Spiritual Gifts

In my last post, I attempted to make the case that spiritual gifts are different from natural talents. There are two underlying assumptions that are usually the cause of failing to emphasize the differences. First, there is the cesssationist view that all legitimate supernatural gifting ceased at some point in church history. Second is the failure to see a clear distinction between the biblical use of soul and spirit.

In this article, I want to expand my reasons for insisting that spiritual gifts differ from natural talents. First, I want to go a little deeper in my rebuttal of the cesssationist view. The point of contention here is the interpretation of Paul’s prediction in 1 Cor. 13 concerning the cessation of spiritual gifts. The time frame he was using is found in verse 10: “when comes the perfect.” The word Paul uses for the perfect, the teleion, is Greek for the conclusion, the end result. The cesssationist view holds that this refers to the completion of the canon of Scripture.

I believe Paul meant the conclusion of ALL things, not just the completion of the canon. Notice he says that when the perfect comes, we will know things in a complete way (teleion.) I am convinced that even with a complete Bible at hand, no one knows all things perfectly, completely. The Apostle Paul, the writer of most of the New Testament said even he knew only “in part.” He expected to know “all things” at some future date. While I agree that no new revelation is expected, like Paul, we still need the supernatural help from the Holy Spirit which Jesus promised would “lead [us] into all truth.”

Paul uses two other analogies which I believe argue against the cesssationist view. He says, “When I was a child… I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I set aside the things of a child.” This suggests that immature, flawed human reasoning will be “set aside” in the future. Paul ties childish reasoning with knowing “in part.” Paul continues the analogy to say, “Now [Paul’s present day] we see through a mirror indirectly but then face to face.” The “then” is a time when the partial knowledge will be “set aside,” or “pass away.” Paul uses a different word for knowing “then”, epignosko, which implies complete knowledge – knowledge like God knows about us. We don’t have that yet. The completed Bible doesn’t give us that. That state of knowing will not be ours until we are glorified in God’s presence.

That is the telion, the perfect knowledge that Paul meant was to come. Cesssationist’s believe we have that knowledge now with the complete canon of Scripture. That does not seem like a reasonable conclusion to me given everything Paul says about the time when the gifts he references will cease. I can see why those gifts will be unnecessary when we are in God’s presence in glory. But while still here on earth, they are necessary to accomplish the mission of the church.

The other assumption many cesssationists make is that spirit and soul are the same. I have written about this previously, but I will summarize by saying that the New Testament is clear in its differentiation between the two. Paul says spirit and flesh (soul) are “opposed;” James says soulish wisdom is demonic in contrast to wisdom that is “from above,” or spiritual. In 1 Cor. 3, Paul says that works done in the flesh (the soul) will be burned up while spiritual works will earn eternal rewards. Natural talents reside in the soul; spiritual gifts work through our spirit often in concert with our sanctified soul.

For me, the difference between natural talents and spiritual gifts comes down to purpose. God gives everyone natural talents at birth. However, God only gives believers spiritual gifts, which are given at conversion. Those gifts may overlap with natural talents, but their purpose is to build up the church, not to bolster the receiver’s status, career, or reputation.  We must do the good works God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). These may be empowered by our spiritual gifting or accomplished with our natural talents as we offer them in service to God.

The critical difference is that spiritual gifts are supernatural abilities given to counter the supernatural efforts of our true enemy: Satan and his army of demons dedicated to our failure. Paul made it abundantly clear in Ephesians 6 that, “Our battle is not against blood and flesh, but against… the spiritual sources of wickedness in heavenlies.” If we ignore the importance of doing spiritual battle against a spiritual enemy, we will be left operating in the flesh, which Paul told the Corinthians would result in no eternal value.

I believe the cesssationist view hobbles the church, keeping it from doing the ministry it is called to. Those opposed to supernatural gifts often assert that charismatics go too far. This is true. That is what Paul chided the Corinthians for, but he didn’t say they should stop; he told them to continue to use their gifts but to maintain order. 1 Corinthians 14 is Paul’s defense for the continued use of spiritual gifts in the church.

If you study the present-day use of supernatural gifts such as prophecy, wisdom, knowledge, or discerning spirits, you will see that they sound like the proper ministry of the church. As I understand them, they are given by the Holy Spirit to empower God’s people to do battle in the spiritual arena in which we live. These gifts do not add new revelation to the canon of Scripture; they engage the Holy Spirit through the believer’s spirit to wage war against the demon spirits of the god of this age. Without those gifts, we are living in the 1 Corinthians 3 world of carnal (fleshly, soulish) Christianity which Paul said had no eternal results.

John MacArthur reminds us that, “We have a risen Savior who conquered sin and Satan for us and has all the resources necessary to resist the devil and his assaults on us. (John MacArthur, First Love, MacArthur Study Series, Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996, 113) Primary among those resources must be our spiritual gifts. Every believer should be using his or her natural talents for the building of God’s kingdom. That is offering a true spiritual service. (Rom. 12: 1-2) But talents are not spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts operate in the spirit realm where our true enemy works. And that enemy is not going to be defeated finally until the completion of all things when Jesus’ victory is fully realized. Jude 24 says Jesus is, “Able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy.” I believe that if we fail to use all the gifts God has given us, we will not be blameless, and our joy will be tinged with regret.

Related Posts: Are They Gifts or Talents; The Christian Parody, Part One; Despising the Downpayment; The Big Question