What are
SPIRITUAL GIFTS?

 

Q. What are spiritual gifts and how many of them are there? What are the "fruitful" gifts?

(Submitted by: D. N. )

A. Beginning with your second question about fruitful gifts, there is one Scripture that gives a general answer:

" . . .that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being FRUITFUL in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Colossians 1:10, NKJV throughout)

This has a connection to the subject of your first question which is broadly covered in many Scriptures.

The first and most important spiritual gift is actually available to all truly converted people. This gift is GRACE:

"For by GRACE you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God . . ." (Ephesians 2:8)

"Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness . . . For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God . . . and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding GRACE of God in you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" (2Corinthians 9:10, 12, 14-15)

Because of conversion and grace God uses the individuality of each person to impart some particular gifts, skills or aptitudes:

"But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills." (1Corinthians 12:11)

They don't have to be great qualities, as humans would view them, but God sees them with the perspective of the Master Builder:

"For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that." (1Corinthians 7:7)

The Spirit of grace (Holy Spirit) should produce what you call fruitful gifts, but the Bible calls them "fruit of the Spirit" in Galatians 5:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23)

Notice that LOVE is first on the list. Chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians lists the special spiritual gifts that we'll see later, but first notice what the end of that chapter, verse 31, has to say:

"But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way."

This verse is the introduction to the next chapter in Paul's book of 1Corinthians, which is commonly called the "love chapter." Love, then, is the greatest gift, the result of God's work in a Christian. Without it, everything else is to no avail.

The fruits of the Spirit, with love at the head of them all, are also labeled the "gift of righteousness," as Romans 5 reveals:

"For if by the one man’s offense (Adam) death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17)

Now, the fruits of the Spirit, as they are generally referred to, are best described in 1Corinthians 12:

"Now concerning SPIRITUAL GIFTS, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: . . . There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.

"But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the WORD OF WISDOM through the Spirit, to another the WORD OF KNOWLEDGE through the same Spirit, to another FAITH by the same Spirit, to another GIFTS OF HEALINGS by the same Spirit, to another the WORKING OF MIRACLES, to another PROPHECY, to another DISCERNING OF SPIRITS, to another DIFFERENT KINDS OF TONGUES, to another the INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills." (1Corinthians 12:1, 4-11)

Romans 12 also names spiritual gifts and includes the word "ministry," a word whose meaning has been twisted and changed to reflect the doctrinal opinion of traditional Christianity:

"Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if PROPHECY, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or MINISTRY, let us use it in our ministering; he who TEACHES, in teaching; he who EXHORTS, in exhortation; he who GIVES, with liberality; he who LEADS, with diligence; he who SHOWS MERCY, with cheerfulness." (Romans 12:6-8)

The word translated into "ministry" is the Greek word διακονία, or diakonia, and, according to the Strong's Concordance number G1248, means attendance, aid or service. It does not mean what the various religious hierarchies would like to make of it, which is to justify their ecclesiastic, unscriptural, hierarchical church system.

Thank you for submitting your question about what are spiritual gifts.

Written by:  Adriano Borean
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