Gifts of the Spirit
"Now concerning spiritual
gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant." 1
Cor. 12:1. "Now there are diversities of gifts, but
the same Spirit. And there are differences of
administrations, but the same Lord. And there are
diversities of operations, but it is the same God which
worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is
given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given
by the Spirit
THE WORD OF WISDOM. 1 Cor. 12:4-8.
The gift of wisdom, which comes by the Holy Spirit, is not
a literary education, but an understanding of the deep
mysteries of God, and His redemptive plan. "Howbeit
we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the
wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world,
that come to naught: but we speak the wisdom of God in a
mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before
the world unto our glory." 1 Cor. 2:6, 7. "We
speak wisdom among them that are perfect." This seems
to bear out the idea that the gift of wisdom was
especially intended to edify and encourage those who are
of full age in the gospel. This seems very reasonable,
from the fact that those who are in sin cannot grasp the
deep mysteries of God; and those who are "babes in
Christ" desire "the sincere milk of the word,
that they may grow thereby." But to those who are
perfect nothing is more inspiring and elevating than to
hear some one with the gift of wisdom expound the deep
mysteries of the kingdom of God.
THE WORD OF KNOWLEDGE.—There
seems to have been a slight difference in the "word
of wisdom" and "the word of knowledge." The
word of wisdom seems to have more direct reference to the
mysteries of God and the redemption; the plans, workings,
and divinity of Christ; while the word of knowledge seems
more especially applied to an understanding of the simple
teachings of the gospel. The word of knowledge possibly
included the understanding of the types and shadows of the
Old Testament as well as a general knowledge of the
doctrine of salvation.
FAITH.—Faith is a gift of God as
well as an act of the creature; so when we need faith the
Spirit strengthens and vivifies our faith. While we
are told to "have faith in God" (Mark 11:22),
God measures to us the measure of faith (Rom. 12:3); so
then God gives us faith, and commands us to exercise the
same. H seems very plausible that saving faith is here (1
Cor. 12:9) referred to, from the fact that healing and
miracles are mentioned directly afterward. However, it may
have reference to faith for extraordinary occasions, or
have a more general application, as is expressed by the
poet.
"The gift of faith no limit knows,
Save God's unbounded Word;
It triumphs o'er its giant foes,
And glorifies the blessed Lord."
GIFTS OF HEALING—By the Holy
Spirit we have the gifts of healing. Often when we are
called upon to pray for the sick the natural surroundings
are very discouraging, and if we were left without the
Spirit to inspire our faith and magnify the promises to us
we would many times succumb to the powers of sickness and
the devil. All God's elders are endued with the gifts of
healing, more or less. Some may be used of God more
abundantly in this line than others; but all must have the
gifts sufficiently to exercise faith for themselves and
others. While healing comes through the atonement, it is
distributed as a gift by the Spirit. However, the gifts of
healing should not be confounded with
THE WORKING OF MIRACLES.—The
working of miracles differs from ordinary instances of
healing. All God's ministers have the gifts of healing
sufficiently to pray the prayer of faith for those
afflicted, while the gift of miracles is not so general.
The gift of miracles is manifested in extraordinary cases,
such as healing those who are born blind, opening the deaf
ears, raising the dead, etc.
PROPHECY.—The gift of prophecy
embraces two things: (1) The foretelling of future events.
(2) The expounding of the Word of God. The gift of
prophecy did not cease with the Old Testament prophets,
but was carried over to the Holy Spirit dispensation.
"Now there were in the church
that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as
Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of
Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod
the tetrarch, and Saul." Acts 13:1. Paul and Barnabas
were both classed as prophets. This proves that a man may
be a prophet in the sense of foretelling future events,
and also in the sense of a preacher. Paul we know was a
great preacher, and he also foretold many things. A man
may be a preacher and yet be unable to foretell future
events by direct revelation. In this sense every preacher
is a prophet. That every preacher is a prophet is clearly
proved by the following text: "But he that
prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and
exhortation, and comfort." 1 Cor. 14:3.
It is also clear that the New
Testament prophets possessed the ability to foretell the
future. "And in these days came prophets from
Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them
named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there
should be a great dearth throughout all the world: which
came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar." Acts
11:27, 28. Several years after this the same Agabus met
Paul at Caesarea and warned him of the persecution which
awaited him at Jerusalem. Acts 21:10, 11. We are not
certain whether Agabus was a preacher or not; but he is
supposed to have been one of the seventy disciples chosen
by Jesus to go before Him into all the cities of the Jews.
DISCERNING OF SPIRITS.—While
every child of God and especially God's ministers, are
able to discern evil spirits to some extent, there is a
special gift of discernment. Those who have this gift can
discern the intentions of the heart and the operations of
the spirits of devils. Peter exercised this gift and told
Ananias and Sapphira of their wicked intentions; for which
God struck them down immediately.
DIVERS KINDS OF TONGUES.—Wilson
translates this "different languages," which is
its true meaning. The Holy Spirit enabled those who had
never learned a different language to speak it for the
benefit of the hearers. Sometimes a Hebrew would have
occasion to preach to a congregation who were mostly
Greeks; in such a case the Holy Spirit gave him a
different language. We have heard and read of some who
claim to have the gift of tongues; but investigation has
revealed the fact that they only chatter a kind of
gibberish, which no one understands, and by which no one
can be benefited. The gift of tongues is not a silly
jargon, but an intelligible language, given for a purpose,
and by which men may find salvation or be edified in the
divine life.
It seems that those who had the
gift of tongues could generally speak several languages;
but even those who have received only one language by the
Holy Spirit should be considered as having a part in this
gift. We are acquainted with a brother who received the
gift of speaking the Holland language. He being among
Hollanders had a desire to tell them of the true Bible
way, and after praying earnestly to God over the matter he
was enabled to tell them of Jesus in their own language.
God will doubtless restore this gift to His true people as
they may have special need of it. The Spirit does not
bestow this gift without purpose; therefore we shall
receive the gift of tongues when we have need of it. For
this reason also we should exercise our gifts when we
receive them lest we lose them.
INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES.—This
was simply the ability to interpret different languages,
which ability was a direct gift of the Holy Spirit. This
was much needed in the days of the apostles, as often a
congregation would represent more than one language; and
when such was the case an interpreter could be used to the
glory of God to interpret the meaning of the speaker to
the part of the congregation who could not understand.
This gift will also be restored to the church of God when
it has special need of it. God is at this time restoring
to His church her pristine glory, and we expect all the
gifts of the Spirit just as they were in the morning of
Christianity, as far as God sees that we need them. We
should at all times be in a humble attitude before God
that He may at any time He sees fit bestow upon us any
special gift He sees we have need of.
While our gifts and callings may
differ, we are all one and work in perfect unity to
accomplish one much desired end— the salvation of the
lost. Neither do we exalt ourselves one above the other,
or choose which gift we would exercise. "But all
these (gifts) worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit,
dividing to every man severally as he will. For as the
body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of
that one body, being many, are one body; so also is
Christ." 1 Cor. 12:11, 12.
While some may exercise only one
special gift, and another may not have any special gift,
others may exercise several gifts. Paul had several gifts;
such as the gift of prophecy, the gift of healing, the
gift of miracles, etc.
