Spiritual Gifts
1 Now, dear brothers and sisters,[a] regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you to misunderstand this. 2 You know that when you were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols. 3 So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. 5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.
7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice[b]; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.[c] 9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages,[d] while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
One Body with Many Parts
12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles,[e] some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.[f]
14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?
18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 28 Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church:
first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, those who speak in unknown languages.
29 Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? 30 Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not! 31 So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.
But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.
Footnotes:
a. 1 Corinthians 12:1 Greek brothers.
b. 1 Corinthians 12:8 Or gives a word of wisdom.
c. 1 Corinthians 12:8 Or gives a word of knowledge.
d. 1 Corinthians 12:10 Or in various tongues; also in 12:28, 30.
e. 1 Corinthians 12:13 Greek some are Greeks.
f. 1 Corinthians 12:13 Greek we were all given one Spirit to drink.
3 comments:
Morning Fellas,
My pastor had a sermon on this chapter a couple of months ago, so it is refreshing to read it again. The message that I received from the sermon was that no one person has all the spiritual gifts from God but that we are given at least one. And all the gifts are the same in the Lord's eyes although we may think differently and desire another.
Lord, help me to become a healthy part of the body of christ.
Amen, LT
1 Cor 12
Read it, not much to post, except that it strengthens my desire to love those who are different from me more and to love those who are in need more.
Father, help me to be as loving as possible, to love those who irritate, frustrate and annoy me sometimes, to love those who haven't been blessed with such an incredible family, to love those who are suffering in this world because there's not enough love, to love those who I can't understand or empathize with, to love those who have everything and those who have nothing. Help me to love as Jesus loved, the entire world, without reservation, but with true adoration of everyone.
In Jesus' name
Amen
crb
I Cor 12
Hi guys,
I am always encouraged by this verse to be unique and follow god's calling in my life. Often legalism and personal opinion in the church want us to conform. That is somethign I am not good at. I need to be certain I am following God's will, and not my own ideas. But, I also am glad I am free to follow God's will and not the ideas of men....whatever that means.
I was also encouraged to read all your bios, as I see that you are each called uniquely out into the world to places I could not go. Now all we have to do is be imitators of Christ. cas and I are in a small group reading a book by Joel Stowell and this week we read a chapter on what this means. And it isn't just being a "successful" businessman. It is imiatating the character of Christ in the workplace. That is why we are all created uniquely.
Lord, Thank you for my unique set of talents. Help me to glorify you with these so transparently that others see you in my work and the way I treat others. Help me to take seriously my responsibility to bring you to my unique circle of influence. May that circle grow in accordance with my ablity to be a good steward of it.
In Christ's name, jmb
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