It’s so important for us to understand the 7+ Spiritual Gifts of the Holy Spirit that are in the Bible, not just for the sake of it, but for the edification of others and should be used in love to serve others. Therefore, knowing which spiritual gifts you have been given helps you to live a life more fulfilled while functioning in your best role for the Kingdom of God.
In 1 Corinthians 12:4-12, the bible talks about the different gifts of the spirit as well as the fact that only the Holy Spirit determines which gifts get distributed and to whom. Further down, the scripture reflects on the body of Christ being made up of a variety of parts and that all “parts” work together for a common good. In addition to this notion, here are other reasons why it’s important for us to know our spiritual gifts:
- Helps us to understand our purpose [in addition to spreading the Gospel and living a life like Christ, it also helps us to serve others well in order to Glorify the Father].
- Allows us to understand God’s will for our lives to an extent [it gives us insight into the things we’re “called” to do overall].
- Adds value [helps us to shape our function in the body of Christ + add value to the Church and lives of people in general].
- Fills a “void” [helps us to fill a need in the body and our community as it relates to solving a problem for others].
What are Spiritual Gifts?
By definition, spiritual gifts in the bible are divine abilities or talents given by God through the Holy Spirit to equip Believers for service and ministry—-which adds value + benefit to both the Church and the World. Other scriptures that relate to spiritual gifts in the bible are Romans 12:3-8 and Ephesians 4:11-12.
The main thing that we must remember when it comes to all of the gifts is that God is sovereign and we CANNOT create or pursue the gifts for ourselves. Only God decides what gifts belongs to who—-despite popular belief. Another point is that not everyone will have the same gifts, which is why it’s super imperative that we accept diversity in the Church because they’re all purposed to Glorify God and build the Church. Lastly, it’s so important that we couple our spiritual gifts with discernment so that they are used wisely, aren’t abused, and are stewarded well. This is often done by following the leading of the Holy Spirit [first and foremost] and that of spiritual leaders that you trust [and are Holy Spirit led].
What Are the Spiritual Gifts in the Bible?
OK, let’s get into it. So, the question is: what are the spiritual gifts of the Bible, right? Well, as some of us might be aware, a few of the popular gifts we see today include prophecy, tongues, discerning of spirits, etc. However, here’s a full breakdown of all:
Gift of Prophecy. This is where one has the ability to speak forth the mind + heart of God, which can include future events through visions or dreams. Overall, the mission is to encourage, comfort, challenge, and/or strengthen God’s people through “thus saith the Lord”. Also, this gift allows one to receive divine revelation and reveals what’s hidden. It’s important to understand that the Office of a Prophet is separate from the Gift of Prophecy, while the details of their abilities do overlap.
Gift of Miracles. This is the ability to perform supernatural miracles like healing, change in weather, etc.
Gift of Evangelism. This includes the ability to proclaim the good news of salvation effectively so that people respond to claims of Christ. In addition, it’s the ability to provide clear presentation of the Gospel and usually comes with a personal burden for reaching the loss. With this gift, one should have a an understanding of scripture where revelation on the interpretation of scripture is given through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
Gift of Tongues. This is the ability to speak in another language you don’t know. Biblically, tongues can be in the form of an existent language [i.e. Mandarin, Hebrew, etc.] that you’ve never personally learned or know—-this usually comes with the gift of Interpretation so that those who hear it can understand; or it can be in the form of a completely unknown language that is done for personal edification [i.e. what we mostly see in Churches today].
Gift of Interpretation. This is the ability to translate the language of a tongue that is directly from the Holy Spirit. What should be noted is that this isn’t studied or taught—–just a completely spontaneous act of the Holy Spirit.
Gift of Healing. This is the ability to heal physical ailments of the body and could also include the healing of the soul [i.e. deep hurts, wounds, etc.].
Gift of Pastoring. This is where one is gifted with the heart to care for, guide, and provide for God’s flock [aka people/sheep]. One who operates under this gift is more concerned with lifting up the Church and sacrificially leads + teaches the people. Unfortunately, we see less of this gift in the body today due to the ‘lower standard’ that we’ve placed within the Body on the functions that help build the Church—-which is why I believe that we see a lot more foolish behavior on the pulpit as opposed to those who lead sacredly.
Gift of Teaching. This is where one is committed to God’s Word and communicates the Word of God in a way that’s easy for others to understand.
Gift of Leading. This is where one has the ability to inspire others to the point of them following the leader willingly. This is like having great “influence” over others in a profound way.
Gift of Service. This is where one has the passion to meet the physical needs of the Church; having the heart to meet the “practical” needs of people [i.e. someone who enjoys fixing things within the Church, an usher, etc.].
Gift of Helping. This is where one undertakes a task on behalf of another; or to take hold of someone in order to help them. With this particular gift, the focus is to help someone else in the end based on one task [i.e. feeding the hungry, clothing those who need it, helping the elderly with everyday things, etc.]. You should note that this isn’t the same as doing a simple act or two——it’s truly a “supernatural” desire to constantly help others.
Gift of Faith. This is considered “supernatural Faith”. It’s when one is willing to take incredible steps of Faith by performing unusual deeds of trust, even when it looks impossible. Someone with this gift truly believes that God “will do it” in spite of what it looks like at any moment.
Gift of Discerning Spirits. This is the ability to sense demonic presence or if a teaching or something is of God or not. With this gift, one is able to distinguish between what is true or false and recognizes the true character of people while detecting hidden evil in others as well. Someone who operates in this gift is able to expose false teachers by comparing what God has revealed in scripture with ungodly words, deeds, + appearances.
Gift of Mercy. This is an extreme expression of Mercy where one feels moved to comfort, help, and alleviate the distress of others that most people may not care for [aka the overlooked ones]. With this gift, one has compassion and a willingness to help the poor, sick, troubled, and suffering at any cause.
Gift of Exhortation. This is the ability to appeal to someone and have the right words to say to someone who is hurting or burdened. With this gift, one is successful at encouraging, consoling, and comforting others to the point of “seen results” [aka distress turned to complete solace, sadness turned to joy, etc.].
Gift of Giving. This is the unusual ability and willingness to share one’s material goods with others. With this gift, one shares eagerly and liberally with others without question.
Gift of Administration. This is the ability to steer and guide with great organization and vision—-which results in leading and ruling well. Someone with this gift has the ability to identify the strengths in others and assign the right people to do the right job.
Word of Knowledge. This is the ability to possess knowledge that wouldn’t be known unless given by God. With this gift, it’s usually showcased through information about a person or situation that hasn’t been revealed by that person—-but only God. Unfortunately, this is what we see in a lot of False Prophets today [through familiar spirits] which we mistake as the Gift of Prophecy. However, if we pay close attention, False Prophets usually are limited to past or present events and “surface” information as well as future predictions that are vague and most times include negative events as a way to produce fear in the hearer. I recommend watching my podcast episode on False Prophets via YouTube for in depth insight!
Word of Wisdom. This is the supernatural wisdom that is able to diffuse conflict and provide great clarity in situations. Someone with this gift is able to teach wisdom that was not known prior to revelation from the Holy Spirit.
Gift of Apostleship. This is someone who is considered a “messenger”. Someone with this gift possesses the skills to start a new Church or ministry and lays proper foundation for the Church. Oftentimes, someone with this gift has a variety of gifts that work together for their mission of a messenger and “planter” for the body of Christ. Biblically, the Disciples were later converted into Apostles after Jesus’ resurrection and Paul was a great example of an Apostle as well. Overall, one who has this gift will go around to new areas to spread the Gospel and disciple converts.
How Many Spiritual Gifts Are There?
While the Bible doesn’t give a specific number on the amount of spiritual gifts there are, the 20 or so that I’ve listed within this post is the commonly spoken about gifts. However, many scholars believe that there are as many as 27 or more in total throughout scripture. Generally, the gifts are broken up into categories like:
- Miraculous Gifts: Miracles, healing, speaking in tongues, + interpretation of tongues.
- Enabling Gifts: Wisdom, knowledge, faith, + discernment.
- Team Gifts: Prophecy, teaching, exhortation, shepherding [aka pastoring], serving, mercy, giving, + administration.
Can I Desire and Pursue Spiritual Gifts?
As I’ve mentioned before, all spiritual gifts are determined and distributed by God through the Holy Spirit ONLY. Therefore, while we can desire certain gifts as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14:1, we should actually purse love the most and prophecy out of all gifts so that you serve others the best within the Church.
“Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.” — Corinthians 14: 1-5
Overall, it’s important to pray and ask God to reveal our Gift(s) and help us to steward it well for the Glorification of God and Him alone——never for us to be anything more than a vessel.
Check Out my Full Podcast Episode on The Gifts of the Unholy Spirit
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