Holy Spirit
The first time I heard the term “spiritual gifts” was
when I was young in my Christian faith and someone had approached me in church
and asked me what my spiritual gift was? I told him I hadn’t given much thought
to it. Initially I thought it was only for “mature” believers and that someday
I would know what my gifts were.
Spiritual gifts are talents given by the Holy Spirit that
enable you to do certain things beyond your own natural ability (Towns p 310).
What’s amazing is that Jesus Christ gives the Church a wide variety of
spiritual gifted individuals (1 Cor 12:4) for the building up of the body of
Christ. A key to understanding spiritual gifts, especially as a young believer,
is that they are to be used to edify other believers, not to make yourself more
spiritual than others. There are many examples of spiritual gifts listed in 1
Corinthians 12:1-4 ;7 that equip Christians for ministry but Paul goes on and
says, “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each
one individually just as He wills” (1 Cor 12:11 NASB).
Searching to learn about my spiritual gifts I also read
about the “fruits of the Spirit” which are totally different from spiritual
gifts! The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal5:22-23). This fruit
that is produced by the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer deals with the
individual character traits of the believer. Spiritual gifts edify the Church;
Spiritual fruit is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.
Speaking in tongues is prayer or praise spoken in
syllables not understood by the speaker to God. Paul says, “One who speaks in
tongues speaks not to men but to God” (1 Cor. 14:2), and if there is no one
present to interpret the speaker Paul further states “that person should keep
silent in church and speak to himself and to God” (1 Cor. 14:28). I’ve only
experienced hearing someone speaking in tongues once and it was very
disturbing, especially without someone interpreting the speech. I agree with
Paul when he says “how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking
into the air” (1 Cor. 14:9b). If it doesn’t edify anyone but the person speaking,
it is better to be quiet and keep it between you and God.
Speaking in tongues is used in the Pentecostal faith as
proof of being baptized in the Spirit or filled with the Spirit (Towns p 296).
In fact many Christians say that they have experienced a “baptism in the Holy
Spirit” that came after they had become Christians. Does this mean empowerment
by the Spirit is given after conversion? Charismatic and Pentecostal faiths use
John 20:22, Acts 1:4, and Acts 1:8 to support their view. The disciples who were
already born again before or soon after the resurrection were commanded by
Jesus “not to depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the
Father”. He told them to “wait and that
they would receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon them”. It makes for a strong argument for post
conversion empowerment since the Disciples had already received the Spirit at
conversion (John 20:22). However, I believe the disciples were caught in a
transition from the old covenant experience of the Holy Spirit to a more
powerful, new covenant experience of the Holy Spirit. The disciples were living
in a time of transition between the old and new covenant and received a second
blessing so to speak from the Holy Spirit. (Grudem, p 772). Christians today
are not living in a transitional period, but are living in the new covenant.
Just like those who became Christians in the church at Corinth, I believe we
are all “baptized in one Spirit into one body” (1 Cor 12:13) and do not receive
a second helping of the Spirit after conversion.
I think all Spiritual gifts are temporary and imperfect,
not just the gift of speaking in tongues (1 Cor 13:8). A perfect gift will come
to replace them (v. 10) which is Christ when He returns. The gifts that we now
experiencing are imperfect and only gives us a partial foretaste of the fuller
working of the Holy Spirit that will be ours in the age to come (Grudem p
1019). An obvious objection to this view would be by one who holds these gifts
which are no longer used in the church today. Some question the validity of
gifts today and whether or not they are still valid as with the question of
speaking in tongues. Were they only valid during the apostolic age or the first
two centuries to prove or authenticate the apostles as they preached the
gospel? Paul states “without love, the
gifts are without value” (1 Cor 13:1-3). Love is superior to all the gifts and
it is more important to act in love than to have any of the gifts.
Word Count: 905
Bibliography
Elwell, Walter A. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology,
Grand Rapids, Michigan Baker Publishing Group 2001, Print
The Open Bible New
Amercian Standard, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville 1977, Print
Towns, Elmer L. Theology for Today, Cengage Learning,
Mason Ohio 2008 Print
Grudem, Wayne Systematic Theology, An Introduction to
Biblical Doctrine, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Zondervan, 1994, Print
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