SPIRITUAL GIFTS (rarvemearexcl suppl. xa picrAara), a phrase used to denote those endow ments which were conferred on persons in the primitive church, and which were manifested in acts and utterances of a supernatural kind.
The phrase is talcen from Cor. xii. 1, where the words rept mit, zrpeimartav are rendered in the A. V. concerning spiritual gifts.' The accu racy of this rendering is generally admitted ; for though some would take rpety.tarodov as masculine, and understand it, as in xiv. 37, of persons spiritu ally endowed, the tenor of the entire passage shows that it is of the gifts themselves and not of the parties endowed with them that the apostle speaks in this chapter (comp. xiv. 1).
It is from the apostle's statements in this chapter that our information concerning the spiritual gifts of the primitive church is chiefly drawn.
1. The first thing to be noted is what may be called the fundamental condition and test of these gifts. This is the acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as Lord. I give you to understand,' says the apostle, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed, and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost' (ver. 3). The denunciation of Jesus as an impostor, whether that came forth in the shape of an imprecation (garco civciOei.ca) or in the shape of an assertion (go-rev dvdOeiza), having reference to his having died as one accursed (comp. Gal. iii. x3), proved sufficiently that the party utter ing it was not under the influence of the Spirit ; whilst on the other hand the recognition of Jesus as the Lord—i.e. the admission of his Messianic claims and the submission to his supreme authority —formed the antithesis to this, and was a proof that the party was under the power of the Holy Ghost. The primary condition, then, of the possession of spiritual gifts was sincere adherence to Jesus as the Messiah. Apart from this there might be the arts of the magician or soothsayer, but no effects pro duced by the Spirit of God.
2. The source of these spiritual gifts was God's grace, and the agent by whom they were produced was the Holy Ghost. They were xaphr,uara or grace-gifts ; and the apostle expressly says that amid diversity of gifts it is one and the same Spirit by whom they are bestowed, and amid diversity of services it is one and the same Lord by whom they are appointed, and amid diversity of operations it is one God who energises all in all (ver. 4-6).
3. When the apostle speaks here of xaplauara, ButetovIae, and evecryiy/ara, the inquiry is suggested how these three expressions are to be taken.
Are they intended to mark off three distinct classes of spiritual gifts ? or do they describe the same objects under different aspects ? or is the first the generic class under which the other two are sub sumed as species ? Each of these views has found advocates. The Greek fathers generally regard these as simply different names for the same ob ject (comp. Chrysostom in loc.), but most recent writers regard them as relating to distinct classes. (For different classifications on this principle, see Aquinas, Summa Theol. 2, qu. 17x ; Estius on Cor. xii. ; Olshausen on do., etc.) The objection to all the arrangements on this prin ciple is, that they are all more or less arbi trary, so that what is placed by one under one head is with equal plausibility placed by another under another. The opinion that Charismez is the genus of which Diakoniai and Energemata are species, is open to the objection that to make diakoniai a kind of charisma is somewhat forced, and besides it does not accord with the parallelised structure of the apostle's statement, which plainly makes these three objects collateral with each other. The opinion which has most in its favour is that we have here only one object presented under different aspects. On this principle the three classes may be arranged thus :—These endowments of the primitive church are—x. Gifts of divine grace, as the principle of the new life which with its mani fold capabilities is communicated by the indwelling Spirit of God ; 2. Ministries, as means by which one member serves for the benefit of others ; ancl 3. Operations, effects by which the charismata mani fest their active power. This seems a highly pro bable explanation .of the apostle's words ; nor do we see the harshness in it of which Kling, from whom we have taken it, complains.
4. Side by side with this parallel arrangement of the gifts, the apostle places in another series of parallels the agency by which each of these is pro duced and sustained. The two series may be ta bulated thus :—