Gifts: July 2006
Table of Contents
Gifts From Him and for Him
Gold, frankincense and myrrh they brought
On following the star,
And Mary gave her ointment rare:
Love, from a shattered jar.
On stormy seas a pillow given;
A robe from one piece wrought;
A meal prepared in Bethany:
Such loving gifts they brought.
And now the Son of God has given
Some gifts for us to use
For Him; to edify the church —
We are without excuse.
Some pastors, teachers, prophets, “helps”;
To each and every one
A gift to daily use for Him
To glorify the Son.
May I be worthy of this trust
And ask what it might be —
That I can do as a response
For all His love to me.
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).
Gifts
God and His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, are the great gift givers. The true value of their gifts can be measured by what it cost them to give. “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son.” “The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” The Lord valued the cost to the poor widow too: He said she “cast in more than they all,” for “she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had” (Luke 21:24).
Out of the treasure chest of God’s love we have received the gift of faith, the gift of righteousness, the gift of eternal life, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and, above all, thanks be unto God for His unspeakable free gift of our Lord Jesus Christ, who became poor that we might be made rich. In fact, every Christian blessing is a gift. When we realize this, we realize that our gift list is greater than we can count.
The gifts mentioned above are the equal portion of every member of the body of Christ. In addition to these gifts, our Lord Jesus, as the man who has ascended on high, has given each of us by the Spirit other gifts to be used for the building up of the body of Christ and for reaching out to the lost.
As we meditate on these gifts, may we respond with fresh thankfulness to our Givers and with renewed desire to be cheerful givers of all given to us to share.
Ministry in the Body of Christ
There are two things connected with the object of ministry and the use of gift in the body of Christ. First, there is the whole body, the church, as the instrument of the glory and power of God in the world. Second, there is the church as the beloved object of the affections of Christ. The gifts bear the characters of these two relations. The first has to do with the responsibility of the church itself, while the second is what Christ does more particularly for His church, His bride. In both, the oneness of the body united to Christ is continually kept in view.
God’s Instrument for Testimony
Let us look for a moment at the church as God’s instrument for testimony in this world. This character of ministry is given to us particularly in 1 Corinthians 12, for there we find, in general, all the gifts given for the establishment of Christianity, signs given to the world, proofs of the glory of the victory of the Lord Jesus, and His rights of government in the church. Evangelists and pastors are not found there at all. Rather, we have the collective summation of divine operation and capacity in the body, used mainly for the formation of the church. Most of these gifts have now disappeared, at least in their primitive form and character, although God maintains a testimony in this world.
However, in this character of ministry we see Christ and the church as a whole, acting before the world in His name. Thus in this chapter (1 Cor. 12) we see the spiritual power of Christianity contrasted with idolatry. Also, we see diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit; diverse services, but the same Lord; diverse operations, but the same God. Thus the whole trinity is brought forward in connection with the gifts, in order that we may see the immediate source of these things in the church. The character of all this is power in testimony to the world.
Christ Nourishing the Body
The second object of ministry is found in Ephesians 4. Here we have more the thought of Christ nourishing and forming His body on earth. Its unity is here the result of grace which calls those who are afar off (the Gentiles) and those who are nigh (the Jews) to be built as the habitation of God through the Spirit. It is a unity of relation and blessing — one body, one Spirit, one God and Father of all.
In Ephesians we have specially the privileges of the church united to Christ. God is “the God of our Lord Jesus” and also the “Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Accordingly, at the end of the first chapter he prays for the blessings flowing from this title of “God” of Jesus Christ, while in the third chapter he seeks the blessings flowing from the title of “Father” of Jesus Christ. These blessings are accomplished by the Holy Spirit acting in us, in the oneness of the body, according as Christ has received for the members of this body. It is He who has given “some apostles” and “some prophets.” These gifts, presented as the fruits of an ascended Christ, are not looked at in the light of power acting to manifest the glory of God; rather, they serve to establish and edify the church as the habitation of God, in order that all may come to “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). No mention is made of miracles, tongues and healings, for these signs of power are not the direct channels of His love to the church. Likewise, in Ephesians the Apostle does not speak of gift itself, but of the individuals who possessed the gift. No doubt the gift was in the vessel, but God attached it to the person, and this person, known by his gift, was given to the church.
Such is the source, power and order of ministry as set before us in the Word of God. Surely there is nothing more blessed in this world than ministry of this kind, rendered by God in the Spirit both for a testimony in this world and for the edifying of His church. May God Himself direct His church according to her need, according to His love, and according to the riches of His grace, by His Spirit who dwells in her.
Adapted from The Bible Treasury,
Vol. 17, pp. 291-293, 306-310
Gift in Worship and Prayer
When we go to the Lord’s table, to meetings for worship or for prayer, we do not go to exercise gift. Rather, we go to break bread, to worship and to meet Him. To go with the thought of using our gift is to misunderstand the true character of such meetings. The very expression shows a wrong thought in the mind, for it gives one the idea of a performance, which it too frequently resembles. This was the case with the Corinthians. They came “behind in no gift” (1 Cor. 1:7), but instead of using them in subjection to the Holy Spirit, to the glory of God and to the edification of His children, they were glorifying themselves by them.
I do not know of anything more sorrowful or dishonoring to the Lord, or that has brought more sorrow among believers, than this. Real subjection to the Holy Spirit, with a sense of the Lord’s presence, would at once put a stop to the thought of “exercising gifts.” A true sense of His presence at once displaces all thoughts of self. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Cor. 3:17), and this is a liberty in which the Spirit leads, not the energy of the flesh. Then the Lord alone will be exalted, for no flesh shall glory in His presence. Then God is everything and man nothing. May the one object of all our hearts be that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion forever!
Adapted from The Bible Treasury, Vol. 6, p. 318
Natural Ability and Spiritual Gift
When we consider the action of the Spirit in gift, the principle of Scripture — of the Lord — is natural endowment, then gift, and then diligence in the use of the gift. It is important to see this, for gift is not something distinct from the individual possessing it. Rather, gift is associated with the one to whom it is given, with his natural talents and abilities, and with diligence in its development. Let us consider first natural endowment.
Natural Ability
In Matthew 25 we have the express statement of the Lord that when He went away He called His servants and gave to each of them “according to his particular ability” (JND). Paul is spoken of as a “chosen vessel” as well as the receiver of a gift, and surely no one can doubt the remarkable qualities that preceded his call. When we read the history of men like Peter, James and John, can we doubt that they had qualities before the day of Pentecost — qualities which the Lord had, in His divine wisdom, given to be used in connection with His gift?
In Romans 12:6 we read, “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us,” and then various gifts are detailed for us along with the proper use of them. The gifts are not merely preaching, but any service for the saints. This would of necessity involve the individual himself, not only the gift. Finally, in Ephesians 4:11, we have apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers spoken of, and here the gift is clearly the man himself. All of the individual’s natural abilities and even his physical characteristics were involved. The gift given would complement and fit in with the natural abilities of the one to whom the gift was given.
The Gift Giver
As to gifts themselves, these are not properly “gifts of the Spirit,” although we do not object to the term if it is understood properly. However, we have no such term in Scripture. The gifts were given from a risen Christ in glory, as we read in Ephesians 4:8 —“When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” In some cases the administrative giving of these gifts was committed to the apostles, and thus Paul could say to Timothy, “Stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands” (2 Tim. 1:6). But note that it is clearly spoken of as “the gift of God.” Such gifts were given “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:12). The Spirit is clearly the power in the operation of these gifts, but He is not spoken of as the giver.
More Important Than Gift
More than this, gifts were always connected with the body of Christ, and Scripture never speaks of their being exercised outside of the unity of the body. In this way every one has a gift, for each member of the body has something to contribute. “Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ” (Eph. 4:7). Some gifts were more prominent, but in another sense everything is a gift, whether connected with a display of supernatural power or whether for the good and blessing of the people of God in less spectacular ways. God has given these gifts for the maintenance of the unity of the body. However, the unity of the body and the presence of God in it are of more importance than the means used to maintain it. The object of gift is not to attract to the gift, but rather to the One who gave it and the display of that unity of the body with Him.
Finally, Scripture speaks of the diligent use of gift. We have already remarked how that Paul exhorted Timothy to “stir up the gift” that was in him. Earlier on, he had told Timothy to “neglect not the gift that is in thee” and to “meditate upon these things,” to give himself “wholly to them” (1 Tim. 4:1415). All of these directions prove that the possession of gift was to be accompanied by the diligent use of it, so that profiting should appear.
Who Gets the Glory?
In conclusion, we see that while gifts as such are from a risen Christ in glory, they are, according to Scripture, connected closely both with the natural abilities and talents of the individual and subsequently with the diligence in the development of the gift. We see the wisdom of God in this. As the Giver of the gift, our Lord Jesus Christ gets the glory, for it is He who gives the gift. When we receive a gift and the benefit it gives, we thank the giver, not the gift itself. On the other hand, God recognizes natural abilities that may be needed for the proper exercise of gift. Thus a good mind can be a wonderful gift if used under the power of the Spirit of God. Sad to say, many gifts today lie dormant because of a lack of diligence, and the saints of God suffer in consequence.
Above all, may we recognize that all gift, whether public or used more privately, is ultimately for the good of God’s people and for the glory of Christ, in order that we might “grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ” (Eph. 4:15).
W. Kelly, adapted from Bible Treasury, Vol. 4
Receiving the Holy Spirit
Forgiveness of sins would be followed by the gift of the Holy Spirit, according to Acts 2:38. Such came to pass in Acts 10:43-44. I am sure that if I have received remission of my sins by believing in Christ, I have, as a consequence, received the Holy Spirit. This being so, I need no further experience to know that I am united to Christ, for it is the Holy Spirit dwelling in me who effects this. The experience will follow the consciousness of relationship and will be enjoyed in the cultivation of the things suited to His presence. From Christian Truth, Vol. 17:99
A More Excellent Way
Whenever we speak of gifts, we must always remember the danger of their being used in the wrong way. This certainly happened at Corinth, an assembly to which the Apostle could say, “Ye come behind in no gift” (1 Cor. 1:7). However, their use of the gifts so largely given to them was evidently very often to promote self and not for the edification of the saints or the blessing of souls in general. “The gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (Romans 11:29), and thus God does not remove a gift even though it is improperly used. God may allow one to continue to exercise a gift in the wrong way, though He may deal governmentally with such as He did with the Corinthians. Also, we must remember that gifts, while being a great help in the work of the Lord, and much to be desired, do not by themselves confer godliness.
Gifts and Love
The Apostle Paul, after detailing the gifts and the power of the Spirit in using them in 1 Corinthians 12, shows us “a more excellent way” in chapter 13. It is love that gives character to gifts, and not gifts that give character to love. Love has spoken by its gifts, and it is the love of a risen Christ in glory that has given the gifts, in order that His saints — His bride —may be built up and comforted. This is divine love, a love that has expressed itself by the greatness of its gifts. God’s thoughts towards us are of love, and the purpose in the gift is to express to us the nature of the thought behind the gift. It is the thought that gives the greatest character to the gift, for the thought remains for our enjoyment, even if the gift is no longer there.
Often we become taken up with the gifts — the expression of that love — and yet fail to enjoy that love itself as we should. He rejoices to give, and His gifts tell me of His love on the highest level. We learn the extent of the heart of God in the greatest of all gifts — the gift of His beloved Son. But in another sense we do not learn His love from His gifts to the church, for, as we have noted, it is rather His love that gives character to the gifts. Perhaps His greatest gift now is the privilege of knowing Christ and serving Him, and it is the enjoyment of His love in our hearts that will motivate us to want to know about Him and to serve Him. Gifts are a great help in such service, but they are not the motive for it.
The Motive Spring
Thus, in 1 Corinthians 13, we find that love must be the motive spring of the exercise of every gift, or it is nothing. A man may possess the most brilliant gift, but if not used in love, it will profit nothing. One may “understand all mysteries” (vs. 2), have “all knowledge” (vs. 2), and have “all faith” (vs. 2), but without love, he is nothing. Even for one to become a martyr for Christ profits nothing, if love is not in it. This is very searching for all of us. In any service for the Lord, let us always ask ourselves the question, “Is it love that sets me in motion?” First of all there must be love to Christ, that love in us that responds to His love, but then love to others — to sinners who need salvation and to saints who need encouragement. Love has no object to gain but the good of others.
May we continue to “covet earnestly the best gifts” (1 Cor. 12:31), but remember that love must be the motive spring behind the use of gifts and must be that which gives character to them.
W. J. Prost
Every Blessing a Gift
Every Christian blessing is a gift. We do not get these blessings by our own efforts or prayers. We receive them when faith receives Christ and believes the gospel of His grace (Eph. 1:3). Those who believed the gospel on the day of Pentecost received also the gift of the Spirit (Acts 2:38).
Our enjoyment of that which we have received depends upon our walk (Rom. 15:13; Eph. 4:30; 1 Cor. 2:15). Let us walk carefully, prayerfully, subject to the Word, and judging all that would hinder the blessed Spirit of God taking of the things of Christ and showing them to us.
H. E. Hayhoe, from The Holy Spirit: His Person,
His Coming, His Operations
The Gift of the Holy Spirit
What I wish particularly to dwell on is the grand truth itself of the gift of the Holy Spirit, and this distinguished from any workings of His power by particular members. These gifts differ, but the gift itself is and must be the same Holy Spirit. Here we speak of a divine person, who comes down to dwell in each Christian and in the church. It is evidently destructive of the truth for one to speak of differences in Him. There may be a variety of forms and measures in which His power is displayed; there may be and are different degrees in which the joy of His presence is entered into, but the Holy Spirit dwells in every believer who rests now on finished redemption in Christ Jesus.
The Double Sign
Besides, there is also the circumstance of His being not only in us, but with us. Accordingly, we find that while the tongues of fire rested on each, there was also a rushing mighty wind which filled all the house. There was thus what may be called a double sign of the presence of the Spirit of God —that which abode upon each person, but also that which in a general way filled the house where they were seated. We may see in the Book of the Acts that the Holy Spirit was there among them as well as in each of them.
We do well to take special heed to God’s inspired account of the day of Pentecost. Jesus “being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost . . . hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.” That is, there were palpable tokens before them and evidenced by them of the accomplishment of the promise of the Father. The promised Holy Spirit was not in itself a thing of sense, but, nevertheless, there was external power which accompanied it. This is of great importance to distinguish, because otherwise men are in danger, in consequence of the absence of these outward signs, of overlooking and denying that incomparable gift which was always above its effects. Whatever the importance of these signs, they were but the accompanying voucher to man of the gift and presence of the Spirit as a new thing upon the earth.
Other Works of the Holy Spirit
When the Apostle exhorted them to repent and be baptized every one of them in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, you will note what follows: “And ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Surely when they repented, it was not without the Holy Spirit. When they received the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and found in Him remission and were baptized thereon, it will not be doubted that the Holy Spirit must have given them repentance and faith in His name. Therefore it is evident that the reception of the Holy Spirit as here spoken of has nothing whatever to do with the bringing men to believe and to repent. It is a subsequent operation; it is an additional separate blessing; it is a privilege founded on faith already actively working in the heart.
“the Gift” and Gifts
“The gift of the Holy Ghost” never means the gifts. There are many who confound the gift with the gifts. They are never mixed together in the Word of God; they in no way convey the same thought. There is even a different word — not in our language, but in that which the Holy Spirit employed. The two things are invariably distinct. Both might, of course, be given on the very same occasion. A man might have the gift and enjoy the presence of the Spirit of God in his soul. He might also be empowered of the Spirit to carry out the gospel to the world, or be made a teacher or pastor in the assembly. Still the gift of the Holy Spirit is another privilege altogether. It is the Holy Spirit Himself given, and not merely the power with which He invests a person for special purposes. The gift of the Holy Spirit was that common blessing which was conferred on every soul that repented and was baptized.
W. Kelly, adapted from Lectures on the
New Testament Doctrine of the Holy Spirit
Sign Gifts Today
Since the early days of the church, believers have questioned whether the signs and wonders exhibited in the days of the apostles were meant to be ongoing. In the past hundred years, particularly, there has been a tremendous resurgence of interest in the so-called “sign gifts,” and in the last thirty to forty years, there has been almost an explosion of interest worldwide in miracles and signs, especially in healing. In the U.S., names like Oral Roberts and Kathryn Kuhlman became well-known for their claims of “divine healing.” In more recent years, Benny Hinn and Kenneth Copeland have attained worldwide notoriety for their extensive healing campaigns and television appearances. Many debates have raged over the issue, and even unbelievers have been caught up in the controversy. A number of true believers have become at least thoroughly confused, and sometimes disillusioned and discouraged. Attitudes range all the way from total denial of any examples of miracles today to complete acceptance of all that is presented. Others are skeptical, but do not know what to believe. As with everything pertaining to spiritual matters, we must turn to the Word of God.
Our Final Authority
Before we do so, let us emphasize that the Word of God must be our final authority. In many Christian circles today, the authority of God’s Word has been replaced by what might be called “experiential Christianity.” For them, God’s reality cannot be expressed without experience, and worse still, they believe firmly that experience can override God’s Word. This is a serious thing. Let us remember that the Spirit of God inspired His Word, and thus the Spirit and the Word are always in agreement. The Spirit is the interpreter of the Word and will never lead us contrary to the Word. When vital truth is in question, God never refers us to experience but rather to His Word. Our experience may vary and may even be deceiving, but His Word “liveth and abideth forever” (1 Peter 1:23).
A Sign for Unbelievers
There are several important things that characterized signs and wonders in the days of the apostles. First of all, it is clear that they were meant mainly for unbelievers. We read in 1 Corinthians 14:22, “Tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not.” Likewise, healing was done many times to unbelievers, but rarely to believers. It is true that Peter healed Dorcas (Acts 9:3642), but Paul did not heal godly men like Epaphroditus, Timothy or Trophimus. He recognized that God had allowed the illness or infirmity, and he did not exercise his gift on their behalf. In fact, it is clear that Paul himself had some sort of health problem that he accepted from the Lord. God gave him grace to bear it but did not heal him.
To Confirm the Spoken Word
Second, the signs and miracles were done to support the preaching of the Word of God, not to override or replace it. The Word was first spoken — then the signs followed to confirm it. Thus the signs were of secondary importance, while the Word was of paramount importance. In Mark 16:20 we read, “They went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.” Also in Hebrews 2:34 we are told, “Salvation . . . which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to His own will.” Thus we have a right to expect that if miracles and signs appear, they should be done in connection with a faithful preaching of God’s Word.
Guidelines for Using Sign Gifts
Third, we find guidelines as to the use of these signs and miracles in Scripture, particularly in connection with speaking in tongues. These guidelines have never been rescinded and apply today as much as ever. If sign gifts are in evidence today, these principles of Scripture regulate them, and we should expect to see such gifts exercised according to the pattern in God’s Word.
What’s Happening Today
With these things in mind, we may well ask, “What is really happening today? Do believers still speak in tongues by the power of the Spirit of God? Does God still heal in a miraculous way? Are the ‘healings’ by modern faith-healers real, or is something else going on?”
It seems clear from Scripture that miracles and signs were given at the beginning of the church dispensation to confirm the Word spoken and magnify God when the written Word of God was not complete. Now that we have the complete, written Word in most languages, there is no longer a need for “confirming the word with signs following.” However, God is sovereign and may, if He so chooses, give a believer the gift of preaching the gospel in a language he had not known before in a place where the Word of God is not yet known.
While beyond the scope of this article to go into detail, suffice it to say that cases have been authenticated where a believer has been healed of a serious health problem that could not be explained any other way but as an act of God. In such cases it was not done through a so-called “faith-healer,” but rather through prayer on the part of individuals. Thus it is a mistake to say that nothing miraculous happens among believers today.
Testing Charismatic Claims
However, the vast majority of what is going on in Christian circles today, the so-called “charismatic” movement, will not bear either the scrutiny of God’s Word or even a reasonable investigation by natural means. Much of what passes for signs and miracles today is focused mainly on believers, is not connected with a faithful preaching of God’s Word, and does not follow the principles and guidelines given in the Word of God. In the case of so-called speaking in tongues, much of it is gibberish that is the constant repetition of nonsensical words that have no meaning. In a smaller number of more serious cases the message can be understood (that is, spoken in a known language) but often is anything but edifying and sometimes even blasphemous. It is clearly the work of Satan.
In the case of so-called “divine healers,” many have investigated the people involved, honestly seeking proof of real healing. One Christian man approached Benny Hinn, took him to lunch, and asked him specifically for documented cases and for names of those who had experienced divine, organic healing. Benny Hinn’s response was, “I will supply you with those names right away. I’ll have my secretary immediately send them to you. We’ll start feeding them to you by next week.” After reminding Benny Hinn subsequently at least once, he was still waiting more than two years later. Dr. William Nolen, a world-famous U.S. surgeon (quite possibly a believer and now deceased), actually took a year off to study the phenomenon of miraculous healing. His book on the subject, Healing — A Doctor in Search of a Miracle, brings out the same conclusion. He could not find even one documented case of organic, miraculous healing done by a so-called “faith-healer.”
A Reasonable Explanation
In view of all this, is there a logical explanation for what is going on? I believe that there is. There are various reasonable explanations for what people experience in healing campaigns or in “speaking in tongues.” Most of the claims for demonstrations of spiritual power today are the attempt by man to reproduce with human energy what was originally given by the power of the Spirit of God. In the matter of healing, it is well-known in medical circles that two-thirds of all diseases have their origins in stress and emotionally related causes. Relieving the stress removes the physical symptoms, and certainly some of this may happen in healing campaigns. More seriously, there is sometimes deliberate deception, where healthy people are put into wheelchairs and then “healed,” while cases of real illness are carefully kept from appearing on the platform. In a few cases Satanic power is involved. Satan’s object is never blessing — rather the opposite, but sometimes he appears as an “angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14). He may produce a work of healing as a false front for more sinister works later. But the most common phenomenon is what might be called “mass hysteria” or “mass hypnosis.” If the right ambience and emotional mood is carefully produced (music, the right words, creation of a bond between the leader and the people), many people become very susceptible to suggestion. The result is very predictable — people shaking, swaying, laughing uncontrollably, perhaps shrieking or crying, even falling on the floor and then lying there motionless. Such techniques can be learned and have been practiced for hundreds of years by unbelievers. They are emphatically not the work of the Spirit of God.
Satan at Work
Closely connected with this technique is the so-called speaking in tongues. As I have mentioned earlier, Satan may also be involved in this. It is well-known that speaking in tongues has been a characteristic of occult practices for hundreds of years. But what commonly passes for speaking in tongues in Christian circles is once again a learned technique that can be practiced by anyone. One former charismatic leader (who has now repented of his involvement in it) has this to say: “All charismatics and Pentecostals I know pray, as I did, in tongues when they want to and for as long as they want to — but the sounds are always the same. . . . Most speaking in tongues today is nonsense and can be done by anyone.”
In summary, God may allow speaking in tongues today under certain circumstances, and He does heal in a miraculous way on occasion. However, I believe Scripture shows us clearly that to put an emphasis on such miracles and signs is a mistake. More than this, it is a mistake to expect that various individuals will be given these sign gifts. These things were given at the beginning to authenticate the preaching of something entirely new and to invest it with God’s authority. They are not present today in that way.
God’s Greatest Miracles
The greatest miracles God performs today are not accompanied by outward demonstrations of supernatural power. Rather, God first works the miracle of saving individuals from the penalty and power of their sins. Then He seeks by various means to conform them “to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29). Such a transformation will not be complete until the glory, but God is working in us toward that end now. He is far more interested in this than He is in healing all of our diseases now. He uses our various trials and infirmities to teach us lessons we could not learn any other way. Let us be willing to profit by all through which the wisdom of God may pass us, while waiting for that day when we shall be with and like our blessed Saviour.
W. J. Prost
The Gifts of an Ascended Christ
A diversity of gifts in one body is presented in the Epistle to the Ephesians. After dwelling strongly on the manifestation of unity, the Apostle goes on to say, “Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore He saith, When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men” (Eph. 4:7-8). The word “grace” used here is not the display of grace by which sinners are saved, but rather that by which believers are endowed with the gifts of an ascended Christ. The grace, of course, is the same in both instances, but exercised in a different manner.
Purpose and Distribution of Gifts
There is a marked distinction between the way in which gifts are spoken of in this epistle and in the Epistle to the Corinthians. In Corinthians the teaching is not so much with respect to the origin of gifts but with their distribution and exercise. This is the proper circle of the Spirit’s activity. “To one,” we read, “is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit,” and so on through the other gifts, “but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will” (1 Cor. 12:8-11). The Spirit is sovereign in regulating the exercise of gift in the assembly, and thus all gifts that might be used in the assembly are taken into account —whether sign gifts or those more particularly for the edification of the body. In Ephesians the emphasis is more on the origin and object of gift — “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:12). The origin is Christ Himself, acting in His acquired rights as the victorious, risen and ascended man. This agrees with the general character of the epistle. In chapter 1 we read, “The God of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come” (Eph. 1:17,20-21). In virtue of this victory He now bestows gifts on believers.
A Gift for Everyone
Though some special gifts are named in Ephesians 4:11, the language used in verse 7 takes in a wider field. There we read, “Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” Thus it is clear that all believers are entrusted with some gift to use for their absent Lord. The grace spoken of is not merely for a select few, but is “unto every one of us.” While the special gifts needed for public labor are confined to comparatively few, each believer has some gift for the edifying of the body. Ephesians 4:16 speaks of “that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part.” In Romans 12, where the faithful and diligent use of the gifts is brought out, such things as showing mercy, liberality and service in the widest sense of the word are included. A vast circle of responsibility and activity is thus opened up, and gifts are brought to light that are distinct both from the sign gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 and from the gifts for public teaching.
A Special Class of Gifts
In Ephesians 4:11, however, the Apostle comes to a special class of gifts. “He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.” Here it does not say that the apostles received gifts, but that they were gifts. The gifts here are the individuals themselves — apostles, pastors, teachers and so on. No doubt apostles and prophets were foundation gifts, for the church is “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone” (Eph. 2:20). There is nothing said about the continuance of these gifts, and indeed it would be impossible for the gift of an apostle to continue, as one of the distinguishing features of an apostle was that He had been a witness of the Lord’s resurrection. Likewise the gift of a prophet was a foundation gift, to give out the mind of God until the Word of God was complete. It was to prophets as well as to the apostles that the truth of the church was revealed by the Spirit, and in some cases the prophet also foretold future events. In these characters the gift of a prophet was only temporary. No doubt the use of prophesying to edify, exhort and comfort the people of God continues, but this is not properly the gift of a prophet, for Paul could say to the Corinthians, “Ye may all prophesy one by one” (1 Cor. 14:31).
Gifts and Unity
Finally, we might say that all gifts, whether used publicly or privately, were in view of the unity of the body of Christ and to be exercised in the power of and in keeping with the unity of the Spirit of God. There is no thought in Scripture of the use of a gift without reference to the body of Christ, for the gifts represent the varied way in which Christ has provided for His body, yet all in unity. We humbly own that the outward manifestation of this unity has been sadly marred. However, the unity of the Spirit still exists, the gifts are still here, and it is a privilege as well as a great responsibility to act on what God has given to us.
Adapted from The Christian Friend, 1879
Gifts and Ministry
The gifts [in Eph. 4] are, properly, that which is called ministry. Every gift is a ministry, for as there are diversities of gifts, yet but one Spirit, so there are diverse ministries, but one Lord. By the possession of a gift I become the servant of Christ, from whom I hold the gift by the Spirit, and whom the Spirit reveals as Lord. Hence every gift in exercise is a ministry — service discharged under responsibility to Christ. J. N. Darby, from Collected Writings