1 Corinthians 12:13

NIV translation Alternate translation
For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. For we were all immersed in one Spirit unto one body- whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all irrigated unto one Spirit.

I created an alternate translation because:

  1. Standard translations do not fit the verse's spiritual gifts context very well, and I wanted to be sure no other viable interpretations existed.

  2. "Immersed" or "dipped" is the proper English translation of the Greek word baptiso. Baptized is a transliteration from Greek, and there is no reason why this word should be transliterated rather than translated. I found a reference to baptiso having been used in an ancient pickle recipe. Vegetables do not undergo religious rituals. They are simply immersed in a pickling solution.

  3. Eis should be translated "unto" or "for" as in pointing to, signifying, or something like it and not "into" due to its use in two corresponding passages: Matthew 3:11, "I indeed baptize you in water unto (eis) repentance," and 1 Corinthians 10:2-4, "And were all baptized unto (eis) Moses in the cloud and in the sea...." Baptism in water does not cause repentance. Baptism in water is an action or sign that points to the fact a person has already repented. Repentance occurs before baptism. In the same way, the Hebrew people do not trek through the desert towards the Promised Land, the literal meaning of being baptized in the cloud and in the sea, to become a part of Moses and God's agenda. God has already chosen the Hebrew people as His special nation with Moses as their leader. Their desert journey evidences or points to Moses and God's plan. Using the same logic in 1 Corinthians 12:13, baptism in the Spirit does not cause inclusion in a body. Membership in the body occurs before this baptism. All early Christians being baptized in the Spirit is a sign of the unity of the one body.

  4. It is impossible to immerse or baptize entity x into entity y causing x to become a functioning part of y. Immerse means to cover completely in a liquid. Dip means to plunge briefly into a liquid in order to wet, coat, or saturate. The traditional evangelical idea of immersion as an act of joining makes no sense in the physical world. This immersion could be symbolic but symbolic of what? A metaphorical description of a Holy Spirit act or any biblical act cannot stand on its own without biblical confirmation. Plus, any evidence must explain why Paul uses the term "immerse" as a metaphor for this alleged joining action. I can logically explain Paul's symbolic use of immerse in 1 Corinthians 10:2 as a metaphor for the Hebrews' desert trek experience because of their miraculous Red Sea crossing (water) and God leading them in the form of a cloud (vapor/Holy Spirit). A person can be physically immersed or dipped into water, vapor, or the Holy Spirit. I expect nothing less of a reasonable explanation of any alleged symbolic use of the term "immerse" in 1 Corinthians 12:13; a mere two chapters away. Unlike 1 Corinthians 12:13, I can accept the metaphorical use of immerse in 1 Corinthians 10:2 because I have the book of Exodus detailing the desert journey events that Paul symbolizes in 1 Corinthians.

  5. "Immersed in" one Spirit matches the other six baptiso en New Testament occurrences: Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33, Acts 1:5, and Acts 11:16.

  6. "Irrigated" or "watered" is a better translation of potizo than "were given to drink" since irrigated or watered follows logically from immersion. Paul sets up an agricultural metaphor of the church as a field in 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 and is likely extending his metaphor here. If you immerse a porous substance like soil into a liquid, the liquid will fill the soil, irrigating it. Paul creates a parallelism in the second part of the verse to emphasize his major point, unity.