The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity in Christian theology. He is understood as the presence of God on earth and the power of God at work in the lives of believers. The Holy Spirit plays an essential role in empowering and guiding Christians in living the Christian life.
One key way the Holy Spirit works is through imparting spiritual gifts. These are special abilities given by the Holy Spirit to believers for the purpose of building up the church and spreading the gospel. According to 1 Corinthians 12, there are 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit:
- Word of Wisdom
- Word of Knowledge
- Faith
- Gifts of Healing
- Miraculous Powers
- Prophecy
- Discernment of Spirits
- Different Kinds of Tongues
- Interpretation of Tongues
Understanding these 9 gifts provides insight into how the Holy Spirit equips Christians for ministry and service. This article will provide a brief overview of each gift, its purpose and examples of how it has functioned in the Bible and church history.
1. Word of Wisdom
The word of wisdom is a supernatural revelation of the Holy Spirit that gives insight into how knowledge should be applied in specific situations. It applies divine wisdom to a particular need in life.
This gift provides believers with divinely given wisdom on how to practically apply truth to life’s circumstances. It offers guidance for God-honoring solutions to difficult problems and dilemmas.
Examples in Scripture include Solomon asking for and receiving wisdom from God to rule Israel (1 Kings 3:5-12) and Paul receiving wisdom from the Spirit regarding taking an alternate route on his missionary journey (Acts 16:6-10). Throughout church history, many respected leaders were said to exhibit unusual wisdom by the grace of the Holy Spirit.
2. Word of Knowledge
The word of knowledge is a revelation of facts and information by the Holy Spirit. This gift provides believers with knowledge of people, circumstances or situations that could not be known through natural insight or wisdom.
This gift offers supernatural knowledge and facts from the mind of God that believers would have no other way of knowing. It provides divine insight into people, events and situations that goes beyond normal understanding.
In the Bible, Jesus demonstrates this gift in encounters like telling the Samaritan woman details of her marital history (John 4:16-19) and Peter knowing the exact amount of taxes owed by a fish he catches (Matthew 17:24-27). In church history, many respected Christian leaders exhibited unusual knowledge of facts and situations that could only come from the Holy Spirit.
3. Faith
The gift of faith is an extraordinary trust and confidence in God that empowers believers to go beyond the regular exercise of faith. It is exhibited by radical and unwavering dependence on God to fulfill His promises.
This gift enables Christians to trust God in difficult circumstances, acutely believe in His power and stand upon His promises with unusual confidence. It sustains them in trials and motivates boldness in taking steps of faith.
In Hebrews 11, many biblical heroes like Abraham, Moses and David demonstrated radical faith in God against all odds and human logic. In church history, many respected Christian reformers and revivalists exhibited profound faith in God’s faithfulness, even amidst fierce opposition and persecution.
4. Gifts of Healing
The gifts of healing are supernatural abilities given by the Holy Spirit to heal sickness and restore health apart from human aid. This gift enables believers to channel God’s healing power, either through prayer or by physical touch, restoring health and wholeness.
This gift provides believers with the means to miraculously bring physical, emotional or spiritual restoration. It offers divine help and hope, bringing relief when natural options are unavailable or inadequate.
In the Bible, Jesus and the apostles frequently healed the sick, lame and demon-possessed as evidence of God’s power working through them. In church history, many respected Christian leaders like Augustine, Patrick and John Wesley reported occasions when God worked healing miracles in answer to their prayers.
5. Miraculous Powers
The gift of miraculous powers is being able to perform signs and wonders through the power of the Holy Spirit, such as displaying control over nature. This gift enables believers to alter the ordinary course of nature and supernaturally intervene in impossible situations.
This gift allows believers to channel the power of God in extraordinary demonstrations that visibly confirm God’s presence and divine authority. These signs point people to belief in Christ by displaying His power actively at work in the world and in the church.
In Scripture, Moses performed miraculous powers like turning the Nile into blood (Exodus 7:14-25), Joshua making the sun stand still (Joshua 10:12-14) and Peter raising Tabitha from the dead (Acts 9:36-42). In church history, respected leaders like Augustine and Francis of Assisi reportedly exercised miraculous gifts on occasion based on the records of their contemporaries.
6. Prophecy
The gift of prophecy is being able to receive and proclaim a direct revelation or prediction from God before it comes to pass. This gift enables believers to boldly speak forth the purposes of God with clarity and power.
This gift empowers believers to accurately foretell future events or declare God’s plan and purposes. It offers perspective into God’s will and ways, providing divine guidance and revelation to believers.
Biblical examples include Ezekiel prophesying the rebirth of Israel, Agabus predicting a severe famine (Acts 11:27-30) and John recording the book of Revelation. In church history, respected leaders like John Knox and Charles Spurgeon exercised prophetic preaching under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
7. Discernment of Spirits
The gift of discerning spirits is the supernatural ability given by the Holy Spirit to distinguish between falsehood and truth, good and evil. This gift empowers believers to detect the true spiritual forces at work in situations, through supernatural insight and awareness.
This gift provides believers with spiritual vision and insight to clearly recognize influences of the demonic, human or divine in people, situations and teaching. It offers perspective into the unseen spiritual realities influencing visible actions and circumstances.
Biblical examples include Peter exposing the deception and true motives of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 and Paul exposing the fortune-telling spirit in the slave girl in Acts 16. In church history, respected leaders like Athanasius helped the church identify heresy through gifts of spiritual discernment.
8. Different Kinds of Tongues
The gift of tongues is being able to speak, worship or pray in a language unknown to the speaker through the enabling of the Holy Spirit. This gift enables believers to communicate with God beyond the limits of their own natural ability and understanding.
This gift empowers believers to speak in a Spirit-given language that they have never learned, often used in prayer and praise as expression of the Spirit’s work. It offers a way to communicate with God that transcends language limitations and attunes hearts to divine realities.
Biblical examples include tongues at Pentecost (Acts 2), Gentile tongues at Cornelius’ house (Acts 10:44-46) and guidelines for orderly use of tongues in church gatherings (1 Corinthians 14:13-28). Throughout church history, respected leaders like John Chrysostom valued tongues and supported their practice under the influence of the Spirit.
9. Interpretation of Tongues
The gift of interpretation of tongues is the supernatural ability given by the Holy Spirit to translate an unknown tongue into the native language of the listeners. This gift enables believers to understand and communicate the meaning of tongues spoken in gathered worship.
This gift empowers believers to interpret the meaning of glossolalic tongues and communicate the interpretation to others. It offers the ability to translate the Spirit-given expression in tongues into intelligible language in order to build up the church.
Biblical examples include guidelines for orderly use of interpretation in conjunction with tongues during gathered worship (1 Corinthians 14:5, 13, 27-28). Respected church fathers like Augustine spoke favorably of interpretation of tongues as a valid spiritual gift when exercised properly.
Conclusion
In summary, the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit provide supernatural empowerment and divine capabilities to believers. Operating these gifts in faith and humility plays a vital role in carrying out God’s mission in the world.
Throughout church history, these special gifts served to empower, guide and sustain the church amidst the challenges of persecution, heresy and expanding gospel witness. The Holy Spirit continues to impart these gifts today, evidence that God’s power actively works in and through believers to accomplish His purposes on earth.
Understanding the 9 gifts provides insight into how the Holy Spirit empowers Christians to carry out their callings in the body of Christ. Believers should prayerfully seek these gifts while focusing on exercising them in love and unity for the ultimate aim of glorifying God and building up the church.