Matthew 3:11 Jesus replied, "The truth is, no one can enter
the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit."
John 3:5
Some
of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we
have all been baptized into Christ's body by one Spirit, and we have all received
the same Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:13
He washed away our sins and gave us
a new life through the Holy Spirit.
Titus 3:5
You cannot talk about the
Spirit without speaking of spiritual gifts. While the Spirit himself is the
gift to Christians, the Bible also promises that each of us is given a gift through
the Spirit.
God verified the message by signs and wonders and various miracles
and by giving gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose to do so.
Hebrews
2:4
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but it is the same Holy Spirit
who is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service in the church,
but it is the same Lord we are serving. There are different ways God works in
our lives, but it is the same God who does the work through all of us. God manifests
the Spirit through each person for the good of the entire church.
To one person
the Spirit gives a word of special wisdom; to another he gives the gift of special
knowledge. The Spirit gives special faith to another, and to someone else he gives
the power to heal the sick. He gives one person the power to perform miracles,
and to another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to distinguish
between spirits. Still another person is given the ability to speak in different
kinds of tongues, and another is given the ability to interpret what is being
said. It is the same and only Holy Spirit who distributes these gifts. He alone
decides which gift each person should have.
The human body has many parts,
but the many parts make up only one body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some
of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we
have all been baptized into Christ's body by one Spirit, and we have all received
the same Spirit.
Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part.
If the foot says, "I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand," that
does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, "I am not part
of the body because I am only an ear and not an eye," would that make it any less
a part of the body? Suppose the whole body were an eye -- then how would you hear?
Or if your whole body were just one big ear, how could you smell anything?
But
God made our bodies with many parts, and he has put each part just where he wants
it. What a strange thing a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are
many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, "I don't need
you." The head can't say to the feet, "I don't need you."
In fact, some of
the parts that seem weakest and least important are really the most necessary.
And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest
care. So we carefully protect from the eyes of others those parts that should
not be seen, while other parts do not require this special care. So God has put
the body together in such a way that extra honor and care are given to those parts
that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all
the members care for each other equally. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer
with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
Now all of you
together are Christ's body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part
of it. Here is a list of some of the members that God has placed in the body of
Christ:
first are apostles, second are prophets,
third are
teachers,
then those who do miracles,
those who have the gift of healing,
those who can help others,
those who can get others to work together,
those
who speak in different kinds of tongues.
Is everyone an apostle? Of course
not. Is everyone a prophet? No. Are all teachers? Does everyone have the power
to do miracles? Does everyone have the gift of healing? Of course not. Does God
give all of us the ability to speak in tongues? Can everyone interpret tongues?
No! And in any event, you should desire the most helpful gifts.
1
Corinthians 12:4-31 See also The Holy Spirit.
The Book of God's Promises, copyright 1999 by J. Stephen
Lang. All rights reserved, used with permission.