Spiritual Gifts....

Spiritual Gifts within the body of Christ has been debated for centuries and there is still a difference of opinion today of the validity of spiritual gifts within the church.  It is also debated whether they really exist.  Over the centuries spiritual gifts have been misunderstood and because of that the body of Christ is not functioning to its fullest capacity.  In this essay I will define what spiritual gifts are and their purpose, the difference between spiritual gifts and the gifts of the spirit, the purpose of tongues and whether tongues is valid today.

Spiritual gifts are defined by Elwell as gifts from God enabling the Christian to perform his or her service (Elwell pg 1135).  The most common term used in the NT is charisma which means spiritual gift.  This is important because it is used in relation to God’s grace.  Spiritual gifts are manifestations of God’s grace whether normal or abnormal.  As Elwell says spiritual gifts purpose was always the edification of believers.  The spiritual gifts are also service to the church. 

There is a difference between the spiritual gifts and the fruit of the spirit.  Spiritual gifts are to be used in service, whereas fruits of the spirit relates to a Christians character (Towns pg 317).  The fruits of the Spirit will show a person’s maturity.  The gifts of the spirit are not contingent upon whether a person is godly.  They are an external manifestation of God.  The fruits of the Spirit show maturity because they show character.  For example in 1 Corinthians 13:1-4 Paul says if you have tongues, faith, knowledge, and service but have not love you are nothing.  Love is the foundation of the fruits of Spirit and is the goal of our lives. 

The definition of speaking in tongues comes from the Greek word glossolalia which is: profuse and often emotionally charged speech that mimics coherent speech but is usually unintelligible to the listener and that is uttered in some states of religious ecstasy and in some schizophrenic states (Merriam Webster’s dictionary). Speaking in tongues has two functions: one was the affirmation of a group entering the church and the other is it is a “spiritual gift” bestowed on chosen people by God.  Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14 that when you speak in a tongue your mind is unfruitful.  In that same chapter Paul says that when you speak in tongues you edify yourself.  That word edify in the Greek implies a recharging.  So we can say that speaking in tongues is able to help you recharge your spirit and stay in communion with God.

Baptism of the Holy Spirit is when one becomes filled with the Holy Spirit and is placed in the body of Christ (Towns pg 296).  In Luke 12:49 Jesus says “I have come to bring fire on the earth and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed”.  This verse is talking about the death, burial and resurrection Christ.  This is also laid out well in Romans chapter 6.  The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the gift from the Father that Jesus talked about.  It is the indwelling and promise of the Holy Spirit living inside of us. 

Speaking in tongues is not a sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  Some have insisted that the Spirit coincides with conversion.  Some insist that to receive the Spirit is with water baptism.  Others insist that the baptism of the Spirit is not related to conversion and is independent of water baptism.  The Holy Spirit is not energy or something you can get if you do something.  It is not some sort of magical power you can tap into.  The Holy Spirit is a being and is the third part of the Trinity.  He is a person just like Jesus.  The Holy Spirit comes into us at conversion.