Spiritual gifts: They're not magic
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
We are now in the season of Pentecost, a true occasion for rejoicing amongst Christian believers. The Holy Spirit, given to the church, has become the means by which we can know Jesus Christ. It is also the means by which we can live in a reconciled community together. And that's good news!
Each year, Pentecost also makes me reflect on the issue of spiritual gifts, which is always popular in the church.
I have three strong beliefs about spiritual gifts:
1) Spiritual gifts can only be received and used through the church.
2) Spiritual gifts are not magical.
3) Spiritual gifts are given to every Christian.
You'll see these convictions come through in my current article in the UM Reporter. I have already received a couple of e-mails about this, specifically from people who are not comfortable with my conclusions. So let me explain.
Spiritual gifts can only be used in the context of the church. When Paul talks about spritiual gifts (in Romans 4:4-8, 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, and Ephesians 4:11-16), he always talks about them as instruments that individuals use to build up the church. They are not for spiritual showmanship. In fact, the whole discussion of tongues in 1 Corinthians 14 is designed to counter claims of spiritual superiority by some members of the community over others ("Those who speak in a tongue build up themselves, but those who prophesy build up the church" 1 Cor 14:4). And since Paul was writing to the church about the life of the church, it makes no sense to talk about spiritual gifts apart from the church itself. They are not intended as special powers that individual Christians carry around, to be used at their individual discretion. They are possessed individually only insofar as they are used for the benefit of the whole Christian community. And "community" here is key; this is not an argument about using gifts in a specific building or worship service, but rather within the body of Christ.
Spiritual gifts are not magical. They are dependent on the power of God, not of human charisma or charm. Only when they are used in such a way to glorify God, and in an attitude of dependence on God, can they be efficacious for building up the church at all. Look at Mark 9, where the disciples fail to heal the boy with the evil spirit. They are clearly trying to broker Jesus' power, thinking that they can act on their own simply because they are recognized as his disciples. No dice. Jesus' response, "This kind can only come out by prayer" (Mk 9:29), corrects the disciples' mistaken orientation. For an interesting parallel, look at the story of Simon the Magician in Acts 8. This time the Spirit-led disciples are acting in the role of Jesus. Simon asks for the power of the Holy Spirit so that he can peddle it, and he earns a strong rebuke from Peter for his trouble.
Spiritual gifts are given to every Christian. I've seen "Spiritual Gifts Inventories" that list every spiritual gift Paul mentions (there are about 20 different ones) and then propose to tell you which one you possess by means of a survey. There is a flaw to this approach, though. And it is that Paul's lists of gifts are not meant to be exhaustive. The passages in Romans, 1 Corinthians, and Ephesians have some overlap, but there are also gifts listed in each letter that are not listed in the other two. Why? Because Paul was using the lists rhetorically, not as the final word on what constitutes a spiritual gift. Since we are the body of Christ, and each of us members of it, we all receive the gift of the Holy Spirit by virtue of our baptism into that body. That means the Spirit works through us to offer gifts to the larger community.
Still not convinced? Think about 1 Corinthians 13, the famous "love chapter." Love is the "more excellent way" for Paul, and it concludes his previous discussion of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12. Hence love itself is the greatest spiritual gift. So do you know a Christian who has not received Christ's love? Of course not. We all have spiritual gifts, and we're called to use them to build up the church. What a great thing!
posted by Andrew C. Thompson at 3:32 PM
3 Comments:
I fully agree with what you've written. Toward the end you say "we all receive the gift of the Holy Spirit by virtue of our baptism into that body." I'm interested in what your take is on the moment of spiritual empowerment, for lack of a better term. I tend to think it's at baptism, especially when baptism is followed by chrismation as it once was.
Thanks Andrew, excellent posting. At first I was among the not so comfortable but after reading it again a day later with more time to study I believe you're right on.
It is difficult for me to understand the concept of spiritual gifts and humility all in one. I think that's the point.
To Ben's comment -
I'm not sure I can agree that baptism is efficacious in conveying spiritual gifts at the moment the baptism occurs. I do believe that baptism is efficacious in making the newly baptized Christian a part of the Christian community. And in that sense it seals the covenant between God, the person, and the church by visibly responding to God's offer of salvation in the community of the church. That is, to my understanding, the meaning of our phrase, "outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace."
But I think the Spirit's giving of specific gifts is a more dynamic process, meaning that it occurs over time and is dependent on the person's active willingness to receive the Spirit's power and, in turn, use that power for the building up of the community. That means that there is a level of intentionality necessary in receiving and using gifts. Such intentionality is impossible on the part of infants, or at least mostly impossible (though some might argue that the very presence of infants and small children constitutes a spiritual gift). So I think the Holy Spirit's conveying of spiritual gifts can occur at most anytime, and that it is usually dependent upon an individual Christian's willingness to receive and act.
As a sidenote, I believe this has a lot to do with Randy Maddox's notion of "responsible grace" as a peculiarly Wesleyan conception of the way grace works in the lives of individuals and the church.
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