John Calvin Commentary 1 Corinthians 12:1

"Now concerning spiritual [gifts], brethren, I would not have you ignorant." — 1 Corinthians 12:1 (ASV)

Now concerning spiritual things. He goes on to correct another fault. As the Corinthians abused the gifts of God for ostentation and show, and love was little, if at all, regarded, he shows them for what purpose believers are adorned by God with spiritual gifts—for the edification of their fellow believers.

This proposition, however, he divides into two parts. For, in the first place, he teaches that God is the author of those gifts; and, secondly, having established this, he reasons about their design. He proves from their own experience that those things in which they gloried are bestowed upon them through the exercise of God’s favor, for he reminds them how ignorant, stupid, and destitute of all spiritual light they were before God called them. Thus, it appears that they had been provided with them—not by nature, but through God’s unmerited kindness.

Regarding the words, when he says, I do not want you to be ignorant, we must supply the expression: as to what is right, or as to what is your duty, or some similar expression. By spiritual things he means spiritual gifts, as we will have occasion to see later. In what follows, there are two variant readings, for some manuscripts simply have ὅτι, while others add ὅτε. The former means because—assigning a reason; the latter means when, and this latter reading suits the context much better. But besides this variation, the construction is otherwise confused; yet, the meaning is still evident. Literally, it is this: You know that when you were Gentiles, after dumb idols, just as you were led, following. I have, however, faithfully given Paul’s meaning. By dumb idols he means: having neither feeling nor motion.

Let us learn from this passage how great the blindness of the human mind is when it is without the illumination of the Holy Spirit, since it stands in amazement before dumb idols and cannot rise higher in searching for God; furthermore, it is led by Satan as if it were a beast. He uses the term Gentiles here in the same sense as in Ephesians 2:12.

You were at one time Gentiles, he says, without God,
strangers to the hope of salvation, etc.

Perhaps, too, he reasons by way of contrast. What if they should now show themselves less submissive to God, after he took them under his care to be governed by his word and Spirit, than they formerly showed themselves to be eager and compliant in following the suggestions of Satan!