Gifts of the Holy Spirit and Love


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Love should be at the centre of all the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, the notion that a person could have the greatest charismatic gifts and lack the all-important virtue of love comes as a real shock, but it is crystal clear that Paul accepted it as a realistic possibility, Moreover, Paul reiterates the waning of his Master, Jesus Christ, who makes it clear to Christians:

” Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord shall enter the Kingdom of God', but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. For on that day many will say to me 'Lord, Lord did we not prophesy in your name. ' Then I will declare to them 'depart, I never knew you, depart front me you evildoers”.


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In his writing regarding the different gifts of the Spirit, Paul, surprisingly, does not include love as part of the list of the charisms. This could be a deliberate action on the part of Paul because, love does not in any way belong to the same category with other gifts. The reason is that, love is a very fundamental gift of grace, which all must have while charisms have been distributed in such a way that one person has them in one way and another in a different way.


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Love is our vocation. We are all created to love and love should be Possessed by all, who profess Christianity. Laying credence to this, Paul clearly states: "You must have love more than anything else, but still hope for the spiritual gifts, especially prophecy. " (ICor 14:11 Above all, love is rooted in the teaching of Jesus Christ as the essence Of Our Christian life. Quite fittingly, therefore, Paul did call love the good way that surpasses all the charismatic manifestations of the Holy Spirit, as the gifts can only be used for the building of the Church and the society if they are used in love. Charismatic gifts are Instruments and ministries of love.

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