Book of Common Prayer
Gifts and ministries
27 Now you together are the Messiah’s body, and individually you are members of it. 28 In the church, God has placed apostles first, then prophets, then teachers, then powerful deeds, then gifts of healing, helpful deeds, organizational gifts, different types of languages. 29 Not everyone is an apostle, are they? Not everyone is a prophet! Not everyone is a teacher! Not everyone does powerful deeds! 30 Not everyone has gifts of healing! Not everyone speaks with tongues! Not everyone interprets!
31 You should be eager for the better kinds of gifts.
The need for love and the character of love
Now I’m going to show you a better way, a much better way.
13 If I speak in human languages, or even in those of angels, but do not have love,
then I’ve become a clanging gong or else
a clashing cymbal. 2 And if I should have
prophetic gifts, and know all mysteries,
all knowledge, too; have faith, to move the mountains,
but have no love—I’m nothing. 3 If I give
all my possessions to the poor, and, for pride’s sake,
my very body, but do not have love,
it’s useless to me.
4 Love’s great-hearted; love is kind,
knows no jealousy, makes no fuss,
is not puffed up, 5 no shameless ways,
doesn’t force its rightful claim,
doesn’t rage or bear a grudge,
6 doesn’t cheer at others’ harm,
rejoices, rather, in the truth.
7 Love bears all things, believes all things,
love hopes all things, endures all things.
Love: the bridge to God’s future
8 Love never fails. But prophecies will be
abolished; tongues will stop; and knowledge, too,
be done away. 9 We know, you see, in part;
we prophesy in part; 10 but, with perfection,
the partial is abolished. 11 As a child
I spoke, and thought, and reasoned like a child;
when I grew up, I threw off childish ways.
12 For at the moment all that we can see
are puzzling reflections in a mirror;
then, face to face. I know in part, for now;
but then I’ll know completely, through and through,
even as I’m completely known. 13 So, now,
faith, hope, and love remain, these three; and, of them,
love is the greatest.
The challenge of forgiveness
21 Then Peter came to Jesus.
“Master,” he said, “how many times must I forgive my brother when he sins against me? As many as seven times?”
22 “I wouldn’t say seven times,” replied Jesus. “Why not—seventy times seven?
23 “So, you see,” he went on, “the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle up accounts with his servants. 24 As he was beginning to sort it all out, one man was brought before him who owed ten thousand talents. 25 He had no means of paying it back, so the master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and everything he possessed, and payment to be made.
26 “So the servant fell down and prostrated himself before the master.
“ ‘Be patient with me,’ he said, ‘and I’ll pay you everything!’
27 “The master was very sorry for the servant, and let him off. He forgave him the loan.
28 “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow-servants, who owed him a hundred dinars. He seized him and began to throttle him. ‘Pay me back what you owe me!’ he said.
29 “The colleague fell down and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I’ll pay you!’
30 “But he refused, and went and threw him into prison until he could pay the debt.
31 “So when his fellow-servants saw what had happened, they were very upset. They went and informed their master about the whole affair. 32 Then his master summoned him.
“ ‘You’re a scoundrel of a servant!’ he said to him. ‘I let you off the whole debt, because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have taken pity on your colleague, like I took pity on you?’
34 “His master was angry, and handed him over to the torturers, until he had paid the whole debt. 35 And that’s what my heavenly father will do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother or sister from your heart.”
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.