Spiritual and Gifts: What Are They?

Word of the Week

November 16, 2024

Spiritual and Gifts: What Are They?

 

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware.

1 Corinthians 12:1 NASB95

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:4

No one ever told us about spiritual gifts when I was growing up.  At least I don’t remember hearing about them.

But the topic blew up in the late 60s.  Everyone was talking about “body life,” which involved everyone in a body of believers using their God-given abilities to produce a healthy spiritual life in the church.  Books on these “spiritual gifts” popped up on the shelves of Christian bookstores, and pastors passed out inventory forms that you could use to determine your spiritual gift.

Excitement about the topic of spiritual gifts eventually subsided, but the reality remains relevant today.  Scripture does teach that every believer has at least one spiritual gift – something that enables you to be a blessing to others in the family of God.  It might be teaching or serving or showing compassion – the list goes on.

Where do you begin to learn about this vital topic?  The natural starting-point is to look for a clear definition of what the New Testament means by the term.  And we can take the first step by observing the Greek words that describe these gifts.

There is nowhere in the Greek New Testament where you can find the phrase “spiritual gifts.”  However, you can find passages that talk about “spiritual” or “gifts” – just not both terms at once.

We will check out both words, one at a time.  Each term brings out an aspect of spiritual gifts that we cannot afford to ignore.

Spiritual

Paul introduces his longest explanation of spiritual gifts with these words – “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware” (1 Corinthians 12:1). Notice that the word gifts is in italics, showing you that it was added by translators.  Literally, Paul is saying, “I don’t want you to be unaware of spirituals.”  Spiritual somethings – you fill in the blank.

As he goes on, it becomes clear that he is talking about spiritual abilities to serve others in the body of Christ.

Why does he call them “spiritual”?  The Greek word here is pneumatikos [pnyew-mah-tih-KAHSS], and it occurs 26 times in the New Testament.  A favorite word of Paul, it describes something or someone as related to the spirit – or the Spirit.

• It can mean wisdom given by the Spirit, in contrast to human wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:13-3:1).
• It can mean a resurrection body adapted to the spirit, in contrast to our current physical body (1 Corinthians 15:44, 46).
• It can describe our role as part of a spiritual temple offering spiritual sacrifices, rather than the literal temple in Jerusalem where priests slaughtered animals for the altar (1 Peter 2:5).
• It can contrast the spiritual benefits which Gentiles received from the Jews with the financial contributions which Jews could receive from Gentiles (Romans 15:27).

When Paul told the Roman church that he intended to bring them a gift, he wasn’t planning to present a bag of gold.  Instead, he wanted to donate a spiritual gift (Romans 1:11).

So why does he describe the gifts in 1 Corinthians as pneumatikos?

Because they are given by the Holy Spirit, and they produce spiritual results.  You may be able to play percussion on the worship team because of your natural talents, or you may have the verbal skills to edit the church newsletter.  But the ability to do those things in a way that strengthens others in their walk with God – that’s a spiritual gift.

Gifts

The other word we need to know is charisma [KHAH-riss-mah], a Greek word translated “gift.”  Appearing 17 times in the New Testament, it springs from charis, the word for “grace.”  As such, it underscores the fact that it is a gift, not something that you have earned or deserved.  God gives good gifts because He chooses to do so, motivated by His loving character.

Charisma can be used to describe any of the wonderful gifts that we receive from God directly or indirectly.  Paul told the Roman church that he wanted to share some spiritual gift that would strengthen them (Romans 1:11).  He later thanked the Corinthians for their prayers that led to the charisma of deliverance from a life-threatening situation (2 Corinthians 1:10-11).  He also used it to describe God’s promises to the nation Israel (Romans 11:29).  It even includes the ability to live a contented life of singleness (1 Corinthians 7:7).

The most frequent use is to describe the spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit bestows, enabling each of us to contribute to the growth of Christ’s church.  Charisma shows up in the major passages on gifts:  Romans 12:6; 1 Peter 4:10; 1 Corinthians 12:9, 28, 30, 31.

The doctrine of grace teaches us that we can never take credit for our status or our accomplishments.  Everything we have is a gift from God, and that includes our ability to fill a useful role in building up other Christians.  1 Peter 4:11 summarizes it clearly:  when we speak, we say what God tells us to say; and when we serve, we use the ability that God has provided for us.  Either way, He gets the credit.

Bottom line:  Your natural talents are an amazing gift from God, but the ability to serve in a way that changes hearts is even more amazing.  The Lord has equipped you with the ability to make an eternal difference in the lives of brothers and sisters.  You can make an impact in the spiritual realm because the Lord has freely given you the ability to do so.  That’s the key to spiritual gifts.

 

Study Hint:

Want to do a more comprehensive study of spiritual gifts?  There are four major passages that teach on this subject:

1 Peter 4:10-11

Ephesians 4

Romans 12

1 Corinthians 12-14

Each passage provides a list of gifts, and you can combine the lists to get a full picture of what might be included.

 

Coming Up

Thanksgiving Day is coming!  I don’t have a Greek word study for turkeys or football games, so we will take a fresh look at the Greek word for giving thanks.

©Ezra Project 2024