Passage Research
1 Corinthians 12 — Sermon Preparation
Paul describes the variety of spiritual gifts distributed by one Spirit and explains the church as a single body with many interdependent members. Below is a research summary for 1 Corinthians 12, drawn from openly licensed scholarly databases — original-language morphology, classic sermons from the church fathers through the Puritans, and ancient geography data.
- 31
- verses
- 465 / 144
- Greek words / lemmas
- 24
- classic sermon excerpts
- 8
- preachers & commentators
1 Corinthians 12 in the Greek
Distinctive vocabulary of this chapter, based on original-language morphology.
| Greek | Transliteration | Strong's | Count | KJV renderings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| σῶμα | sōma | G4983 | 18 | bodily, body, slave |
| μέλος | mélos | G3196 | 13 | member |
| εἷς | heîs | G1520 | 12 | a, abundantly, man, one |
| πνεῦμα | pneûma | G4151 | 12 | ghost, life, spirit, mind |
| χάρισμα | chárisma | G5486 | 5 | gift |
| διαίρεσις | diaíresis | G1243 | 3 | difference, diversity |
| ἴαμα | íama | G2386 | 3 | healing |
How preachers through history handled this text
24 public-domain excerpts on 1 Corinthians 12, from the church fathers to the Puritans.
“Christ and his church form one body, as Head and members. Christians become members of this body by baptism. The outward rite is of Divine institution; it is a sign of the new birth, and is called therefore the washing of regeneration, Tit 3:5. But it is by the Spirit, only by the renewing of the Holy Ghost, that we are made members of Christ's body. And by communion with Christ at the Lord's supper, we are strengthened, not by drinking the wine, but by drinking into one Spirit. Each member has its form, place, and use. …”
— Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible (Concise), on 1 Corinthians 12:12–26 (Public Domain)
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