Spiritual Gifts

1 Corinthians 12:4-15, 20,27
Related Sunday School Lesson, Family Bible Series, June 27

I suppose every parent has had a similar experience. You have spent an enormous amount of time, energy, and perhaps money on a gift for a child only to have the child not fully appreciate the gift. One cannot help but be a little disappointed when the box the gift comes in fascinates the child more than the gift itself.

In the spiritual realm, there is a similar experience when God’s children neglect the spiritual gifts God has given them. The subject of spiritual gifts is one that has caused considerable debate over the years.

On the extreme end of things there are those who relegate the gifts (or at least most of the miraculous ones) to a bygone age. On the other hand, there are those who believe all the gifts of the spirit are operational but overemphasize one or two of these gifts at the expense of the others. Surely we can find some balance in this subject. I believe the Bible provides just that.

Our study this week addresses the gifts of the Spirit. The apostle Paul is the primary architect of our theology concerning this vitally important subject. Spiritual gifts are mentioned in a number of passages; however, three passages form the basis for most of our knowledge. They are Romans 12:1-8, 1 Corinthians 12-14, and Ephesians 4:7-16. We will concentrate on Paul’s instruction to the church at Corinth in the 1 Corinthians 12 passage.

In these verses, Paul is writing to inform the Corinthians about spiritual gifts and to correct abuses that were occurring among some with regard to several of these gifts. This passage provides a general survey of the subject. It should be remembered that Paul is addressing questions and problems that have been brought to his attention by certain members of the church. In chapter 7, Paul mentions “those things of which you wrote.” Evidently the church at Corinth was struggling with a number of issues and had sought Paul’s help. From chapter 7 forward, Paul is addressing these issues.

Beginning with chapter 12, the issue is spiritual gifts. Paul deals with both their use and misuse. The church at Corinth had experienced extraordinary spiritual phenomena. Miraculous things were occurring. Some of the people had witnessed these things and were afraid. Others got carried away with enthusiasm for one or two spectacular gifts. But most of the people were simply confused and did not know what to think.

This same pattern seems to have carried forward to our day. There are those who are afraid of the subject and will have nothing to do with it. There are those who are enthused about the gifts but are enamored with one or two more than the others. But for the most part, many people are confused; they simply don’t know what to think. Hopefully we can do something about that through the teaching of Paul to the Corinthians. As we examine the passage, two things need to be noted.

(1) What spiritual gifts are. Spiritual gifts are abilities given to believers in the measure and will of the Spirit. These gifts are not natural talents, though natural talents can be useful in employing these gifts. These are not learned skills, though we can certainly learn to utilize gifts more fully. These are abilities that, when employed, will have a spiritual impact.

The good news is that every Christian has at least one gift of the Spirit. That means all of us have a ministry to perform. All of us are intended for service. The most effective way for any of us to serve God is through the gifts He has given us. The problem in many of our churches is that we simply plug people into positions without consideration of what gifts they possess. God knows what He has designed you to do. And every gift is significant to the body of Christ. Spiritual gifts are given to edify (build up) the body of Christ. Paul provides only a partial list of these gifts in 1 Corinthians. There is no one complete list in the scripture.

We are not certain that all the gifts are listed in the Bible. There may be gifts that we are not told of. What we do know is that believers are gifted to serve.

One of the most useful listings of spiritual gifts is found in Romans 12. Paul speaks of the gifts of prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, the gift of giving, leadership, and the gift of mercy. For the most part, these are gifts we would be at least somewhat familiar with. The gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12-14 are sometimes called the miracle, or sign, gifts. These seem to be less familiar to the overall body of Christ. That is not to suggest that they are less operable, only less familiar.

(2) What spiritual gifts are not. It is just as important to understand what spiritual gifts are not as what they are. Spiritual gifts are not signs or evidence of spirituality. No spiritual gift proves that you are filled with the Spirit. If ever there was a proof case of this, it is the church at Corinth. This church had all the spiritual gifts. Paul said, “as concerning spiritual gifts you lack none.” Yet, these were not deeply spiritual people. In fact, when describing them, Paul refers to them as “babes in Christ” and “carnal” believers.

The Christians of Corinth struggled with their morality. They may have been the most difficult church Paul dealt with. Carnal Christians can and often do exercise spiritual gifts. If we are going to measure the spiritual maturity of someone, it would be better to do so by the fruits of the spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22, 23).

None of this takes away from the significance of these gifts. Every church is to seek out the gifts of its people and ask what can be done through these gifts. And each individual Christian has a responsibility to ask, “What has God gifted me to do?”