Meaning of Luke 15:7

Meaning of Luke 15:7

Luk 15:7 NKJV – [7] "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

God delights deeply in evangelism and the repentance of lost souls, as Luke 15:7 shows there is immense joy in heaven when a sinner turns back to Him. However, the verse does not mean God cares only about outreach or that everyday faithfulness, holiness, and obedience go unnoticed. [1, 2]

What Luke 15:7 Teaches

• Heaven’s Joy: The parable of the lost sheep highlights a special, celebratory joy in heaven when one lost person repents.

• God’s Heart for the Lost: Jesus told the story to correct the religious leaders who despised sinners, showing that God actively seeks out and values every individual.

• Participation in His Mission: Sharing the gospel lets you join in the very joy that God and the angels experience over a restored life. [1, 2, 3]

A Balanced View of God's Pleasure

• Faithfulness Matters: God is also pleased with daily acts of obedience, quiet prayer, love, and character growth (Hebrews 11:6).

• Not a Competition: The "ninety-nine righteous persons" in the verse represent those already in the fold; their presence is valued, even though the moment of rescue brings a distinct, celebratory burst of joy. [1, 2, 3]

The Bible outlines several key areas that consistently bring delight and pleasure to God. While heaven throws a celebration when a sinner repents, God also takes deep, enduring pleasure in the daily lives, hearts, and character of His people.

What Pleases God

Here are the primary ways the Bible describes what pleases God, grouped by theme:

Faith and Trust

• Hebrews 11:6 — “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Trusting God's character and promises is the foundational requirement for pleasing Him.

Obedience and Mercy Over Ritual

• 1 Samuel 15:22 — “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice...” God prefers active, heart-felt obedience over religious routines or empty rituals.

• Hosea 6:6 — “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

Righteousness, Justice, and Character

• Proverbs 11:20 — “Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the Lord, but those of blameless ways are his delight.” Integrity, honesty, and upright living directly bring Him joy.

• Jeremiah 9:24 — “...I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” God loves it when His people mirror His own character.

Worship and Fear of the Lord

• Psalm 147:11 — “...the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.” Here, "fear" means a profound reverence, awe, and healthy respect for His holiness.

Generosity and Helping Others

• Hebrews 13:16 — “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” Tangible acts of kindness, charity, and communal support are viewed as a sweet-smelling sacrifice to Him.

Summary Comparison

Aspect of Pleasure	Bible Verse	What It Means for You
Celebratory Joy	Luke 15:7	Heaven rejoices when a lost soul repents (Evangelism/Outreach).
Foundational Pleasure	Hebrews 11:6	God is pleased when you simply trust Him and seek Him (Faith).
Sustained Daily Delight	Proverbs 11:20	God delights in your quiet integrity and upright choices (Character).
Relational Pleasure	Hebrews 13:16	God is pleased when you love and take care of others (Generosity).

Jeremiah 16-18 - The Deceitful Heart

Yahweh Withdraws His Favor

Jer 16:12 LSB – [12] 'You too have done evil, [even] more than your fathers; for behold, you are each one walking according to the stubbornness of his own evil heart, without listening to Me.

They Shall Know My Name Is Yahweh

Jer 16:18 LSB – [18] "I will first doubly repay their iniquity and their sin because they have profaned My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable idols and with their abominations."

Jer 16:19 LSB – [19] O Yahweh, my strength and my strong defense, And my refuge in the day of distress, To You the nations will come From the ends of the earth and say, "Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies, Futility and things of no profit."

Jer 16:21 LSB – [21] "Therefore behold, I am going to make them know-- This time I will make them know My power and My might; And they shall know that My name is Yahweh."

The Deceitful Heart

Jer 17:7-8 LSB – 

[7] "Blessed is the man who trusts in Yahweh 

And whose trust is Yahweh. 

[8] "And he will be like a tree planted by the water, 

That sends forth its roots by a stream 

And will not fear when the heat comes; 

But its leaves will be green, 

And it will not be anxious in a year of drought 

Nor refrain from yielding fruit.

Jer 17:9 LSB – [9] "The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can know it?

Mat 15:19 LSB – [19] "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false witness, slanders.

Jer 17:14 LSB – [14] Heal me, O Yahweh, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For You are my praise.

Keep the Sabbath Day Holy

Jer 17:23 LSB – [23] "Yet they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their necks in order not to listen or receive discipline.

The Potter and the Clay

Jer 18:6 LSB – [6] "Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter [does]?" declares Yahweh. "Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.

Jer 18:17 LSB – [17] 'Like an east wind I will scatter them Before the enemy; I will show them My back and not [My] face In the day of their disaster.'"

 

Jeremiah 13-15 - Your words were found, and I ate them

The Ruined Belt

Jer 13:11 LSB – [11] 'For as the belt clings to the loins of a man, so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household of Judah cling to Me,' declares Yahweh, 'that they might be for Me a people, for a name, for praise, and for beauty; but they did not listen.'

The Magnitude of Israel’s Iniquity

Jer 13:14 LSB – [14] "I will shatter them against each other, both the fathers and the sons together," declares Yahweh. "I will not spare nor show pity nor have compassion so as not to ruin them."'"

Jer 13:23 LSB – [23] "Can the Ethiopian change his skin Or the leopard his spots? [Then] you also can do good Who are accustomed to doing evil.

Yahweh Will Not Listen to Their Cry

Jer 14:11-12 LSB – [11] So Yahweh said to me, "Do not pray for the good of this people. [12] "When they fast, I am not going to listen to their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I am not going to accept them. Rather I am going to make an end of them by the sword, famine, and pestilence."

Lying Prophets

Jer 14:17 LSB – [17] "And you will say this word to them, 'Let my eyes flow down with tears night and day, And let them not cease, For the virgin daughter of my people has been shattered with a mighty shattering, With a sorely sick wound.

Yahweh Appoints Four Kinds of Doom

Jer 15:1 LSB – [1] Then Yahweh said to me, "Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My soul would not be with this people; send them away from My presence and let them go!

Jeremiah Pleads for Vengeance

Jer 15:16 LSB – 

[16] Your words were found, and I ate them, 

And Your words became for me joy and gladness in my heart, 

For I have been called by Your name, 

O Yahweh God of hosts.

Jer 15:18 LSB – [18] Why has my pain been perpetual And my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will You indeed be to me like a deceptive [stream] With water that is unreliable?

Yahweh’s Answer

Jer 15:19 LSB – [19] Therefore thus says Yahweh, "If you return, then I will cause you to return-- Before Me you will stand; And if you extract the precious from the worthless, You will become My mouthpiece. They for their part may turn to you, But as for you, you must not turn to them.

Jer 15:19 ESV – [19] Therefore thus says the LORD: "If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth. They shall turn to you, but you shall not turn to them.

Jeremiah 10-12 - Yahweh Alone Is the Living God

Yahweh Alone Is the Living God

Jer 10:6-7 LSB – [6] There is none like You, O Yahweh; You are great, and great is Your name in might. [7] Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the wise men of the nations And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You.

Jer 10:10 LSB – [10] But Yahweh is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, And the nations cannot endure His indignation.

Jer 10:12 LSB – [12] [It is] He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens.

Jer 10:23-24 LSB – [23] I know, O Yahweh, that a man's way is not in himself, Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps. [24] Discipline me, O Yahweh, but with justice; Not with Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing.

The Broken Covenant

Jer 11:14 LSB – [14] "But as for you, do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry of lamentation or prayer for them; for I will not listen when they call to Me because of their calamity.

Men Seek Jeremiah’s Life

Jer 11:19 LSB – [19] But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; And I did not know that they had devised thoughts against me, [saying], "Let us make the tree with its fruit a ruin, And let us cut him off from the land of the living, That his name be remembered no more."

Jeremiah’s Plea

Jer 12:1 LSB – [1] Righteous are You, O Yahweh, when I would plead [my] case with You; Indeed I would speak matters of justice with You: Why has the way of the wicked succeeded? [Why] are all those who deal in treachery complacent?

Yahweh Answers Jeremiah

Jer 12:5 LSB – [5] "If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, Then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, How will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?

Jeremiah 7-9 - Boast that He Understands and Knows Me

Yahweh’s Warning from the Temple Gate

Jer 7:11 LSB – [11] "Has this house, which is called by My name, become a robbers' den in your sight? Behold, I, even I, have seen [it]," declares Yahweh.

Isa 56:7 LSB – [7] Even those I will bring to My holy mountain And make them glad in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples."

Mat 21:13 LSB – [13] And He said to them, "It is written, 'MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER'; but you are making it a ROBBERS' DEN."

Jer 7:12 LSB – [12] "But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I made My name dwell at the first, and see what I did to it because of the evil of My people Israel.

Jdg 21:19 LSB – [19] So they said, "Behold, there is a feast of Yahweh from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south side of Lebonah."

1Sa 1:3 LSB – [3] Now that man would go up from his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice to Yahweh of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to Yahweh there.

Jer 7:16 LSB – [16] "As for you, do not pray for this people and do not lift up a cry of lamentation or prayer for them and do not intercede with Me, for I am not hearing you.

Jer 7:22-24 LSB –
[22] "For I did not speak to your fathers or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices.
[23] "But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Listen to My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in the entire way which I command you, that it may be well with you.'
[24] "Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but walked in [their own] counsels [and] in the stubbornness of their evil heart and went backward and not forward.

The Faithlessness of Jerusalem

Jer 8:5 LSB – [5] "Why then has this people, Jerusalem, Turned away in continual faithlessness? They hold fast to deceit; They refuse to return.

Sorrow over Zion

Jer 8:22 ESV – [22] Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?

Jer 9:23-24 LSB – [23] Thus says Yahweh, "Let not a wise man boast in his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast in his might; let not a rich man boast in his riches, [24] but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am Yahweh who shows lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares Yahweh.

Jer 9:25-26 LSB – [25] "Behold, the days are coming," declares Yahweh, "that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet uncircumcised-- [26] Egypt and Judah, and Edom and the sons of Ammon, and Moab and all those inhabiting the desert who clip the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart."

Jeremiah 4-6 - Mourn the Coming Destroyer

Yahweh Calls Israel to Return to Him

Jer 4:1 LSB – [1] "If you will return, O Israel," declares Yahweh, "[Then] you should return to Me. And if you will put away your detested things from My presence And will not waver

Evil from the North

Jer 4:6 LSB – [6] "Lift up a standard toward Zion! Seek safety, do not stand [still], For I am bringing evil from the north, And great destruction.

Jer 4:10 LSB – [10] Then I said, "Ah, Lord Yahweh! Surely You have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, 'You will have peace'; whereas a sword touches the throat."

Jer 4:18 LSB – [18] "Your ways and your deeds Have done these things to you. This is your evil. How bitter! How it has touched your heart!"

Anguish over Judah’s Desolation

Jer 4:27 LSB – [27] For thus says Yahweh, "The whole land shall be a desolation, Yet I will not execute a complete destruction.

Jer 4:31 LSB – [31] For I heard a sound as of a woman in labor pains, The distress as of one giving birth to her first child, The sound of the daughter of Zion gasping for breath, Stretching out her hands, [saying], "Ah, woe is me, for my soul faints before murderers."

Jerusalem Refuses to Repent

Jer 5:1 LSB – [1] "Roam to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, And see now and know, And seek in her open squares, If you can find a man, If there is one who does justice, who seeks faithfulness, Then I will pardon her.

Psa 53:2-3 LSB – 

[2] God looks down from heaven upon the sons of men 

To see if there is anyone who has insight, 

Anyone who seeks after God. 

[3] Every one of them has turned back; together they have become worthless; 

There is no one who does good, not even one.

Jer 5:12 LSB – [12] They have dealt falsely about Yahweh And said, "Not He; Calamity will not come on us, And we will not see sword or famine.

Jer 5:12 ESV – [12] They have spoken falsely of the LORD and have said, 'He will do nothing; no disaster will come upon us, nor shall we see sword or famine.

A Stubborn and Rebellious People

Jer 5:19 LSB – [19] "It shall come about when they say, 'Why has Yahweh our God done all these things to us?' then you shall say to them, 'As you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you will serve strangers in a land that is not yours.'

Yahweh Disciplines Israel

Jer 6:3 LSB – [3] "Shepherds and their flocks will come to her; They will pitch [their] tents around her; They will pasture each in his place.

Jer 12:10 LSB – [10] "Many shepherds have ruined My vineyard; They have trampled down My portion; They have made My desired portion A desolate wilderness.

Jer 6:21 LSB – [21] Therefore, thus says Yahweh, "Behold, I am laying stumbling blocks before this people. And they will stumble against them, Fathers and sons together; Neighbor and friend will perish."

Rom 9:33 LSB – [33] just as it is written, "BEHOLD, I AM LAYING IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND THE ONE WHO BELIEVES UPON HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME."

 

Mourn the Coming Destroyer

Jer 6:27 LSB – [27] "I have made you a tester [of metals and] an assayer among My people, That you may know and test their way."

 

Jeremiah 1-3 - Yahweh Sends Jeremiah the Prophet

Yahweh Sends Jeremiah the Prophet

Jer 1:5 LSB – 

[5] "Before I formed you in the innermost parts I knew you, 

And before you came out from the womb I set you apart; 

I have given you as a prophet to the nations."

Jer 1:7 LSB – 

[7] But Yahweh said to me, 

"Do not say, 'I am a youth,' 

Because everywhere I send you, you shall go, 

And all that I command you, you shall speak.

Jer 1:9 LSB – [9] Then Yahweh sent forth His hand and touched my mouth, and Yahweh said to me, "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.

The Almond Rod and Boiling Pot

Jer 1:19 LSB – [19] "And they will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you," declares Yahweh.

Judah Transgresses Against Yahweh

Jer 2:13 LSB – [13] "For My people have done two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water.

The Polluted Land

Jer 3:1 LSB – 

[1] [God] says, "If a husband divorces his wife 

And she goes from him 

And belongs to another man, 

Will he still return to her? 

Will not that land be completely polluted? 

But you are a harlot [with] many lovers; 

Yet you turn to Me," declares Yahweh.

Faithless Israel Called to Repentance

Jer 3:12-13 LSB – 

[12] "Go and call out these words toward the north and say, 

'Return, faithless Israel,' declares Yahweh; 

'I will not look upon you in anger. 

For I am One of lovingkindness,' declares Yahweh; 

'I will not be angry forever. 

[13] 'Only acknowledge your iniquity, 

That you have transgressed against Yahweh your God 

And have scattered your ways [of harlotry] to the strangers under every green tree, 

And you have not listened to My voice,' declares Yahweh.

Jer 3:16 LSB – [16] "It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and fruitful in the land," declares Yahweh, "they will no longer say, 'The ark of the covenant of Yahweh.' And it will not come upon the heart, nor will they remember it, nor will they miss [it], nor will it be made again.

Jer 3:25 LSB – [25] "Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor cover us; for we have sinned against Yahweh our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day. And we have not listened to the voice of Yahweh our God."

Psa 51:4 LSB – [4] Against You, You only, I have sinned [And] done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And pure when You judge.

1 Corinthians 13-16 - The Resurrection of Christ

The Excellence of Love

1Co 13:4-7 LSB – 

[4] Love is patient, love is kind, is not jealous, does not brag, is not puffed up; 

[5] it does not act unbecomingly, does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong [suffered]; 

[6] it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 

[7] it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Prophecy and Tongues

1Co 14:1 LSB – [1] Pursue love, yet earnestly desire spiritual [gifts], but especially that you may prophesy.

1Co 14:3 LSB – [3] But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and encouragement.

1Co 14:24-25 LSB – [24] But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; [25] the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that SURELY GOD IS AMONG YOU.

Orderly Worship

1Co 14:26 LSB – [26] What is [the outcome] then, brothers? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has a translation. Let all things be done for edification.

1Co 14:31 LSB – [31] For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted.

1Co 14:34 LSB – [34] The women are to keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says.

1Co 11:5 LSB – [5] But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying, shames her head, for she is one and the same as the woman whose head is shaved.

1Co 14:39-40 LSB – [39] Therefore, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues. [40] But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.

The Resurrection of Christ

1Co 15:1-2 LSB – 

[1] Now I make known to you, brothers, the gospel which I proclaimed as good news to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 

[2] by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I proclaimed to you as good news, unless you believed for nothing.

1Co 15:3-5 LSB – [3] For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, [4] and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, [5] and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

The Resurrection of the Dead

1Co 15:17 LSB – [17] And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.

1Co 15:22-23 LSB – [22] For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. [23] But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming.

The Resurrection Body

1Co 15:45 LSB – [45] So also it is written, "The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL." The last Adam [became] a life-giving spirit.

1Co 15:51-52 LSB – [51] Behold, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, [52] in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.

The Collection of Gifts

Final Instructions and Greetings

1Co 16:13 LSB – [13] Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

1Co 16:22 LSB – [22] If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha.

1 Corinthians 10-12

Temptation and God’s Faithfulness

1Co 10:2 LSB – [2] and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

Rom 6:3 LSB – [3] Or do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

Gal 3:27 LSB – [27] For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

1Co 10:4 LSB – [4] and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them, and the rock was Christ.

Deu 32:4 LSB – [4] "The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.

1Co 10:6 LSB – [6] Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved.

1Co 10:8 LSB – [8] Nor let us act in sexual immorality, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day.

Num 25:9 ESV – [9] Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.

1Co 10:11 LSB – [11] Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have arrived.

Rom 13:11 LSB – [11] And [do] this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.

Heb 9:26 LSB – [26] Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

1Co 10:16-17 LSB –
[16] Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?
[17] Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

1Co 10:23-24 LSB –
[23] All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things build up.
[24] Let no one seek his own [good], but that of the other person.

1Co 10:31-33 LSB –
[31] Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
[32] Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God;
[33] just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the [profit] of the many, so that they may be saved.

1Co 11:1 LSB – [1] Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.

Head Coverings

1Co 11:3 LSB – [3] But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.

The Lord’s Supper

1Co 11:23-26 LSB – 

[23] For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was being betrayed took bread, 

[24] and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me." 

[25] In the same way [He took] the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink [it], in remembrance of Me." 

[26] For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes.

Concerning Spiritual Gifts

1Co 12:4-6 LSB – 

[4] Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 

[5] And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. 

[6] And there are varieties of workings, but the same God who works everything in everyone.

1Co 12:11 LSB – [11] But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

1Co 12:13 LSB – [13] For also by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

1Co 12:27-28 LSB – [27] Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it. [28] And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, [various] kinds of tongues.