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Spiritual Gifts
Gifts Compared to Animals
Once upon a time, the animals decided they should do something meaningful to meet the problems of the new world. So they organized a school.
They adopted an activity curriculum of running, climbing, swimming, and flying. To make it easier to administer the curriculum, all the animals took all the subjects.
The duck was excellent in swimming; in fact, better than his instructor. But he made only passing grades in flying, and was very poor in running. Since he was slow in running, he had to drop swimming and stay after school to practice running. This caused his web feet to be badly worn, so that he was only average in swimming. But average was quite acceptable, so nobody worried about that—except the duck.
The rabbit started at the top of his class in running, but developed a nervous twitch in his leg muscles because of so much make-up work in swimming.
The squirrel was excellent in climbing, but he encountered constant frustration in flying class because his teacher made him start from the ground up instead of from the treetop down. He developed “charlie horses” from overexertion, and so only got a C in climbing and a D in running.
The eagle was a problem child and was severely disciplined for being a non-conformist. In climbing classes he beat all the others to the top of the tree, but insisted on using his own way to get there….”
Charles R. Swindoll, Standing Out, (Multnomah Press, Portland, OR; 1983), p. 51
Research
- 29% of all adults - and 40% of Baby Buster adults - have never heard of spiritual gifts
- 69% have heard of spiritual gifts but do not know what their spiritual gift is
- 1% of adults and 9% of senior pastors claim they have the gift of evangelism
- 1% of adults and 6% of senior pastors claim they have the gift of leadership
- the most common gift claimed by church-goers is the gift of teaching (5%)
- the most common items mentioned as spiritual gifts which are not biblical gifts are love, kindness, relationships, singing, and listening
- 7% say they have spoken in tongues
- 13% have heard of the gift of tongues but say it is not operative today
Barna Research Group, Ltd., Oxnard, CA
Scriptural Resources
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1. Salvation |
Rom. 6:23 |
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2. Word of Wisdom |
1 Cor. 12:8 |
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3. Word of Knowledge |
1 Cor. 12:8 |
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4. Faith |
1 Cor. 12:9 |
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5. Healing |
1 Cor. 12:9 |
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6. Miracles |
1 Cor. 12:10 |
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7. Prophecy |
Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 12:10 |
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8. Distinguishing of Spirits |
1 Cor. 12:10 |
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9. Tongues |
1 Cor. 12:10 |
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10. Interpretation of Tongues |
1 Cor. 12:10 |
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11. Serving |
Rom. 12:7 |
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12. Teaching |
Rom. 12:7 |
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13. Exhortation |
Rom. 12:8 |
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14. Giving |
Rom. 12:8 |
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15. Leading |
Rom. 12:8 |
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16. Showing mercy |
Rom. 12:8 |
Source unknown
Arguments on Spiritual Gifts
Spiritual gifts are gifts given by Jesus to His church. Spiritual gifts are discussed in 1 Cor. 12-14 and Rom. 12. They vary in degree and nature. There are some that are obviously supernatural in the usage: speaking in tongues, discerning of spirits, healing, etc. There are others that are not so supernatural: administrations, help, admonition, etc.
There is debate over the continuance of the gifts. Some say that the gifts have ceased because we now have the Bible. They argue that the gifts were used for the building of the body of Christ during the beginning of the Christian church when the Bible was not complete. Since the Bible is complete there is no further need for the revelatory gifts, that is, gifts that give revelatory like speaking in tongues and the interpretation of tongues. Others maintain that the gifts are all for today though to a lesser degree. There are good arguments on both sides.
Source unknown
Special Gifts of the Spirit
Special gifts of the Spirit (charismata; e.g., Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11, 28-31). There is some dispute as to whether these gifts were all meant as permanent endowments of the Christian church or as gifts only for its early days. In modern times, charismatics claim to exercise particular gifts, especially “tongues,” “healing,” and “prophecy.” Other believers emphasize the fruit of the Spirit more than spiritual gifts (Gal. 5:22-23).
The Shaw Pocket Bible Handbook, Walter A. Elwell, Editor, (Harold Shaw Publ., Wheaton , IL; 1984), pp. 359-360
Charisma
There is no universally agreed on definition for the word charisma. Of its seventeen New Testament occurrences, sixteen are found in Paul and one in Peter (1 Pet. 4:10). Paul’s usage is so diverse that no single simple definition will do. One of the best discussions of charisma is found in Max Turner, “Spiritual Gifts Then and Now,” Vox Evangelica 15 (1985): 7-64. Turner concludes that the various Pauline lists of gifts “are clearly ad hoc and incomplete and they suggest that for Paul virtually anything that can be viewed as God’s enabling of a man for the upbuilding of the church could and would be designated a charisma, if Paul’s purpose was to underline its nature as given by God” (p. 31). For similar conclusions see D. A. Carson, Showing the Spirit (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1987), 19ff; and Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, to be published in 1994), chapter 52.
Grudem offers the following definition: “A spiritual gift is any ability that is empowered by the Holy Spirit and used in any ministry of the church” (ibid., chapter 52). He qualifies this definition by saying, “This is a broad definition and would include both gifts that are related to natural abilities (such as teaching, showing mercy, or administration) and gifts that seem to be more ‘miraculous’ and less related to natural abilities (such as prophecy, healing, or distinguishing between spirits). The reason for this is that when Paul lists spiritual gifts (in Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 7:7; 12:8-10, 28; and Eph. 4:11) he includes both kinds of gifts. Yet not every natural ability that people have is included here, because Paul is clear that all spiritual gifts must be empowered ‘by one and the same Spirit’ (1 Cor. 12:11), that they are given ‘for the common good’ (1 Cor. 12:7), and that they are all to be used for ‘edification’ (1 Cor. 14:26), or for building up the church” (ibid.).
Surprised by the Power of the Spirit, by Jack Deere (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1993), pp. 269-270.
Spiritual Gifts are to Edify the Church
We are right to say that spiritual gifts come from the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:4-11). However we go on to think of them in terms either of giftedness (human ability to do things skillfully and well) or of supernatural novelty (power to speak in tongues, to heal, to receive messages straight from God to give to others, or whatever). We have not formed the habit of defining gifts in terms of Christ, the head of the body, and his present work from heaven in our midst. In this we are unscriptural.
Paul makes it clear that spiritual gifts are given in Christ; they are enrichments from Christ. 1 Corinthians 12 assumes the Christ-oriented perspective that 1 Corinthians 1:4-7 established. It is vital that we should see this, or we shall be confusing natural with spiritual gifts to the end of our days.
Nowhere does Paul or any other New Testament writer define a spiritual gift to us. But Paul’s assertion that the use of gifts edifies (1 Cor. 14:3-5, 12, 17,26; Eph. 4:12), shows what his idea of gift was.
For Paul it is only through Christ, in Christ, and by learning of and responding to Christ, that anyone is ever edified. So spiritual gifts must be defined in terms of Christ as actualized powers of expressing, celebrating, displaying, and thus communicating Christ in one way or another, either by word or deed.
Your Father Loves You by James Packer, Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986, page for December 9
Resources
- Charismatic Chaos, J. MacArthur, Jr, Zondervan, 1992, pp. 152ff
- Gift of Faith: Jerry Falwell, Elmer Towns, Stepping out on Faith
- Free for the taking, pp. 150ff (gifts are natural potentials energized by God’s grace, not an exhaustive listing of gifts, special endowment/natural endowment gifts)
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Blind Man and Armless Man
In illustrating the interdependence of one another’s spiritual gifts in a local church, Gary Inrig, in Life in His Body shared the following story: Several years ago, two students graduated from the Chicago-Kent College of Law. The highest ranking student in the class was a blind man named Overton and, when he received his honor, he insisted that half the credit should go to his friend, Kaspryzak. They had met one another in school when the armless Mr. Kaspryzak had guided the blind Mr. Overton down a flight of stairs. This acquaintance ripened into friendship and a beautiful example of interdependence. The blind man carried the books which the armless man read aloud in their common study, and thus the individual deficiency of each was compensated for by the other. After their graduation, they planned to practice law together. This story was related by Donald Grey Barnhouse. No believer is complete by himself, we are to minister to one another, as a family.
Source unknown
Instrument Not Used Began to Decay
The great violinist, Nicolo Paganini, willed his marvelous violin to Genoa—the city of his birth—but only on condition that the instrument never be played upon. It was an unfortunate condition, for it is a peculiarity of wood that as long as it is used and handled, it shows little wear. As soon as it is discarded, it begins to Decay. The exquisite, mellow-toned violin has become worm-eaten in its beautiful case, valueless except as a relic. The moldering instrument is a reminder that a life withdrawn from all service to others loses its meaning.
Bits & Pieces, June 25, 1992
Is There a Hell?
Once upon a time a person was touched by God, and God gave him a priceless gift. This gift was the capacity for love. He was grateful and humble, and he knew what an extraordinary thing had happened to him. He carried it like a jewel and he walked tall and with Purpose. From time to time he would show this gift to others, and they would smile and stroke his jewel. But it seemed that they’d also dirty it up a little. Now, this was no way to treat such a precious thing, so the person built a box to protect his jewel. And he decided to show it only to those who would treat it with respect and meet it with reverent love of their Own. Even that didn’t work, for some tried to break into the box. So he built a bigger, stronger box—one that no one could get into—and the man felt good. At last he was protecting the jewel as it should be. Upon occasion, when he decided that someone had earned the right to see it, he’d show it proudly. But they sometimes refused, or kind of smudged it, or just glanced at it disinterestedly. Much time went by, and then only once in awhile would one pass by the man, the aging man; he would pat his box and say, “I have the loveliest of jewels in here.” Once or twice he opened the box and offered it saying, “Look and see. I want you to.” And the passerby would look and look, and look. And then he would back away from the old man, shaking his head.
The man died, and he went to God, and he said, “You gave me a precious gift many years ago, and I’ve kept it safe, and it is as lovely as the day you gave it to me.” And he opened the box and held it out to God. He glanced in it, and in it was a lizard—an ugly, laughing lizard. And God walked away from him. Yes, there is a hell.
Lois Cheney, God is no Fool, pp. 33-4
Definitions
Prophecy: setting before people the Word and wisdom of God persuasively.
Encouragement: drawing alongside to comfort, encourage, rebuke, and lead someone into insight toward action.
Teaching: laying down in a systematic order the complete truth of a doctrine and applying it incisively to life.
The message of wisdom: Locating formerly unknown principles as well as combining known principles of God’s Word and communicating them to fresh situations.
The message of knowledge: Arranging the facts of Scripture, categorizing these into principles, and communicating them to repeated or familiar situations.
Contributing: Giving most liberally and beyond all human expectation.
Mercy: Being sensitive or empathetic to people who are in affliction or misery and lifting internal burdens with cheerfulness.
Helps: Seeing tasks and doing them for or with someone in order to lift external burdens.
Distinguishing spirits: Detecting a genuine or spurious motive by distinguishing the spirit-source behind any person’s speech or act.
Evangelism: Communicating the gospel with power and persuasiveness as well as equipping the saints for evangelism.
Leadership (executive ability): Standing before people and inspiring followers by leading them aggressively but with care.
Administration (legislative ability): Standing behind people to collect data, set policy, and develop plans which will guide a course of action with wisdom.
Faith: Seeing through any problem to the Ultimate Resource.
What about the so-called sign gifts, such as healing and speaking in tongues, referred to in today’s text? To us, Hebrews 2:4 suggests that they were intended to be confirming signs for the Apostles, and ceased with them. Others feel they are still for today, but if so, one thing is clear: they are given sovereignly by the Spirit for specific purposes and are the exception, not the rule.
Dr. Earl Radmacher and Gordon McMinn, Today in the Word, July, 1990, p. 19
Pneumatikon
...a spiritual gift is spiritual in character (pneumatikon), sovereignly given by God the Holy Spirit (charismata), to others (diakonia), in the power of God (energeema), with an evident manifestation of the Holy Spirit through the Christian as he serves God (phanerosis).
Jerry Falwell, Elmer Towns, Stepping out on Faith, p. 127.
Summarizing Spiritual Fruit
1. is given to all believers;
2. produces spiritual character;
3. is singular (fruit is singular, meaning one’s character is a unit);
4. is permanent (1 Cor. 13:8-10); and
5. grows internally.
To summarize spiritual gifts, note the contrast to the previous five points.
Spiritual gifts:
1. are given to specific believers;
2. produce spiritual service;
3. are plural (Flynn lists nineteen, Wagner, twenty-seven);
4. will cease; and
5. operate externally.
Jerry Falwell, Elmer Towns, Stepping out on Faith, p. 142
Bill Cosby’s Mother
The Detroit News carried a humorous little story about Bill Cosby’s aged mother that illustrates how useless gifts are unless they are used. She had been raised in poverty, and the family had very little money as Bill was growing up. As a result, she never had modern conveniences and had gotten accustomed to doing things the hard way. When the children were old enough to get jobs, they often gave their mother appliances as Christmas gifts to make her life easier. But she wouldn’t use them. Bill especially remembered that after a while his mother had two or three toasters. But she left them in their boxes and put them on top of the refrigerator. At breakfast she would still do the toast in the oven. If the boys protested, she would say, “Leave them on the refrigerator. I’m used to doing it the old way.”
Our Daily Bread, March 4, 1990
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