The Holy Spirit: Spiritual Gifts

While most of the church will agree that certain spiritual gifts were discontinued after the apostolic age, others are insisting that gifts given at the beginning of the church age continue in the same way throughout the entire period. On the surface it is quite clear that the modern church does not function quite like the apostolic church. There is an evident decline in miracles, though God is still able to perform miracles. No longer does the testimony of the church depend on its capacity to support its oral testimony by phenomenal miraculous works. It is also clear from the history of the Bible that miracles were evident for particular purposes in some periods while almost absent in others.

Three notable periods of miracles are evident in the Bible: The problems relating to the question of whether some gifts are temporary have focused principally on the gift of tongues, the gift of interpreting tongues, and the gift of miracles or healing. Relatively little controversy has been aroused concerning whether or not certain other spiritual gifts were only temporary.

II. The Gifts of the Spirit

It seems evident from the Scriptures that the gift of apostleship was limited to the first-century church. Apostles were distinguished from prophets and teachers in 1 Corinthians During the apostolic period they had unusual authority and were the channels of divine revelation. Often they had the gift of prophecy as well as that of working miracles. Generally speaking, those who were in the inner circle of the apostles were eyewitnesses of the resurrection of Christ or, like Paul, had seen Christ subsequent to His resurrection. In Protestantism comparatively few claims have been advanced that any persons exist today with the same apostolic gift found in the early church.

The gift of prophecy, though claimed by a few, has also been recognized as having only passing validity. In the early church before the New Testament was completed, authoritative revelation was needed from God not only concerning the present, with the prophet being a forthteller but also concerning the future, with the prophet serving as a foreteller. The Scriptures themselves contain illustrations of such prophetic offices and their exercise. The gift is mentioned in Romans A number of illustrations are found as in the case of Agabus who predicted a famine Acts Among the prophets and teachers at Antioch, according to Acts Women could also be prophets, as illustrated by the four daughters of Philip Acts Paul clearly had the prophetic gift Among the others who were evidently prophets were Judas and Silas All these individuals were used as authoritative channels through which God could give divine revelation, sometimes about the contemporary situation and sometimes about the future.

New Testament prophets were like prophets in the Old Testament who spoke for God, warned of judgment, and delivered a message from God, whether contemporary or predictive. The Old Testament prophet, however, was more of a national leader, reformer, and patriot, and his message usually was to Israel alone. In the New Testament the prophet principally ministered to the church and did not have national characteristics. To be a prophet an individual had to have a message from God in the form of special revelation, had to have guidance regarding its declaration so that it would be given forth accurately, and the message itself had to have the authority of God.

The prophetic office, therefore, was different from the teaching office in that the teaching office had no more authority than the Scripture on which it was based. The prophetic office, on the other hand, had its authority in the experience of divine reception and communication of truth. In the early church the prophetic office was very important and was considered one of the principal gifts. It is discussed somewhat at length in 1 Corinthians 14, and given more prominence than other gifts in the list in 1 Corinthians Because no one today has the same authority or the experience of receiving normative truth, it is highly questionable whether anyone has the gift of prophecy today.

No one has come forward to add even one verse of normative truth to the Bible. While individuals can have specific guidance and be given insight into the meaning of Scripture, no one is given truth that is not already contained in the Bible itself. Accordingly it may be concluded that the gift of prophecy has ceased. The gift of miracles, while a prominent gift in the early church 1 Cor After the ascension of Christ into heaven, miraculous works continued in the early church, on many occasions attending the preaching of the Word and constituting proof that it was indeed from God.

With the completion of the New Testament the need for such miraculous evidence in support of the preached Word seems to have ceased and the authority and convicting power of the Spirit seems to have replaced these outer manifestations. Believing that the gift of miracles is temporary does not demand that there are no miracles today. God still is able to do supernaturally anything He wills to do.

It simply implies that in the purpose of God miracles no longer constitute a mainline evidence for the truth, and individuals do not as in apostolic times have the gift of miracles.

While some who claim to have the gift of miracles today have succeeded in convincing many of their supernatural powers, the actual investigation of their operation, which in some cases may be supported by individual miracles here and there, is often found to be quite deceptive, and often the alleged hearings are psychologically instead of supernaturally effected. The point is not that God cannot perform miracles today, but rather that it is not His purpose to give to individuals the power to perform miracles by the hundreds as was true in the apostolic period.

What is true of the gift of miracles in general seems also to be true of the gift of healing mentioned in 1 Corinthians In biblical times there were special acts of divine healing, and undoubtedly there were many instances in which the apostles were able to demonstrate the divine power that was within them by restoring health to those who had various physical disabilities. A survey of the present church, while not without its segment of those who claim divine healing, does not support the contention that it is the same gift as was given in the early church.

That God has the power to heal supernaturally today is obvious, and that there may be cases of supernatural healing is not to be denied. Healing as a divine method for communication or authenticating the truth, however, is not the present divine purpose, and those who claim to have the gift of healing have again and again been proved to be spurious in their claims. Cases of healing are relatively rare in the modern church and are not intended to be a means of encouraging evangelism or church growth.

Probably the most controversial of the gifts of the Spirit is the gift of tongues. Two other instances occurred in Acts—one in Acts on the occasion of Peter speaking to the house of Cornelius, and the other in Acts It would seem reasonable to conclude that in these three instances in Acts there was a supernatural manifestation of the Spirit in the form of empowering men to speak in languages that were not known to them.

It should also be observed, however, that these are the only three instances mentioned in the Book of Acts, and that apart from the discussion in 1 Corinthians there is no other reference to speaking in tongues in the New Testament. What is the explanation of this gift, and can it be exercised today?

Though some writers have distinguished between the instances in Acts, which were clearly known languages, and the experience of the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians , there does not seem to be adequate basis for this distinction. The same expressions are used in both places. There is no evidence that those who exercised the gift of tongues spoke languages that were unknown to men, though there is reference to the theoretical possibility of speaking in the tongues of angels 1 Cor The instance in Acts 2 was clearly in known languages.

The recognition of a known language is essential to any scientific confirmation that genuine speaking in tongues has taken place. If those speaking in tongues had only babbled incoherent sounds, this would lend itself to fraudulent interpretation which could not in any way be confirmed. Therefore it is assumed that speaking in tongues in the Bible was a genuine gift, that it involved speaking in existing languages unknown to the speaker, and that actual communication took place in such experiences. So genuine speaking in tongues in the New Testament cannot be explained as simply hypnosis or psychological emotionalism; it has to be recognized as a genuine gift of the Holy Spirit.

The purpose of speaking in tongues is clearly defined in the Scriptures. Though words were expressed and the glory of God was revealed, there is no instance in Scripture where a doctrine was revealed through speaking in tongues, and it does not seem to have been a major vehicle for the revelation of new truth.

Interestingly Jews on the day of Pentecost were converted to Christ not after they heard tongues-speaking Acts 2: In all three instances in Acts speaking in tongues served to prove that what was taking place was a genuine work of God. In Acts 2, of course, it was the gift of the Spirit and the beginning of the New Testament church.

In Acts 10 it was necessary as an evidence to Peter of the genuineness of the work of salvation in the household of Cornelius and was designed to teach Peter that the gospel was universal in its invitation and application. The third instance, in Acts 19, served to identify the 12 men mentioned as actually being converted to Christianity instead of simply being followers of John the Baptist.

In these three instances, speaking in tongues was a sign that the work of the Holy Spirit was genuine and that salvation through Christ was available to all whether Jew, Samaritan, or Gentile. The only passage in the New Testament that deals theologically with the gift of tongues is found in 1 Corinthians The chapters were written to correct and regulate speaking in tongues rather than to exhort the Corinthian believers to exercise this gift.

It seems to have been prominent only in a church that was notoriously unspiritual cf. The gift of tongues is introduced in 1 Corinthians 12 as one of many gifts, and, significantly, as the least of the gifts enumerated in 1 Corinthians It is number eight in the list, and immediately afterward the apostle made it plain that spiritual gifts were not possessed by all the Corinthian church, and that only a few would actually speak in tongues.

All of chapter 13 is devoted to motivation in speaking in tongues, with Paul pointing out that the only proper motivation is love. So they were not to exalt the gift and they were not to use it as a basis for spiritual pride. Speaking in tongues without love was an empty and ineffectual exercise.

• Lobo and the Rabbit Stew / El lobo y el caldo de conejo?
• BLACK HISTORY: PEARL HARBOR HERO DORIE MILLER?
• You Might Be Getting OLD! (Been There, Done That Book 1)!

In chapter 14 the discussion of the significance of the gift of tongues is developed in detail. Paul made at least five major points. First, he defined tongues as a gift that is not nearly so important as other gifts such as the gift of teaching or the gift of prophecy. The problem was that speaking in tongues in the Corinthian church could not be understood by anyone there without the gift of interpretation, and it was limited in its capacity to communicate divine revelation.

Gifts Of The Spirit

So Paul wrote that it would be better for them to speak five words with understanding than 10, words in an unknown tongue 1 Cor Clearly Paul exalted the gifts that actually communicate truth rather than the phenomenal gift of tongues that was more a sign gift. Second, Paul wrote that speaking in tongues should not be exercised in the Corinthian assembly unless an interpreter was present.

The principal exercise of speaking in tongues was to be in private, but even here Paul indicated that praying with understanding is better than praying in an unknown tongue 1 Cor Third, the importance of speaking in tongues resides in the fact that it is a sign to unbelievers—a demonstration of the supernatural power of God, not primarily intended for the edification of believers 1 Cor The Corinthian church, however, was told that unless speaking in tongues was conducted with proper order, it would not achieve its purpose of convincing unbelievers of the truth and it would introduce an element of confusion 1 Cor In the public assembly the exercise of the gift of prophecy, the communication of a revelation from God in a known language, was more important and more effectual in leading others to faith than exercising the gift of tongues 1 Cor Fourth, the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues as well as exercising the gift of prophecy should be regulated and should not be allowed to dominate the assembly.

The principle is that these gifts should be exercised only if the church is edified. Ordinarily only two or three in any given meeting were to be allowed to speak in tongues, and none at all should be permitted if an interpreter was not present 1 Cor Some divide them into three categories using Old Testament offices. Proponents of cessationism distinguish between the "extraordinary", "miraculous", or "sign" gifts such as prophecy, tongues, and healing and the other gifts.

In addition, Roman Catholicism [20] and Eastern Orthodox Church also continue to believe in and make use of all of the spiritual gifts. The title apostle comes from the Greek word apostolos which means "a messenger, one sent forth with orders". While many Christians agree that the title of apostle is reserved for those among the first generation of Christians, many Christian denominations continue in one way or another to recognize a continuing apostolic ministry.

Many churches, such as the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches , believe in the doctrine of apostolic succession , which holds that properly ordained bishops are the successors to the apostles. Other Christian groups, such as classical Pentecostals, consider the role of a missionary to be fulfilling an apostolic ministry. Others would say that the office no longer exists. In the New Testament, the office of prophet is to equip the saints for the work of service through exhortation, edification, and consolation 1 Corinthians Prophecy is "reporting something that God spontaneously brings to your mind".

An evangelist is one who devotes himself to preaching the gospel. In the New Testament, evangelists preached from city to city, church to church. This term derives from a Greek word for "shepherd". In theory pastors are gifted to lead, guide, and set an example for other Christians. The grammatical structure of Ephesians 4: Even so, the two terms are not interchangeable; while all pastors are teachers, not all teachers are pastors. Pastoral Gifts include integrity and compassion.

1. Navigation menu.
2. Wild Acorns.
3. Conclusion.
4. Pleasure In the Robbing.

Someone who devotes his or her life to preaching and teaching the Christian faith. When teaching is provided for the Church by God, two gifts are actually given—to the Church is given a teacher and along with the teacher comes a divine capacity to teach. The word translated as "ministry" is diakonia , which can also be translated "service". The ability to motivate Christians "to patient endurance, brotherly love, and good works".

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit (The Spiritual Gifts): Page 1 - biblestudyproject

Those with this gift share their own possessions with others with extraordinary generosity. While all Christians should be givers, those possessing this gift will go beyond this normal giving. This gift speaks to the various leadership roles found in the Church. While many think of roles such as administration, management of funds, strategy planning, etc. Possibly identical to the gift of helps, the mercy-shower possesses a ministry of visitation, prayer, and compassion to the poor and sick.

An utterance or message of wisdom supernaturally granted to an individual. For Paul, wisdom refers to "the knowledge of the great Christian mysteries: The knowledge referred to is often said to relate to understanding Christian doctrine or scriptural truth. This refers to that strong or special faith "which removes mountains, casts out devils Matthew The ability to supernaturally minister healing to others.

The plural indicates the variety of sickness healed and the many forms the gift takes, such as healing by anointing with oil, by the laying on of hands , by saying the name of Jesus or by the sign of the cross. The performance of deeds beyond ordinary human ability by the power of the Holy Spirit. An outpouring of this gift is prophesied in Joel 2: Visions tend to be more private experiences than the other gifts. Some researchers expand the definition of visions to include a strongly felt presence.

The capacity to discern, distinguish, or to discriminate the source of a spiritual manifestation—whether it emanates from a good or evil spirit. It seemed to have been particularly associated with prophecy as it would be necessary to know whether a prophetic utterance was truly inspired by God. The supernatural ability of speaking an unlearned language.

This gift always follows the public exercise of the gift of tongues. This required that speech given in an unknown tongue be interpreted in the common language of the gathered Christians. This gift has to do with service to the sick and the poor. Also called the gift of governing, [1] the Greek word translated "governments" is kubernesis , the verb form of which means "to steer" or "to be a helmsman". This gift then refers to the God-given capacity to lead or guide the Church through storms and difficult seas.

While not specifically defined as spiritual gifts in the Bible, other abilities and capacities have been considered as spiritual gifts by some Christians. Some are found in the New Testament such as:. The word is also used in secular circumstances within social psychology. In that context, charism is defined as personal influence on other people individually or as a group.

Religious orders including Anglican , Catholic , Lutheran and Methodist use the word "charism" to describe their spiritual orientation and any special characteristics of their mission or values that might be exhibited as a result of the vows that they have taken and the orientation of the order to which they belong. An example might be the works of a teaching order compared to that of a missionary order or one devoted to the care of the poor or the sick and those in need of help. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.