By Christopher Reese
One of the most exciting things about being born again as a follower of Christ is learning what your spiritual gift(s) is, and then putting it or them to use.
In this article, we’ll explore what spiritual gifts are, the various kinds of gifts, and how you can discover yours. Next, we’ll look at a key biblical passage on the topic of spiritual gifts, 1 Peter 4:10-11, and uncover two important principles for how we can use them. Finally, we’ll conclude with a contemplation exercise that will help us think deeply about this passage.
What Are Spiritual Gifts?
Bible scholars define a spiritual gift as “a graciously given supernaturally designed ability granted to every believer by which the Holy Spirit ministers to the body of Christ. A spiritual gift cannot be earned, pursued, or worked up. It’s merely ‘received’ through the grace of God.”
To highlight a couple of important points from this definition, Scripture tells us that every Christian believer has at least one spiritual gift, which is given according to God’s will. The apostle Paul declared, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. . . . [The Spirit] distributes them to each one, just as he determines” (1 Corinthians 12:7, 11).
What Is the Purpose of Spiritual Gifts?
As Paul also writes here, these gifts are given “for the common good” of God’s people. Elsewhere, he elaborates that the purpose of the gifts is “to equip [God’s] people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 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” (Ephesians 4:12-13).
Thus, the purpose of spiritual gifts is to help God’s people become more like Christ in all that they think, say, and do.
[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, Scripture Engagement is Healthy for You]
What Kinds of Spiritual Gifts Are There?
Several passages in the New Testament list various spiritual gifts, and none of the lists are identical (Romans 12:6–8; 1 Corinthians 12:8–10; 12:27–31; Ephesians 4:11; 1 Peter 4:9–11). This suggests that none of the lists is comprehensive, and that there are likely many other spiritual gifts not explicitly named. Some that are specifically mentioned include service, teaching, encouragement, mercy, helping, guidance, evangelism, and generosity.
How Can I Discover My Spiritual Gifts?
It’s not always immediately obvious which spiritual gift(s) we’ve been given. In addition, God may use a talent that you possessed before being born again, or may give you a brand-new gift that you never had before. Pastor and author Max Lucado offers the following helpful advice for discovering your gift:
What ignites your heart? Forgotten orphans? Untouched nations? The inner city? The outer limits?
Heed the fire within!
Do you have a passion to sing? Then sing!
Are you stirred to manage? Then manage!
Do you ache for the ill? Then treat them!
Do you hurt for the lost? Then teach them!
The fire of your heart is the light of your path. Disregard it at your own expense. Fan it at your own delight. Blow it. Stir it. Nourish it. . .
You have been given spiritual gifts. Have you identified them? If not, consider taking a spiritual inventory test (your local church can help you). Or ask friends and family to help you discover and use your gifts. Then pray about ways you can use your gifts to build up the body of believers and share the good news of salvation.
[See the Scripture Engagement section on Bible Gateway]
Three Principles for Using Your Spiritual Gifts
Besides knowing what our spiritual gift(s) is, it’s also important to know how to use it. Below, we’ll look at 1 Peter 4:10-11, where Peter suggests two practical principles for using our spiritual gifts:
“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.”
The first principle, which we’ve already alluded to, is that we should use our gifts “to serve others” (v. 10). In his discussion of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians, Paul compares individual Christians to the parts of a human body (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). Each part of our physical body plays its own significant role, which contributes to the flourishing of our whole being. In the same way, each of our spiritual gifts contributes to the flourishing of the body of Christ. When we use our gifts to minister to one another, we will be “faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10).
The second principle is that we should exercise our gifts so that “in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ” (v. 11). Said differently, we should use our gifts in ways that glorify God. As the Expositor’s Bible Commentary helpfully observes, “Serving fellow Christians does glorify God because people will praise him for his grace that comes to them through Jesus and through his followers.” It can be tempting to become prideful about our gifts and use them to elevate our own status. But as one scholar warns,
Anyone who performs any kind of service should do it with the humble recognition that it is God who empowers him. Then the glory will go to God—to whom it belongs. A man should not become proud no matter how highly gifted he is in Christian service. The gift did not originate by his own effort, but was given to him from above. In fact, he has nothing which he did not receive. All service should be performed so that God gets the credit.
Engaging with 1 Peter 4:10-11
A fitting way to conclude our brief study of spiritual gifts is to end with the Contemplation exercise of these verses found in The Abide Bible.* This is one of several methods of engaging more deeply with Scripture presented in this volume. Contemplation consists of four parts
- read
- meditate
- pray
- contemplate.
By working through each part, you’ll immerse yourself in this passage and find that you have a deeper understanding of it and how you can apply it to your own life and circumstances.
Read. Ask God to speak to you through his Word. Then read the passage a few times.
Meditate. How can you connect your life and gifts to the work of the kingdom of God? Do you seek opportunities to show love through using your gifts for the glory of God? What needs in your church or community are currently unfulfilled?
Pray. Ask God to reveal ways you may follow the exhortations in these verses more closely. Turn anything the Spirit revealed to you into a prayer and request God to guide your growth.
Contemplate. Rest in the assurance that God himself works to fulfill his purposes through your gifts as you minister to others through them.
BIO: Christopher Reese (MDiv, ThM) (@clreese) is a freelance writer and editor-in-chief of The Worldview Bulletin. He is a general editor of the Dictionary of Christianity and Science (Zondervan, 2017) and Three Views on Christianity and Science (Zondervan, 2021). His articles have appeared in Christianity Today and he writes and edits for Christian ministries and publishers.
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