Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Part Two

We have been considering the subject of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, otherwise known as charismata–grace gifts. We said last time that we find this subject treated in several portions of the New Testament, especially in 1 Corinthians 12-14; Romans 12; Ephesians 4; and 1 Peter 4.

The Holy Spirit gives gifts to each believer in the body of Christ for the upbuilding of the church. Therefore, each member is dependent upon every other member, and each member cares for the whole body of Christ with his gifts. As a steward each must be faithful in using his gifts for the benefit of the whole body of Christ, and each one, in turn, experiences the care of the whole body of Christ. There is no independence in the church; every person is interdependent. Thus, there is unity in the body of Christ rather than division.

In this study we want first to consider briefly the spiritual gift consisting of officers given to the church for special tasks. Then we will begin to examine the spiritual gifts given to each believer.

Gifts of Men

The ascended Christ gave gifts of men to his church. These men are given for the peculiar function of proclaiming the gospel and the general function of meeting the spiritual needs of the people in the church.

We read about this in Ephesians 4, especially verses 11-13, where Paul writes, “It was [Christ] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers.” These officers are given by the ascended Christ to equip the believers in the church through preaching and teaching the apostolic doctrines. This is done in order that every believer might be qualified for the work of the ministry in the church and the body of Christ may be built up and brought to maturity.

Ephesians 4 tells us these officers are given by Jesus Christ to his church. But we also read in 1 Corinthians 12:28 that these officers are appointed by the heavenly Father, and in Acts 20:28 we read that they are also the appointments of the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. So all three Persons of the Holy Trinity are involved in this appointment of the officers of the church, in this granting of gifts consisting of men who function as officers of the church.

We already mentioned the peculiar task of these men. It is to meet the spiritual needs of the people of God by speaking clearly the truth of the gospel. They do this by carefully studying the deposit of truth found in the Scriptures and then preaching it with total dependence upon the Holy Spirit.

Pastors and teachers are not to add to the Scriptures or to subtract from them. They are to feed the church, care for the church, guide the church, discipline the church, and protect the church as a shepherd cares for the flock. They must do so keeping always in mind that Jesus Christ is the Shepherd and Bishop of the church, and that all pastors and teachers must render an account to him on the last day of how they discharged their responsibilities.

As far as the gift of apostles and prophets are concerned, there are no infallible apostles or prophets in the church today because one important criteria for being an apostle was that he be an eyewitness to the resurrection of Christ. Apostles were called and sent by Christ himself as his gifts to the church universal. Their appointment was for life, but there was no apostolic succession set up by Christ. As they proclaimed and wrote the Scriptures through the unique inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the apostles, including the apostle Paul, spoke infallibly, as the prophets of the Old Testament had done.

So the gifts of men extant today are pastors, teachers and evangelists. These are the gifts of the ascended Christ to minister spiritually in the church.

Types of Gifts

Now we want to look at all spiritual gifts as a whole. These gifts can be divided into two categories–speaking and serving–as we read in 1 Peter 4:11.

The speaking gifts are those gifts used to speak the word of God to others. They are especially designed by God to meet the spiritual needs of the church, including the most important need of bringing souls to salvation. The emphasis of these gifts is on preaching the gospel, because what does it profit if people gain the whole world yet lose their souls?

Then there are the serving gifts, especially the diaconal gifts. These gifts are designed particularly to meet the physical needs of the body of Christ. Thus, in God’s wonderful providence he cares for the whole person of a Christian–soul and body–through these spiritual gifts.

Both the speaking gifts and the serving gifts are mentioned in several places in the New Testament, but nowhere is there given a complete list of spiritual gifts. When we compare three passages–1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4–we discover about twenty gifts, yet we observe that some of these gifts may overlap.

In 1 Corinthians 12 we read of the word of wisdom; the word of knowledge; the gift of faith; the gift of healing, which is particularly for the physical need of the people of God; the gift of prophecy; the gift of distinguishing spirits; the gift of tongues; the gift of interpretation of tongues; the gifts of apostles, prophets, and teachers; the gift of helps, which is also for the physical needs of the church; and the gift of administration. In Ephesians 4 we discover two more gifts–the gifts of evangelists and pastors–and in Romans 12 we discover five more: the gift of serving, which is for the physical need of the church; the gift of encouraging; the gift of contributing, which is for the physical need of the church; the gift of leadership; and the gift of mercy, which again is especially for the physical needs of the church.

1. The Word of Wisdom

The first gift listed in 1 Corinthians 12 is “a word of wisdom,” which is how it appears in the Greek. What does that mean? It may mean many things, but in my view it is a word that gives wisdom and insight to a person. It is an ability to speak divine wisdom into someone’s life’s situation. It is the spiritual ability to counsel people from the Scripture, giving them God’s multifaceted, variegated wisdom.

This gift is like that demonstrated by Solomon in the Old Testament. Do you remember how he resolved the problem of two women coming to him with two infants (1 Kings 3:16-28)? One child was living, but the other had died. Each woman claimed the living one was hers. What did Solomon do? He instructed those around him, “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.” When one of the women cried out, “Give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!” Solomon knew who was the real mother of the infant. That is what is meant by a word of wisdom.

In Luke 20 we read of the wisdom of one who was greater than Solomon. Some Jewish leaders had come to test Jesus and in verse 2 they asked, “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things? Who gave you this authority?” Instead of answering them, Jesus replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me, John’s baptism–was it from heaven, or from men?” That demonstrated wisdom on Jesus’ part. In verses 5-6 we read, “They discussed it among themselves and said, ‘If we say, “From heaven,” he will ask, “Why didn’t you believe him?” But if we say, “From men,” all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.’ So they answered, ‘We don’t know where it was from.'” Jesus’ question had effectively silenced his critics.

In Luke 20, beginning with verse 20, the leaders sent some spies to ask Jesus about paying tax to Caesar. They were hoping they could trap him in his words and hand him over to the Roman authorities. But Jesus again demonstrated the word of wisdom. He asked for a coin, asked whose picture was on it, and then told them, “Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” (v. 25). That is wisdom.

In Luke 20:27-39 Jesus was asked another difficult question, this time about the resurrection and marriage. Once again he answered with a word of wisdom and silenced his critics. Finally, in verse 39 we read, “Then some of the teachers of the law responded, ‘Well said, teacher!’ And no one dared to ask him any more questions.”

In Acts 6 we are told that Stephen was a man of such wisdom that no one could stand up against his wisdom, not even, in my judgment, the brilliant rabbi, Saul of Tarsus. Stephen’s testimony is a good example of what Jesus was speaking of when he said in Matthew 10:19-20, “But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” When we are persecuted, God will give us a word of wisdom as he did to Stephen.

This is what is meant by “a word of wisdom.” God gives this gift to benefit his church; therefore, it is always good to go to someone who has this gift so that you can hear a word of wisdom from that person.

2. The Word of Knowledge

The second gift listed in 1 Corinthians 12 is a word of knowledge. This is a word that reveals the knowledge of things hidden, a word that brings to light that which is hidden.

We read about this gift in the Old Testament in 1 Samuel 9. There we find Saul looking for his father’s lost donkeys. As Saul looked for the donkeys, he not only didn’t find them, but he himself became lost.

He finally came to Samuel, who told him, “As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found” (1 Sam. 9:20). I am sure when Samuel said this, Saul had not mentioned the donkeys to Samuel. Yet Samuel knew of Saul’s search and where the donkeys were.

In 1 Samuel 10:2-8 we see Samuel further exercising this gift of a word of knowledge as he instructed Saul,

When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried about you. He is asking, ‘What shall I do about my son?’ Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them. After that, you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, tambourines, flutes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power and you will prophesy with them, and you will be changed into a different person. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.

We see the word of knowledge demonstrated by Jesus Christ many times. In John 4 Jesus told the Samaritan woman, “Go, call your husband and come back.” In verse 17 she answered, “I have no husband.” Then Jesus told her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband.” This is the word of wisdom.

In Matthew 17 we find the temple tax collectors coming to Jesus to collect the temple tax. Jesus told Peter the sons were exempt from this two-drachma tax. “But,” Jesus said to Peter, “so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours” (v. 27). Jesus told Peter to take the first fish–not the second, the third or any other, but the first one that he caught–and there he would find a four-drachma coin in the fish’s mouth for the tax of both Peter and Jesus. This was a word of knowledge.

We see it again in Matthew 21, when Jesus told his disciples, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me” (v. 2), and this is exactly how it happened.

In Luke 22 the disciples asked Jesus, “Where should we prepare the Passover?” Jesus told them, “As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you.” You see, in those days, that would be an unusual sight because most men did not carry the water. This man may have been an Essene. Thus, it was an unique sign which they would easily notice. Jesus continued, “Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: ‘Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparation there.” Again, this was a word of knowledge.

In Acts 5 we read that Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of property. They kept most of the proceeds for themselves and brought only a portion to the church. However, they pretended that it was all the money they had received.

What did God do? He gave Peter a word of knowledge. In Acts 5:3 Peter asked Ananias, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourselves some of the money you received for the land?” Ananias’ deception was exposed, and we read how Ananias and Sapphira were struck down by God right in the midst of the church.

It is good to have a pastor who has the gift of a word of knowledge. Why? It provides great incentive for holiness in the church.

3. Gift of Faith

The third gift we find listed in 1 Corinthians 12 is the gift of faith. Now, this is not the same as saving faith. Every believer has saving faith. If God has regenerated you, then you will repent and believe. Saving faith is concomitant with regeneration.

In 1 Corinthians 13 we find a hint of the meaning of the gift of faith. In verse 2 we read, “If I have the gift of prophecy and fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains. . .” Jesus spoke of mountain-moving faith in Matthew 17:20 and Matthew 21:21. This is the type of faith that believes God will do certain unusual things. This is the type of faith demonstrated by George Müller, who trusted in God to supply all the needs of the orphanages Mí¼ller established in England. This is the type of faith Hudson Taylor demonstrated as he established the China Inland Mission–the faith to expect and do unusual things. This is the type of faith which has enabled Christians throughout history to suffer martyrdom for the sake of Jesus Christ.

In Hebrews 11 we find a list of people of God who exercised this kind of faith. I want to highlight just one example. In verse 17-19 we read, “By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, ‘It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.’ Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.” This is the gift of faith.

We find this gift demonstrated in the book of Joshua, chapter 10, verse 12. There we read, “On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: ‘O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.'” And in verse 13 we read, “So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped.” This is the gift of faith.

In James 5:17 James reminds us that Elijah “was a man just like us,” but he “prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.” And in verse 18 we read, “Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.” Elijah was demonstrating the gift of faith.

4. Gift of Healing

The fourth gift in the list is gifts of healing. This means gifts designed to heal various kinds of diseases. This spiritual gift is designed especially to meet the physical needs of the people of God.

We must keep in mind that all healing, whether spiritual or physical, flows from the cross. All grace, all blessing, and all salvation flows from the supreme sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We read about this especially in Isaiah 53:4-5, “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Peter quotes this in 1 Peter 2:24, “By his wounds you have been healed.”

As we just said, the gifts of healing are designed for the healing of various diseases. However, we must keep in mind that all healing occurs only according to the will of the Spirit of God. We cannot demand that God heal us or anyone else. He may heal or he may not heal, according to his sovereign will. The earlier we learn this truth, the better our lives will be. Even in the book of Acts, where we see the apostles performing great signs, wonders, and miracles and bringing forth healings, we see that even the apostles did nothing unless it was the will of God.

We see this in the life of the apostle Paul. In 2 Corinthians 12 we read that he prayed three times to be healed of a certain affliction, but God did not heal him. In Philippians 2:27 we read about a minister named Epaphroditus who was sick unto death. I am sure Paul prayed much for Epaphroditus, but he was not healed until much later after Paul’s prayer.

Timothy, the young lieutenant of Paul, seems to have suffered from some kind of illness, and in 1 Timothy 5:23 Paul wrote to Timothy concerning this. Now, Paul didn’t send a piece of cloth to Timothy to bring about healing, as we read about in Acts 19:12. No, he wrote, “Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.” In effect, Paul was telling Timothy to use medicine for his illness.

Some Christians refuse to use medicine, but here the New Testament is saying it is proper to do so. In fact, if you don’t use medicine, you are really questioning the divine order of things and bringing unnecessary suffering upon yourself and others. But note that phrase, “your frequent illnesses.” Although Timothy was a close associate of Paul, he was frequently ill. This tells us that even in apostolic times, the apostles did not heal everyone.

We find this same idea in 2 Timothy 4:20 Paul wrote, “Erastus stayed in Corinth and I left Trophimus sick at Miletus.” Trophimus was a minister of the gospel, an assistant to Paul. Paul did not heal Trophimus; rather, he had to leave him at Miletus because he was sick.

Just as in the days of the apostles, those who have the gift of healing today cannot heal people at will. We must keep in mind the overarching idea of the sovereign will of God. In God’s order, one day we will all die, and then God will raise us up from the dead. Christ died and rose again, and we will also die and be raised up again with a glorious body. Therefore, I encourage you to use medicine as well as pray that God, in his will, may heal you. I am thankful that God has healed me all these years, but I know that one day I am also going to die. When that happens, I will rejoice because death means promotion for a Christian.

Eagerly Desire Salvation

We will continue to examine the individual gifts in our next study, but let me say at this point that, although we are encouraged to earnestly desire spiritual gifts, what we must earnestly desire above all is the grace of salvation. In Philippians 1:29 we read, “For it has granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him.” Notice that phrase, “it has been granted.” God must give us grace to believe.

This grace comes from Jesus Christ who died on the cross. If you have not trusted in Jesus Christ, you must seriously think about that issue. The purpose of all of human history is not to go to the moon or find more elements in the periodic table. There is nothing wrong with doing these things or with making money and all the other things we do, but they are not God’s greatest purpose for us. The largest company in the world today has a market value of $500 billion. The owner’s net worth is $100 billion. Some may say that is great success, but it is not great success. The greatest blessing any of us can have in this world is to trust in Jesus Christ alone and be saved.

That is the purpose of history and there is none other in this fallen world. God desires to save some and then, when he brings the world to an end, he will create his new heaven and new earth, wherein will dwell righteousness.

If you have not trusted in Jesus Christ, I beseech you to look to the cross, repent of your sins, and trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation. You must do so now, while you are still living, for you cannot predict your future. We recently heard of a famous young man who was going to a wedding. He didn’t make it, nor did those traveling with him. They were all killed in a plane crash en route. I am sure these people thought they would take off and land without any problem. They never thought about the possibility of not making their destination.

I don’t think many of us think such a thing will ever happen to us. May God teach us to number our days! The only sure thing is that we will die. Therefore, I urge you to trust in Jesus Christ alone while you can. Realize that there is no one who is righteous, no one who seeks God, no one who understands God, no one who does good, but God sent his Son to make us good, that we may do good. We must turn our eyes upon Jesus, knowing that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

I recently was reading a book of sermons by C. H. Spurgeon. As a teenager he heard this text: “Look unto me, all the ends of the earth, and be saved.” The young Spurgeon looked and he was saved. He received salvation for a look–a look at the cross, where Christ suffered and died for our sins.

May God help us to repent of our sins, our arrogance, our pride, our sufficiency, our good evaluation of ourselves, and our self-esteem. May he grant us great humility that we may see ourselves as we are–sinners, lost under the wrath of God, condemned already. And yet, to the condemned ones, Christ comes in mercy and says, “If you believe in me, I will save you forever and grant you eternal life.” May God have mercy upon us and save us this day. Amen.