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“To another the working of miracles…” (1 Corinthians 12:10, ESV).
As a believer, can you estimate how many times you have read 1 Corinthians 12?
If you’ve been a Christian for years, I would estimate dozens of times. This is especially true if you believe the gifts of the Spirit are active today, as this chapter is a go-to for understanding how the Holy Spirit moves.
But did you skip right over 1 Corinthians 12:10 without noticing it might just be the most powerful verse in the Bible?
Let’s look at the original Greek. Paul uses the word “energema” for “working,” from which we get the English word “energy.” He uses the word “miracles” for “dunamis,” the root of our English word “dynamite.”
Do you see it? Paul is telling us there is a spiritual gift that literally translates to “dynamite energy”.
Can there be a more explosively descriptive phrase (or verse) in the entire Bible? Yet, this gift of “dynamite energy” is mentioned almost inconspicuously in a list alongside knowledge, faith, healing, prophecy, discernment, and tongues.
Perhaps it isn’t completely inconspicuous, though. While every spiritual gift listed in this passage requires divine empowerment, the specific gift of the working of miracles extravagantly highlights this raw, supernatural power.
This theme ties into what Paul later writes to the church in Ephesus:
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21).
How many times have you read that verse and missed the profound linguistic bridge connecting it back to the gifts of the Spirit? Let’s put them side by side to see how the Greek words align:
- 1 Corinthians 12:10: To another the working (energema / energy) of miracles (dunamis / dynamite).
- Ephesians 3:20: Now to him who is able (dynamai / dynamite power) to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power (dunamis / dynamite) at work (energoumenen / energy) within us.
Jesus can move in dynamite power because His Spirit is actively working inside us!
Once you are on this scriptural connection path, it naturally leads you to John 14:12, where Jesus makes a startling promise: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.” Jesus uses the word “ergon” for “works”—meaning “a completed deed, action, or visible fruit.”
When we summarize these three passages, a sequential blueprint emerges:
- John 14:12 establishes the promise of the supernatural works (erga) believers will accomplish.
- 1 Corinthians 12:10 provides the mechanics of how the Spirit distributes the dynamite energy (energema and dunamis) to fulfill that promise.
- Ephesians 3:20 brings the glory back to Jesus, reminding us that this explosive power originates from Him and operates within us so we can confidently anticipate God moving.
While the Holy Spirit reserves the distinct, ongoing gift of miracles for specific individuals, He can use any believer at a moment’s notice. Sooner or later, God may step into your ordinary day and use you to pray or act in a way that leaves everyone observing completely astonished.
The next time you face an impossible situation, remember the dynamite energy dwelling inside you, step out in faith, and let the Father do His work.
Praise be to God! And also remember 1 Corinthians 12:10, the most powerful verse in the Bible!
Question:
Have you ever experienced a moment where God unexpectedly used you to speak, pray, or act in a way that left people astonished? I’d love to hear your story.