1 Corinthians 12:7-9 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the benefit of all. For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
To each believer, the Holy Spirit will give different gifts of grace to help strengthen the church for its mission. Spiritual gifts are not meant for us as individuals but for the benefit of all. The reason for this is that these gifts are all reflections of love, and love must always be expressed to another person for it to be love. Spiritual gifts build up others because they come from love, which is the highest gift the Holy Spirit gives.
Paul begins to list various types of gifts. The first listed is words of wisdom. Wisdom is an awareness of what is best according to God’s will for the world. It is the ability to discern the best direction forward. Psalms 111:10 says that wisdom begins with fearing God, which means to acknowledge God’s sovereignty and worshiping God in humility. From this position, a person can see the world more from God’s perspective and work out the best way forward based on a deep respect and knowledge of God.
The next gift is having a word of knowledge. Knowledge and wisdom are similar but knowledge is the ability to learn and understand complex topics and then to recall this when needed. Some people are gifted at learning. “Learner” is my number one strength in “Clifton Strengths Finders.” These type of people love to learn and grow in knowledge and understanding of whatever topic they come across. Knowledge is important in the life of the church because it can help guide the church in the ways of the truth. The “word” part of this may refer to the ability to speak and teach knowledge. This gift will help deepen the theology of the church.
The next gift is faith. All believers are called to have faith, but some people are given a measure more. Those whose faith is strong should not look down on those who do not have this gift. It might be tempting to think that the gift of faith makes one more spiritually mature than someone else. This type of thinking was at the heart of the Corinthians’ problems. Faith should be used to strengthen the church by supporting those who see the world from a different direction, for example, those who think more logically. Those with this gift must avoid any type of feeling of superiority but use it to support others and call the church to trust God even more.
The next gift is the gift of healing. There are different ways to interpret this gift. One way is to view it as the ability to ask God in prayer for a miracle. This might be too narrow of an interpretation, otherwise, this gift would be quite rare in the church. Another way to see this gift in terms of the medical field, including physical and psychological healing. Some people have the gift to work with the physical body to bring about healing. Others can work with the healing of the “heart” or mind. Within the past few centuries, this healing has become a science and quite complex. There are people in churches who are able to see these types of needs in people. Some of those with this gift may be in the medical field. It takes a special type of person to be a doctor or nurse or other support staff.
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