1ABOUT GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT, there are some things of which I do not wish you to remain ignorant.
2You know how, in the days when you were still pagan, you were swept off to those dumb heathen gods, however you happened to be led. 3For this reason I must impress upon you that no one who says 'A curse on Jesus!' can be speaking under the influence of the Spirit of God. And no one can say 'Jesus is Lord!' except under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
4There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5There are varieties of service, but the same Lord. 6There are many forms of work, but all of them, in all men, are the work of the same God. 7In each of us the Spirit is manifested in one particular way, for some useful purpose. 8One man, through the Spirit, has the gift of wise speech, while another, by the power of the same Spirit, can put the deepest knowledge into words. 9Another, by the same Spirit, is granted faith; another, by the one Spirit, gifts of healing, 10and another miraculous powers; another has the gift of prophecy, and another ability to distinguish true spirits from false; yet another has the gift of ecstatic utterance of different kinds, and another the ability to interpret it. 11But all these gifts are the work of one and the same Spirit, distributing them separately to each individual at will.
12For Christ is like a single body with its many limbs and organs, which, many as they are, together make up one body. 13For indeed we were all brought into one body by baptism, in the one Spirit, whether we are Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free men, and that one Holy Spirit was poured out for all of us to drink.
14A body is not one single organ, but many. 15Suppose the foot should say, 'Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body', it does belong to the body none the less. 16Suppose the ear were to say, 'Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body', it does still belong to the body. 17If the body were all eye, how could it hear? If the body were all ear, how could it is smell? 18But, in fact. God appointed each limb and organ to its own place in the body, as he chose. 19If the whole were one single organ, there would not be a body at all; 20in fact, however, there are many different organs, but one body. 21The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I do not need you'; nor the head to the feet, 'I do not need you.' 22Quite the contrary: those organs of the body which seem to be more frail than others are indispensable, 23and those parts of the body which we regard as less honourable are treated with special honour. To our unseemly parts is given a more than ordinary seemliness, 24whereas our seemly parts need no adorning. But God has combined the various pans of the body, giving special honour to the humbler parts, 25so that there might be no sense of division in the body, but that all its organs might feel the same concern for one another. If one organ suffers, they all suffer together. 26If one flourishes, they all rejoice together.
27Now you are Christ's body, and each of you a limb or organ of it. 28Within our community God has appointed, in the first place apostles, in the second place prophets, thirdly teachers; then miracle-workers, then those who have gifts of healing, or ability to help others or power to guide them, or the gift of ecstatic utterance of various kinds. 29Are all apostles? all prophets? all teachers? Do all work miracles?
And now I will show you the best way of all.
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