Understanding Spiritual Gifts
Understanding Spiritual Gifts
At first, this whole issue of spiritual gifts may seem mysterious, complicated, and difficult—but in fact the opposite is true. God has given us wonderful gifts, and he doesn’t make it difficult to discover and use them.
In 1 Corinthians 12:1, Paul says, “Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.” The word ignorant here does not mean “unintelligent” or “naïve.” Rather, Paul is telling us that if we are uninformed, we will miss out on the wonderful gifts God has given us. Your heavenly Father wants his children to be fully informed so they can unwrap every single gift they have received. Your gifts are the key to making the Kingdom Purpose he has set aside just for you. When that truth finally sank in for me, it was sobering. Suddenly I felt a deep desire to understand the entire subject of spiritual gifts.
As a pastor, I hear several questions about spiritual gifts that come up over and over. As we examine what the Bible says, we discover God’s answers to those questions.
What Are Spiritual Gifts?
Let’s start by clarifying what they are not. First, your spiritual gifts are not the same as your personality traits. A personality test is not an adequate indicator of what spiritual gifts you possess. Your personality traits, however, do provide natural vehicles for expressing your gifts. For example, if God wired you to be outgoing, then your gifts will work best as you actively engage other people. If you are more reserved by nature, your personality will complement your giftedness.
Second, spiritual gifts are not the same as natural talents. You can be a very talented architect, salesperson, or manager, but those are not spiritual gifts. Leslie B. Flynn explains, “Talents have to do with techniques and methods; gifts have to do with spiritual abilities. Talents depend on natural power, gifts on spiritual endowment.”
Third, spiritual gifts are not the same as the fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22–23—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The fruit of the Spirit reveal Christ’s contribution to our character, while our spiritual gifts reveal the contribution we make to God’s kingdom.
So what are spiritual gifts?
For this study, let’s define spiritual gifts as a God-given special ability, given to every believer at conversion by the Holy Spirit, to share his love and strengthen the body of Christ. The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 4:10 that God is the gift giver: “God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you” (NLT).
I love how Os Guinness, in his book The Call, talks about the role of giftedness. Os says, “The purpose of giftedness is stewardship and service, not selfishness.”
God gives us these special abilities for specific reasons. Spiritual gifts only work in spiritual ways. Designed to bring great color and clarity to your life, they can only be used to their full potential when empowered by the Holy Spirit, who dwells in the life of every believer. Only those who have entered into a personal relationship with Christ have these gifts.
Why Does God Give Spiritual Gifts?
In 1 Corinthians 12:7, Paul says, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church” (NLT). The spiritual gifts God gives you are neither for you nor about you. They weren’t given to boost your self-image or to serve as some kind of special reward from God. They were not given to raise you up to some level of worldly greatness or success. They are yours for the express purpose of blessing the body of Christ—the church. That is why you need to be part of a church family. Discovering your spiritual gifts is not the ultimate goal—using them to bless others is.
Does Everyone Get a Gift?
The Bible assures us that every believer receives gifts from God: “Each one of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that” (1 Corinthians 7:7b, TNIV). You may not feel tremendously gifted, but God says that you are. Every Christian has at least one spiritual gift.
In my role as pastor of ministry and S.H.A.P.E. discovery at Saddleback, I have seen that people discover their gifts as they minister to others. The more you serve God in ministry, the more clearly you will see your gifts.
God gives gifts to everyone, not just “special” people. There are no special qualifications needed, no special level of maturity required, not even a particular time span needed in your journey with Jesus. If you are a believer, then you have the Spirit living in you. If you have the Spirit living in you, then you have spiritual gifts to use for God’s glory and the benefit of others.
You may not have discovered the gifts you have or begun to use them yet, but you definitely have them. You have God’s word on it. He is the one who decided which gifts to give you. How many gifts you have is not nearly as important as discovering and developing the gifts you do have.
When we use what God has graced us with, people are helped, he is honored, and we are fulfilled. As mentioned before, the best place to explore your giftedness is at your church—the body of Christ in which God has placed you. If you aren’t involved with a local church, I strongly suggest you find one so you can experience the many blessings that come from being part of a church family.
Cheering,
Erik
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