Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Corinthians 12:4

"Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit." — 1 Corinthians 12:4 (ASV)

Now there are diversities of gifts. There are different endowments conferred on Christians. For the meaning of the word "gifts," see the comments on Romans 1:11.

Compare Romans 5:15-16; Romans 6:23; Romans 11:29; Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 1:7; 1 Corinthians 7:7.

But the same Spirit. This means they are produced by the same Spirit—the Holy Ghost. The apostle enumerates what these diverse gifts are in 1 Corinthians 12:8–11.

His purpose in referring to these various endowments is clearly to show those he addressed that because these gifts are all produced by the same Holy Spirit, all have the same divine origin, and are all intended to fulfill an important purpose and end in the Christian church, none are to be despised. Furthermore, no one should consider themselves authorized to treat another with contempt.

The Spirit has divided and conferred these gifts according to his sovereign will. His arrangements should be regarded with submission, and the favors he confers should be received with thankfulness.

That the Holy Spirit—the Third Person of the adorable Trinity—is intended here by the word "Spirit" seems clear from the passage itself. This has been the accepted interpretation of the church until it was questioned by some recent German commentators, chief among whom was Eichhorn.

It is not the purpose of these Notes to delve into an examination of critical questions that such an inquiry would involve, nor is it necessary. Some of the arguments defending the common interpretation are as follows:

1. It is the obvious interpretation. It is the one that occurs to most readers as the true and correct exposition.
2. It aligns with the usual meaning of the word "Spirit." No other understandable meaning can be given to the word here. To say, with Eichhorn, that it means "nature"—that there are the same natural endowments, though cultivated to various degrees by art and education—is clearly nonsensical and contrary to the entire structure and scope of the passage.
3. It aligns with all the other statements in the New Testament where the endowments mentioned here—"wisdom," "knowledge," "faith," "working of miracles," etc.—are traced to the Holy Spirit and regarded as his gift.
4. The harmony and skillful coherence of the passage are destroyed by supposing that it refers to anything other than the Holy Spirit. In this verse, the agency of the Spirit is recognized, and his operations on the mind are mentioned. In the next verse (see the comments on 1 Corinthians 12:4), the agency of the Son of God is mentioned. In the following verse, the agency of God—evidently the Father—is brought into view. Thus, the entire passage (1 Corinthians 12:4–6) presents a connected view of the operations performed by the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost in the work of redemption. To deny that this verse refers to the Holy Spirit is to disrupt the harmony of the whole passage and render it largely meaningless. But if this verse does refer to the Holy Spirit, then it is an unanswerable argument for his personality and for his being equal with the Father and the Son.