1 Corinthians 12–13

DIVERSITY OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS

12Now concerning spiritual gifts:^I brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be unaware. ²You know that when you were pagans, you used to be enticed and led astray by mute^a idols.^{b 3}Therefore I want you to know 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.

⁴Now there are different gifts,^c but the same Spirit. ⁵There are different ministries, but the same Lord. ⁶And there are different activities, but the same God works all of them in each person. ⁷A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person^d for the common good: ⁸to one^e is given a message of wisdom^f through the Spirit, to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit, ⁹to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing^g by the one Spirit, ¹⁰to another, the performing of miracles,^h to another, prophecy,ⁱ to another, distinguishing between spirits,^j to another, different kinds of tongues,^A to another, interpretation of tongues. ¹¹One and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as he wills.

UNITY YET DIVERSITY IN THE BODY

¹²For just as the body is one^k and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ.^{l 13}For we were all baptized by^B one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink.^{m 14}Indeed, the body is not one part but many. ¹⁵If the foot should say, “Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. ¹⁶And if the ear should say, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. ¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted.^{n 19}And if they were all the same part, where would the body be? ²⁰As it is, there are many parts, but one body. ²¹The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²²On the contrary, those parts of the body that are weaker are indispensable. ²³And those parts of the body that we consider less honorable,^o we clothe these with greater honor, and our unrespectable parts are treated with greater respect, ²⁴which our respectable parts do not need.

Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, ²⁵so that there would be no division^p in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. ²⁶So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

²⁷Now you are the body of Christ,^q and individual members of it. ²⁸And God has appointed these in the church:^r first apostles, second prophets, third teachers,^s next miracles,^t then gifts of healing,^u helping, leading, various kinds of tongues. ²⁹Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all do miracles? ³⁰Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?^{v 31}But desire^w the greater gifts. And I will show you an even better way.

LOVE: THE SUPERIOR WAY

13If I speak human or angelic tongues but do not have love,^x I am a noisy gong^y or a clanging cymbal. ²If I have the gift of prophecy^z and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains^aa but do not have love, I am nothing. ³And if I give away all my possessions, and if I give over my body in order to boast^A but do not have love, I gain nothing.

⁴Love is patient,^ab love is kind. Love does not envy,^ac is not boastful, is not arrogant,^{ad 5}is not rude, is not self-seeking,^ae is not irritable,^af and does not keep a record of wrongs. ⁶Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth.^{ag 7}It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures^ah all things.

⁸Love never ends.^ai But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. ⁹For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰but when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end. ¹¹When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things. ¹²For now we see only a reflection^B as in a mirror, but then face to face.^aj Now I know in part, but then I will know fully,^ak as I am fully known.^{al 13}Now these three remain: faith, hope,^am and love—but the greatest of these is love.