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Notes towards an understanding of Spiritual Gifts.

The bible is inspiredbut not inerrant. It was not written directly by God, but is acollection of books written by men who passionately saw God acting in the world.

Human errors occurred, and a comprehensive list can be found @

http://www.infidels.org/

The gospels always take primacy over the other books in the New Testament forobvious reasons.

Jesus does not expound an analysis of the Holy Spirits action, apart from John 14:26,where His role is to teach and remind the disciples, and Acts 1:4 where He will

empower.

Pauls letters to various churches are just that: letters. It is presumptuous to derivea comprehensive theology from them. That wasntPauls intention. They were

written to deal with specific local issues.

The bible cannot contain everything necessary for faith. Humans have to use theirrational faculties, as well as their emotions and spirit, to come to faith. Also, the

Holy Spirit continues to work in the world as well as the disciples life.

God sends his rain and causes the sun to shine on the evil and the good, the just andthe unjust i.e. the whole world. Matt 5:45.

God loves everyone without restraint e.g. the Prodigal son. Lk 15: 11-32. Similarly Jesus generously heals ten lepers, but only one returns to thank him. Lk 17:

11-19.

All good gifts around usare sent from Heaven above.

Thus it seems logical to assume, if tentatively, that spiritual gifts are also lavished on non-believers,

including people of other faiths.

If we look at the gifts as enumerated by Paul, perhaps we can see a correlation between natural

abilities, learned skills and the development of intuition and insight which may illuminate his

teaching.

http://www.infidels.org/http://www.infidels.org/http://www.infidels.org/

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Other GiftsThe 5 (five) Fold

MinistryThe 9 (nine) Spiritual Gifts

Romans 12:6-8 Ephesians 4:11 1 Corinthians 12:1-14

Prophecy Ministry Teaching Exhortation Giving Leading Showing mercy

(compassion)

Apostolic Prophetic Evangelical Pastoral Teaching

Wisdom Knowledge Discerning various

spirits

Speaking in tongues Interpretation of tongues Prophecy Faith Working of miracles Healing

Looking at the above lists it would seem reasonable to consider the 5 Fold Ministry as an

extension of the existing talents of individuals, talents developed and put to use in the

service of God. Similarly with the Other Gifts listed in Romans. Many, but not all, could be

seen as an enhancing of natural human motivations and abilities. A Christian would see the

power of the Holy Spirit at work, others only the determination and motivation of the

individual.

The writings of the church fathers prove that "the gifts of healings" were exercised in the church centuries

after the apostolic period. Since then, this gift has appeared intermittently in the church. For long gifts of

healing have been in abeyance, but today there are recognized branches of the church which believe thatthey are beginning to reappear. Unfortunately the manner in which some act, who claim to have received

the gift has brought it into disrepute. The kind of ailments that were healed in the NT period, the nature

and place of faith, the significance of suffering in God's economy, the importance of the subconscious andthe nature of its influence upon the body, the relations between gifts of healings and medical science (a

doctor was numbered among Paul's traveling companions!), these have not received the attention they

require today. Gifts of healings are a permanent gift of the Spirit to the church but are properly exercisedonly by men of the Spirit, and of humility and faith.

J G S S Thomson and W A Elwell

(Elwell Evangelical Dictionary)

NB

It is a strange idea to assert that Gods gifts to his children should stop simply because the

bible is in print and available to all. (My limited understanding of the Cessationist position).

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The Father gives good gifts to his children, whether in terms of natural abilities, developed

skills or empowerments from the Spirit. Such a generous Father has never stopped

providing gifts and answering his childrens requests.

Take the example of the lecturer at a recent workshop on prayer I attended. He was

articulate, sensitive to the audience and clearly a man of prayer himself. Were these simplyhis natural abilities or had he received the gift of teaching? He was certainly preaching the

Gospel in what he was doing.

I, personally, am wary of proclamations about spiritual gift from charismatic churches.

Reports of some church meetings bear the hallmark of trance induction. Contrary to some

churches, nowhere in the bible does it say that all must have the gift of tongues, nor that all

gifts should be found in one church. However I see no reason why an individual may not be

given the gift of tongues for private prayer in order to better express his praise to God. Of

course, this is glossalalia as opposed to speaking in a foreign language, xenoglossia, which

hasnt been evident since the New Testament times.

Similarly gifts of healing have become more common now that Christians have taken

onboard Christs injunction to go out and preach and heal. But as with all gifts, I think God

provides them for a specific purpose. Pauls list was applicable to his foundling churches,

but it doesnt mean that it was a comprehensive or closed list. Undoubtedly God provides

other gifts if we but paid attention.

The bottom line is that by their fruits you will know them. Many of the aforementioned

gifts can occur in other religions, but to be considered Christian, they must match up to the

biblical understanding.