That which furnished Israel for the accomplishing of her aims, (all of which had to do
with her inheriting and inhabiting Palestine and her worship and government under the
first covenant) was not by itself sufficient to teach our Lord's church -- how to
assemble, keep house for the Lord and be constituted "an habitation of God through the
Spirit" (Eph 2:22). In the absence of such a revelation of truth by which they could
have 'walked and pleased God" (Thess 4:1), it was essential they be furnished with
some kind of "Divine Direction" for that time.
These "gifts" were given from the Holy Spirit but never were they given apart from the
ministry of the apostles. They were distributed to edify the church until "the more
excellent way," the completed Word of God, came into being.
In the first Corinthian letter, Paul outlines the story of the "gifts:" 1) I
Corinthians 12 reveals the provision of the gifts for the church; 2) I Corinthians 13
supplies the principle that must motivate their exercise; and 3) I Corinthians 14
unveils the purpose they were to accomplish in the church.
I. The provision of the gifts:
A. They were to last only until the Word was completed according to I Corinthians
13:8-10.
B. Thus Paul shows they were not for our day. If they were, we would not need the
finished Bible. However Paul said, "yet shew I unto you a more excellent way" (I Cor
12:31). Some have argued that way is "love" as spoken of in I Corinthians 13. It could
not be what Paul was speaking of for Christ had been showing that as a motive all
through the New Testament.
C. The gifts are all listed in I Corinthians 12:4-11; 28-31.
1. Certain gifts held a strange attractiveness causing those who were given them to be
more highly esteemed by their fellows, while those with less "showy" gifts were
somewhat down graded by them.
2. The church needed to see the value, importance and necessity of the unity of the
whole body. Each gift-holder had an equally important contribution to make toward the
health and knowledge of the whole church.
D. Thus the source and supply of all the "spiritual gifts" was the Holy Spirit.
1. Not a single gift was based on talent or native ability.
2. Not a single gift was obtained by praying or being sought by the believer.
3. The Holy Spirit gave to each member the particular gift He wanted each to have.
4. Although the gifts differed, the distinction was not based on the faith of the
individual but was "according to grace" (Rm 12:6) which is to say, the Spirit, as a
matter of grace, made the selection.
5. There were "diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit" (I Cor 12:4). "Diversities"
is from "diaeresis" meaning "dividings, apportionings and distributions."
6. The gifts were given "to the end that ye may be established" (Rm 1:11).
7. Their three-fold purpose is clearly set forth in Ephesians 4:11-12:
a. "For the perfecting of the saints," that is to say their growth and maturity;
b. "For the work of the ministry," that is to render their service to the Lord both
intelligent and acceptable;
c. "For the edifying of the body of Christ," which is the strengthening and building
up of the church. Now these were to continue "till" they come "in the unity of the
faith . . . . unto a perfect man" (Eph 4:13). According to II Timothy 3:16-17 that
state is reached at the completion of the "all Scripture.
E. Next observe that "there are differences of administrations" (I Cor 12:5) which is
services to render or forms of service. Here we list a few of the gifts:
1. "The word of wisdom" (vs 8) has to do with the supernaturally given power to reason.
2. "The word of knowledge" has to do with new information and illumination.
A. In our day we get the former through prayer (Jas 1:5) and the latter by the study
of the Word completed (II Tim 2:7; 15). By the Word completed therefore "the man of
God is . . . . throughly furnished unto all good works" (II Tim 3:16-17).
3. "Faith" is that gift which permitted one to give spiritual demonstrations such as
would literally enable him to "move mountains" (I Cor 13:2).
4. "The working of miracles"
5. "Prophecy" is described as a divinely designated power to tell forth the mind of
God prior to its being recorded in the books of the Bible. Today however, "we have the
mind of Christ" (I Cor 2:16) and have no need of this "gift." What good would such a
gift be today? If one merely repeats what is written already anyway, where is the
power of the Spirit seen? But if he claims a revelation of a new truth not already
written in the Word, God puts an eternal curse on him. Hear Revelations 22:18, "For I
testify unto every man that heareth . . . . this book, if any man add unto these
things, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book."
6. "Discerning of spirits" was the gift enabling one to determine at once, by
supernatural authority whether the spirit behind the speech or activities of gifts was
of God or of Satanic origin.
7. The importance of the position of each is given in I Corinthians 12:28-31:
a. The apostles were first.
b. Second came the prophets and teachers.
c. Then came miracles, healings, helps, government and last in importance, value and
position in the church was the gift to speak in all known languages, herein called
"diversities of tongues." We will spend more time later on tongues by themselves but
consider a few general truths about tongues:
1) The "tongues" were known languages spoken by other nations.
2) Whoever had this gift of "tongues or languages" could and did speak any language
needed. The need was determined by the Holy Spirit and depended upon the presence of a
lost person visiting the church. Tongues were only spoken as a sign to the lost
present who were from the very nation whose language was spoke in the service by the
man who had the tongue gift (I Cor 14:21-22).
3) The person speaking in tongues always used totally different sounds each time he
spake because he used a different language each time. The visiting lost person, as on
the day of Pentecost, "heard them speak in his own language wherein he was born" (Acts
2:4-12). No one is doing this today.
4) No women were permitted to speak in tongues or to possess any other gift of the
Holy Spirit in the Bible. These were exclusively given to men (I Cor 14:34-35).
5) No one "fell out" as if in a trance. Everyone had complete control over his own
spirit and the use of the gift. Nothing "came over" them which caused them to do
things they later would not realize or remember they did (I Cor 14:32).
II. The principle that must motivate and govern their use was "love" as is set forth
in I Corinthians 13:1-3; 8-10.
III. The purpose they were to accomplish was "the edifying" of the church (I
Corinthians 14:26).
A. Having no written instructions telling how to "behave in the House of God" (I Tim
3:15), the gifts perfectly accomplished the desired stability in a miraculous way.
B. For teaching, instruction in righteous acts, correction, and etc., the apostles,
the pro-hets and the teachers exercised their gifts. To be certain their teachings
were correct, the judges and the discerners exercised their gifts.
C. For the business of the body, some were given helps, governments and etc. This
enabled the business to be perfectly carried out by God's own direction.
D. To convince the unbelieving visitors of the truthfulness of the work and doctrine,
those with the "sign gifts" such as miracles, healings and tongues gave their
demonstrations.
E. In summary, remember:
1. Only a few had the gift of tongues, not all.
2. Only a few had the gift of healing, not all
3. Only a few had the gift of miracles, not all.
4. Only a few had the gift of teaching, discerning and etc.
5. No one prayed for these. No one tried to get these. They were given only by an
apostle laying his hands on a man. Even then the apostle did not select the gift.
Rather the Spirit divided them as He would.
6. No one had more than one gift.
We will consider tongues next. JM
with her inheriting and inhabiting Palestine and her worship and government under the
first covenant) was not by itself sufficient to teach our Lord's church -- how to
assemble, keep house for the Lord and be constituted "an habitation of God through the
Spirit" (Eph 2:22). In the absence of such a revelation of truth by which they could
have 'walked and pleased God" (Thess 4:1), it was essential they be furnished with
some kind of "Divine Direction" for that time.
These "gifts" were given from the Holy Spirit but never were they given apart from the
ministry of the apostles. They were distributed to edify the church until "the more
excellent way," the completed Word of God, came into being.
In the first Corinthian letter, Paul outlines the story of the "gifts:" 1) I
Corinthians 12 reveals the provision of the gifts for the church; 2) I Corinthians 13
supplies the principle that must motivate their exercise; and 3) I Corinthians 14
unveils the purpose they were to accomplish in the church.
I. The provision of the gifts:
A. They were to last only until the Word was completed according to I Corinthians
13:8-10.
B. Thus Paul shows they were not for our day. If they were, we would not need the
finished Bible. However Paul said, "yet shew I unto you a more excellent way" (I Cor
12:31). Some have argued that way is "love" as spoken of in I Corinthians 13. It could
not be what Paul was speaking of for Christ had been showing that as a motive all
through the New Testament.
C. The gifts are all listed in I Corinthians 12:4-11; 28-31.
1. Certain gifts held a strange attractiveness causing those who were given them to be
more highly esteemed by their fellows, while those with less "showy" gifts were
somewhat down graded by them.
2. The church needed to see the value, importance and necessity of the unity of the
whole body. Each gift-holder had an equally important contribution to make toward the
health and knowledge of the whole church.
D. Thus the source and supply of all the "spiritual gifts" was the Holy Spirit.
1. Not a single gift was based on talent or native ability.
2. Not a single gift was obtained by praying or being sought by the believer.
3. The Holy Spirit gave to each member the particular gift He wanted each to have.
4. Although the gifts differed, the distinction was not based on the faith of the
individual but was "according to grace" (Rm 12:6) which is to say, the Spirit, as a
matter of grace, made the selection.
5. There were "diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit" (I Cor 12:4). "Diversities"
is from "diaeresis" meaning "dividings, apportionings and distributions."
6. The gifts were given "to the end that ye may be established" (Rm 1:11).
7. Their three-fold purpose is clearly set forth in Ephesians 4:11-12:
a. "For the perfecting of the saints," that is to say their growth and maturity;
b. "For the work of the ministry," that is to render their service to the Lord both
intelligent and acceptable;
c. "For the edifying of the body of Christ," which is the strengthening and building
up of the church. Now these were to continue "till" they come "in the unity of the
faith . . . . unto a perfect man" (Eph 4:13). According to II Timothy 3:16-17 that
state is reached at the completion of the "all Scripture.
E. Next observe that "there are differences of administrations" (I Cor 12:5) which is
services to render or forms of service. Here we list a few of the gifts:
1. "The word of wisdom" (vs 8) has to do with the supernaturally given power to reason.
2. "The word of knowledge" has to do with new information and illumination.
A. In our day we get the former through prayer (Jas 1:5) and the latter by the study
of the Word completed (II Tim 2:7; 15). By the Word completed therefore "the man of
God is . . . . throughly furnished unto all good works" (II Tim 3:16-17).
3. "Faith" is that gift which permitted one to give spiritual demonstrations such as
would literally enable him to "move mountains" (I Cor 13:2).
4. "The working of miracles"
5. "Prophecy" is described as a divinely designated power to tell forth the mind of
God prior to its being recorded in the books of the Bible. Today however, "we have the
mind of Christ" (I Cor 2:16) and have no need of this "gift." What good would such a
gift be today? If one merely repeats what is written already anyway, where is the
power of the Spirit seen? But if he claims a revelation of a new truth not already
written in the Word, God puts an eternal curse on him. Hear Revelations 22:18, "For I
testify unto every man that heareth . . . . this book, if any man add unto these
things, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book."
6. "Discerning of spirits" was the gift enabling one to determine at once, by
supernatural authority whether the spirit behind the speech or activities of gifts was
of God or of Satanic origin.
7. The importance of the position of each is given in I Corinthians 12:28-31:
a. The apostles were first.
b. Second came the prophets and teachers.
c. Then came miracles, healings, helps, government and last in importance, value and
position in the church was the gift to speak in all known languages, herein called
"diversities of tongues." We will spend more time later on tongues by themselves but
consider a few general truths about tongues:
1) The "tongues" were known languages spoken by other nations.
2) Whoever had this gift of "tongues or languages" could and did speak any language
needed. The need was determined by the Holy Spirit and depended upon the presence of a
lost person visiting the church. Tongues were only spoken as a sign to the lost
present who were from the very nation whose language was spoke in the service by the
man who had the tongue gift (I Cor 14:21-22).
3) The person speaking in tongues always used totally different sounds each time he
spake because he used a different language each time. The visiting lost person, as on
the day of Pentecost, "heard them speak in his own language wherein he was born" (Acts
2:4-12). No one is doing this today.
4) No women were permitted to speak in tongues or to possess any other gift of the
Holy Spirit in the Bible. These were exclusively given to men (I Cor 14:34-35).
5) No one "fell out" as if in a trance. Everyone had complete control over his own
spirit and the use of the gift. Nothing "came over" them which caused them to do
things they later would not realize or remember they did (I Cor 14:32).
II. The principle that must motivate and govern their use was "love" as is set forth
in I Corinthians 13:1-3; 8-10.
III. The purpose they were to accomplish was "the edifying" of the church (I
Corinthians 14:26).
A. Having no written instructions telling how to "behave in the House of God" (I Tim
3:15), the gifts perfectly accomplished the desired stability in a miraculous way.
B. For teaching, instruction in righteous acts, correction, and etc., the apostles,
the pro-hets and the teachers exercised their gifts. To be certain their teachings
were correct, the judges and the discerners exercised their gifts.
C. For the business of the body, some were given helps, governments and etc. This
enabled the business to be perfectly carried out by God's own direction.
D. To convince the unbelieving visitors of the truthfulness of the work and doctrine,
those with the "sign gifts" such as miracles, healings and tongues gave their
demonstrations.
E. In summary, remember:
1. Only a few had the gift of tongues, not all.
2. Only a few had the gift of healing, not all
3. Only a few had the gift of miracles, not all.
4. Only a few had the gift of teaching, discerning and etc.
5. No one prayed for these. No one tried to get these. They were given only by an
apostle laying his hands on a man. Even then the apostle did not select the gift.
Rather the Spirit divided them as He would.
6. No one had more than one gift.
We will consider tongues next. JM
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