Spiritual gifts

Gift of Discernment of Spirits

Believers had to be able to discriminate between the false and the true spirits, when an itinerant prophet claimed to be inspired to speak by revelation (1 Cor. 14:29).

The Gift of Teaching

Clearly related to, but carefully distinguished from, the gift of prophecy is the gift of teaching (1 Cor. 12:28 - 29; Rom. 12:7). The prophet was a preacher of the word; the teacher explained what the prophet proclaimed, reduced it to statements of doctrine, and

applied it to the situation in which the church lived and witnessed. The teacher would offer systematic instruction (2 Tim. 2:2) to the local churches. In Eph. 4:11 Paul adds the idea of pastor to that of teacher, because no one is able to communicate effectively (teach) without loving those who are being instructed (pastor). Likewise, to be an effective pastor, one must also be a teacher.

The Gift of Exhortation (Rom. 12:8)

The possessor of the gift of exhortation would fulfill a ministry closely allied with that of the Christian prophet and teacher. The difference between them would be found in the more personal approach of the former. If his exhortations were to succeed, they would have to be given in the persuasive power of love, understanding, and sympathy. His aim would be to win Christians to a higher way of life and to a deeper self dedication to Christ. The Spirit, therefore, who bestowed the gift of exhortation would with the gift communicate spiritual persuasiveness and winsomeness.

The Gift of Speaking the Word of Wisdom (1 Cor. 12:8)

An important part of the Spirit's endowment so far as the Christian community was concerned was wisdom. This gift would communicate ability to receive and explain "the deep things of God." In God's dealings with men much is mysterious, and the ordinary Christian is often in need of a word that will throw light upon his situation; and the person fitted by the Spirit to fulfill this ministry is through the Spirit given the word of wisdom. Because of the strong sense of revelation or insight implied in the phrase, perhaps this gift was akin to a revelational utterance by the Christian prophet.

The Gift of Speaking the Word of Knowledge (1 Cor. 12:8)

Speaking the word of knowledge suggests a word spoken only after long and careful consideration. This would be a word that the Christian teacher would ordinarily speak. Of course, this mental activity would not be entirely unaided; a point being reached when the Spirit would give knowledge, understanding, insight, that might be described as intuition. But since Paul points out that both the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge are given through or according to the Spirit, the emphasis is on the reception of the word, not on its interpretation.

The Gift of Tongues

Yet another spiritual gift is mentioned by Paul. The Spirit gives "kinds of tongues" (1 Cor. 12:10, 28). The nature of this gift is explained in 1 Cor. 14. (1) The tongue in which the person spoke was unintelligible, and therefore unedifying to the Christian assembly (vss. 2 - 4); (2) the tongue (glossa) was not a foreign language (vss.10 - 12); (3) The tongue speaker addressed himself to God to whom he probably offered prayer and praise (vss. 14 - 17); (4) The tongue edified the speaker (vs. 4); (5) The tongue speaker lost the control of intellectual faculties (vss. 14 - 15), the tongue being probably a disjointed, highly pitched, ecstatic series of ejaculations, similar to the tongues spoken in times of spiritual awakening experienced intermittently by the church.