THE HOLY SPIRIT AND SPIRITUAL GIFTS
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND SPIRITUAL GIFTS Related to the current ministry of the Holy Spirit is the matter of spiritual gifts. Just as the Holy Spirit is the one who empowers Christians, so He also gifts them. This subject has been the focal point of much controversy with respect to the ecstatic or sign gifts and as a result, many have neglected the normal operation of spiritual gifts. Such neglect harms Christians and the Church, which this blog hopes to correct. First, it is necessary to define spiritual gifts. They are divinely bestowed supernatural capacities to glorify and serve God, which result from God's grace (Rom. 12:6; 1 Peter 4:10; 1 Cor. 1:4, 5, 7) and sovereignty (1 Cor. 12:11, 18; Heb. 2:4). You cannot earn a spiritual gift any more than you could salvation itself. They are channels of the grace of God to others, as well as being a result of the grace of God in each believer. The Scriptures speak of particular g...