Spiritual Gifts

Origin:

1. Modus operandi of the Jewish Age was special empowering for special jobs, that is, to perform miracles — Matthew 10:1

2. When Jesus ascended into heaven after His resurrection He emptied Paradise — transferred the soul and spirit of Old Testament saints to the 3rd heaven — Ephesians 4:8, “led captivity”: soul and spirit (no resurrection body); “captive”: Soul and spirit to heaven, still no resurrection body.

3. He also “gave gifts unto men” — Ephesians 4:8, spiritual gifts.

4. Each believer in the Church Age receives a spiritual gift at the moment of salvation — 1 Corinthians 12:11.

5. You do not seek a spiritual gift.

You do not earn or work for spiritual gifts.

You do not get one on the basis of any human ability.

Whatever gift you have is the sovereign decision of the Holy Spirit.

6. All members of the Godhead are involved in spiritual gifts.

7. Since God the Father is the planner, we assume He decided X number for pastors, teachers, helps, etc. 1 Corinthians 12:28, “And God”: God the Father.

8. Jesus Christ provided the basis for spiritual gifts — Ephesians 4:8-11.

9. The Holy Spirit appoints the gift to the person — 1 Corinthians 12:11.

10. Spiritual gifts are the Father’s organised witness (not personal witness) to the plan of salvation. Hebrews 2:4. Behind any man’s evangelistic campaign are all kinds of spiritual gifts — a team proposition. All members of the same team, but they play different positions.

11. Ephesians 4:12, gives the purpose of spiritual gifts:

a) Equipping: “for the perfecting of the saints.”

b) Production: “for the work of the ministry”: Every believer represents Jesus Christ.

c) Supply: “for the edifying (building up) of the body of Christ.”

You build up the body of Christ by adding new believers and by helping other believers to grow.

Spiritual Gifts

1. Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 12; Romans 12; Ephesians 4:11. All spiritual gifts are not listed in scripture, but merely representative of categorical concepts. Some require preparation, therefore they are mentioned (teaching type). The purpose of some of the spiritual gifts are mentioned in Ephesians 4:8-13.

2. Every believer receives at least one spiritual gift at the moment of salvation — 1 Corinthians 12:11.

3. Each spiritual gift is necessary for function in the body of Christ. The body of Christ is a team of believers working together. Your spiritual gift is your position on the team.

4. It is not necessary for you to recognise your spiritual gift for you to function under it. Function is dependent upon the filling of the Holy Spirit, and the erection of an edification complex, rather than your knowledge of your spiritual gift.

5. For divine production from your spiritual gift, you need the filling of the Holy Spirit and the transfer of Gnosis (knowledge) in the mind into epignosis (full knowledge) in the human spirit.

6. Spiritual gifts are the Father’s organised witness (not personal witness) to the plan of salvation — Hebrews 2:4.

7. The attitude toward spiritual gifts is given in Romans 12:3. One is not to feel inferior or superior. It is a gift!

8. Perspective of the spiritual gifts is given in 1 Corinthians 12. Possession of a spiritual gift does not indicate merit or spirituality. “Gift” connotes grace. (Paul was the worst sinner, 1 Timothy 1:12, who ever lived. He had several gifts)

9. There are two categories of spiritual gifts:

a) Permanent: Which exist throughout the Church Age.

b) Temporary: Those between the day of Pentecost and the completed canon of scripture — approximately 35-95 AD. Most were spectacular.

10. Temporary gifts were necessary to get the church started without a complete Bible. 1 Corinthians 13:8-10. They functioned in place of a completed canon.

11. Temporary gifts were used by God to focus attention on the message of the Gospel — Hebrews 2:4.

Identification

I. Spiritual gifts are sovereignly bestowed by God.

a) The Holy Spirit is the instrument at the moment of salvation who appoints the spiritual gift —

1 Corinthians 12:11.

b) No spiritual gifts are given until after the ascension — the Lord Jesus Christ provided spiritual gifts — Ephesians 4:8-11.

c) You do not seek spiritual gifts. Be satisfied with the one you have.

II. Spiritual gifts in order of merit (all spectacular): 1 Corinthians 12:28-30.

a) Apostles: Temporary gift, necessary when the canon was incomplete in order to carry the church through those difficult days. The gift of absolute spiritual dictatorship was set aside with the completed canon, the canon now being the absolute authority. No one now has authority over more than one church.

b) Prophets: Prophet - gift of both: 1. Foretelling - temporary; 2. Forthtelling — permanent.

c) Teachers: Permanent.

d) Miracles: Temporary (Person’s faith not involved)

e) Healings: Temporary (person’s faith not involved) 1. Physiological; 2. Mental; 3. Demon induced illness.

f) Helps: Permanent — gift of administration.

g) Governments: Permanent — gift of administration.

h) Diversities of tongues: Temporary — gift of speaking a foreign language not previously known (not ecstatics).

Note: This is dealing only with the 1 Corinthians 12:28-30 passage.

III. The use of spiritual gifts does not means spirituality; however the filling of the Holy Spirit allows you to use the spiritual gift to the maximum. 1 Corinthians 12:31 introduces chapter 13” “but covet” (as a church) “the best gifts.” Prophecy Vs, tongues, subject of chapter 14. “more excellent way”: This is love produced through the filling of the Holy Spirit.

Spiritual Gifts in the Corinthian Church

1. It is obvious from 1 Corinthians 1:7 that the Corinthian church abounded in spiritual gifts, had spectacular gifts and many of them.

2. It is also obvious from the rest of the epistle that this was one of the most carnal churches that ever assembled in the name of the Lord. These Corinthians were noted for their envy, jealousy, childishness, spiritual bullying, litigation, divorce, drunkenness, and other carnality activity.

3. Conclusion: The possession of a spiritual gift does not mean spirituality.

4. Principle: If the Corinthians, with all their carnality could have more people with spectacular spiritual gifts, then there is definitely no correlation between possessing a certain type of spiritual gift and spirituality.

5. It is important to distinguish between spiritual gifts and spirituality; a spiritual gift, for its proper function, depends upon spirituality, but they are not the same.

6. False teaching based on legalism and emotionalism had infiltrated the church at Corinth. Consequently we have chapters 12,13,14 to refute the legalism and emotionalism there. Also it was written to deal with some of the false impressions which came out of speaking in tongues. (What was happening in Corinth is happening today)

7. One of the abuses in the Corinthians church was that there were many people speaking in tongues and they felt that they were the spiritual giants in the assembly. They said the rest were peons and possibly not saved. They were looking down there spiritual noses at the rest and saying that until they spoke in tongues they were not spiritual, or possibly not even saved.

8. Brother foot has an inferiority complex; brother hand has a superiority complex. Both are ignorant of doctrine. They are both in the same team but play different positions. One is not better than the other.

9. The spiritual gift you possess is not the important factor, but the filling of the Holy Spirit, the power on which the spiritual gift operates — chapter 13.

10. 1 Corinthians chapter 14: tongues was regulated. In the church worship services certain spiritual gifts are to function and others are to be minimised or avoided.

Spiritual Gifts: Healings, Miracles, Faith as Temporary Spiritual Gifts

1. The purpose of healing and miracles was to call attention to the message given by the person. It was their credit card, establishing the authority of the Word taught by the individual. The purpose was not just to alleviate human suffering.

2. Healings: The ability to heal at will. The recipient’s faith was not required either — Acts 19:11,12.

Paul’s gift of healing was withdrawn once his authority was established among the churches. Example: Timothy’s illness; Paul’s own illness. Healing was withdrawn from Paul by 57 AD, 2 Corinthians 12:9,10. The issue is not healing but “my grace is sufficient for thee.” Paul was unable to heal Epaphroditus, who was dying — 2 Timothy 4:20. He had to leave Miletus sick.

3. God still heals today but the gift is not in operation. It is the sovereign decision of God.

4. Miracles: The ability to perform miracles at will.

Miracles and healing do occasionally occur in the Church Age (Sovereign division) but this is not the objective in the Church Age because for the first time we have something greater than any miracles: the completed canon of scripture. Psalm 138:2; Hebrews 4:12.

5. One line from the Word of God is worth all the miracles that have ever been performed. The Word of God in your life must be more important than anything else.

6. Faith: Faith to remove mountains, 1 Corinthians 13:2. This is the gift of faith — faith used to perform miracles. Don’t confuse faith as it existed (temporary gift) and faith as used now in a perceptive way.

It was a companion to the gifts of healings, miracles. It is Peter healing the lame man — Acts 3:6-8.

7. The gift of faith is not the faith-rest technique. The faith-rest technique is in operation: claiming the promises that are written in the Word and thus making them real in your life.

8. Apostles had these three gifts for at least as long as it was necessary to establish their authority.

Spiritual Gifts: List

I. There are two categories of spiritual gifts:

a) Permanent: Those which still operate today in the post-canon period of the Church Age.

b) Temporary: Those which operated only in the pre-canon period of the Church Age.

II. Permanent Gifts Include:

a) Pastor-teaching: Gift with the most authority today.

b) Evangelist.

c) Exhortation (Teaching type).

d) Teacher.

e) Government — administration in the church.

f) Helps.

g) Ministering — Service in the little things.

h) Word of Knowledge: Ability to categorise doctrine.

i) Word of wisdom: The ability to apply doctrine to circumstances in life and to give this to others — counselling.

III. Temporary Gifts are:

a) Apostle.

b) Prophecy.

c) Knowledge.

d) Discerning spirits.

e) Healings.

f) Miracles.

g) Faith (Companion to healings, miracles)

h) Tongues.

i) Interpretation of tongues.

IV. Spiritual gifts are listed in order of merit: 1 Corinthians 12:28-30.

a) Apostles: Temporary — necessary to carry the early church through those difficult days, before the canon was complete.

b) Prophets: Temporary — called gift of prophecy.

c) Teachers: Permanent — the pastor-teacher.

d) Miracles: Temporary: Recipient’s faith not required.

e) Healings: Temporary: Recipient’s faith not required.

f) Helps: Permanent: Assistance to others.

g) Governments: Permanent: Gifts of administration.

h) Diversities of tongues: Temporary gift of speaking in a foreign language which was not known to the one speaking. Last in order of merit.

Spiritual Gifts: Principle of Temporary Gifts

1. A temporary gift was one which terminated in the first century (from 70-100 AD — period of termination) and has never been used since.

2. Gifts and signs which accompanied the apostles at the beginning of the Church Age (miracles, healings, apostleship, tongues, etc.) were spiritual gifts (temporary) all sovereignly bestowed by the Holy Spirit — 1 Corinthians 12:11.

3. Distribution of these temporary gifts not only involved the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit but the grace of God the Father. No believer ever earns or deserves any spiritual gift.

4. Due to the completion of the canon, the temporary gifts are no longer used. (Most were spectacular)

5. The fact that the Holy Spirit has withdrawn temporary gifts in our day (Post-canon period) is His way of focusing our attention on the Word of God. (Everything we need is in the Word itself. The Holy Spirit reminds us that we have something more powerful, more important: the Word of God itself).

6. The Holy Spirit is sovereign in His bestowal of spiritual gifts. There are those who imply that you do something in order to get these gifts: tarry, agonise, etc. This is a false assumption. They are gifts, get it? Gifts!

7. In the apostolic age there was an emphasis on supernatural phenomena because the absolute criterion was not completed. Therefore an apostle (or others) to establish himself and to perform any kind of divine service in a new town, performed some kind of miracle. This is why most temporary gifts were spectacular.

8. We live in the age when the Holy Spirit produces the character of Christ within us and divine good on the outside; therefore no temporary gifts (such as miracles) are necessary.

9. The miracle of today is the filling of the Holy Spirit producing in Mr Average Believer the very character of Christ — Galatians 4:19; 5:22-23.

10. Often the peril of Christians today is being conspicuous, drawing attention to themselves rather than Jesus Christ.

11. Any attempt today to imitate these temporary gifts is fakery, either emotional or ecstatic involvement, or demon possession or influence.

Spiritual Gifts: Prophecy, Knowledge, Discerning Spirits as Temporary Spiritual Gifts

I. Prophecy:

a) This is foretelling events not in the canon at that time.

b) This was a temporary gift — 1 Corinthians 13:8. This gift enabled believers to understand the Rapture, Tribulation, second advent, Millennium, and eternity before the canon of scripture was completed.

1. John had the gift: Revelation.

2. Paul had the gift: Thessalonians.

c) The gift of prophecy related the plan of God to time.

II. Upon completion of the canon foretelling was not necessary because all prophecy is in the canon. Revelation was written in 96 AD.

III. Forthtelling is necessary at all times and is in operation today. This is simply proclaiming the whole counsel (canon) of scripture. It has nothing to do with the temporary gift of prophecy.

IV. The gift of knowledge: This was the gift of knowing what went into the canon of scripture while the scripture was being written, before the canon was complete. (Not the same as the “word of knowledge” in 1 Corinthians 12:8)

V. Positional Truth: The filling of the Holy Spirit, etc., were taught before all the Epistles were written.

a) 1 Corinthians was written in 59 AD.

b) Ephesians was written in 64 AD.

VI. The gift of discerning spirits was the gift of detecting heresy in the early church — gift of distinguishing true from false doctrine and to recognise false teachers.

VII. The temporary gifts were terminated during the period between 70-96 AD.

Spiritual Gifts: Temporary (Nine)

I. Temporary gifts were necessary to get the church started without a completed canon of scriptures. Temporary spiritual gifts functioned in place of the completed canon.

II. Most were spectacular in order to draw attention to the message given by the person with the gift. All were removed between 70-100 AD.

III. The nine temporary spiritual gifts:

a) Apostleship: Absolute authority over several churches. Apostleship died with the apostle John, the last one (some time between 96-100 AD).

b) Prophecy: This related the plan of God to time.

1. Foretelling events not in the canon of scripture at the time, such as the Rapture, Tribulation, 2nd advent, Millennium, eternity. Temporary gifts — 1 Corinthians 13:8.

2. Forthtelling is necessary at all times and is in operation today.

c) Discerning Spirits: The ability to detect heresy in the pre-canon period. We have discernment today (not the gift) based upon our growth spiritually.

d) Knowledge: The gift of knowing doctrine not in the canon at that time. Not necessary since the canon is complete.

e) Miracles: Ability to perform a miracle at will. Recipient’s faith is not required.

f) Healings: ability to heal at will. Recipient’s faith in not required.

g) Tongues: Ability to give out the Gospel in a foreign language without knowing that language. 1. Content of tongues: the Gospel; 2. Use of the gift: Warning of the 5th cycle of discipline.

IV. Interpretation of tongues: Translation of tongues. It was to be used in association with the gift of tongues.

Spiritual Gifts: Temporary Gifts Discontinued

I. Temporary gifts were discontinued between 70-100 AD.

II. The Corinthians were taking a spiritual gift, tongues, and magnifying it out of proportion and calling it spirituality.

III. 1 Corinthians 13 tells us there is nothing in the Christian life apart from the filling of the Holy Spirit producing divine love in the life of the believer.

IV. 1 Corinthians 13 — Paul takes three temporary gifts and sets up the principle of the discontinuance of temporary gifts. He puts tongues in the middle to maintain the principle in spite of prejudice.

Exegesis:

A. 13:8

“charity” — the filling of the Holy Spirit producing divine love in the believer.

“never faileth” — The filling of the Holy Spirit cannot be hissed off the stage. The thing that really counts is the Spirit-controlled life, not the gift of tongues.

“But” — speaks of a contrast: The filling of the Spirit remains the same through the Church Age, but temporary gifts are removed.

“whether” — literally, “Where,” when these occur.

“prophecies” — temporary gift of prophecy.

“they shall fail” — become inoperative.

“tongues” — temporary gift of tongues.

“they shall cease” — When Paul was writing this, it had not occurred.

“knowledge” — temporary gift of knowledge.

“vanish away” — will be abolished.

B. 13:9

“we know in part” — able to teach only that in the canon of scripture available then. Gift of prophecy.

“we prophecy in part” — able to teach only that in the canon of scripture available then. Gift of prophecy.

C. 13:10

“But” — contrast between partial and full knowledge available in writing. Contrast between pre-canon and post-canon period.

“when that which is perfect” — Neuter gender in the Greek: The Bible. Cf. with James 1:25, “perfect law of liberty.” Arndt and Gingricht says: “The full measure of knowledge.”

“is come” — The part moving to the whole. Completed.

“that which is in part” — the part: temporary spiritual gifts.

“shall be done away” — removed.

V. Temporary spiritual gift of tongues is only mentioned in 1 Corinthians and Acts.

The doctrine of spiritual gifts

1. Definition. Spiritual gifts are distributed to the royal family of the Church Age both as a recognition of Christ’s strategic victory in the angelic conflict plus a recognition of the royalty of every believer in the Church Age. So the distribution of spiritual gifts in the Church Age recognises that Christ has already won the victory, therefore distribution of spoils; and that furthermore we are give spiritual gifts first as recognition as being members of the royal family. For the Church Age spiritual gifts are the Father’s organised witness and testimony to grace in salvation — Hebrews 2:4. Spiritual gifts demand the function of royalty under GAP plus the attainment of the tactical victory of supergrace. So the challenge of spiritual gifts: GAP it daily and reach supergrace.

2. Distribution. Distribution is divided into two parts, initial and subsequent.

a) Initial distribution. At the beginning of the Church Age spiritual gifts were provided immediately by the Lord Jesus Christ — Ephesians 4:8-11.

b) Subsequent distribution during the Church Age is handled by the sovereign decision of God the Holy Spirit who gives every believer of the Church Age at least one spiritual gift, known or unknown — 1 Corinthians 12:11. These gifts do not depend upon human ability, morality, talent, achievement, but constitute a sovereign decision of God the Holy Spirit.

3. Function. At any point in the Church Age each spiritual gift in every geographical area is necessary for the function of the body of Christ in that area — 1 Corinthians 12:27-31. All spiritual gifts function through the ministry of God the Holy Spirit — Acts 2:4; 1 Corinthians 13. The function of spiritual gifts also depends upon Bible doctrine in the soul as the result of functioning under GAP. Also these Bible doctrines mould a grace attitude for the spiritual gift — Romans 12:3. The true perspective regarding spiritual gifts is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 12.

4. There are two categories of spiritual gifts — temporary and permanent. Temporary gifts are in the pre-canon period of the Church Age. The post-canon period has permanent gifts. So we have temporary from 30-96 AD; permanent from 96 AD through the present and to the Rapture of the Church. Temporary gifts are necessary to take up the slack until the canon of scripture was completed and circulated. Once the Bible was completed certain temporary spiritual gifts were withdrawn. These temporary gifts include apostleship, tongues, healing, and so on. The fact that tongues was removed earlier is found in the Greek of 1 Corinthians 13:8-10. The fact that healing was removed, even in Paul’s day half way through his ministry, is found by comparing Acts 19:11,12 with Philippians 2:27 and 2 Timothy 4:20. Permanent gifts continue after the completion of the canon and throughout the Church Age, as per Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:31.

5. The time of distribution. All spiritual gifts were given after the resurrection, ascension, and session of Jesus Christ — Ephesians 4:8. Spiritual gifts were given for the first time on the day of Pentecost when the dispensation of Israel was dramatically interrupted — Acts chapter two.

6. The abuse of these gifts. Reversionism and apostasy seek to perpetuate temporary spiritual gifts, like tongues and healing, beyond the closing of the canon in 96 AD. When anyone claims the gifts of apostleship, tongues, miracles, healing, they are apostate and reversionistic; separate yourselves from them.

7. Communication gifts. Surviving communication gifts are really twofold. The first is pastor-teacher. The authority of this gift is found in Hebrews 13:7,17; 1 Thessalonians 5. The gift of evangelism is also a communication gift but limited and without authority in the local church. The gift of apostle-prophet was designed for the producing of the New Testament canon and stabilising the Church before the completion of the Bible. After the completion of the canon of scripture the gift of pastor-teacher carried authority inside the local church. The authority of the evangelist is in the response to the Word of God, the Gospel, as he teaches outside of the local church. Evangelism was not to be conducted in the classroom but outside of the classroom on the campus of this world, as it were.