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Spiritual Gifts

¹ With regard to spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. ² You know that when you were pagans you were often led astray by speechless idols, however you were led. ³ So I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

⁴ Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵ And there are different ministries, but the same Lord. ⁶ And there are different results, but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. ⁷ To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the benefit of all. ⁸ For one person is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, and another the message of knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another performance of miracles, to another prophecy, and to another discernment of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ It is one and the same Spirit, distributing as he decides to each person, who produces all these things.

Different Members in One Body

¹² For just as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body—though many—are one body, so too is Christ. ¹³ For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. Whether Jews or Greeks or slaves or free, we were all made to drink of the one Spirit. ¹⁴ For in fact the body is not a single member, but many. ¹⁵ If the foot says, "Since I am not a hand, I am not part of the body," it does not lose its membership in the body because of that. ¹⁶ And if the ear says, "Since I am not an eye, I am not part of the body," it does not lose its membership in the body because of that. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, what part would do the hearing? If the whole were an ear, what part would exercise the sense of smell? ¹⁸ But as a matter of fact, God has placed each of the members in the body just as he decided. ¹⁹ If they were all the same member, where would the body be? ²⁰ So now there are many members, but one body. ²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, "I do not need you," nor in turn can the head say to the foot, "I do not need you." ²² On the contrary, those members that seem to be weaker are essential, ²³ and those members we consider less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our unpresentable members are clothed with dignity, ²⁴ but our presentable members do not need this. Instead, God has blended together the body, giving greater honor to the lesser member, ²⁵ so that there may be no division in the body, but the members may have mutual concern for one another. ²⁶ If one member suffers, everyone suffers with it. If a member is honored, all rejoice with it.

²⁷ Now you are Christ's body, and each of you is a member of it. ²⁸ And God has placed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, gifts of healing, helps, gifts of leadership, different kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Not all are apostles, are they? Not all are prophets, are they? Not all are teachers, are they? Not all perform miracles, do they? ³⁰ Not all have gifts of healing, do they? Not all speak in tongues, do they? Not all interpret, do they? ³¹ But you should be eager for the greater gifts.

And now I will show you a way that is beyond comparison.