The Gifts of The Spirit
Though Christians may possess skills in hermeneutics, they are taught and learned from a particular viewpoint or denominational doctrine. Drawing from Paul's writings in the Scriptures and those of contemporary Bible scholars, here is a list of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit taken from M. J. Erickson's Christian Theology (Erickson):
Romans 12:6-8 Prophecy, Service, Teaching, Exhortation, Liberality, Giving Aid, Acts of Mercy
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Working of Miracles, Prophecy, Ability to Distinguish Spirits, Various Tongues, Interpretation of Tongues,
1 Peter 4:11 Speaking, Service.
There are a total of eighteen gifts listed, but according to some scholars there are actually a total of twenty. In his book, The Dynamics of Spiritual Gifts, W. McRae says: "In 1 Cor. 7:7 Paul seems to suggest that celibacy is a gift from God and in the context of 1 Peter 4:11, verse 9 seems to indicate that hospitality is also a gift." (McRae). Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 12:7, 11 that the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good of the church and distributed as the Spirit determines. Clearly, Christians cannot choose their gifts or decide which gifts would be bestowed upon anyone else. Christians are to use these special abilities to strengthen and build up the church so as to glorify God. Theologian M.J. Erickson states; "They are for the edification of the whole body, not merely for the enjoyment or enrichment of the individual members possessing them." (Erickson) In Scripture, Paul gave some specific instructions for one particular gift. The gift of tongues, or glossolalia, is one of the miraculous gifts and probably the most controversial in today's church. Of all the gifts listed in the New Testament, Paul saw fit to give more detailed directions regarding the gift of tongues. He instructed the Corinthian church; "If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God" (1 Cor. 14:27-28).
Read more about this topic: Continuationism
Famous quotes containing the word spirit:
“What if all the forces of society were bent upon developing [poor] children? What if society’s business were making people instead of profits? How much of their creative beauty of spirit would remain unquenched through the years? How much of this responsiveness would follow them through life?”
—Mary Heaton Vorse (1874–1966)