Spiritual gifts are among the least understood subjects among believers, yet are one of the most important parts of church life. Paul’s writings are the main source of instruction regarding the gifts, and areprobably the best place to start is in 1 Corinthians Chapters 12 through 14.
That these chapters be considered as a whole is best understood by a brief outline:
| Chapter 12 | Spiritual Gifts |
| Chapter 13 | The famous “Love” chapter |
| Chapter 14 | Spiritual Gifts |
Understanding the continuity of these three chapters gives a whole new meaning to Chapter 13, which most of us like to pull out of its context and use in wedding and memorial sermons as the epitome of covenant love. This practice is ubiquitous and will certainly continue due to the chapter’s upbeat language and flowery words, but it serves our purpose to consider it in the context of spiritual gifting where it becomes the centerpiece.
Why the Church Needs Spiritual Gifts
The Holy Spirit, who was poured out onto the Church at Pentecost (Acts 2), empowers the churches through the gifts bestowed on each church. In 14:25 Paul speaks of the power of these gifts to bring people to worship, and it is this power that makes the church assembly stronger than others, such as nominal churches that might better be described as “religion clubs.”
Gifting is also the vehicle for Jesus’s authority over his flock, as authority is in the gathered people, not in priests, bishops, and others in church hierarchies. When the people of God are open and sensitive to the Spirit, it is with them that God’s intentions can be known. So, when a church knows what God wants, God can guide her into doing the work that he wants to be done.
A Gift List?
Paul begins his treatment by making it clear that there is a great variety of gifts. Later in the chapter he lists over a dozen, but if you mine the rest of the New Testament there are 29 gifts in total. But Paul does not give any indication that the variety of gifts stops at 29, and the modern age makes it possible to add dozens more to meet new challenges and opportunities facing the church.
While the gifts are given to individuals, there seems to be no reason to suppose that anyone may be limited to just one spiritual gift, but the notion that one individual can have all of the gifts is clearly denied in 12:14ff. Paul paints a picture of a church with all the gifts it needs, those gifts being spread among the membership. Furthermore, he insists that each gift has value and that there is no basis for regarding any one gift as of greater importance than any other (Yet he advises “striving” for the “greater gifts” ini 12:31).
Ownership of the Gifts
While the gifts are bestowed on indiviidual members, the title to each gift remains with the church because the gifts are intended for the “common good.” (14:7). Furthermore, as the church membership changes, gifting will change and some members may lose the gifts they may have and gain others. So one might say that there may be an expiiration date on any individual’s gifts.
Finally, since the gifts are given more as loans than as personal assets, Paul discourages boasting about whatever gifts you may have. Each member is to respect the Spirit’s choices regarding who receives which gifts and to always respect those who may have ben given what one might regard as a “lesser” gift. (12:14-26).
Gifting Centered in Love
The conssequence of a church body consisting of members who all respect each other’s gifting is love. Only by manifesting the attributes of love fond in Chapter 13 can such an assembly function at full speed. Paul puts this principle above all others in 13:1-3 and several of his other letters. See also Jesus’ words in John 15:17.
Seeking a Gift
There are well-intended ministries who exploit Spiritual Gifts, offering services to help believers “discover” their one, lifetime gift. Such an exercise suggests that a convert to Christ has an obligation to discover which gift he has been assigned and offers personality tests designed to reveal that one gift out of the 29 mentioned in the New Testament that the Holy Spirit gave but neglected to inform him or her about. This approach completely misses the purpose of the gifts and can only be dismissed as an abuse of the church.
Remember that the gifts serve the church, not the individual. Be sensitive to the needs of the church and offer to step forward to fill that need. If it doesn’t work out, try again. Don’t be afraid to offer to help in an area where you have little or no experience; if it is the Spirit’s intention for you to have that gift, you will know that it feels right.
Talents
Those with natural abilities are certainly candidates for Spiritual giftring. God may use one’s pre-Christian skills, enhancing them with the Spirit’s help. That is a decision that must be left with the Spirit.
Tongues
We can’t leave these chapters without a mention of glossolalia, which Paul brings up repeatedly. In fact, it almost reads as a polemic against tongues since he describes them as having the potential of becomming a “noisy gong and a clanging symbol” when used in worship (13:1). In Chapter 14, where we find the only biblical description of First Century worship, he stresses the need for order (14:40) and instructs his readers to limit tongue speaking to those occasions when there is an interpretor lest the pracice drive away visitors (14:23). It seems likely that the Corinthians had gone overboard with tongue-speaking to the point where it became an object of boasting. Nevertheless, Paul does not condemn tongues per se, claiming to be a tongue-speaker himself and urging others to learn the practice. (14:5)
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