Day 163: Where Do We Find Lists of Spiritual Gifts?
Today, we are simply going to scan over the passages in the New Testament which list all of the Spiritual Gifts and see how they fit into the larger picture. The key passages are listed below. Beside each gift listed, there is a number. This number corresponds to the gift in the following list with its description. Read through these passages, then work through the list.
Ephesians 4:11
And He gave some as (1) apostles, and (2) some as prophets, and (3) some as evangelists, and (4) some as pastors and (5) teachers, ….
1 Corinthians 12:7-11 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given the (6) word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the (7) word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; 9 to another (8) faith by the same Spirit, and to another (9) gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 and to another the (10) effecting of miracles, and to another (2) prophecy, and to another (11) the distinguishing of spirits, to another (12) various kinds of tongues, and to another (13) the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.
1 Corinthians 12:28 And God has appointed in the church, (1) first apostles, (3) second prophets, (5) third teachers, (10) then miracles, (9) then gifts of healings, (14) helps, (15) administrations, (12) various kinds of tongues.
Romans 12:6-8 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if (2) prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; 7 if (16) service, in his serving; or (5) he who teaches, in his teaching; 8 or he who (17) exhorts, in his exhortation; he who (18) gives, with liberality; he who (19) manages, with diligence; he who (20) shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
1-5 – We have already discussed the 5 Gifted People of Ephesians 4 in our previous discussions and will not repeat those here. However, you can take note that there is a gift of prophecy mentioned in the other lists.
6. Word of Wisdom | The Spiritually endowed ability to communicate how to live in truth, goodness and glory before God.
7. Word of Knowledge | The Spiritually endowed ability to know and communicate truth perhaps without having “learned” it.
8. Faith | The Spiritually endowed ability to trust God in unusual ways or in unusual circumstances.
9. Healings | The Spiritually endowed ability to bring God’s power for physical healing upon illness, with or without the concurring faith of the person being healed.
10. Working of Miracles or Signs | The Spiritually endowed ability to work “supernatural signs” – These often accompanied the Apostles as they took the Gospel into new areas and the “signs” confirmed the power of their message.
11. Discerning Spirits | The Spiritually endowed ability to identify the “spirit” that is influencing a person, particularly teachers within the community.
12. Languages (tongues) | The Spiritually endowed ability to speak in a human language that has never been learned in order to proclaim the Gospel to unbelievers.
13. Interpretation of Languages | The Spiritually endowed ability to interpret human languages (perhaps more specifically the interpretation of the gift of languages) that have never been learned.
14. Assistance or helps | The Spiritually endowed ability to give some benefit or help especially those who are weak, sick or helpless.
15. Governing or Administration | The Spiritually endowed ability to guide the local assembly in the goals that Christ has established for His Body.
16. Service | The Spiritually endowed ability to serve all people “above and beyond the call of duty.” *Jesus places great emphasis on this idea, not as gift, but as the greatest of the qualities of anyone who desires to be His disciple. All believers are called to this ministry. This is the term from which we get the word “deacon” in English.
17. Exhortation | The Spiritually endowed ability to comfort and encourage others as they pursue maturity in Christ.
18. Sharing or giving | The Spiritually endowed ability to share with others who are in need.
19. Managing or Caring | The Spiritually endowed ability to oversee the spiritual welfare of the assembly. This term is often used in reference to “managing a household.”
20. Mercy | The Spiritually endowed ability to compassionately comfort those who are sick and suffering in the community.
It is beyond the scope of our purposes here to discuss these gifts in detail. There are other resources that do that well. The main thing we want you to see is the big picture of the kinds of things that are necessary for the Body of Christ to function as the Lord intends. Since each of the lists are different in these passages, that suggests that there is no set list of gifts. These are the types of things the Lord empowers us to do through the Spirit. There are some patterns we can discern, however,
As we have already heard when we were discussing Ephesians 4, there is a hierarchy of gifts; there are some gifts which are more “significant,” or maybe we could say “foundational” in the Lord’s work in the world. The Apostles are always mentioned first on the lists. In fact, Paul makes this clear in 1 Corinthians 12:38 where he says, “First Apostles, second Prophets, third Teachers, then…” Because Apostolic Vision and Mission gives birth to all the other ministries and Prophetic Passion and Direction gives us our guidance, these are foundational ministries. Remember:
Ephesians 2:19–22
… you are no longer foreigners and noncitizens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, 20 because you have been built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.
Nevertheless, all the gifts have an important role in building up the Body of Christ. This gifts are not given to cause divisions of “authority” or “prominence” or “recognition” within the Body. We are instructed to live in our gifts in humility realizing that the Lord has different plans and purposes for us all. For now we are called to humbly accept where the Lord has placed us in His Body and wait for Him to exalt us in the proper time (see 1 Peter 5:6-7).
We will discuss this more tomorrow.
What got your attention in the reading today? Why?
Do you have a basic understanding of the types of gifts mentioned in the Scriptures? If not, read through the list again.
*You can find a complete list of all the MilktoMeat readings here.
