The Spiritual Gifts
Romans 12:3-8
6 Having then gifts differing according to the
grace that is given to us, whether prophecy,
let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7 Or ministry,
let us wait on our ministering:
or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth,
let him
do it with
simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy,
with
cheerfulness.
Here Paul uses the
metaphor of the human body to teach how Christians should
live and work together. Just as the parts of the body
function under the direction of the brain, so Christians are to
work together under the command and authority of Jesus
Christ,
I Cor. 12:12-31; Eph. 4:1-16
As a member of Christ's body, God gives
every Believer at least one gift so we
can build up His church. This ensures that
every Believer has a particular place and function to serve
within the Body.
Eph.
4:16...The
Body is "fitly joined together" which means that although the
members differ, the body (church) as a whole is well
planned and organized.
To use these gifts
effectively, we should:
1. Realize that all
spiritual gifts come from God and are not the result of our
natural abilities and talents. Therefore we have no right to be
proud, but rather realize that "without Him, we can do
nothing," Jn. 15:5.
2. Understand that not everyone has the same gifts and calling, and that's OK.
3. Know that no Believer has all the gifts, but every Believer
has at least one.
4. Be thankful without being jealous for those who have gifts
that are different than yours. Our strengths and weaknesses should
balance each other out. Rather than being proud of what you
can do, be thankful that there are
those who can make up
for your deficiencies.
5. Dedicate our gifts to God's glory and service, and not to
our own personal fame and success. These gifts are to be cultivated by
using them to honor God and help others.
The Spiritual Gifts, as given in Romans 12,
are:
1. Prophecy..."speaking forth of the mind and counsel of God."
Pro is "forth," and phemi is "to speak." In the Old Testament it often implied predicting the future, or foretelling, but now the
revelation of God (the Bible) is complete and the offices of the apostle and the prophet has been removed along
with the sign gifts (I Cor. 13:8,9). Prophecy is forthtelling the word of God, or
preaching the Bible.
2. Ministry ...The Greek word is "diakonia" (deacon) and signifies service and
ministering to others, especially of those who
execute the commands of others.
Diakonos is, generally speaking, to be distinguished from doulos,
"a bondservant, slave" diakonos views a servant in relationship to his work; doulos views
him in relationship to his master. It is also the ministration of those
who render to
others Christian affection especially those who help meet the needs of others
by either collecting or distributing of charities.
3. Teaching...This word occurs 15 times in
the New Testament and is used in the active and passive tenses
(i.e., the act of teaching and what is taught), Matt. 15:9;
Eph. 4:14; I Tim. 1:9,10; I Tim. 4:1, 6; I
Tim. 6:1, 3; II Tim. 4:3; Titus 1:9.
For the Christian, the spiritual gift of teaching can only mean teaching sound
doctrine from the Bible.
4. Exhortation...The Greek word is "parakaleo"
and means para, "to the side of," and kaleo, "to call", to call to the side of , and denotes "to admonish, exhort, to urge" one to pursue some course
of conduct (always prospective, looking to the future,
in contrast to the meaning to comfort, which is retrospective, having to do with trial
experienced; encouraging others.
The Holy Spirit is called the paraclete for this reason.
5. Giving ..."to give a share of; to
impart." Cheerfully giving
for the benefit of others;
...with
simplicity is
the virtue of giving singlemindedly; or
free from pretense and hypocrisy. This person does not give
for the praise of men, or to be seen.
II Cor. 9:7...The amount
we give is
not as important as our attitude in giving:
- not grudgingly...or with regret,
- of necessity...or with reluctance.
Nor does this person with the gift of giving let his left hand know what
his right hand is doing, Matt.6:3.
6. Ruling...''to lead, to provide and protect, to administer." With respect to the church:
I Tim. 5:17; with reference to the family: I Tim. 3:4,12. Certain offices in the church, such as
pastor and deacon,
require that a man have this gift, I Tim. 3:1-13; vvs.5,12
" ...with diligence" means carefully and
earnestly.
7. Showing Mercy...means "to feel
sympathy and compassion
with the misery others, especially when our sympathy is shown in actions, James 2:15,16.
Mere talk is cheap, and actions
do speak louder than
words. The Body of Christ is the church which is
self-developing, Eph.4:11-16
- Every spiritual gift is a great
responsibility which is subject to regulation by the Word of
God.
- Just as the members of the human body
are varied and have different functions, so it is within the Body of Christ.
