The term "spiritual gifts," as used in the New Testament, refers to the special and particular endowment by God through the Holy Spirit after Pentecost to the believer. Gifts are given at salvation and subsequent to salvation they serve to mark the believer as belonging to the body of Christ, empower him for active and effective ministry to the body of believers and serves as the foundation of a clear sense of personal purpose to the glory of God.
An Endowment of the Holy SpiritA spiritual gift is an endowment of God through the Holy Spirit. This speaks to the Scriptures, which make much of the fact that the spiritual gifts necessarily come through the Holy Spirit. It is He who gives them graciously to the church and it is He who determines who should get them in whatever measure that He determines.

The non-believer does not and cannot receive spiritual gifts. True, he is the recipient of God's gifts through common grace, but because of the purpose of spiritual gifts (primarily to build the church), he cannot receive them. It may even appear that non-believers may seem to practise spiritual gifts. My only conclusion is that the Holy Spirit does not motivate such practices. Only believers receive spiritual gifts, since only in them is the Holy Sprit present, and those who do not have the Holy Spirit, do not belong to Him (Rom. 8:9).

At or Subsequent to SalvationThe spiritual gifts in this sense are given only to believers and they are received at, and/or subsequent to salvation. In the book of Acts of the Apostles, for instance, we see persons, immediately upon being saved receiving some gift or gifts of the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:44-46). We note too that Paul speaks of having the gift of speaking in tongues, but it does not appear the he received this gift at salvation, but evidently sometime thereafter (Acts 9:17-19 cf; 1 Cor. 14:18).

Empowers the Believer for Effective Ministry to the Body of BelieversThe gifts are also given to build up the church. As such, their presence is essential in the unfolding of God's will and God's work in this age. The main thrust of Paul's argument in the discussion of the gifts is that they should be used in a loving, wise and discreet manner so that all may benefit from them (1 Cor. 12:14). It is never intended that one should use his gift of teaching for himself or that one would use his gifts of healing for himself. The gifts are given so that everyone may benefit from them.

Serves as the Foundation of a Clear Sense of Personal PurposeThe gifts are given so that the believer can have a clear sense of purpose in knowing God's will for his life. To walk in divine destiny, every believer will need to know just how God has designed him to accomplish that - what gifts, abilities, resources, experiences, personality etc. God has wired him with and invested in him to guarantee his success. Knowing one's spiritual gifts is an important consideration in discovering one's divine purpose (1 Tim. 1:18; 4:14).

To the Glory of GodAs we have seen, God is committed to His glory above all else, and He places the gifts in the body ultimately that He might be glorified through them. As the believers walk in loving obedience, His glory is manifested in them and He in turn is glorified through their obedience. God's glory is a two way street, He is glorified through our loving obedience to Him, and He declares His glory in us by His own prerogative.

Spiritual Maturity and Spiritual GiftsA very important point to note in respect to the giving of spiritual gifts is that it is God who gives them to whomever He wishes. The man who bears a particular gift will not be shown to be particularly spiritually mature, or a super Christian or any such thing merely by having and using those gifts. I Corinthians 13:1-3 makes the point very well.

Let us briefly look at the life of Samson as a case in point (Judges 13-16). Israel was to receive a judge or leader who would begin their deliverance from the Philistines. This man was to be a Nazirite (13:5) and according to the Laws of the Nazirite (Num. 6:1-21) he was not to drink any strong drink, nor eat grapes or raisins; was not to cut his hair; must not go near a dead body, not even that of a relative.

In practically every way, this powerfully gifted man of God broke every Nazirite vow required of him. Probably one of the most painful statements written about anyone in all of the Old Testament is recorded concerning Samson - he did not know that the Lord had left him (Judges 16:20).

The point here is that a man's spiritual gift is not an evidence of spiritual maturity or even spiritual strength. It may be evidence of spiritual life, but by itself, it is never evidence that such a person is living a mature life or a life of spiritual integrity. That is why the gifts have to be exercised in the context of the fruit of the Spirit and with the discipline that comes through the Spirit.

Napoleon Black serves on the pastoral staff of the Maverly Gospel Hall in Kingston, Jamaica.
Excerpt from When He Ascended by Napoleon Black, © 2006.  Used by permission.  No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission of the author.