08. The Gifts of the Spirit I
We have considered the promise of the Father…..the great work of the Holy Spirit in and through the believer, which the Father promised would be a permanent thing in the life of the believer. Part of this great work is that of supernatural manifestations through the believer, for the benefit of those around him. Paul explains about these manifestations or gifts, as they are also called in the following passages:
1. They are called gifts - 1Cor.12:4
Here the word in the Greek is charisma, meaning a free favour or gift. It is tied up with the word charis, meaning grace or God’s loving favour, which is undeserved by man; thus, these gifts are free gifts of God to us, which we do not deserve. Cf. vv. 28-31.
The idea of grace - undeserved…..:
Rom.6:23 - salvation
Rom.5:15-16 - salvation and justification
2Cor.1:11 - blessings and answers to prayer
Rom.1:11-12 - spiritual encouragement or ministry
1Tim.4:14 and
2Tim.1:6-7 - the Holy Spirit Himself
…..without this broad view, we get into trouble.
2. They are called manifestations - 1Cor.12:7
It is because the Holy Spirit, Who is invisible to the naked eye, shows Himself to us by doing these things through people. Therefore, they are supernatural, and not natural. Just as Jesus manifested the Father, so if Jesus were here, He would pray for the sick and they would be healed. For those who were demon-possessed, He would command the demons to leave. Now, He is not here in person, so He manifests through His people via the gifts of the Spirit and carries on His ministry.
We must take note of certain things about these gifts:
1Cor.12:4 - there are varieties of gifts, but only one Holy Spirit, Who makes them work in everybody;
1Cor.12:4,7 - the Holy Spirit gives to each believer some manifestation, cf. 1Cor.7:7 and 1Pet.4:10.
How do we get these gifts?
1Cor.12:11 - It is the Holy Spirit Who inspires these gifts, and it will always be according to the will of God, and should never be for the person’s own glory, or for him to play around with. Nor is it to make the person a permanent tongues speaker or prophet in a church; for that leads to pride, stagnation, and limits God’s gifts to that person! The Spirit is free and gives as He wills. We should never go around claiming boastfully: I have this or that gift. It is in terms of the Body, for them - not for me! However, I must be ready to be the channel at any time. I must learn to listen to God, and be in tune at all times, praying: Lord, you be in control of my life, and manifest whatever you wish, when you wish.
In the context of over-emphasis on (speaking in) tongues, Paul says to the Corinthians: “You are imbalanced; look out for and appropriate the higher gifts too; see e.g. 1Cor.12:31
The gifts are not given as a result of spirituality - it is a grace gift - free!
Look at 1Cor. - Paul had to write chapter 13 to them - between the chapters 12 and 14 on the gifts.
1Cor.12:7 - The purpose of these gifts is for the common good of all the other believers in the church. Not just for the individual himself! - 1Pet.4:10 tells us: As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
1Cor.13:1-3 - The operation of these gifts must always be accomplished with the love of God, thus they will always bring good to the person to whom is being ministered.
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Four separate lists of spiritual gifts are found in the New Testament. The most famous occurs in 1Cor.12. Equally important is Rom.12:3-8. Shorter lists are found in Eph.4:7-12 and 1Pet.4:10-11.
The nature of spiritual gifts
1Cor.12-14 is not only a description of spiritual gifts in general and of some gifts in particular, it is also a practical manuel about using the gifts in the church. Paul’s purpose in 1Cor.12:4-6 is to emphasize that, although the gifts are diverse, there is only one Giver. He states this truth three times, each time relating the gifts to a different Person of the Trinity (the same Spirit, the same Lord, the same God). He also uses three different words to denote the gifts themselves:
charismata (v.4) - gifts of God’s grace
diakoniai (v.5) - forms of service, or ministries
energemata (v.6) - energies, effects, activities or powers,
which the same God energizes or inspires in everyone.
When the three words are put together, spiritual gifts may perhaps be defined as certain capacities, bestowed by God’s grace and power, which equip people for specific and corresponding service.
In 1Cor.12-14 Paul states the following important facts:
1. Christians need to be informed about the gifts (1Cor.12:1). Fear, misunderstanding, wrong impressions, suspicions and pride or arrogance, etc. all arise out of ignorance about the nature, purpose and use of spiritual gifts in the local church. It is therefore imperative, that Christians are informed about, and understand, the gifts.
2. Jesus must be Lord (1Cor.12:3). Jesus needs to be at the centre of the church (local Body), and He needs to be Lord of the individual. As the Lord of our lives Jesus needs to be obeyed, and asked to fill us with His Spirit. The exercising of the gifts must always centre around the Lordship of Christ. Jesus Christ must always be the One, Who receives the glory.
3. The gifts are for the common good (1Cor.12:7). The gifts of the Spirit are not to be paraded as some mark of spiritual status in the Christian life. They are not to be seen as a mark of progress in the Christian life. They are not given as a result of having attained a certain level of spirituality. Rather, the gifts are for the common good and the edification of the Body (1Cor.14:26). The gifts are to be used to encourage and build up individual Christians, not cause them confusion and perplexity.
4. The exercise of the gifts is the work of the Spirit (1Cor.12:11). Spiritual gifts will emerge and flourish in an atmosphere of faith and obedient submission to the Lord Jesus Christ.
5. Don’t feel inferior and belittle the gift that you have (1Cor.12:14-20). There is the danger of assuming, that we can’t be used of God, or of thinking, that the gift we have, is insignificant. The gifts of the Spirit are the work of God’s grace (charis). Charis means grace or God’s loving favour; it is undeserved by man. The gifts are freely given by God and, therefore, we ought not to feel inferior about the gift He has chosen to bestow on us. He gives as He sees fit, and knows best.
The effectiveness of the gifts does not depend on our attaining a sufficient level of maturity or spiritual experience. God can use whoever He chooses. Paul points out, that no-one should act as if a certain gift was insignificant. On the other hand believers must be careful not to reject the gifts, because in doing so, they are rejecting what God is using for the effective ministry of His Body.
6. Don’t exult the gifts of the Spirit through fleshly pride (1Cor.12:21-26). Paul was very much aware of the danger to exult some gifts to the detriment of others. The Corinthian church seemed to think, that tongues and knowledge were the most important gifts. Their use was causing a spirit of competition and a sense of pride which Paul sought to correct. God is the Author and Distributor of gifts, and, therefore, they are to be treated with humility, rather than reacting with pride and arrogance.
7. We are not to restrict the gifts to the spectacular (1Cor.12:28). All the gifts are important, and all have their proper place.
8. Desire the gifts (1Cor.12:31, 14:1). Paul uses here two words to speak about spiritual gifts: charismata (gifts of grace) and pneumatika (gifts of the Spirit). In both instances the word desire is the same; it means: to have a zeal for, or to be zealous towards.
Christians should not have the attitude of if God wants to give me such and such a gift, then I’m willing to accept it, but should be zealous to receive from God. There must be an attitude of anticipation of receiving what God wants to give us.
9. Follow the way of love (1Cor.13:1-13). The operations of the gifts must always be accompanied by the love of God, thus they will always bring good to the person to whom they minister. Whenever the New Testament speaks of the gifts, it is always in the context of love in the fellowship (Rom.12, Eph.4, 1Pet.4). Paul points out, that all the gifts will one day pass away, but that love is eternal. It outlasts even faith and hope.
10. Aim at edifying the church (1Cor.14:3-5,12,17,26 ). This is the reason that God gives these gifts. He is at work by His Holy Spirit to build up the church and to bring unbelievers into the Kingdom of God. Thus, in weighing prophecy, testing interpretation or allowing tongues in public worship, we have to ask whether such use builds up the Body, or does it produce confusion or division.
11. Everything must be done in an orderly manner (1Cor.14:33,40).