1 Thessalonians 5:19-22: The Holy Spirit's Gifts

19 Do not quench the Spirit; 20 do not despise prophetic utterances. 21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil.

Target Date: Sunday, 18 June 2023

Word Study/ Translation Notes:

Prophetic utterances - προφητεία prŏphētĕia – prophecies

Can mean predicting or simply speaking the words of God.

Examine - δοκιμάζω dŏkimazō – examine, prove

so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; - 1 Peter 1:7

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. – 1 John 4:1

Hold fast - κατέχω katĕchō – hold fast, cling tightly, even greedily

GIFTS LISTED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT:

Romans 12:6-8

Name

Greek

Meaning

Prophecy

προφητεία prŏphētĕia

Speaking/ communicating God’s word

Service

διακονία diakŏnia

Serving, attending to others

Teaching

διδάσκω didaskō

Training, catechizing

Exhortation

παρακαλέω parakalĕō

To call near, to encourage to obedience

Giving

μεταδίδωμι mĕtadidōmi

To share or give over

Leading

προΐστημι prŏıstēmi

To stand before, as in one who leads people following

Mercy

ἐλεέω ĕlĕĕō

To practice compassion, mercy

1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 28

Name

Greek

Meaning

Word of wisdom

σοφία sŏphia

“speech from wisdom” – understanding

Word of knowledge

γνῶσις gnōsis

“speech from knowledge” – answers

Faith

πίστις pistis

Faith, conviction

Healing

ἴαμα iama

Healings, curings

Miracles

ἐνέργημα ĕnĕrgēma

δύναμις dunamis

Working, effecting, operating

Powers, wonders, signs

Prophecy

προφητεία prŏphētĕia

See above…

Distinguishing spirits

διάκρισις diakrisis

πνεῦμα pnĕuma

Discerning, testing

Spirits - this phrase means “spirits-testing”

Tongues

γένος gĕnŏs

γλῶσσα glōssa

Diverse – but the word evolves from “born” – i.e. natural language

Language, speech

Interpretations

ἑρμηνεία hĕrmēnĕia

Translation, interpretation

Helps

ἀντίληψις antilēpsis

A more general term for assistances – probably summarizes several gifts into a role.

Administrations

κυβέρνησις kubĕrnēsis

Steering, piloting. Probably summarizes leadership roles.

Thoughts on the Passage:

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 gives three different categories Paul is using to describe the unity behind the diversity of the body of Christ:

Gifts: χάρισμα charisma

Ministries: διακονία diakŏnia – roles, offices

Effects: ἐνέργημα ĕnĕrgēma – workings.

For this, the general category could relate to the healings and miracles in the following list.

Or it could relate to the individual activity of the believer apart from offices or roles.

This is not Paul simply making a repetitive statement; he is emphasizing three area of the Spirit’s operation in the church.

Gifts of the Spirit require three things:

Ability

Opportunity

Faith to employ the gifts God’s way

There is no indication in the relevant passages that all the gifts given by the Spirit were intended to be permanent upgrades to the person.

Quite the opposite – by the measure of their faith.

The gifts (graces) were given at specific, God-determined times at God-appointed purposes.

Otherwise, why would James tell the sick to call upon the elders? There is no “gift of healing” in their qualifications, although there is “teaching”.

There is a wide difference between the GIFTS of the Spirit and the ROLES in the church.

This week, Rick Warren bemoaned the decision of the Southern Baptist Convention not to reinstate fellowship with his errant congregation. And he called as his evidence the fact that the women who were pastoring his church were “gifted”.

I try to avoid politics as much as I can, but from my point of view, these churches were not disfellowshipped simply because they had women pastors – that is the SYMPTOM.

The disease is that they elevate their cultural ideas above the clear teaching of Scripture in many areas, including assigning illegitimate roles to unqualified people.

There are some who make an assumption that the Thessalonian leaders were, in some way, trying to prohibit or curtail the gifts of the Spirit in the congregation. I do not find this in any way convincing for the following reasons:

1. There is no elaboration on any local practices that Paul is trying to stop. If there had been a real, actual problem, he would have dealt with it with at least a little more explanation.

2. The placement of this instruction is in the midst of very terse general lists of reminders. For these things, it is a fair assumption that the Thessalonian church was doing well, or as well as they knew to do. These reminders are to encourage them that these are important things to continue building.

3. There has been no companion teaching in this letter that would make this a wrap-up of the subject. This comes completely out of the blue, unescorted with any other antecedent.

4. There does, however, remain the possibility that his current circumstances, or his history with the Greeks at this point, would have prompted him to include this in the final sentences of this letter. There could certainly have been concerns among the Greek Christian community of having any resemblance to Greek oracles like Pythia, the Oracle of Delphi, who were pagan seers.

It could also (pure supposition) be that Timothy has observed something vaguely troubling that might have led to some contempt over this spiritual gift.

We must be careful if we believe that the miraculous gifts recorded in the New Testament are not normative for today. The danger lies if we take it a step further to declare that God has ceased working miraculously. That is false – God still works miraculously, even if His power is veiled.

Many of the listed gifts would often be used as qualifications for roles in the church (Teaching for Elders, etc.). It is well within the Holy Spirit’s prerogative to raise up and cease individual manifestations of gifts.

This could be done according to the measure of faith of the person.

This could be done to avoid misuse or temptation toward pride for the gifted person.

It could also be done because the work was limited in time or scope. Once the work of the Spirit is complete, the gift is not necessary for the further edification of the body in its present form, so it lapses.

The proclamatory gifts (prophecy, tongues) would be most useful in the absence of the full revelation of the work of God in the Bible.

This would have been true through the OT to the NT times, and even beyond.

These gifts would have enabled the proclaimers to “prove” the divine source of their instructions in the absence of Scripture to confirm their truth.

Even with prophecy in the book of Acts, sometimes the application seemed to be flawed when the revelation of God was correct.

Just because one speaks prophecy does not make that person a prophet.

The word in Hebrew is navi, which indicates an announcer or spokesman. It is these who spoke the words they were given by the LORD; in some cases these pointed to future things, and in others, they pointed to current sin.

For most of the prophets, we have a very limited selection of what was likely a bit more frequent messages from the LORD,

But not everything the prophets said originated from the LORD.

All do not have gifts of healings, do they? – 1 Corinthians 12:30

Notice the word gifts is plural, not singular as is most often heard today. He does not speaking of one having the “gift” of healing, but “gifts”. Each individual healing done in that day was its own gift, and the same could be understood for prophecy, tongues, giving, or any other gift. These were not necessarily persistent; they could be cultivated and grown.

But earnestly desire the greater gifts. – 1 Corinthians 12:31

Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. 15 Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. 16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; - 1 Timothy 4:14-16

In listing his own gifts (roles) in 2 Timothy, Paul does not make mention of these “lesser gifts”:

for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. – 2 Timothy 1:11

All gifts should be practiced in the same spirit. Humility must be a part of its use, and no one properly using spiritual gifts will aggrandize themselves.

Q. 28. How does Christ execute the office of a prophet?

A. Christ executes the office of a prophet, in revealing to us, by this Word and Spirit, the will of

God for our salvation. (John 1:18; 14:26; 15:15) – Keach’s Catechism

Today, the analogy to prophecy is the preaching of God’s Word. This means that to fuel the flame of God’s Spirit, we must devote ourselves to the ministry of the Bible, in personal reading and especially in the preaching ministry of the church. Either the Word of God will shape our thinking or the message of the world will drown out God’s voice and quench the ministry of God’s Spirit.

Nowhere are spiritual gifts said to be given to assure you of your salvation. They are for the edification of the church, the building up of the saints. They are not even, save for a very few things the Bible calls “signs”, for the support of our testimony to unbelievers.

For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. 4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; 7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. 9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. – Romans 12:3-13

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. 2 You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking aby the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except aby the Holy Spirit. 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. 6 There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. – 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Gifts are never intended to glorify the person.

They are given by the Spirit to edify the church, to help others, and glorify God through the Son.

What is the Good News of this passage?

The Spirit of Christ has given God’s word and the men to help us interpret and apply it. We should not only listen to them, but seek them out when we are uncertain of a response or direction.

This is one of the major reasons one of the qualifications of an elder is the ability to teach:

An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, - 1 Timothy 3:2

Teachings:

Gifts are given by the will of the Spirit in three different forms: gifts, ministries, effects.

Many gifts, particularly the “signs” do not persist, but are momentary, even situational.

All gifts are meant for the glorification of Jesus Christ and the godly building of others in Him.

Sermon Text:

Today, as I have promised over the last few weeks, we will look at the subject of spiritual gifts, or, more precisely, the gifts from the Holy Spirit.

This will, for us, be a short detour from the text of 1 Thessalonians because, as you can plainly see, the word “gift” is not there at all.

But the idea of the Spirit’s gifts is the foundation of the instruction in these verses, most likely taught by these apostles while they were among the Thessalonians.

So, in order to be “expository”, meaning to accurately convey the Scripture by basing this message ON Scripture, I would suggest that everyone turn a few pages to 1 Corinthians 12, from which much of today’s exposition will come.

In fact, if you like, you can also correct an inaccuracy in the bulletin today:

For the title of this message, you can strike through “Spiritual Gifts” and write in a much better title for the subject “The Holy Spirit’s Gifts”.

And I think that is a vital distinction:

“Spiritual gifts” implies the worthiness of an individual believer’s spirituality.

But “The Holy Spirit’s Gifts” leaves no doubt as to the source of all good things for the church.

Because in church after church, charismatic or not, it is often the case that lip service is given to the Holy Spirit, while “spiritual gifts” are used to glorify the spirituality and expertise of the person.

Even though we see quite the opposite in 1 Corinthians 12:11:

one and the same Spirit works all these things [all these gifts], distributing to each one individually just as He wills

I promise you this will be an important difference you will, I hope, come to understand this morning.

Because the Western church has labored for over a century with a fundamental misunderstanding of the two primary passages used when discussing these gifts: 1 Corinthians 12-14 and Romans 12.

And even the two opposing camps, the so-called “Continuationists” and the “Cessationists” use the same interpretation of the passages: an interpretation I suggest to you today is flawed at its foundation.

The Continuationists argue that the “spiritual gifts”, particularly the gift of “tongues” continues today as virtually every believer can access this gift if he has enough faith.

And Cessationists would say that this MAY HAVE BEEN true of the New Testament believers, but is no longer true today.

But the problem in each of these arguments is they both use the same misunderstanding of the nature of the Holy Spirit’s gifts.

In 1 Corinthians 12, the first 7 verses form an introduction to the subject to be discussed through chapter 14 – a topic Paul calls “the spiritual”.

In many translations, in verse 1, the word “gifts” is in italic, telling us the word was not in the original, but was added by the translators to assist in understanding.

It is an understandable addition that seems to have begun in the Coverdale Bible (1535), proceeding to the Geneva (1557), and the King James version (1611) for English bibles.

Prior English versions, the Wycliffe (1382) and Tyndale (1525), add the word “things” to keep the generality of the word Paul uses here.

It makes sense: the word “spiritual” is an adjective, so the natural question is “concerning spiritual what?”

But we do often use adjectives as nouns, though.

We talk of “the poor” or the “homeless” or the “sick” or the “rich”.

All those are adjectives that we use as nouns.

And in Matthew 5:5, Jesus does the same thing:

Blessed are the meek…

The word meek is an adjective that does not modify anything.

In our minds, we add the idea of “meek people” so we understand it.

So when the apostle talks of “spiritual” here, he really is talking about a larger set of gifts or things than is commonly taught.

Then in verses 4-6, he describes these “spiritual things” the Holy Spirit gives to the church:

Gifts

Ministries

And Effects

And most of the popular interpretations of this in our day have Paul kind of repeating himself for effect:

We effectively equate gifts, ministries, and effects and lump them into the same category.

While the most straightforward reading of the passage indicates Paul is providing us with the outline of his discussion of the matter:

Gifts – he will discuss these in verses 8-11.

Ministries – he will discuss these beginning in verse 12 to the end of chapter 12.

Then, in the longest discussion, he picks up the primary error of the Corinthians with regard to “effects” in chapters 13 and 14, dealing with the way they were misusing the Spirit’s gifts.

Before we go on to specifically discuss the gifts here, I would like to help clarify the distinction between the gifts mentioned in this passage and the ministries.

The ministries are the roles and offices of the church in which people use their gifts and talents in the service to the church.

The gifts Paul deals with in this passage are NOT roles, but are manifestations of the Holy Spirit’s will and power in the church.

Ministries have qualifications and stated responsibilities;

Gifts are given by the Spirit for His purposes in building up the church.

Ministries are persistent, meaning a pastor is not just a pastor for a moment, but for a continuing period of time.

Gifts, contrary to the common misunderstanding, are NEVER said to be persistent.

We read before: one and the same Spirit works all these things [all these gifts], distributing to each one individually just as He wills - 1 Corinthians 12:11

Gifts are distributed and MAY CHANGE OVER TIME.

This is important: nowhere in the New Testament is anyone recognized as a “spiritual healer” or a “spiritual translator”.

There is no office for these gifts – only individual manifestations of the gifts.

In the pagan culture the Corinthians and Thessalonians had come out of, these “gifts” were considered persistent:

Prophets and seers like the Oracle at Delphi.

Itinerant healers who peddled their “spiritual gift” in town and then moved on.

That is the point Paul is making in verses 2 and 3 of this chapter: the SPIRIT distributes His gifts differently.

Rather, many gifts given by the Spirit are given for the moment, as we shall shortly see, and not promised to persist beyond the point of the need.

That is because these gifts were not given because God loves one believer more, or so that someone could make a living peddling their gift.

It was to build up the church, helping our brothers and sisters.

And many of these gifts will be momentary.

That is why we must have a firm understanding between these two “spiritual things”, both gifts of grace from the Holy Spirit, but each distinct.

I shook my head this week when I hear Rick Warren, former pastor Saddleback Church, condemning the Southern Baptist Convention for upholding that church’s expulsion from the denomination.

The issue, with its root in that church’s practice of placing cultural norms above Scriptural instruction, came to a head when they began ordaining women as general pastors.

His defense of this practice is that the women were “gifted” in this way.

This is also the defense by many in the United Methodist denomination who would ordain people who unrepentantly practice homosexuality.

“They are such a great teacher” or “they are a really gifted pastor” does not, at any point, rise to the Scriptural qualifications for an office in the church.

One entire point of 1 Corinthians 13-14 is that a GIFT does not in itself entitle you to a position, role, or ministry of the church.

The abilities of candidates for an office or role should be taken into account, but the mere presence of a gift is never sufficient.

And it is the height of selfishness and self-promotion to try to force yourself forward in the church.

The opposite of the serving and loving leader.

So let’s move on to the Scripture’s teaching on the Holy Spirit’s gifts themselves.

If we look carefully at the gifts Paul lists in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, we see the following list:

Word of wisdom – that is speech from wisdom

Word of knowledge – that is speech from knowledge

A good example of this is told of Charles Spurgeon, who called the experience an “impression” in his autobiography.

While preaching in the hall, on one occasion, I deliberately pointed to a man in the midst of the crowd, and said, ‘There is a man sitting there, who is a shoemaker; he keeps his shop open on Sundays, it was open last Sabbath morning, he took ninepence, and there was fourpence profit out of it; his soul is sold to Satan for fourpence!’

The man explains:

I did take ninepence that day, and fourpence was just the profit; but how he should know that, I could not tell. Then it struck me that it was God who had spoken to my soul through him, so I shut up my shop the next Sunday. At first, I was afraid to go again to hear him, lest he should tell the people more about me; but afterwards I went, and the Lord met with me, and saved my soul.

Spurgeon again:

I could tell as many as a dozen similar cases in which I pointed at somebody in the hall without having the slightest knowledge of the person, or any idea that what I said was right, except that I believed I was moved by the Spirit to say it; and so striking has been my description, that the persons have gone away, and said to their friends, ‘Come, see a man that told me all things that ever I did.’

Notice, Spurgeon had no special knowledge, only a faithful proclamation of what, no doubt, the Holy Spirit told him.

Faith

Healings – healings or curings

Miracles – effecting “signs”

Prophecy – Speaking/ communicating God’s word

Distinguishing spirits – spirits-testing

Tongues – other born languages

Interpretations – translations

Notice each of these gifts requires three things:

1. Enabling by the Holy Spirit – all of these are beyond natural ability. The Spirit must manifest HIS power.

2. Opportunity or need – each of these requires an incident or need.

Healing is not really a gift if there is no one to heal.

Translations are unnecessary if everyone speaks and understands the same language.

3. Faithful “effecting” – use of the gift in the way the Holy Spirit intended it.

Lacking any of these three things, there simply is no gift from the Spirit to be seen or experienced.

That, in itself, should tell us these extraordinary gifts listed here were episodic and momentary.

Compare this to the list in Romans 12, the other great list of the Spirit’s gifts in the Bible:

Prophecy

Service – attending to others

Teaching – training, catechizing

Exhortation – encouraging to obedience

Giving – sharing, giving over

Leading – to stand before people, to “take the point”

Mercy – to practice compassion

The first thing you may notice is that the only common gift between these two lists is prophecy – the communicating of God’s word.

Each of these from the Romans list, however, are just as much gifts, but found in much more common, even ordinary, practice.

Which one of these gifts are Christians not told by word or example to practice faithfully?

I would point out that the gifts listed here in Romans do not even assume different PEOPLE are practicing these gifts;

Only that each one is practicing them differently according to the grace given and the proportion of his faith.

Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; - Romans 12:6

These are indeed gifts, still requiring the Spirit’s power, the opportunity to effect them, and the faithful use of them.

We can see these elements here in any of them, but let’s look at giving specifically.

We are told as believers to be generous, even liberal, in our sharing with others, particularly brothers and sisters in the church.

We must also have something to give – large amounts or small.

And we must faithfully do so.

I attribute the difference in these lists to the fact that Paul was expressing doctrine in Romans, where he was actively trying to correct error in Corinth.

And while he nodded to the truth of the miraculous gifts the Corinthians had so completely misunderstood in that letter,

The most important thing to him in both settings was the Spirit’s gracious gift-giving, that no man should boast.

These gifts were given to each individual according to the Holy Spirit’s will – not to our desires or for our glory.

We the church are, in each passage, described as a body, with each individual member performing his service in faithfulness.

That is his main point – to use the gifts and opportunities the Holy Spirit has given us, but to not use these gifts to make much of ourselves.

And so, in the way of summary, I offer the following thoughts and applications:

1. Gifts, as many people understand them today, are based on a misinterpretation of Scripture.

And no gifts have been more abused by this ignorance than tongues and prophecy.

Paul pointed out, in 1 Corinthians 14, that without someone who SPOKE the language, tongues was useless to any hearers and useless to the one speaking.

Because “tongues” in this passage means “diverse languages”.

REAL languages, not the babblings of someone imitating language.

Perhaps these are the most controversial today because they are the easiest to fake.

Anyone can claim to be able to “interpret” the tongues, whether or not they are doing anything other than making something nice up.

But prophecy can be judged by the Scripture.

Not predicting the future, but speaking the words of God.

That is exactly why Paul tells us to “test every spirit”.

2. Cessationists – those who believe that gifts ceased shortly after New Testament times – must never be guilty of denying God’s miraculous work in the world today through His Holy Spirit.

Too many believers treat gifts as something foreign to the church, and that is a shame.

We believe that God heals.

We believe that the Holy Spirit can lead us to correct scriptural understanding we did not have before.

We believe the Spirit can give us discomfort when someone is saying the right words but from the wrong spirit.

And, truth be told, I am convinced that if the need arose for a believer to carry out God’s will with a person who speaks only a different language, the Holy Spirit COULD allow that believer to understand or speak at the point of the need.

To say that those things are not “normative” today should not assume that they ever were.

But God, in His good pleasure, continues to work in our world, through the prayers of His followers, to accomplish His purpose in the world.