John Calvin 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. The symmetry of the Church consists, so to speak, of a manifold unity; that is, when the variety of gifts is directed to the same object, as in music there are different sounds, but suited to each other with such an adaptation as to produce concord.

Therefore, it is fitting that there should be a distinction of gifts as well as of offices, and yet all harmonize in one. Paul, accordingly, in Romans 12, commends this variety, so that no one, by rashly intruding into another’s place, may confound the distinction which the Lord has established.

Therefore, he orders everyone to be content with his own gifts and cultivate the particular department that has been assigned to him. He prohibits them from going beyond their own limits by a foolish ambition. Finally, he exhorts everyone to consider how much has been given to him, what measure has been allotted to him, and to what he has been called.

Here, on the other hand, he orders everyone to bring what he has to the common store, and not keep back the gifts of God by everyone enjoying his own separately from the others, but to aim unitedly at the common edification of all. In both passages, he brings forward the similitude of the human body, but, as may be observed, for different reasons.

The sum of what he states amounts to this: gifts are not distributed so variously among believers so that they may be used separately, but that in the division there is a unity, since one Spirit is the source of all these gifts, one God is the Lord of all administrations, and the author of all exercises of power. Now God, who is the beginning, should also be the end.

One Spirit. This passage should be carefully observed in opposition to fanatics, who think that the name Spirit means nothing essential, but merely the gifts or actions of divine power. Here, however, Paul plainly testifies that there is one essential power of God, from which all His works proceed. The term Spirit, it is true, is sometimes transferred by metonymy to the gifts themselves. Thus, we read of the Spirit of knowledge, of judgment, of fortitude, of modesty. Paul, however, here plainly testifies that judgment, knowledge, gentleness, and all other gifts, proceed from one source. For it is the office of the Holy Spirit to manifest and exercise the power of God by conferring these gifts upon people and distributing them among them.

One Lord. The ancients used this testimony in opposition to the Arians to maintain a Trinity of persons. For mention is made here of the Spirit, secondly of the Lord, and lastly of God; and to these Three, one and the same operation is ascribed. Thus, by the name Lord, they understood Christ. But for my part, though I have no objection to it being understood in this way, I perceive, at the same time, that it is a weak argument for silencing the Arians. For there is a correspondence between the word administrations and the word Lord. The administrations, says Paul, are different, but there is only one God whom we must serve, whatever administration we discharge. This antithesis, then, shows what is the simple meaning, so that to confine it to Christ is rather forced.