The Church and the Gifts of the Spirit

Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:3 (ESV)

One of the most widespread controversies within the Christian community concerns spiritual gifts. While some traditions maintain that these gifts still exist and play a vital role in the edification of the Church, others believe that the gifts of the Spirit ceased with the death of the apostles. This is a subject that Paul himself took great care to address in depth, seeking to avoid exacerbating the problem that already existed within the Church at Corinth. Before discussing the work of the Spirit, Paul establishes whom the Spirit serves. The Corinthians were far more obsessed with spiritual power, but Paul brings them back to the essentials: spiritual allegiance. In this verse, we find the fundamental criterion for determining whether someone is speaking or acting under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit: "No one can say that Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit."

True spiritual activity is not measured by the intensity of our emotion, but by the exaltation of Christ. The primary work of the Spirit consists of stripping us of our self-centeredness and replacing it with the radical confession that Jesus is the absolute authority over our lives. This means that if a gift or a revelation leads you away from the central truth of the Lordship of Christ, it does not come from the Spirit. The Spirit is the Spirit of truth, and His truth always points toward the glorification of Jesus. Once the foundation of the Lordship of Jesus Christ has been laid, Paul moves from the unity of the Source to the diversity of its manifestations.

Paul's most important teaching is found in verse 7: "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." Spiritual gifts are neither badges of merit nor means intended for our entertainment; These are tools for the building up of the Kingdom. When we submit to Jesus as Lord, the Holy Spirit uniquely equips us so that the entire Body may flourish. Consequently, if the first-century Church needed these gifts to grow, today—in a world where the Church is losing its authority—the gifts of the Spirit are more necessary than ever. Thus, we cannot ignore that they still exist to lead us back to the source of our salvation: Jesus Christ.

May the grace and peace of God be with you.