what's with the gifts? More than 8 useful ones

Last updated on May 21st, 2024

Outline of this Article

Intro

A friend asked what I thought of the ‘spiritual gifts’. I instinctively responded “the Body of Christ has a wide variety of views. Different parts hold different views”

But of course, that on its own is not a meaningful response. So I am glad I only thought it and didn’t speak it out. As with other issues of doctrine we generally adopt the stance of the church in which we were saved or raised or have chosen to attend. In some instances, people take the position of an author they read or a pod-castor to whom they listen. Those who attend theological college usually align with its ‘school of thought’

As always, it is essential to see what’s in the Scriptures about ‘gifts’ within the church and personal Christian life. The apostle Paul discussed three categories of gifts to us, the Christian church (the Body of Christ)

Romans 12 – Motivational Gifts

“Just as each of us has one body with many members; and these members do not all have the same function; so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is:- serving, let him serve; teaching, let him teach; encouraging, let him encourage; contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; leadership, let him govern diligently; showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” (Romans 12:4-8)

These gifts are also called “gifts of service” because they are used primarily in serving (motivating) one another

Paul follows mention of gifts with a reminder of the need for Love (Romans 12:9-21)

Ephesians 4 – Ministry Gifts

In chapter 2 of Ephesians Paul tells his readers they, as gentiles, form one body in Christ with the ‘citizens of Israel’ (Ephesians 2:11-16). Next, he switches the metaphor from ‘one body’ to that of ‘God’s household’ (building) with Christ as the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:17-22)

Then in chapter 4 he reverts to the image of one body and one Spirit. Referring to Jesus, Paul says “It was he who gave some to be apostles; some to be prophets; some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers; to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Ephesians 4:11-12)

Note: Paul says Jesus gives these five gifts (ministry roles) to some to prepare God’s people for works of service. Why? To build up (edify) the body of Christ or, as the ICB (International Children’s Bible) puts it …. “He gave those gifts to make the body of Christ stronger”

1 Corinthians 12 – Spiritual Gifts

“Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.” (1 Corinthians 12:1)

“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.” (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)

Note: Paul says Holy Spirit gives these gifts to each one, just as He determines. Paul refers to these gifts as ‘manifestations’ (signs or expressions) of the Spirit. Further, Paul contextualises these nine gifts using the metaphor of the Body of Christ — made up of many different parts (1 Corinthians 12:12-27).

Then he reminds us of the ministry gifts or functional roles about which he wrote in Ephesians 4…
“And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.” (1 Corinthians 12:28)

Again, Paul immediately follows mention of gifts with a reminder of the need for Love (1 Corinthians 13)

Gifts can be Divisive

The Body of Christ is divided about the relevance of spiritual gifts today

Some believe the Holy Spirit has stopped giving spiritual gifts to individuals because there is no need for them now. They believe the gifts were for the early church

Others, equally strongly believe the spiritual gifts are still available and helpful for today. Holy Spirit is still wanting to empower His people with the gifts to each as he determines

For example, are the ministry gifts (roles) identified in Ephesians 4 still relevant or not? Pretty much the whole church accepts evangelists, pastors and teachers as valid roles for today. But apostles and prophets are now ‘extinct’ in a wide portion of the Body

Likewise most of the motivational gifts of Romans 12 are acceptable today across the wider Body of Christ. However, in many parts of the Body, prophesying is not acceptable

Paul’s very clear warnings amidst the gifts …

Historically, the gifts have been possibly the most contentious and divisive issue the Christian church has carried. Some proponents on each side of the ‘debate’ feel equally strongly convinced they are right and the others are fully in error. This has caused many a rift in the Body in spite of Paul’s warning ……..

“Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body’, it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?

But in fact, God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’” (1 Corinthians 12:14-21)

Yet, in spite of these verses …

The strength of disagreement over gifts has more than once sadly deteriorated into a questioning of salvation. I’ve heard even simple criticism of another believer sink as low as labelling them as being “whack!” for having a different perspective on spiritual gifts.

Such reactions in the face of the Truth of Scripture reveal that the human intellect can be mysterious. We know that being saved – calling Jesus Christ our Lord – being in Christ – becoming a member of the Body of Christ – is a simple step and does not necessarily involve spiritual gifts

Peter, declared to the crowd, “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:21)
Paul and Silas told the jailer “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household” (Acts 16:31)
Paul told the Romans, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9)

Yet there can be such strong division over a simple principle. It is therefore no surprise that under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul saw the need to make the point that “…..no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3). But it seems, some views of spiritual gifts can cause some members of the Body of Christ to forget or neglect what Paul declared to the Romans, “…. in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Romans 12:5)

Observations regarding gifts – why the contention?

At the risk of stating the obvious, differences in interpretation of Scripture, let alone the passionate disagreement of another’s perspective stem from one fact. The church is just a huge group of humans all of whom are undergoing transformation from sinfulness to images of Jesus. Hardly a homogeneous unit. Furthermore, Satan despises the Church, the Body of Christ. He is desperate and determined to destroy it or at least weaken it as much as possible.

The main source of controversy over spiritual gifts revolves around three main issues:-

Perfection – Completeness
“Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.For we know in part and we prophesy in part,but when completeness [perfection (NKJV & NLT)] comes, what is in part disappears.” (1Corinthians 13:8-10)

The Revelation Completes the Word of God
In the 22nd chapter of the Revelation verses 18 & 19 John says … “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book”

Vulnerability to evil interference
There is concern albeit fear that the spiritual gifts are open to interference from the enemy. Because of point 2. above current words of prophecy would be from the devil or just be sinful man’s idle words. ‘Speaking in tongues’ makes no sense to the rational mind and would most likely be just human babble or in some circles considered to be be from the devil

Considerations

Completeness or Perfection – Prophecies, Tongues, Words of Knowledge

The argument for some gifts no longer being needed in the modern church and no longer being distributed by God runs along the thread:-
Since the Bible is the written Word of God it is complete and perfect and it has come – we have it. Thus, from 1 Corinthians 13:10, the imperfect or what is in part, disappears. In other words, prophecies have ceased; tongues have been stilled; and knowledge has passed away.

But what does the Bible say? Reading further in 1 Corinthians 13 Paul said more about when perfection/completeness/fullness comes (depending on which English version you read) . … “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12). In its context, Paul is saying that when we mature, when the future age comes in its fullness, faith and hope will give way to actual sight. [He wrote about faith and hope in chapters 4 and 8 of 1 Corinthians]. Only love will remain. Intimate, personal relationship with God (vs 12) as God once more comes to live among His people (Revelation 22:3-4).

All that is partial and imperfect will disappear when the age to come dawns in perfection (vs 9-10). Just as the speech, the thoughts, and the reasoning of childhood are abandoned when one reaches adulthood, so the partial and indirect knowledge of the present will give way to full and intimate knowledge of God in the coming age (vs 11-12). The spiritual gifts, which now give a ‘taste’ of the life of God to His Church, will no longer be necessary when “we shall see [Him] face to face …. shall know fully” (vs 12)

The obvious questions jump out at us ….. If completeness (perfection) has already come,
• do we already see our Lord face to face rather than a poor reflection?
• do we already know fully so the need for a gift of knowledge has passed away?

Because the answers to those questions are blatantly obvious, the alternative view holds that the completeness or perfection coming that Paul referred to was not the compiling of the Bible. Although of course the Bible is the complete, inerrant (perfect), infallible, inspired Word of God. Paul was referring to the coming of the Lord Himself (who is perfection and completion personified) when all things will be made complete, perfect and God will be visible

Does this align with other Scripture?

Paul told the Ephesians that Jesus gave ministries to some individuals, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all:- …….
i) reach unity in the faith
ii) reach unity in the knowledge of the Son of God
iii) become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will
iv) grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work (Ephesians 4:11-16)

One must consider the wider Body of Christ. Consider each denomination. Consider each local church. Has it happened yet? Have we all:-

i) reached unity in the faith?
ii) reached unity in the knowledge of the Son of God?
iii) become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ?
iv) in all things, grown up to become the mature body of Him who is the Head, that is, Christ?

Revelation Implies No More Prophecy

In all that Paul wrote about Jesus giving some to be prophets and the Holy Spirit giving the gift of prophecy to some as he determines there is no hint that Paul considered what those people might say was noteworthy, let alone would add to Scripture. He only said that it must not contradict Scripture. He wrote … “Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said” (1Corinthians 14:29)
Indeed, the Bible is the complete, inerrant, infallible, inspired Word of God and we must not expand, reduce nor alter it at all. So what does the the Lord say about prophets?

Many prophets but only a few records

I wonder, was every prophetic word of all the many prophets we know about recorded in Scripture? The Bible of course tells us that.

Isaiah prophesied for more than 50yrs. That amount of prophesying wouldn’t fit in the book of Isaiah.

Other full-time prophets, like Agabus, have only a sentence or two recorded in the Bible. Acts 21:10,11 … “a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles’ ”. Beforehand, “… some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted .. a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world” (Acts 11:27,28) But the words of the prophecy weren’t added to Scripture.

Prophecies not added in Scripture

Maybe it’s a sad reflection of my sense of humour but for me, one of the more amusing images recorded in the Bible is in 1Samuel.

“After that you [Saul] will go to the hill of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, tambourines, flutes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; .… When they arrived … a procession of prophets met him [Saul]; the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he joined in their prophesying”
(1Samuel 10:5, 6 ,10)

Imagine, the “noise”, a procession with lyres, tambourines, flutes and harps and a bunch of prophets prophesying. Reminds me of a cartoon depiction of a huge noisy crowd of heads, arms and legs bobbing around the outside of a huge bunch of squiggles. Then Saul suddenly joining in their prophesying, becoming part of the crowd. Amazing! Yet we don’t even know who they were. The Scriptures do not record their prophecies.

Numerous unknown prophets exist in Scripture without a record of their prophecies. Just one other example, 1Kings 18:4 records that while Jezebel was killing off the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves. I’m fascinated. Many more than 100 prophets in Israel at one time. What were they saying? Their prophecies didn’t affect the Scriptures in the slightest

[See subsequent article “What’s the go with the Prophets?“]

Satan’s imitations

Satan has a long history of trying to imitate God’s workings (see the magicians of Pharoah in Moses’ day). Scripture records the existence of many false prophets (diviners) throughout the Old Testament. Jeremiah spoke against them (Jeremiah 14:13-18; 23:13-40; 27:14-18) and especially Hananiah (chpt. 28) and Shemaiah (29:24-32). False prophets are also mentioned numerous times in the New Testament

There is no doubt that God is sovereign and Scripture records how God dealt with the false prophets.

Given that we are God’s church can He not look after us, the Body of Christ? Remember, knowing that Satan is capable of interfering, it was God who took the “risk” of spiritual gifts to strengthen His church in the first place. He thought it was a good idea. “Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said” (1 Corinthians 12:10). It would seem the ‘cost-benefit analysis’ must have shown it was worth it at the time. Why not still now one has to ask?

Conclusion

If there were any prophetic words today, none would be intended to add to Scripture unless they were from a false prophet! But, any and every prophetic words have to be weighed against Scripture, of course

Then what would current day prophets be saying? Maybe a topic for another day

Paul wrote that the gifts were to prepare God’s people for works of service (that’s personal). To strengthen the Body of Christ (that’s for the common good). He didn’t specify that they were for establishing the church. So the question remains, are the spiritual gifts relevant for today, does the church still need strengthening? Moreover, is Father God still desiring to engift His people?

A SECONDARY ISSUE ARISES which is equally important ….. those who don’t believe the gifts are acceptable for today must resist the temptation to criticise (or worse) those who do. And vice versa.

It can’t be over-stressed; we must heed Paul’s metaphor of the body of Christ. In particular, “The eye cannot say to the hand”, although vastly different in appearance feel and function, “I don’t need you!”

Further Reading:- there is a very informative teaching letter from Derek Prince. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

… just sayin’

Whatever your beliefs re the Gifts, they are from God, out of His Love …… speaking of which, check out this great song.
Words and music written by and sung by Dan opdeVeigh while ministering as a worship pastor at Flatirons Community church