Articles
Spiritual Gifts - Part 2
Spiritual Gifts - Part 2
By Derek Long
The Holy Spirit gave miraculous spiritual gifts to various individuals in the first century. These spiritual gifts are listed for us in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. What purpose did such spiritual gifts serve? Why did the Holy Spirit give men miraculous spiritual gifts?
Certain spiritual gifts were given as a means for God’s revelation to mankind to continue to be given. Jesus eats the last Passover before His crucifixion with the twelve apostles (Luke 22:14). John 13-16 record for us things Jesus did and said during this period of time. Jesus told the apostles several times throughout these chapters He was getting ready to leave them (e.g. John 14:28; 16:5-7, 16, 28). Jesus also tells the apostles there were things He had not yet told them which they would need to know (John 16:12). Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit upon the apostles to do the following things: 1. “He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26). 2. “He will testify of Me” (John 15:26). 3. “He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8-11). 4. “He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13-14). The Holy Spirit would come upon the apostles and prophets in the early church to reveal to them the rest of God’s truth which had not yet been revealed (Ephesians 2:19-3:5). The Holy Spirit’s work of revealing the truth would be completed within the days of the apostles because Jesus told them the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is not continuing to reveal new truth to us. All truth was revealed to the apostles and prophets who wrote it down for us to be able to read and understand it. 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3 remind us the inspired Scriptures give us everything which we need in order to know how to be pleasing and acceptable to God today. We do not need the Holy Spirit to continue to reveal new truth to us today in order for us to know how to be pleasing to God. Jude 3 says, “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” The faith was “once for all” or one time for all time delivered to the saints. Once the Holy Spirit had finished revealing the faith the need for gifts like prophesy would no longer exist.
Certain spiritual gifts were given as a means of confirming the word which was being preached. Jesus, while upon the earth, performed miracles to confirm the message He taught came from God and to validate His claim to be the Son of God (John 3:2; 20:30-31). The Holy Spirit gave the apostles and other first century Christians the ability to perform miracles, speak in tongues (languages they had never studied), etc. for the purpose of confirming their message did indeed come from God. Mark 16:20 gives us a synopsis of what the apostles did in response to the Great Commission. It says, “And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.” The purpose for the signs they were able to perform is the signs confirmed the word. Acts 14:3 speaks about Paul and Barnabas’ time in Iconium. It says, “Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.” God used the miracles which were performed by individuals such as Paul and Barnabas to validate the message they taught came from Him. Hebrews 2:3-4 speaks of the great salvation we have been offered. It says, “how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own
will?” The gospel was first taught by Jesus, then by those who heard Him, and God confirmed the message. God used signs, wonders, various miracles, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit to confirm the message being taught. Once the message was confirmed there was no longer a need for signs to confirm it. Just like once Jesus performed miracles to prove He was the Son of God and they were written down by credible sources, each succeeding generation did not need their own fresh batch of miracles to believe (John 20:29-31).
Spiritual gifts were given to edify the church in the absence of a completed New Testament. In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul addresses the use of spiritual gifts within the assembly of a local congregation. Throughout the chapter an emphasis is placed upon using the various spiritual gifts in a manner which results in edification of the church (1 Corinthians 14:3-5, 12, 17, 26). Speaking in tongues would not provide edification to those who were unable to understand the other language unless the tongues were interpreted. Therefore, tongues were not to be used in an assembly of a local congregation unless they were being interpreted (1 Corinthians 14:27-28). Prophesying (speaking forth the word of God by inspiration) would result in edification and thus it is argued to be a more profitable gift especially when everyone gathered speaks the same language. Prophesying, by its nature, would result in the edification of those who hear it (1 Corinthians 14:3-5). Prophets were still to speak their revelation one at a time so, “that all may learn and all may be encouraged” (1 Corinthians 14:29-31) and so all things would, “be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40). It is important to note spiritual gifts like prophesy did not override the freewill of the individual who possessed the gift (1 Corinthians 14:32). The miraculous spiritual gifts did not just come upon a person and force them to do something. Prophets and those who spoke in tongues were expected to control themselves as they exercised their spiritual gifts. In a time when Scripture had not been completely revealed, gifts like prophesy would be needed to help edify the church. Today, God has revealed to us His word which is capable of providing the edification we need (Acts 20:32). Therefore, we no longer need miraculous spiritual gifts today in order to edify the church.
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