You’ve heard of spiritual gifts. What are they? What are they for? And how do you find out what yours might be? Let’s take a quick look at spiritual gifting, and how it applies to your life and your walk with the Lord.
Spiritual gifts are mentioned in the Bible in four places in particular: Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, Ephesians 4:11, and 1 Peter 4:10-14. Each passage mentions spiritual gifts in a slightly different (but overlapping) way.
What are spiritual gifts? Let’s look at the scripture:
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”
Here, Paul writes that each of us have gifts “according to the grace given to each of us.” The word for “gifts” here has a deeper meaning, it refers specifically to gifts of grace, the grace of the Holy Spirit. Paul is saying that we each have different gifts that have been given to us through the Holy Spirit—prophecy, service, teaching, encouragement, giving, leading, and mercy.
“To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.”
Once again, Paul refers to spiritual gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit. He emphasizes that although the gifts may be different, they are all graces that come from the Spirit—and you can see in this passage that the gifts are to be used together, with believers acting as a body, for the good of one another.
He mentions wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits (often shortened to “discernment”), tongues, and interpretation.
Each of these gifts can be expanded on, and each has practical uses within the church.
“ Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
This passage, written by the apostle Peter, is important because it shows how our spiritual gifts are to be used—for the good of others, and with the strength that God Himself provides.
Peter mentions being faithful stewards, which is a term that warrants investigation. What does it mean to be a faithful steward? In Peter’s day, a person with a large family and a busy life might hire someone to manage his affairs. This was what Peter referenced when he mentioned “steward,” and it was a bit of a revolutionary concept! To be stewards of our gifts means to take good care of them, and also to use them to serve one another. This breaks the hierarchy that was typically assumed at the time that Peter wrote, freeing people to serve one another regardless of their standing in life.
Using our gifts as good stewards implies that kings can use their gifts to bless their servants, children can use their gifts to serve their parents, and believers everywhere have something precious to share no matter who or where they are.
How do you know what your spiritual gifts are?
One easy way to learn what your spiritual gifts may be is to ask someone you know well what they think. Chances are, they’ve noticed some things about you that can help you understand how the Lord has gifted you.
Another way you can better understand your spiritual gifts is to take a “spiritual gifts survey,” a sort of self-test that asks questions and provides a score that ranks your gifts in order of greatest to least. While these tests are not always completely accurate, they can give you a good idea of your strengths—and, most of them come with detailed explanations of each type of gift and how they can be used.
There are a variety of online spiritual gift surveys, two good resources are the Spiritual Gifts Test website and the Team Ministry website. Both have free online tests available with instant results, as well as detailed information about spiritual gifts.
Remember, God has given all believers spiritual gifts. When we share them with one another, we become a community that’s much more than the sum of its parts! Identifying your spiritual gifts can help you gain a deeper understanding of how you fit into your community, and how you can minister to others in your daily life.
I’ve read your article on the gifts of God, from the Bible but I must apologize for being extra observant, there’s one verse description missing; you mentioned 4 references verses but there’s no information on Ephesians 4:11 and there’s only three verses with interpretations of yours. Hopefully no one else noticed but if at all possible, do an insert on that missing information out of Ephesians, thanks. God bless for the information you’ve shared, very informative as far as possible.
Pastor Shortman, you’re right! Here are the verses in Ephesians (4:11-13, NIV): “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”