Gifts of the Spirit
Explore what
spiritual gifts are about:
What Are the Gifts of the Holy Spirit?
The Overall Context of Gift-Talk
God created the world around us. God created us. God didn't build a toll booth to collect user fees for life. Instead, life is free, and being in the created world is free; it's a
gift. We humans are the ones who attach fees to what's been freely given to us.
The Ultimate Gift
The biggest gift of all, however, isn't other people, and isn't nature, or the universe, or family. The biggest gift in all of existence is that we are given the Giver - the same Greatest One who was Job's only satisfaction and Moses' only strength is now given to humankind. God chooses not only to put up with us, but to be
with us. That's what all this Jesus talk means - that's why Jesus matters. He is, in Christmas-talk, "God-with-us", Immanuel. That is the gift of Jesus.
But Jesus is not walking among us today. So another gift has been given - God in yet another way, the divine Spirit through whom Christ is still in effect right here and now. This Spirit leads, shapes, empowers, and gives us joy. The gift a Christian lives in every day, most fundamentally, is the Holy Spirit.
What's Meant by Gifts of the Spirit
When speaking about "
gifts of the Spirit", we're not talking about the gift
of God, though that's what lies behind all other gifts. Nor is this about the gift of creation, or the gift of other people or of family or nation or culture -- great gifts all. When speaking of
gifts of the Spirit, spiritual gifts, charismata, or things like that, it's about what the Spirit gives as part of bettering people's life in general, and specifically for the life of following Christ.
Not the Same, but Much Alike
While that narrows the gifts down quite a bit, it's still so broad that it is not very helpful. Different spiritual gifts do different things. So let's drill down into some of the terms used for such gifts, overall.
Spiritual Gifts
"
Spiritual gifts" is the general term used here. It's a phrase which has meaning in most religions, even ones which don't have a god but who insist that human beings have a part of themselves that is
beyond what we can measure or touch or logically figure out. Whatever the spiritual realm is, it bestows on people a range of accomplishment abilities that go beyond mere skill or knack. The term 'spiritual gifts' itself does not say
who gave them, or even whether anyone actually received them. (In some religions, what Christians call 'gifts' are treated like peaches dangling from a spiritual tree, there to be picked by those who have enough spiritual insight to find them.) While the term is useful, and is good shorthand for more complicated definitions, Christians much prefer to use the term "
gifts of the Holy Spirit", as thanks to the One who gives the gifts, and as a way to give credit where credit is due.
Aquinas on Spiritual Gifts
The Roman Catholic writer and scholar Thomas Aquinas (in *
Summa Theologica*, II.2) discusses spiritual gifts at length. In doing so, he founded the main tradition for gifts of the Spirit in the Catholic Church of Middle Ages Europe. He drew his approach from
Isaiah 11:1-5, where it speaks of these gifts :
wisdom, knowledge, counsel (right judgement),
understanding; strength (courage, fortitude),
reverence (piety), and
fear of the LORD. Through wisdom, knowledge, counsel, and understanding, the Spirit shapes and steers the mind, creating change in the way a person
thinks and puts information together. The Holy Spirit provides perspective, reminds us of the right past events, and reveals new opportunities. Through the gifts of courage, reverence, and fear of the LORD, the Spirit shapes your will, so that you
choose to use what you learn and think for the purposes God is calling you to do. The gifts Aquinas writes about benefit the person who receives them, and help others indirectly through what that person does. These correspond to the Capital Virtues of charity, faith,
prudence, fortitude, justice, and
hope, which Aquinas drew from Greek philosophy. The Isaian gifts help develop a person who is spiritually strong enough for the great tasks at hand.
Paul's Gifts of the Spirit (Charismata)
The apostle Paul spoke of gifts from the Spirit often in his
letters to local churches. He gave detailed lists of what kinds of gifts there were, in
1 Corinthians 12, and again in
Romans 12. The word he used for these gifts was
charismata, which is a Greek plural term related to the word for grace. Like grace, charismata are given at no price by the Spirit. But there is one thing expected of those who are given
charismata: the gift is to be used for
building up other people. Whereas the Isaian gifts Aquinas wrote about are firstly beneficial to you personally, the charismata are given to benefit others - the brothers and sisters of the faith, yes, but also everyone else, believer or not. God gives us the charismata so we can express the love of one another which is at the core of the Christian way of life. The spiritual gifts enable and empower what is done for others, and the Spirit meshes them together among the believers so they can work together to love more effectively. This meshing of spiritual gifts was central to the success of the early church, and to many remarkable acts and movements since then. When the charismatic movement started taking hold in the '60s and '70s, the most fruitful place it turned to in its search to hook up with
the Spirit's work was First Corinthians.
Gifts, Talents, and Skills
Spiritual gifts do not depend on natural talents and aptitudes or developed skills, though God gave you those, too. A gift of the Spirit is something that God gives for the purpose of building up others in a
life of faith. It is the experience of Christians over the years that the spirit usually harnesses one's talents in the service of the purpose for which the gifts were given. Yet sometimes, the spiritual gifts seem to work
against a person's natural endowment. This is, after all, the same God who led his people out of Egypt using a stammerer named Moses, made a shepherd boy/musician named David into a renowned warrior and king, and turned rural fishermen into leaders who left a mark on the course of history. There are examples everywhere of people who don't have training, aren't highly skilled, have no particular knack, but when the time comes for them to benefit others, the gift is there. The Spirit takes pleasure in surprises and on
turning the tables on the expected. It's wise to leave ourselves open for such action. You can develop a talent, but the Spirit gives the gift it's meant to go with.
Where there's a gift, there are natural abilities and developed skills which can go with it.
- There is the gift of discernment of spirits, and the natural ability of intuition, and the skillful use of a discernment process.
- There is the gift of healing, and there are the natural healing processes and the medical skills to assist those processes.
- There is exorcism, and there are people able to rid their lives of those who use lies and trickery, and the skill of making themselves and those around them more true.
- There is prophecy, and there is the ability to discover the truth and the skill to figure out how and when to share it.
- There is ecstatic spiritual experience, and there are the natural makings of romance and desire, and the skills to use them to create bonds of love with your spouse.
God created everyone with these natural foreshadowings of supernatural gifts. They're good, and are meant to be used by all, not just the faithful. If you find that you have a talent, use it and develop it as best you can. But it takes the Holy Spirit working within the believer to put the natural and
the supernatural together, with power to
serve.
The 'skill' part of this is important. There is no room to be lazy about it. If your gift is given for a direction or purpose, then you also have a responsibility to use the gift as best as you can, and that means working to get better in the related 'skills'. In fact, most people who have gifts are so steered by the purpose behind the gift that they
thirst to get better at it -- to learn from mistakes, to rethink the way it's done, to more thoroughly base it in spiritual living, to connect with those who are built up by its use. They
want to be at their best for their Maker. That thirst is an ongoing work of the Holy Spirit.
"The Holy Spirit not only unites us, but also ensures our infinite diversity in the Church: at Pentecost the tongues of fire were 'cloven' or divided, descending
separately upon each one of those present. The gift of the Spirit is a gift to the Church, but it is at the same time a personal gift, appropriated by each in her or his own way."
Kallistos (Timothy) Ware, in *
The Orthodox Church* (Penguin, 1993), p.242.
What Really Counts
Jesus said his followers would be known by their
fruits. The fruits he spoke of were acts of love and marks of a Godly character,
not specific
manifestations, signs, achievements, ranks, tasks, or for that matter, gifts. There are so many spiritual gifts, and so many ways to put them to use for the church and its mission, that no one gift, no one sign, and no one calling defines the Christian life. The Giver defines it. If you treat any one gift that way, you're putting a limit on the sovereign Spirit in a way Scripture never does. Through the gifts the fruit are borne.
As spiritual gifts are given to all who believe in Christ, something strange happens. Priests, pastors, scholars, theologians, and leaders are no longer the sole rivers for the flow of God's
grace. The Spirit gives just plain folks the power to give the love and grace of God to each other, and to create (or better, recognize) sacred space here in this world. (This was always true, but the Church has usually forgotten it.) Faithful people do this every day in tough circumstances, when and where the only real Hope is revealed.
More on Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Quotations
"We ask you, O Lord, for the gifts of your Spirit...........
Teach us to overcome divisions.
Send us your Spirit
To lead to full unity your sons and daughters
In full charity, in obedience to your will,
Through Christ our Lord. Amen."
-------- from *
Litany for Christian Unity*, Pope John Paul II. © Crossroads Publishing Co.
"I found that I believed in the action of the Holy Spirit, but in a limited sphere; in me the Spirit could not call forth from the organ all the melody he wished; some of the pipes did not function, because they had not been used."
---------
Leon Joseph Cardinal Suenens, *
A New Pentecost* (Crossroad/Seabury, 1975)
"The Spirit bears witness. ecstasy and enlightenment, inspiration and intuition are not necessary. Happy is the man who is worthy of these; but woe unto us if we wait for such experiences; woe unto us if we do not perceive that these things are of
secondary importance."
--------- Karl Barth (attrib.)
"Man discovers his own wealth
When God comes to asks gifts of him."
--------- Rabindranath Tagore, *
Fireflys* (1928)
"God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called."
-------- unknown
Let thy living Spirit flow
Through thy members all below
With its warmth and power divine;
Scattered far apart they dwell
Yet in every land, full well,
Lord, thou knowest who is thine.
'
Jesus, whom thy church doth own', by Gerhard Terstegen, transl. Catherine Winkworth.)
back to top Study Questions on Gifts
(If these questions are being used in small-group study: remember to discuss these at length amongst yourselves, and be honest with each other. And don't get frightened if your gifts emerge.)
What gifts do you think the Spirit has given you? What have you done to find out? How have you checked out if it is the Spirit's?
What have those gifts done for others?
for yourself?
Take a moment to think about the people closest to you. How has God gifted them with something that builds other people up?
Take a look at the gifts that Paul describes in
1 Corinthians. (There are many others, but we'll limit ourselves here to Paul's.) Which of these gifts would you find most valuable for your life?
If you go to church:
Which of these gifts do you think is most needed in your congregation? Why? Do you know of anyone there who is spiritually gifted and is
using the gift?
Now, use your
imagination and be creative. What difference(s) do you think that each of Paul's listed gifts can make for a congregation in a poor urban neighborhood?
What differences do you find between a gift, a talent, and a
skill? Think of someone you know or know about who is an example of how each works with the others.
Dare to Use Your Gifts!
A Dare : Now that you've studied this chapter, take up anew the task of finding the gifts the Spirit has given you. Pray, read scripture, think about it, and use the tools for
discerning God's will (see menu below). Pay close attention: a door will open up if you keep knocking.
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More pages on spiritual matters :
spiritual discernment ways to discern the workplace the fruit of the Spirit inner healing on the gifts of healing self-control healing ministry of the church the family passion discovery self-test
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