What are spiritual gifts, and how do they work?

¹Now concerning spiritual things, brothers, I don’t want you to be ignorant.

²You know that when you were heathen, you were led away to those mute idols, however you might be led.

³Therefore I make known to you that no man speaking by God’s Spirit says, “Jesus is accursed.” No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” but by the Holy Spirit.

⁴Now there are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.

⁵There are various kinds of service, and the same Lord.

⁶There are various kinds of workings, but the same God, who works all things in all.

⁷But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the profit of all.

⁸For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit;

⁹to another faith, by the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, by the same Spirit;

¹⁰and to another workings of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discerning of spirits; to another different kinds of languages; and to another the interpretation of languages.

¹¹But the one and the same Spirit works all of these, distributing to each one separately as he desires.

¹²For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ.

¹³For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all given to drink into one Spirit.

¹⁴For the body is not one member, but many.

¹⁵If the foot would say, “Because I’m not the hand, I’m not part of the body,” it is not therefore not part of the body.

¹⁶If the ear would say, “Because I’m not the eye, I’m not part of the body,” it’s not therefore not part of the body.

¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the smelling be?

¹⁸But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body, just as he desired.

¹⁹If they were all one member, where would the body be?

²⁰But now they are many members, but one body.

²¹The eye can’t tell the hand, “I have no need for you,” or again the head to the feet, “I have no need for you.”

²²No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.

²³Those parts of the body which we think to be less honorable, on those we bestow more abundant honor; and our unpresentable parts have more abundant propriety;

²⁴whereas our presentable parts have no such need. But God composed the body together, giving more abundant honor to the inferior part,

²⁵that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.

²⁶When one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. Or when one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

²⁷Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

²⁸God has set some in the assembly: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracle workers, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, and various kinds of languages.

²⁹Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all miracle workers?

³⁰Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with various languages? Do all interpret?

³¹But earnestly desire the best gifts. Moreover, I show a most excellent way to you.

³For I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith.

⁴For even as we have many members in one body, and all the members don’t have the same function,

⁵so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

⁶Having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us, if prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of our faith;

⁷or service, let us give ourselves to service; or he who teaches, to his teaching;

⁸or he who exhorts, to his exhorting: he who gives, let him do it with liberality; he who rules, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

⁷But to each one of us was the grace given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

⁸Therefore he says, “When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.”

⁹Now this, “He ascended”, what is it but that he also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?

¹⁰He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.

¹¹He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers;

¹²for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ;

¹³until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

¹⁴that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;

¹⁵but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, Christ;

¹⁶from whom all the body, being fitted and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in measure of each individual part, makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love.

¹If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.

²If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don’t have love, I am nothing.

³If I dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don’t have love, it profits me nothing.

⁴Love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud,

⁵doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil;

⁶doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;

⁷bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will be done away with. Where there are various languages, they will cease. Where there is knowledge, it will be done away with.

⁹For we know in part, and we prophesy in part;

¹⁰but when that which is complete has come, then that which is partial will be done away with.

¹¹When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things.

¹²For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, even as I was also fully known.

¹³But now faith, hope, and love remain—these three. The greatest of these is love.