Spiritual Truth Awakening

Chapter 8: Spiritual Gifts

1 Corinthians 12:1 & 3-4 NIV now about Spiritual Gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.

God has given to us the gifts that he desires us to have, to be used for the purpose of helping others and to preach the gospel.

1 Corinthians 12:8-12 NIV to one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between Spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

Not all of us have the same gifts and abilities, and it is not God's intention that we do.

1 Corinthians 12:14 NIV the body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.

1 Corinthians 12:18 NIV but in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.

Paul then goes on to say that without love, even the best gifts are worthless.

1 Corinthians 12:28 NIV and in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.

1 Corinthians 12:31 NIV but eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.

Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NIV if I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:8 NIV love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV and now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Paul states that the greatest gift is love. This is the gift that the salvation by works people do not understand. It is because they do not have the love of God in their hearts that they do not understand how God could forgive anyone without the grief and anguish of trying to keep the law. Because they themselves are unloving and unforgiving, they think that God must be also.

1 Corinthians 14:1 NIV follow the way of love and eagerly desire Spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.

1 Corinthians 14:39 NIV therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.

1 peter 4:10 NIV each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.