Gifts Long Molded Under God's Hand
In my previous blog (“Gift Lists”) I noted that many believe (a) spiritual gifts are only bestowed miraculously after one’s conversion to Christ and (b) the only spiritual gifts available are those found in the Bible’s “gift lists”. All other ‘skills’ are not from the Holy Spirit and are ‘works of the flesh’.
I have no opposition to the idea of divinely bestowed gifts arising suddenly and miraculously in a believer’s life. God can do as He pleases, and if He grants a gift that way, I would think it would manifest itself clearly – as the gift of tongues did in Acts 2. Tongues weren’t sought or desired. The disciples didn’t even know such a thing existed! God just sovereignly gave it. If the Father did that in the first century, He can do it today, and if He does – well, amen to that!
My experience has been that He doesn’t do that. More commonly He works through providence, i.e. in, through, and behind the ordinary processes of life. Why not recognize the Spirit’s use of God’s long and patient providential works as the formation of spiritual gifts?
If a person learns to endure and be confident in the face of obstacles, could the Spirit not gently mold that into the gift of faith when the soul trusts Christ? Why call such faith a mere work of the flesh?
If a person raised with a disabled family member learns tenderness, patience, and care, could the Spirit not make use of those acquired characteristics to mold the gift of mercy? Is such mercy “fleshly”?
Both Jesus (Matthew 19.11-12) and Paul (1 Corinthians 7.7) described the ability to live chastely and singly as a gift. (Is the ability to live as a married person then also a gift?) Do such gifts arise miraculously or might they be the result of a long molding under the hand of God’s providence?
Timothy had a gift (presumably prophecy or teaching) through the laying on of the elders’ hands (1 Timothy 4.13-14 cf. 2 Timothy 1.6). Yet Paul has to exhort Timothy to fan that gift into flames (2 Timothy 1.6) and use it (1 Timothy 4.14), apparently because Timothy is afraid to use it (2 Timothy 1.7). If it’s a miraculous gift, how can Timothy prevent its effectiveness? How is it that Timothy has to exert personal initiative to make it work? That sounds more like providential working than miracle to me.
In the end, does all of this theological categorizing really matter? Isn’t the important thing that we seek to bring blessing to our fellow Christians?
Paul’s point in 1 Corinthians 12-14 is that through each soul’s efforts, no matter how small, bring blessing to others (1 Corinthians 12.7).
Love isn’t worried about achieving or having status or feeling important.
Love uses what it has been given to reach out and bless others.
Love doesn’t worry about itself or what it will receive.
Love gives selflessly.
So, shouldn’t our focus be on finding the best way to love others?
Isn’t that service of love the “more excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12.31)?
And wouldn’t you just seek a niche to fill in doing just that – and know that as you bring blessing, however small, that’s where God wants you?
If your outreach of love brings blessing, does it matter what label you (or others) affix to your labor of love? Or is it just important that you labor in love to bless others?
Finally, if this is true and you’re serving others in some way that isn’t provided in a biblical list, isn’t the Spirit of God working through you? If the Spirit is bringing blessing to others through you, who cares what label you put on it? Isn’t it just the labor of love itself that matters?
I have no opposition to the idea of divinely bestowed gifts arising suddenly and miraculously in a believer’s life. God can do as He pleases, and if He grants a gift that way, I would think it would manifest itself clearly – as the gift of tongues did in Acts 2. Tongues weren’t sought or desired. The disciples didn’t even know such a thing existed! God just sovereignly gave it. If the Father did that in the first century, He can do it today, and if He does – well, amen to that!
My experience has been that He doesn’t do that. More commonly He works through providence, i.e. in, through, and behind the ordinary processes of life. Why not recognize the Spirit’s use of God’s long and patient providential works as the formation of spiritual gifts?
If a person learns to endure and be confident in the face of obstacles, could the Spirit not gently mold that into the gift of faith when the soul trusts Christ? Why call such faith a mere work of the flesh?
If a person raised with a disabled family member learns tenderness, patience, and care, could the Spirit not make use of those acquired characteristics to mold the gift of mercy? Is such mercy “fleshly”?
Both Jesus (Matthew 19.11-12) and Paul (1 Corinthians 7.7) described the ability to live chastely and singly as a gift. (Is the ability to live as a married person then also a gift?) Do such gifts arise miraculously or might they be the result of a long molding under the hand of God’s providence?
Timothy had a gift (presumably prophecy or teaching) through the laying on of the elders’ hands (1 Timothy 4.13-14 cf. 2 Timothy 1.6). Yet Paul has to exhort Timothy to fan that gift into flames (2 Timothy 1.6) and use it (1 Timothy 4.14), apparently because Timothy is afraid to use it (2 Timothy 1.7). If it’s a miraculous gift, how can Timothy prevent its effectiveness? How is it that Timothy has to exert personal initiative to make it work? That sounds more like providential working than miracle to me.
In the end, does all of this theological categorizing really matter? Isn’t the important thing that we seek to bring blessing to our fellow Christians?
Paul’s point in 1 Corinthians 12-14 is that through each soul’s efforts, no matter how small, bring blessing to others (1 Corinthians 12.7).
Love isn’t worried about achieving or having status or feeling important.
Love uses what it has been given to reach out and bless others.
Love doesn’t worry about itself or what it will receive.
Love gives selflessly.
So, shouldn’t our focus be on finding the best way to love others?
Isn’t that service of love the “more excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12.31)?
And wouldn’t you just seek a niche to fill in doing just that – and know that as you bring blessing, however small, that’s where God wants you?
If your outreach of love brings blessing, does it matter what label you (or others) affix to your labor of love? Or is it just important that you labor in love to bless others?
Finally, if this is true and you’re serving others in some way that isn’t provided in a biblical list, isn’t the Spirit of God working through you? If the Spirit is bringing blessing to others through you, who cares what label you put on it? Isn’t it just the labor of love itself that matters?