy, let him use it in proportion to his faith;
- 1 Cor 14:19But in the church, I would rather speak five coherent words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.
- 1 Cor 14:12It is the same with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, strive to excel in gifts that build up the church.
- 1 Cor 14:17You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other one is not edified.
- 1 Cor 14:22–26Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers.
- Eph 4:7–12Now to each one of us grace has been given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
- 1 Cor 14:5I wish that all of you could speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets so that the church may be edified.
- Matt 25:14–30For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions.
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Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 12:7 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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