The passage
      v1-3. Paul now addresses a new topic, namely, "spiritual gifts", although in the Greek text the word simply means "spiritual matters." It is likely that Paul has in mind "spiritual speaking" and therefore, "speaking in tongues." Paul says it is easy to distinguish the genuine from the imitation, since the genuine article gives recognition and praise to Jesus, while the Satanic form curses Jesus.
      v4-6. These verses present Paul's central point. There is not just one gift (tongues), but a variety of spiritual expression in the Christian life, all of which finds their origin in the one God. All these gifts should be widely diffused within the Christian church.
      v7. The point of v4-6 was that the unity of the Godhead works as one in the giving of a diversity of spiritual gifts to the individual members of the church. The point of this verse is that this variety of gifts, given to the individual, has a common end, namely, the good of the congregation (upbuilding, edification).
      v8. Paul now lists some of the variety of operations of the Spirit (along with the gift of tongues) that are given to individual Christians to enable them to serve the Lord for the upbuilding of the congregation ("the common good"). The first set of gifts are personal abilities that enable an understanding of the mind of Christ for the exercise of a Word ministry.
      v9-10. The next set of manifestations of the Spirit fall under the heading of "faith". Two demonstrative outworkings of the gift of faith are the ministries of "healing" and of "wonderful works". Then follows the gifts that Paul is primarily concerned with; the gifts of "prophecy" and "tongues". Prophecy is the ministry of powerfully proclaiming the word of God. Tongues is a similar ministry, although the content of the message is not easily understood because there is a lack of clarity in the language used, ie. it is a form of ecstatic prophecy. It is for this reason that there is an associated ministry of Interpretation. The gift of "The ability to distinguish between spirits", may be an ability to discern whether the words of the prophets and tongue speakers are of the Lord, or are of natural man, or are even demonic.
      v11. All these gifts come from the Spirit and He gives them as He wills. He gives variety, and apportions them within the sovereign will of God.
      v12. Thus, there is a variety of gifts given to the members of Christ's body, the church, yet the individuals so endowed make up one organic whole - unity through variety.

Many parts but one body
      The institutional church today has limited the Spirit's ministry of edification. Often our view of ministry smothers the variety of spiritual abilities that are available to individual members for the upbuilding of the congregation. This we do by institutionalizing spiritual abilities within the structure of ordained ministry. We often see the clergyman/pastor/priest as the possessor of all the gifts necessary for the growth of the people of God. In so doing we funnel the Spirit's ministry through the relative size of the minister's ecclesiastical collar and consequently, restrict the potential for growth.
      Recent studies, attempting to identify the factors that make for lively, effective congregations, have found that a "motivated and mobilized laity" is the mark of a successful church. Of course, that's the jargon of human dynamics, but none-the-less, pragmatic observations can be an aid to assessing the life of our church.
      The "funnel" phenomenon exists in many churches. Management decisions are initiated and controlled by a single person. Initiative is therefore, stifled, and the potential for the congregation to maximize its effectiveness is limited to the ability of the funnel's orifice.
      Yet, too often, when power is moved from the minister, it falls into the hands of a church committee, parish council, eldership, deacons... This usually turns out to be a worse scenario. We all know that the best committee is a committee of one. When power is centered with a group of lay-managers who determine and manage policy through a monthly debating society, then the life of a church is easily stifled.
      Our Lord's desire for his church is that we understand and apply the diversity of spiritual abilities found within the membership. It is the Spirit's task to give to individual members of the congregation abilities that can be used within the group to enable each individual to grow in their relationship with the Lord, to grow in fellowship one with another, and to reach out to God's broken world. We need to remember that from one God there is a diversity of gifts for the common good.
      Let us shape our church-life in such a way as to provide the maximum freedom for the exercise of ministry gifts.

v1
      peri + gen. "about" - concerning. "With respect to."
      twn pneumatikwn (oV) adj. "spiritual gifts" - spiritual, spiritual matters/people/things. The focus of chapters 12 through 14 is on tongue speaking. A proper translation would be something like "spiritual matters" or better still "spiritual speaking." "Spiritual gifts" is a poor translation and is not justified by the text. The passage actually uses the term "manifestation of the Spirit" as the technical descriptor for a spiritual ability that enables Christian ministry. The Gk. "spiritual matters" is difficult to translate, but there is little merit in translating it as "spiritual gifts". Tongue-speaking is at the center of Paul's discussion in these chapters, so, although most translations open with the words, "now concerning spiritual gifts", we would be better served with "now concerning speaking in the Spirit / speaking in tongues."
      agnoein (agnoew) pres. inf. "to be ignorant" - The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of "I don't want", "I want you to realize what the position really is", Barclay.

v2
      oJti "that" - that. Serving to introduce a clause in apposition to "you know"; "you know, namely that when we were pagans."
      wJV an + imperf. "somehow or other" - whenever [you were being led]. Most likely serving to indicate iterative (repeated) action by the two imperfect verbs, "influenced and led astray", so "constantly ....". "You were ever and again swept away to the worship of dumb idols", Barclay.
      hgesqe apagomenoi (agw apagw) imperf. pas. + imperf. pas. part. "you were influenced and led astray" - you were being led being carried away. Both imperfect passive verbs together probably describe a state of ecstasy. Paul notes that the Corinthians were once senselessly and unconsciously led by the nose to worship idols - things without power in themselves. There is a hint though that Satanic powers were at work in holding them to these mere material objects. Presumably Paul's point is that under this influence they had spoken in tongues, and now that they were Christians, and still exercising this gift, it is important that they be able to identify the genuine article. "Constantly carried off into the ecstasy of pagan religion."

v3
      en "by" - in. Probably instrumental as NIV, although locative is possible, "in the Spirit.
      anaqema (a) "cursed" - anathema. Although used sometimes of something reserved for a deity, here, as is its sense in the LXX, it is of something apart, opposed to the deity, an accursed thing, something doomed to destruction. A person in an ecstatic state (tongue speaking) cursing Jesus is not doing it under the influence of the Spirit. Paul implies that demonic powers can produce an ecstatic state similar to a believer speaking in tongues. "Will never curse Jesus", CEV.
      KurioV (oV) "Lord" - Lord as master, ruler, as an angelic being, but more likely here as divine. The common term for Jehovah used by the Jews was "Lord".

v4
      diaireseiV "different kinds" - differences, variety / distributions, allotments. BAGD opts for "apportion" or "distribute". Fee suggests "difference" or "variety", as NIV, while Barrett opts for "allotments." "Spiritual (possibly understood, but not in the text) gifts" are allotted by one and the same Spirit. All gifts have the same source. Note how Paul presents the concept of allotting gifts within a Trinitarian formula: spiritual endowments (gifts) from the Spirit; ministrations (service) from Jesus; powerful outworkings (power) from God (the Father). "There are different apportionings of gifts", Thiselton.
      carismatwn (a) "of gifts" - The genitive, as with v5, 6, is descriptive. Paul presumably intends, "spiritual gifts", CEV.
      auto pro. "[the] same [Spirit]" - he, she, it, same. Here meaning "same", that which is identical to something. Possibly with reference to origin, "but they all come from the same Spirit", CEV, but more likely with reference to the unity of the godhead as opposed to the diversity of the distributions of the "gifts".

v5
      diakoniwn (a) gen. "of service" - of ministry. There is a variety of different ministries (ie. ways of serving the Lord), but all derive from, and are apportioned by, the same Lord. "There are (different) distributions of service and (but?) the same Lord", Barrett.
      kai "but" - and. Paul changes the formula slightly from de, "but", to kai, "and." Most translators stay with "but".
      oJ kurioV (oV) "the [same] Lord" - Often referring to "the Lord God" (LXX), but also, as here, "the Lord Jesus."

v6
      energhmatwn (a) "working" - operations, performance. Of effort applied to accomplish something. There may be different accomplishments, but it is God working in us that achieves their end. "There are different apportionings of what activates effects", Thiselton.
      oJ energwn "works" - the one working. The participle is adjectival, modifying "God"; "it is the same God who achieves his purposes", Phillips.
      ta panta "all of them" - all things. "The whole of everything", Fee, here referring to the "different kinds of working", so "every kind of working."
      en pasin "in all men" - in all. The NIV is rather sexist. Possibly "in every case", but more likely "in all believers."

v7
      hJ fanerwsiV (iV ewV) "the manifestation" - manifestation, disclosure. An observable demonstration of the Spirit. We could use the word "gift" here, because that's what we understand a "gift" is - a physical manifestation of the Spirit enabling a believer to exercise a ministry within the Christian fellowship. We all know what "spiritual gifts" are, even though the term derives from a poor translation of 12:1. So, the term "manifestations of the Spirit", is best understood as, the operation (demonstrative activity) that manifests the Spirit, or spiritual abilities that show forth the Spirit, or just simply "spiritual gifts".
      didotai (didwmi) pres. pas. "is given" - Present tense indicating ongoing action (durative), while the passive indicating God as the agent (a divine passive).
      proV + acc. "for [the common good]" - to, toward [the bringing together]. The substantive participle is probably specific as NIV, "for common advantage", Thiselton, in the sense "to be used to help all believers", TH, but a more general sense is possible, "for some useful purpose", REB.

v8
      From v8 to 11 the Greek is one sentence.
      wJ/ pro. "to one" - "To one person."
      logoV sofiaV ... logoV gnwsewV "the message of wisdom ... the message of knowledge" - a word of wisdom ... a word of knowledge. The genitive, "of wisdom" and "of knowledge" may be either subjective, the communication of a wisdom/knowledge derived from God, or objective, the communication of a wisdom/knowledge about God. These are the first two "manifestations of the Spirit" listed by Paul. It is difficult to distinguish between these two "gifts", but Paul does seem to place the first on a higher plane. ie. The first is given "through/by" the Spirit, whereas the second is given "in accordance with" ("by means of", NIV). The gifts are probably a spiritual insight or comprehension of the mind of Christ. They are obviously gifts necessary to be able to exercise a ministry of the Word within the congregation. Possibly the first for prophecy and the second for teaching. Note that Bruce is honest enough to state that "Paul presumably intends some distinction between sophia and gnosis, but the distinction is not clear to us." "To one person is given the divine power to communicate mysteries and to another person the divine power to communicate knowledge."

v9
      pistiV (iV ewV) "faith" - This is not saving faith, but the faith that produces miracles and martyrs. The listed ministries that follow require such faith.
      iamatwn (a atoV) gen. "[the gifts] of healing" - of healings, cures. The word is plural and therefore, possibly refers to the healing of different classes of sickness, either miraculously or naturally. "Various kinds of healing", Thiselton.

v10
      energhmata dunamewn "miraculous powers" - workings of powers. Again plural. Commentators are divided on whether the genitive is subjective or objective, but objective does seem best. "Wonderful works" could possibly be the ability/power to exorcise demons, or more generally to work miracles; "the working of miracles", NJB.
      profhteia (a) "prophecy" - Presumably Paul has in mind the "prophecy" he refers to in chapter 14, that which is a counter to "tongues." Yet, even with all the information available in chapter 14 it is unclear whether Paul has in mind primary revelation, in which case many would argue that prophecy ceased with the publication of the New Testament, or secondary revelation in the terms of the exposition of scripture. He may even have in mind the Agabus style of prophecy, an immediate miraculous word addressing a specific situation.
      diakriseiV pneumatwn "distinguishing between spirits" - discerning, judging, discriminating, distinguishing spirits. "Distinguishing between spirits" is a phrase open to conjecture. It is usually taken to refer to a gift that enables a believer to distinguish between a "manifestation" of the Holy Spirit and that of an evil spirit. "Discernment of what is 'of the Spirit'", Thiselton.
      genh glwsswn "different kinds of tongues" - kinds of tongues. Often understood as different languages, but certainly ecstatic language utterances. How we would love Paul to explain what he means by "different kinds", different in what way? See above. "The gifts of different kinds of ecstatic speech", Barclay.
      ermhneia (a) "interpretation [of tongues]" - interpretation, translation, explanation. "Intelligible articulation of what is spoken in tongues", Thiselton.