1 Corinthians 12:7

Manifestation of the Spirit. This may be understood either as a manifestation that the Spirit gives or as a manifestation that reveals the Holy Spirit in His true nature and operations. The meaning is not too different. The reference is to spiritual gifts, which were manifestations produced by the Spirit, and at the same time manifestations that revealed the character and work of the Spirit.

To every man. That is, every Christian. It appears that the gifts in the early church were widely if not universally distributed among the various members. However, the phrase “to every man” may simply mean, to every man to whom a special gift is given.

To profit withal. That is, for the common good or advantage of the church as a whole, though personal benefit is not excluded (see ch. 14:4, 12). The gifts are imparted according to the needs of the church in special situations. In the wisdom of God the church at Corinth received a liberal endowment of gifts (ch. 1:7). The supernatural manifestations confirmed the faith of the early believers, who had not the historical evidence of the power of Christianity that men possess today. Nor had they trained and experienced leadership or men skilled in the Word of God. Bibles, consisting of only the OT, were rare. To supply the lack and to meet the need, supernatural gifts were liberally bestowed.