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On one hand the author acknowledges spiritual gifts, but then seems to dismiss them in favor of just volunteering to serve the church with what you're good at. In doing so the author does his best to avoid some uncomfortable Scriptures.
The author never does manage to actually explain what spiritual gifts are. So, we shall do the author's work for him. "Spiritual gifts" in the Greek is pneumatikos charisma, of the spiritual realm, and, empowerment. The two words appear together only once in the Greek text, in Romans 1:11:
I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong...
gift to you spiritual
but the connection between the two is clearly presented in Scripture. Every spiritual gift is a spiritual empowerment.
This is quite different than a natural skill or ability. While it is certainly true that a person's natural ability might give a hint of a spiritual gift, a spiritual gift is a notably a supernatural endowment.
It is clear that some of these spiritual endowments make the author uncomfortable, because they are unnecessarily supernatural. The reason is, the author is a cessationist who doesn't believe in prophecy, tongues, words of knowledge, healing, or miraculous powers. Yet all these are listed as gifts.
So rather than engage these uncomfortable things the author either doesn't mention them or glosses over them. Though he manages to quote a few Scriptures, he doesn't quote any part of the verses that mention spiritual gifts.
We must therefore regard this as Bad Bible Teaching.
Somewhere along the way, we’ve managed to turn spiritual gifts into something they’re not supposed to be.
What God intended for the building up of his church, we’ve turned into an exercise in self-discovery. What was meant to draw attention to the generosity of the Holy Spirit has become another opportunity to focus on ourselves.
And, ironically, we may even have turned spiritual gifts into idols.
Don’t believe me? Just Google “What’s my spiritual gift?” and see what comes up. You’ll find countless websites offering questionnaires, personality assessments, and quizzes promising to reveal which spiritual gift God has given you.
Answer a few questions about yourself, press submit, and apparently you’ll discover how the sovereign Spirit of God has equipped you for ministry.
Does nobody else find that extraordinary?
We’ve taken something that Scripture describes as the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit and reduced it to an online personality test.
But here’s the problem. The Bible never commands us to discover our spiritual gifts. (Um, no. 1 Cor. 14:1 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.)
It commands us to use what God has given us to serve one another. And those are two very different things.
We’ve Missed the Point of the Passage
In 1 Corinthians 12:1–11, Paul addresses the issue of spiritual gifts in a church that had become deeply confused about spirituality.
The Corinthians were fascinated by spiritual experiences. Certain gifts, particularly the more spectacular ones, had become markers of spiritual importance. Rather than bringing the church together, spiritual gifts had become another reason for division, comparison, and pride.
Sound familiar?
Paul’s response is fascinating because he doesn’t begin by giving the Corinthians a method for identifying their spiritual gifts. He begins by reminding them of the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
In verse 3, he writes “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” (Our first Scripture quote, hooray.)
In other words, the first evidence of the Spirit’s work isn’t an impressive ability, a dramatic experience, or a particular gift. It is a genuine confession that Jesus Christ is Lord.
The Spirit doesn’t exist to draw attention to himself, let alone to make us feel important. His work is to glorify Christ (John 16:14).
And that immediately challenges how we approach spiritual gifts.
If our fascination with spiritual gifts makes us more interested in ourselves than in Jesus, something has gone terribly wrong.
Spiritual Gifts Are Not a Checklist
Paul then lists various spiritual gifts in verses 8–10: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. (The author paraphrases, skipping or subtly redefining many of the uncomfortable gifts...)
And what do we often do?
We turn the passage into a checklist.
Have I got wisdom? Perhaps.
Knowledge? Definitely.
Faith? Hopefully.
Healing? Probably not.
Tongues? Let’s not go there.
(So let's actually quote the passage:
1 Cor. 12:7-10 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
The author leaves out some important information, specifically, the entirety of verse 7, a verse he does quote later. We note it now because of the word "manifestation." The Greek word is phanerósis, which means to exhibit or a coming to light:
"Here the term identifies every spiritual gift as a tangible evidence of the invisible Holy Spirit. No believer is bypassed; each receives a Spirit-given disclosure that benefits the whole body."These are not natural talents or skills, they are the showing forth of Holy Spirit-empowered abilities. All spiritual gifts are supernatural.
As we mentioned, the author avoids the uncomfortable gifts, or waters them down, or doesn't even mention them at all. For example, "knowledge" is not mere accumulation of Bible information, Scripture goes farther:
...the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit...
The author wants to reduce this down to something resembling Bible study. But it's so much more than that.)
We read the list as though Paul were inviting us to work out which category we belong to. But that’s not his point!
Paul isn’t offering a comprehensive catalogue of spiritual gifts for Christians to work through. Elsewhere in Scripture, we find different lists of gifts (Romans 12:6–8; Ephesians 4:11; 1 Peter 4:10–11). (Let's do the author's work and quote them:
Paul isn’t offering a comprehensive catalogue of spiritual gifts for Christians to work through. Elsewhere in Scripture, we find different lists of gifts (Romans 12:6–8; Ephesians 4:11; 1 Peter 4:10–11). (Let's do the author's work and quote them:
Rom. 12:6-8 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.Ep. 4:11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers...1Pe. 4:10-11 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ...
So why doesn't the author quote these? Well, because they contain uncomfortable material. The author as a cessationist doesn't believe fully half of what is written in these verses.)
His point is the wonderful variety of ways in which God equips his people.
Notice the repeated emphasis in 1 Corinthians 12:4–6 “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.” (Scripture quote #2, also avoiding the uncomfortable parts.)
Different gifts. Different service. Different workings. But the same God. Paul isn’t encouraging Christians to obsess over which gift they possess. He’s showing them that the one God is at work through the diversity of his people.
That’s something to celebrate, not something to turn into a spiritual personality assessment.
When a Gift Becomes an Idol
Here’s where things become particularly uncomfortable. Something becomes an idol when we give it a place in our hearts that belongs to God alone.
And I wonder whether that’s precisely what we’ve done with spiritual gifts.
We want to know our gifts because we want to know what makes us special. We want to understand where we fit, what we’re good at, and perhaps even what makes us different from other Christians.
Of course, there is nothing inherently wrong with recognising how God has equipped us. Nor is there anything wrong with other Christians helping us see areas where we might serve effectively. (The author begins to walk it back...)
But we need to examine our motivations. Are we interested in spiritual gifts because we want to serve the church? Or because we want to discover something significant about ourselves?
Are we grateful for the gifts God has given others? Or do we secretly wish we had something more visible, impressive, or recognised?
Have we become more concerned with identifying our gift than actually using whatever God has entrusted to us?
There is a profound irony here.
Paul begins this chapter by reminding the Corinthians that they once followed “mute idols” (verse 2). Yet Christians can become so preoccupied with the gifts of the living God that they lose sight of the God who gives them.
The gift becomes more important than the Giver. And the very thing intended to strengthen our worship becomes a distraction from it.
Your Spiritual Gift Is Not Primarily for You
Perhaps the most important verse in this entire discussion is verse 7 “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” (Scripture quote #3. Now the author finally quotes the verse we noted above, but he doesn't notice the word "manifestation.")
Read those words again. For the common good.
Not for personal recognition. Not for spiritual status. Not for an impressive ministry profile. Not even primarily for personal fulfilment. The Spirit gives gifts so that the whole church might benefit.
Imagine someone being given an expensive set of tools to help build a house. Instead of getting involved in the building work, they spend their time examining the tools, comparing them with everyone else’s, and trying to work out which one best reflects their personality. Meanwhile, the house remains unfinished.
That is what our obsession with identifying spiritual gifts can become.
We can spend so much time asking, “What is my spiritual gift?” that we neglect the far more important question “How can I serve Christ’s people?”
The church isn’t supposed to be a collection of individuals showcasing their spiritual abilities. It’s a body.
And as Paul goes on to explain in verses 12–27, every part has a role to play. No part can claim independence, and no part should consider itself unnecessary.
The purpose of spiritual gifts isn’t to make individuals impressive. It’s to make the church stronger.
Stop Taking Quizzes. Start Serving.
Perhaps one of the most damaging consequences of our obsession with identifying spiritual gifts is that it can become an excuse for not serving.
“I don’t think hospitality is my gift.”
“I’m not particularly gifted at encouragement.”
“I’ve never felt called to that kind of ministry.”
But since when did Christians need a spiritual gifts questionnaire before they could obey the clear commands of Scripture?
We’re all called to show hospitality (1 Peter 4:9). We’re all called to encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11). We’re all called to serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13). And we’re all called to use whatever gifts we have received to serve others (1 Peter 4:10).
You don’t need to complete an online assessment before visiting a lonely church member, helping someone who’s struggling, discipling a younger Christian, or offering practical support to a family in need.
You need a heart that loves Jesus and wants to love his people. And very often, it’s in the ordinary, sometimes unnoticed work of serving the church that our gifts become evident.
Other believers recognise them. Elders encourage and help develop them. Opportunities arise. Abilities grow. The church benefits.
We discover how God has equipped us not by endlessly looking inward, but by faithfully looking outward.
Trust the Spirit, Not the Questionnaire
Paul concludes his list of gifts in verse 11 with these words:
“All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.” (Scripture quote #4.)
Just as he determines. The Holy Spirit is sovereign in distributing his gifts.
He knows what the church needs. He knows how each believer can contribute. And he equips his people according to his wisdom, not ours. That should be wonderfully liberating.
We don’t need to envy someone else’s gifts. We don’t need to manufacture abilities we haven’t been given. We don’t need to feel inferior because our service isn’t particularly visible or celebrated. Nor do we need to become consumed with uncovering some hidden spiritual ability before we can begin serving.
We can simply get on with loving Christ and his church, trusting that the Spirit is at work through his people. And perhaps that’s the challenge we need to hear.
We’ve spent far too much time asking what spiritual gifts we have and far too little time asking whether we’re using what God has given us for the good of others.
Spiritual gifts are wonderful. They’re evidence of God’s generosity, his wisdom, and his care for his church. But they’re not trophies to display, labels to wear, or identities to build our lives around. They’re gifts to be used.
So stop obsessing over discovering your spiritual gift. Look around your church. See the needs. Love the people. Find ways to serve. And trust the Spirit who sovereignly gives gifts to equip you for the work he has called you to do.
Because the point of spiritual gifts was never to make much of us. It as always to serve the people of Christ, for the glory of Christ.
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