Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Posted: Thursday, June 03, 2010
by Mark Parsec
Wordcasters
Recently, I discussed the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives and how this power is manifested in our lives by the fruit of the Spirit...
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
The fruit of the Spirit, however, is only one indication that the power of the Holy Spirit is dwelling within us and active in our lives. For in addition to the fruit of the Spirit, Christians receive “gifts of the Spirit”.
The fruit of the Spirit are primarily qualities that influence the internal life of the believer. For example…
The person who has only known hate now knows love.
The person who has only known sorrow now knows joy.
The person who has only known fear now knows peace.
The person who has only known impatience now knows patience.
The person who has been cruel now knows kindness.
The person who has only been bad now knows how to be good.
The person who has always been unfaithful now knows how to be faithful.
The person who has always been stern now knows how to be gentle.
And, the person who was out of control now has self-control.
In essence, the fruit of the Spirit is the internal evidence that the believer’s heart and mind have been transformed. The fruit of the Spirit is the result of the in pouring of the Holy Spirit into the believer. It produces a change of attitude, desire, thoughts, feelings and behavior. The person has been changed on the inside… they have been born again.
By contrast, the “gifts of the Spirit” are the out-flowing of the Holy Spirit, through the believer, in such a way that it empowers others to live victorious Christian lives. Regarding this, the Apostle Paul taught us, in 1 Corinthians 12:7, that…
…the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
We need to notice, first of all, that the gifts of the Spirit are distributed for the profit of all. The gifts of the Spirit are not for personal power, prestige, position or profit. The gifts of the Spirit are for the benefit of all. The New Living Translation puts it this way, A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other (v.7). So, in a very real way, the gifts of the Spirit are special abilities provided by the Holy Spirit to Christians for the purpose of building up the body of Christ.
The Apostle Paul goes on to provide us with a list of some of these spiritual gifts, (v. 8-10)…
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
Now, before we take a moment to go over each one of these spiritual gifts, it is important to note that the Apostle Paul’s list of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 is not all-inclusive, by any means. However, each of these gifts have a supernatural manifestation. Allow me to explain…
Although God may use a person’s “natural” talents and skills to bless other people, the distinguishing feature of these gifts of the Holy Spirit are that they are not natural. In fact, the spiritual gifts seem to work contrary to a person's natural tendencies and abilities.
By way of example, think of Moses. He had a severe speech impediment. He stammered when he talked. Yet, God used Moses to be His mouthpiece and to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Think of David, he was a mere shepherd musician. Yet God raised him up to be King of Israel. Think of Mary, the mother of Christ, she was just a poor little girl. Yet, God used her to conceive and deliver our Lord and Savior. Think of the twelve disciples, most of them were uneducated fishermen. Yet God used them to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to perform mighty miracles and to turn the world upside down.
Isaiah explained this concept aptly in Isaiah 55:7-9 when he said…
8 “ For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
9 “ For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Therefore, as we go over the supernatural spiritual gifts it is important to remember that some of them may not make any sense to us, some of them may seem rather odd, some of them may even seem impossible… but God’s ways are not our ways.
Now, the spiritual gifts Paul mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 include: word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healings, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues and the interpretation of tongues . Let’s go over each one of these individually.
Word of Wisdom - People with the spiritual gift of the Word of Wisdom have an ability to comprehend the Word of God, as well as a profound understanding of spiritual matters. They have the ability to provide counseling, advice, direction or leadership that is in accordance with the will of God. They can share this wisdom with others in a way that will build up others in their faith.
Word of Knowledge - People with the spiritual gift of the Word of Knowledge have the ability to know the Word of God, but also details about people, places, and things that they have never met or experienced. They will share this knowledge with others in a way that builds them up in their faith.
Faith - People with the spiritual gift of faith maintain their faith in the face of every adversity. When others have given up hope, they still hold on, they still trust that God’s purposes will be performed. Their faith inspires others to have greater faith. Mother Theresa exemplified the gift of faith.
Healings - People with the spiritual gift of healing have the ability to lay their hands upon others or pray for them and bring healing from disease in a manner that defies medical explanation. Receiving or even observing healing can greatly inspire faith.
Miracles - People with the spiritual gift to perform miracles can raise the dead, multiply food provisions, divert calamity, cast out demons and protect individuals from bodily harm. Miracles authenticate the Gospel message and inspire greater faith.
Prophecy - A person with the gift of prophecy has the ability to proclaim a message from God. The prophetic message is always in accordance with God’s Word and will inspire greater faith.
Discerning of Spirits - A person with the gift of discernment has the ability to validate whether a person, message or activity is of God or of Satan. They can accurately detect when someone is lying. Discernment greatly encourages the integrity of the church.
Tongues - A person with the gift of tongues has the ability to speak a message in a language they have never learned.
Interpretation of Tongues - A person with the gift of interpreting tongues has the ability to interpret a message given in tongues, in a language they have never learned.
Some people may tell you that if you don’t speak in tongues then you are not saved. This, however, is not biblical. So long as you have received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and you display fruit of the Spirit in your life then you may rest assured of your salvation. The gifts of the Spirit are an added bonus. That’s why they are called gifts.
The Word of God assures us that true believers in Jesus Christ will receive spiritual gifts. Some people may only have one gift. Some may have many gifts. Some may seldom use their gift. Others may use their spiritual gifts daily. However, whether you have one gift or many, whether you use it seldom or often, one thing is certain… God will use your gift to bless others.
Something beautiful happens when you receive the love of God through Jesus Christ… He fills you to overflowing with His love through His Holy Spirit. And God’s love cannot be contained nor His Spirit restrained. God’s Spirit will persuade you to share the love of God with others. And this love is shared through the gifts of the Spirit.
Moreover, as spiritual gifts are given to those who have accepted Jesus Christ, something wonderful happens. Pastors and priests, ministers and missionaries cease to be the ONLY people through whom God’s love is revealed to others. The Holy Spirit gives ordinary people power to impart the love of God to one another… to encourage one another, to heal one another, and to bless one another.
If you want to be truly blessed by God, allow Him to bless others through you… through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. You can learn to release those gifts by loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and loving your neighbor as yourself.
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Dear Mark,A well-balanced article. I think you would be interested in The Signature of the Spirit, which I authored a few years back. It attempts to identify the work of the Spirit, as set forth in Luke/Acts.God bless!MorrisHi Morris,
Your approval of this article means a lot to me. Thank you for your comments. I hope I have the opportunity to puruse your book.
Mark
It must be an onorous job to speak for the Lord; I pray that your intentions will be guided by a light beyond that of your teachings; PaulPaul,
Thank you for your comments.
Mark
A very interesting article I will have to read a few times to wrap my thoughts around it. My wife and I do a presentation about once a year on centering prayer as taught by Contemplative Outreach. We do a segment on the fruits of the Spirit. The essence of centering prayer is to open ones heart and mind to the presence and action of God within. Almost verbatim is what you said "the fruit of the Spirit is the internal evidence that the believer’s heart and mind have been transformed. The fruit of the Spirit is the result of the in pouring of the Holy Spirit into the believer". Somehow ypu said it just a little different so it all makes more sense. We don't really address spiritual gifts, usually including them with fruits of the Spirit as acts of kindness and helping other people in different ways. There is always the concern that people will look at spiritual gifts as something they can strive towards, achieve, and lose sight of the fact that gifts are gifts, not an achievement or recognition of some advanced state- and don't imply anything special or superior in a person. Paul seemed to expressed this same opinion. But if we fail to recognize and use them that's a fault also. Perhaps you could write more on what appears to be a conflicting view.Hi David,
Thank you for your input on this topic. I believe Paul (above) has a New Age philosophy. I unerstand about the concern about delineating between the fruit -vs- the gifts and how people may try to strive after them. However, at the end of 1 Cor. 12, the Apostle Paul did encourage Christians to "covet earnestly" the best gifts... and then he goes on to explain how love is the key to releasing these gifts in accordance with God's will.
I hope this helps.
God bless you,
Mark
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