1. Jesus is Lord (1-3)

At one point, the Corinthian Christians were led away to serve idols, but Paul's ministry brought them to Jesus and they received the Holy Spirit as well as spiritual gifts from him. However, many were still ignorant of the gifts of the Spirit and the church was divided by the opposing ideas about the gifts of the Spirit. Paul set clear criteria to discern true gifts from false ones. We receive the Holy Spirit when we confess that Jesus is the Lord, but we must remember that the Holy Spirit works differently in each person. The most important work of the Holy Spirit is to lead sinners to repent, accept the gospel, and confess that Jesus is Lord and Savior.

2. The manifestation of the Spirit (4-11)

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, types of service, and works of the triune God. The manifestation of the Spirit to each person is diverse (8-10). No one's gift is superior to that of others, but the Spirit distributes the gifts to each believer as he determines. The gifts of the Spirit are given not to make us feel good or proud, but to serve for the common good of the body of Christ.


Application: Lord, thank you for the saving work of the Spirt in my life. Help me discover and use the gift to build up people in faith and love for your glory.
One Word: The same Spirit, diverse gifts