Chapter Three

Five Truths about Spiritual Gifts

In this chapter and the next we will investigate some important pastoral truths about spiritual gifts. We will look at five truths in this chapter and five more in the next.

The Lordship of Christ

We begin at the beginning—by noting that gifts are to be exercised under the lordship of Christ. Paul introduces the topic of spiritual gifts with the foundational truth of Jesus’ lordship. “Now concerning spiritual gifts: brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be unaware. You know that when you were pagans, you used to be enticed and led astray by mute idols. Therefore I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus is cursed,’ and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:1–3). The lordship of Christ is the criterion by which gifts are assessed. In other words, our gifts aren’t a manifestation of ourselves or of our own abilities but are intended to communicate the truth that Jesus is Lord.

The lordship of Christ is the criterion by which gifts are assessed.

Ecstatic spiritual experiences aren’t the center of our faith. When God gives us powerful experiences of his presence, we praise him for drawing near to us in such a gracious way. We should not and must not disregard such experiences with God. At the same time, acknowledging Jesus as Lord in our hearts and in our lives is far more important than any stunning experience with the Lord.

Some people claim to have had amazing experiences, but they don’t live under the lordship of Christ in their everyday lives. A person may claim to have staggering gifts, but if they aren’t living in submission to the Lord Jesus Christ, they are failing in the most important area. Jesus warned us, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!” (Matt. 7:21–23). Some (of course there are many significant exceptions!) in the charismatic world have a reputation for wonderful gifts, but then word gets out that they have been living contrary to the gospel in a significant way for years. We should question whether someone is exercising spiritual gifts in a way that is truly helpful if there is a pattern of hidden and blatant sin in his or her life. In a world where subjective experience is often used as the measure of our spiritual lives, Paul brings us back to the objective baseline of Christian experience—the lordship of Jesus.

Since Jesus is Lord, he can give the gifts as he wishes. Nowhere does Scripture teach that Christians have only one gift. Since Christ is Lord, he may give a person one gift, two gifts, or many gifts. Nothing in Scripture says that each person has only one gift, so we should leave this matter open, recognizing that God gives gifts sovereignly according to his will. He gives what he wills in order to accomplish his purposes. It is also possible that God would grant gifts of miracles, healings, and signs and wonders in a cutting edge missionary situation. I will argue later that such a situation isn’t usual, and even on the mission field we can’t expect such to happen, for it is the exception not the rule. Nonetheless, God may do as he pleases.

We see another dimension of living under Christ’s lordship in 1 Peter 4:10–11: “Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God. If anyone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, let it be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.” If we are using our gifts to the glory of God, and we are living under Christ’s lordship, we use our gifts to serve others. We sense an awesome responsibility before God to exercise our gifts as he desires. We serve under God’s lordship when we are faithful in speaking so that we communicate the oracles of God. How amazing that God has given us the privilege to speak his word, which gives grace to others. Peter isn’t just talking here about preaching sermons, for we all share God’s word with others whether in small groups or one to one.

Finally, we don’t have the strength and ability to serve in a way that pleases God on our own. The effectiveness of our spiritual gifts doesn’t reside in us. We are conscious of our weakness and God’s great strength. God in his mercy will not let us feel too greatly the effectiveness of our gifts so that we don’t grow proud. He lets us feel weakness so that his strength shines through us. We recognize that we are unworthy servants, but at the same time we are grateful servants—for God has chosen to use us to help others in grace. And thus, as we serve under Christ’s lordship, we give God the glory and praise in all that we do.

Think Reasonably about Your Gifts

The second truth is that we should not overestimate our godliness or effectiveness. Paul prefaces his discussion of spiritual gifts in Romans with these words in Romans 12:3: “For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.” It is fitting here to quote the words of the great German commentator, Adolf Schlatter, on this verse. If you find his words hard to understand, I recommend that you read them over again slowly and thoughtfully, for what Schlatter says here is full of insight:

Paul resists the danger that arises from the tempting power of the idea of equality. Each one wants to be and do like the others; no one wants to be less pious than the other. The danger that ensued from egalitarian endeavors28 was not the paralyzing of faith, nor the sinking of their efforts below what could be done in faith, but the exaggeration of their thinking toward impossible wishes and the inflammation of their will toward endeavors beyond their strength. Faith protects against this because it liberates from selfish striving after perfection and greatness, desires the divine will, and obeys God’s leadership. If they act in faith, they purify themselves from their pretensions and proud independence, and they endeavor to utilize what they have been apportioned in their inner life and in their association with the others. This dispels fantasies and opens the eye to reality.29

Paul’s instructions here are immensely practical. We must recognize what God made us to be and avoid trying to become what we are not. It is tempting to attempt to imitate others and to live based on the faith that God has given them. As we consider someone we admire or who has influenced us, we may start to think that we should become what they are. We need to consider, however, what God has called us to be. If God hasn’t called us to be a missionary, we should not try to become a missionary. I have seen some students come to seminary to study because they have had a profound encounter with God, and they conclude that they are called to the ministry. Now they may be called to the ministry, but some of them clearly were not meant for certain ministry positions, and they feel disappointed and perhaps even disillusioned when they don’t get a particular ministry position. We should recognize, further, that joy in the Lord doesn’t necessarily mean you should be in ministry. We need enthusiastic believers in law offices, banks, service industries, and as plumbers, electricians, and builders.

We need enthusiastic believers in law offices, banks, service industries, and as plumbers, electricians, and builders.

The Lord calls upon us to assess our gifts realistically, and here is where other people can help us, for our gifts don’t just reflect what we think about ourselves. Other members of the body of Christ can and must help us discern and confirm the gifts in our lives. Sometimes they help us see that the gift we thought we had isn’t the area we should concentrate our energies after all. The need to discern our calling is immensely practical and applies in so many areas of life. You may not be gifted musically, or an eloquent speaker, but you notice those in pain and reach out to them (mercy!), or willingly serve behind the scenes (helps!). We are to bloom where God has planted us and find the niche where God has placed us, and then live with all our strength for God’s glory.

A realistic assessment of our lives and our talents and gifts brings great contentment about our place in life if we rest in God. How many live in unhappiness because they aren’t content with what God has given them? They long and grasp for a greatness God didn’t intend for them to have. I had a young student say to me once that he was going to be the next Francis Schaeffer! He was young, and I am sure he soon realized that such a desire was a fantasy and a dream out of accord with reality. We are not to long for a greatness God doesn’t intend for us to have. We are to think in a sensible way about ourselves and should not think too highly about ourselves. We are to be like John the Baptist who was content that Jesus was increasing and he was decreasing (John 3:30). John’s desire to decrease is remarkable because his disciples were egging him on, worried about his reputation (John 3:26). John recognized, however, that his place in life was appointed by God, that “no one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven” (John 3:27). We should not long, then, for greatness that God doesn’t intend us to have, but should find contentment in our lives by not overestimating our gifts or wishing for gifts that have not been given to us.

The Diversity and Results of Gifts Are from God

Third, the variety of spiritual gifts and the results of those gifts come from God himself. What we see here is similar to the admonition in Romans 12:3, where Paul speaks against the desire for equality, the desire for everyone to be the same. Such a desire goes against one of God’s fundamental purposes in giving the gifts. “Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different activities, but the same God produces each gift in each person” (1 Cor. 12:4–6). In these wonderful Trinitarian verses, we see that we must avoid the mistake of thinking that God wants us all to have the same gifts, the same ministries, and the same results. It is striking how the Spirit, the Son, and the Father are included in these verses, which impresses upon us the divine origin of the gifts. We see here that all the members of the Trinity work together in granting us gifts. Our gifts come from the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, showing that the source of our gifts is the Triune God.

Paul never thought that each person in the church would have the same gift, nor does he think they should have the same gift. “Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, next miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all do miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in other tongues? Do all interpret? But desire the greater gifts” (1 Cor. 12:27–31). Paul’s words here could hardly be clearer. It was never God’s intention that a person possess or exercise all the gifts; he wants to remove from their minds any conception that all the gifts are equally accessible to all believers.

Our Gifts Don’t Make Us Inferior or Superior

Fourth, having a different spiritual gift doesn’t mean we are inferior or superior. How we feel about our gifts is a central part of what Paul teaches, and so he teaches in more detail the implications of the unity and diversity of the body of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12:14 he says, “Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many” (niv). The body of Christ is characterized by unity and diversity. We are one body in Christ, and yet at the same time the body consists of many different members.

Having a different spiritual gift doesn’t mean we are inferior or superior.

Some members of the body are tempted at various times to feel inferior. “If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body” (1 Cor. 12:15). You may think, I am only a lowly and clumsy foot and not a useful and productive hand. Conversely, you may think that you are only an ugly and misshapen ear instead of a beautiful eye. “And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body” (1 Cor. 12:16).

The body of Christ is composed of many members. There is not a boring kind of sameness. It is tempting for us to compare ourselves with others and to feel inferior. We constantly wonder whether we stack up, whether we are living up to the standards of others. In doing so, we lose God’s perspective of the body and of our ministry. A foot may think, I am not as attractive and valuable as a hand, and thus think it has no vital role to play in the body, but nevertheless it is a vital and crucial part of the body. Without our feet or with an injured foot, we are severely handicapped. Similarly, an ear may not be as attractive as an eye, but it is vital to the body. If our ears start giving us problems, we quickly notice.

We sometimes mistake our feelings of inferiority for humility, but feelings of inferiority are a kind of inverted pride. We don’t want others to see our deficiencies. Still, it is instructive that Paul doesn’t rebuke the inferior-feeling Corinthians for pride but encourages them. We ought not to think that pride should always be reproved or exposed. Often when we feel weak we need encouragement. Paul reminds us that we are made in God’s image, that we all play a valuable role. We don’t simply say to a person suffering from feelings of uselessness: “You are proud and arrogant too!” Instead, Paul sets an example that we should remind them of their important role in the body. He encourages their hearts.

If you think, I don’t have any gifts. I am of no value to anyone, your thinking about yourself is off-center. God has given you faith, and he created and made you to be a significant help to others. Don’t reject what God has done in your life by putting yourself down. We may feel that our gifts are insignificant or unimportant, but we are mistaken. The contribution of every member of the body matters. What you contribute to your church is crucial, and that is true of every member of the body. If you are feeling inferior about your role in the body, then your feelings, as are our feelings so often, are off-track.

The contribution of every member of the body matters.

While no member of the body is inferior, we also see that no member of the body is comprehensive. We see this clearly in 1 Corinthians 12:17–20. “If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted. And if they were all the same part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.” Imagine if your body was only an eye, and a huge eye rolled into the room instead of your entire body. Or imagine that instead of a human body as a whole, we were all massive ears. Wouldn’t that be grotesque in the extreme? Paul reminds us of elementary but crucial truths here. Eyes without ears are not complete bodies. Ears without noses are not complete bodies. No member of the body is comprehensive; bodies by definition are made up of many members, and they don’t function as bodies otherwise.

As I write this, the World Series is going on. Last night, Clayton Kershaw, of the Los Angeles Dodgers, pitched a masterpiece, and the Dodgers beat the Houston Astros in Game One of the Series 3–1.30 But try to imagine Kershaw, as great as he is, saying that he didn’t need the rest of his team to win. He could not win the game all by himself since baseball is a team game. A pitcher needs a catcher, and a second baseman, and every other player on the field. And even if a pitcher were a great hitter (and Kershaw is quite good as pitchers go!), he couldn’t win the game without other hitters. No business or team works effectively if someone tries to do all the jobs him or herself; teamwork is necessary in every part of life.

Notice also what the verse doesn’t say. It doesn’t say that we belong to one another if we feel especially close to one another. Our belonging to one another isn’t based on our feelings or on friendships. Our head and hands aren’t united because they feel especially close to one another. Our unity as a body is a fact, whether we feel it or not, whether we naturally like each other or not. The wonderful thing about the church is that God has called us together with all our differences. We are called upon to love one another, even if we wouldn’t naturally like one another. The church isn’t a club where people of the same interest or same personalities gather together. The church consists of those who are called together by God’s grace to be the body of Christ: rich and poor, black and white, male and female, and white-collar and blue-collar workers. The elbow and the ear may not seem to have anything in common, but they are both a part of the body. In the same way, church members who are very different still have the most important thing in common, because we are all connected to the same body.

Our belonging to one another isn’t based on our feelings or on friendships.

We also see here that no member of the body is superior. Paul circles back to what we saw in Romans 12:3 but hits it from another angle. “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ On the contrary, those parts of the body that are weaker are indispensable. And those parts of the body that we consider less honorable, we clothe these with greater honor, and our unrespectable parts are treated with greater respect, which our respectable parts do not need” (1 Cor. 12:21–24). Here Paul tackles arrogance, the feeling that we are the indispensable part of the body. The eye may be beautiful and begin to think other parts of the body are unnecessary, and a head may begin to think that the feet are useless. Such pride is irrational and self-destructive. Even if we don’t realize it, we desperately need every part of the body. The parts of the body we don’t show to the world are still necessary for the body to function.

As I write, I am reading a biography of Peter the Great of Russia, who had magnificent ideas as the Czar of Russia about how Russia could progress. But the ideas in his head weren’t always easy to implement since he needed help from his citizens to make them a reality. So too, if any member of the body thinks he or she can dispense with weaker members, they will soon find out they are radically mistaken. Those parts of the body that seem to be weaker and less necessary are crucial to the smooth running of the body. Every member is needed to carry out what the body needs to do, and no member should think he or she is more important. Pride introduces serious weakness into the body, and such conceit in ourselves should be identified and put to death daily.

The Gifts Are Sovereignly Given

Fifth, our gifts are not to be ascribed to our own spirituality but to the sovereignty of the Spirit. As human beings we are wired (because of original sin) to take credit for our accomplishments. We know that the Scripture says everything we have is a gift, that we have accomplished nothing on our own (1 Cor. 4:7). Still, we are curved in upon ourselves and begin to congratulate ourselves for the gifts we have or the effects of our ministry. Or, conversely, we might lament that we don’t have the gift we should have or believe we deserve. We may fall into discouragement and even depression over who and what we are.

Paul reminds us of God’s sovereignty, teaching us that the gift we have is a result of God’s will, not ours. We see this in 1 Corinthians 12:7–11. “A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good: to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit, to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another, the performing of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, distinguishing between spirits, to another, different kinds of tongues, to another, interpretation of tongues. One and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as he wills.” Paul hammers home in these verses that the various gifts all derive from the Holy Spirit. They are gifts after all!

We can rest in and rejoice over the gifts God has given us because the Spirit has given them to us “as he wills” (1 Cor. 12:11). Incidentally, this is an important verse on the personality and personhood of the Holy Spirit, since only a person can choose or will something. We see the same emphasis on God’s sovereignty and appointment of our gifts elsewhere in chapter 12. We read in 1 Corinthians 12:18, “But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted.” And in 1 Corinthians 12:28 Paul lists various gifts and gifted persons, and says, “God has appointed these in the church.” Incidentally, we have a good example here of Father and the Son doing the same work, which points us to the doctrine of the Trinity. Paul emphasizes that the Spirit gives us gifts, but he also says that the Father determines our gifts. Your gift doesn’t reflect what you have accomplished. It signifies what God has for his own wise purposes given to you for the sake of the church. Let’s give praise and give thanks to God for the gifts he has given to us, and let’s entrust our lives to him, knowing that he will fulfill the purpose intended when he created us. As Psalm 138:8 says, “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me.”

We don’t have to fret and worry that our lives have been spent in vain if we are endeavoring to please the Lord. He has given us the gifts and the ministry he intended for us to have, and he is working out his will in the world and in our lives as well.

Conclusion

Five truths about spiritual gifts have been set forth in this chapter. First, all gifts are to be exercised under Christ’s lordship. Gifts aren’t designed for our own happiness (though they do bring us joy!) but to serve our Lord Jesus Christ. Second, we are to think reasonably about our gifts. We are prone to overestimate the importance of our gifts and to exalt ourselves instead of humbling ourselves. Third, the gifts given by God are remarkably diverse, and such diversity is to be celebrated. We recognize that God doesn’t want everyone to be the same or to function in the same way. Fourth, our gifts don’t make us inferior or superior to others. The gifts don’t reflect our spiritual strength but are given to strengthen the church. Fifth, we must remember that our gifts are sovereignly appointed by the Holy Spirit, by God himself. The gifts we have reflect God’s grace and goodness in our lives, and we can’t take credit for the gifts we have or worry about gifts we don’t possess. God has wisely given us the gifts we have for the sake of the church and for the sake of his great name.

Discussion Questions

1. What does it mean that the lordship of Christ is the criterion by which gifts are assessed (p. 30)? Why does this matter?

2. Why is it so important to be who God has called you to be, rather then trying to imitate the gifts of others?

3. Have you ever seen a church attach inferiority or superiority to people with particular spiritual gifts? How can we prevent this from happening?

4. Why should we remember God’s sovereignty over the gifts?