Spiritual, Natural and Acquired Gifts
People often ask, “Can anyone have spiritual gifts?” What they are really asking is, “can an unbeliever or unconverted person have spiritual gifts?” Before we answer that question we have to be aware that there are different kinds of gifts: natural, acquired, and spiritual. All come from God, but there are differences between them.
What Are the differences between Spiritual, Natural and acquired gifts? Natural Gifts are given by God at conception, there are part of our nature (our makeup, if you will), gifts at birth that are relatively easily developed. Acquired Gifts would come through diligent study or practice, and the blessing of God. Spiritual Gifts are specially given by the Holy Spirit at any time after our conversion. Spiritual gifts are miracles.
Can Spiritual gifts be misused? Spiritual gifts by definition cannot be misused. As the word says they are given for a purpose. We read in 1 Corinthians 12:7,
1 Corinthians 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
Spiritual gifts are given to us so others may profit through us. So, who is the “all” Paul talks about? Paul answers that in Ephesians 4:12. Let us read,
Ephesians 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Those who will profit from the Spiritual gifts are all that are in the church. However, only those in the Spirit get them. We know this based on the story of how the disciples received their spiritual gifts. In Luke 24 Christ explains the scriptures to the disciples. Giving instructions that “repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47). And, further, that He would “send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” Luke24:49. This same advice is repeated in Acts 1: 4 and 5, specifying that the power from on High would be the “Holy Ghost” (Acts 1:5). In verse 8, the disciples are told that the power from on high would be for them to “be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
So the disciples tarried in Jerusalem and “continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren” Acts 1:14. This prayer and supplication lead to confession of Sin and repentance. Their focus turned from themselves to Christ. And, in Acts 2 we find the rest of the story,
Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Acts 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Acts 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
They were in one accord because they were all in Jesus. Those who let the Spirit use them, as the disciples did, allow the Spirit to use the gifts through them. Anyone not doing things according to the Spirit, the Holy Spirit can and probably will take the gift away from them.
Natural and acquired gifts are given to all and they can be misused. Talking about how all gifts[1] that God give us should be surrendered to Him for His use, Sister White says about this the following,
"The special gifts of the Spirit are not the only talents represented in the parable. It includes all gifts and endowments, whether original or acquired, natural or spiritual. All are to be employed in Christ's service. In becoming His disciples, we surrender ourselves to Him with all that we are and have. These gifts He returns to us purified and ennobled, to be used for His glory in blessing our fellow men."—Ellen G. White, Christ's Object Lessons, p. 328.
Only those who yield to the Holy Spirit will give to Christ all that they have and are. In this we see true stewardship. Recognizing that all we are and have is from God and is to be surrendered to Him so that it used to glorify Him and bless others. But, who is willing to surrender all? Those who themselves yield completely to Him. Are you willing to yield completely to Him?
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[1] Sister White’s definition of gifts may be different than mine. It seems that in her quote she uses two different classifications for gifts. One classification would be original or acquired. Original is what you are born with and acquired is what you are not born with. The other classification is natural or spiritual. Natural gifts may refer to the flesh and spiritual gifts, of course, to the Spirit. It is not clear whether these classifications are parallel. If they are, then by acquired gifts she would mean acquired from the Spirit.
Comments to the weekly Sabbath School Quarterly
Friday, January 16, 2009
Friday, January 09, 2009
Positive Difference
In the movie Casablanca
When we are asked a question like our lesson asks, “How can our church make a positive difference in people's lives?” We usually round up the “usual suspect” answers. Some examples are: a. Preach and evangelize more; b. we should have more Bible studies; c. Maybe we should have more community services; d. How about having a branch Sabbath School or small study group; e. Maybe we should have more seminars about health, marital, abstinence; or f. More vegetarian cooking work-shops. But, none of these seem to work so far. The results are typically not good.
However, I believe that before we answer the question we should clarify what we mean by positive. Again, we can 'round up our usual suspect' answers: less poverty, less injustice, more education, less violence, more equality, more tolerance, etc. These are nice things to strive for, however, we have been fighting for those for decades and they still have not achieved them. And, they will not be achieved as long as we live in this world of Sin. Christ says to the disciples, “For ye have the poor always with you" (Matthew 26:11). This means there will always be greed in this world. Now, greed could be defined as the love of money, which is the root of all evil (1Timothy 6:10). As long as there is evil in this world that can not be anything positive unless it comes from God.
What comes from God? Jesus (John 3:16; John5:36), The Holy Spirit (John14:16), His angels, His word, His promises, etc. So, this means that as Christians we believe that any positive difference has to do with God or anything He sent, especially Jesus or the Holy Spirit. So, anything that brings us to our knees in prayer is positive. Anything that brings to trust and depend on God more is positive. For only God is positive.
So, how can our church make a positive difference in people's lives? Doing what Jesus did. What did Jesus do? For starters He prayed. Sometimes He prayed early in the morning (mark 1:35). Sometimes He prayed all night (Luke 6:12). He prayed for Himself and others (John 15 – 17). He even prayed for Peter (Luke 22:32). We can follow Christ example. A favorite author is quoted saying "people can reject your care, people can reject you favors, even your love, but they cannot reject your prayers.' God can do things you cannot do. And, He will do them if we ask Him (Matthew 21:22; Mark 11:24).
Christ loved the people unconditionally. We know that He taught, blessed and healed and even resurrected from the dead. He saw the people and was moved with compassion (Matthew 9: 36; 14:14; 15:32). So, He acted on His compassion. To have an impact in our community, we must also have the compassion that Christ had. This is a compassion that comes from loving others unconditionally. This is only God can give to you and you must accept it. An old cliché says, "People won't care until they know you care ... about them." You say, “This is selfish.” I say, “Yes. And, that’s just it.” They want to know that you are genuinely interested in them, before they will consider listening to you. They want to see that you are “living what you preach.” If Christ was selfish He would not have died for us (Romans 5:8). Christ said to His disciples, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John13:35). Those with unconditional love are willing to die for others.
These two things may not stop crime in your community, but it may bring people to a decision about Christ; which in the end is the real goal.
Friday, January 02, 2009
Sin Also Reached Nature
Sin Also Reached Nature
Did sin affect nature? If so, how has sin altered the nature? To answer this question two passages come to mind. One is found in Genesis 3 (verses 17, 18, 22, and 23). The other is by Sister White from Patriarchs and Prophets (Pages 59 and 60.) Let us read from Genesis 3 first,
Genesis 3: 17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Genesis 3:18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
Genesis 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Genesis 3:23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
Before the fall, man was fed from a garden planted by God Himself. Now man had to work to eat in an environment that is hostile toward him. While in the garden all things were subdued to him, now he must tame it. As the man worked the field, the ground responded with thorns and thistles. According to the author of the lesson, ‘Prior to the Fall, only beautiful or useful plants were found upon the earth. God "never made a thorn, a thistle, or a tare. These are Satan's work, the result of degeneration." Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 186.’
While Adam lived in the garden he could eat of any tree including the tree of life (excluding, of course, the tree of knowledge of good and evil). Now he could eat the fruit of any tree, except the tree of life - God guarded this tree from Adam. Now, instead of the tree of life man is to eat the herb of the field (Genesis 3: 18).
Now let us turn to Sister White in Patriarchs and Prophets,
“Under the curse of sin all nature was to witness to man of the character and results of rebellion against God. When God made man He made him rule over the earth and all living creatures. So long as Adam remained loyal to Heaven, all nature was in subjection to him. But when he rebelled against the divine law, the inferior creatures were in rebellion against his rule. Thus the Lord, in His great mercy, would show men the sacredness of His law, and lead them, by their own experience, to see the danger of setting it aside, even in the slightest degree” (Patriarchs and Prophets 59-60).
We have often seen paintings depicting Christ with children and no longer wild beasts grazing with them and sometimes with what in this world would be their prey. What a contrast. Now man must protect himself from the beasts that once were friendly toward him.
But, nature still had one more lesson for Adam and Eve. In deed, they were not ready for what would happen next. Sister White says that, “As they witnessed in drooping flower and falling leaf the first signs of decay, Adam and his companion mourned more deeply than men now mourn over their dead. The death of the frail, delicate flowers was indeed a cause of sorrow; but when the goodly trees cast off their leaves, the scene brought vividly to mind the stern fact that death is the portion of every living thing” (Patriarchs and Prophets 62).
No wonder Paul says in Romans 8: 22, "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." Sin affected nature also, and is apparently crying out for an end to the problem. Nature cannot do anything about it, but we can. We can accept the salvation that is ours in Christ by grace through faith. In Christ we can look forward to the day when we live forever willingly submitted to Christ, and nature will never die and be submitted and friendly toward us.
Did sin affect nature? If so, how has sin altered the nature? To answer this question two passages come to mind. One is found in Genesis 3 (verses 17, 18, 22, and 23). The other is by Sister White from Patriarchs and Prophets (Pages 59 and 60.) Let us read from Genesis 3 first,
Genesis 3: 17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Genesis 3:18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
Genesis 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Genesis 3:23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
Before the fall, man was fed from a garden planted by God Himself. Now man had to work to eat in an environment that is hostile toward him. While in the garden all things were subdued to him, now he must tame it. As the man worked the field, the ground responded with thorns and thistles. According to the author of the lesson, ‘Prior to the Fall, only beautiful or useful plants were found upon the earth. God "never made a thorn, a thistle, or a tare. These are Satan's work, the result of degeneration." Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 186.’
While Adam lived in the garden he could eat of any tree including the tree of life (excluding, of course, the tree of knowledge of good and evil). Now he could eat the fruit of any tree, except the tree of life - God guarded this tree from Adam. Now, instead of the tree of life man is to eat the herb of the field (Genesis 3: 18).
Now let us turn to Sister White in Patriarchs and Prophets,
“Under the curse of sin all nature was to witness to man of the character and results of rebellion against God. When God made man He made him rule over the earth and all living creatures. So long as Adam remained loyal to Heaven, all nature was in subjection to him. But when he rebelled against the divine law, the inferior creatures were in rebellion against his rule. Thus the Lord, in His great mercy, would show men the sacredness of His law, and lead them, by their own experience, to see the danger of setting it aside, even in the slightest degree” (Patriarchs and Prophets 59-60).
We have often seen paintings depicting Christ with children and no longer wild beasts grazing with them and sometimes with what in this world would be their prey. What a contrast. Now man must protect himself from the beasts that once were friendly toward him.
But, nature still had one more lesson for Adam and Eve. In deed, they were not ready for what would happen next. Sister White says that, “As they witnessed in drooping flower and falling leaf the first signs of decay, Adam and his companion mourned more deeply than men now mourn over their dead. The death of the frail, delicate flowers was indeed a cause of sorrow; but when the goodly trees cast off their leaves, the scene brought vividly to mind the stern fact that death is the portion of every living thing” (Patriarchs and Prophets 62).
No wonder Paul says in Romans 8: 22, "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." Sin affected nature also, and is apparently crying out for an end to the problem. Nature cannot do anything about it, but we can. We can accept the salvation that is ours in Christ by grace through faith. In Christ we can look forward to the day when we live forever willingly submitted to Christ, and nature will never die and be submitted and friendly toward us.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Reward versus Gift
Reward versus Gift
There is a difference between a gift and reward. A gift is something that is bestowed voluntarily and without compensation. A gift is given because the giver feels like giving it whether the recipient deserves it or not. A reward is something given or received in recompense for worthy behavior or in retribution for evil acts. For example, a reward can be Money offered or given for some special service, such as the return of a lost article or the capture of a criminal. In psychology a reward is the return for performance of a desired behavior; positive reinforcement.
Upon reading the below verses we can think that the promises in these verses are rewards. Let us read the verses.
1Cor15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Cor15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Cor15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1Cor15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
Heb9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Heb9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
When God gives us something it is important. God is not trivial. When God gives promises they are important. They are not just things to fantasize about. His promises are not dreams that will never be accomplished. When God promises you should consider it done. This is true of the promises given in the two verses above. However, we are not to confuse promises with rewards. While God’s fulfillment of promises may be conditional, they are not rewards for good performance, but rather gifts of love. If you earn it is not a gift, it is a purchase. Salvation is after all a gift; it is by grace through faith (Romans 5:15-18; 6:23; Ephesians 2:8).
The author of the lesson derives four gifts out of the promises given in the above verses. Summarized they are: first, bodies (and mind) will be transformed, and, will not die again. Second, we will no longer Sin nor suffer its consequences. Thirdly, we will See Jesus eye to eye forever. Lastly, there will be social implications - we will not mistreat or abuse one another.
These are very encouraging gifts to look forward to. But, perhaps with the exception of number three, all are selfish reasons to want to be saved if we see them as rewards. They are part of the main reason to be saved. The main reason to be saved is to be united with the One, “Who loved our souls” so much He’d rather die than to live without us. The main reason to be saved should be that we are so grateful to Him for what He did for us, that we love Him so much we’d rather die than to live without Him. And, even this love is a gift. Are we receiving it?
There is a difference between a gift and reward. A gift is something that is bestowed voluntarily and without compensation. A gift is given because the giver feels like giving it whether the recipient deserves it or not. A reward is something given or received in recompense for worthy behavior or in retribution for evil acts. For example, a reward can be Money offered or given for some special service, such as the return of a lost article or the capture of a criminal. In psychology a reward is the return for performance of a desired behavior; positive reinforcement.
Upon reading the below verses we can think that the promises in these verses are rewards. Let us read the verses.
1Cor15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Cor15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Cor15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1Cor15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
Heb9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Heb9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
When God gives us something it is important. God is not trivial. When God gives promises they are important. They are not just things to fantasize about. His promises are not dreams that will never be accomplished. When God promises you should consider it done. This is true of the promises given in the two verses above. However, we are not to confuse promises with rewards. While God’s fulfillment of promises may be conditional, they are not rewards for good performance, but rather gifts of love. If you earn it is not a gift, it is a purchase. Salvation is after all a gift; it is by grace through faith (Romans 5:15-18; 6:23; Ephesians 2:8).
The author of the lesson derives four gifts out of the promises given in the above verses. Summarized they are: first, bodies (and mind) will be transformed, and, will not die again. Second, we will no longer Sin nor suffer its consequences. Thirdly, we will See Jesus eye to eye forever. Lastly, there will be social implications - we will not mistreat or abuse one another.
These are very encouraging gifts to look forward to. But, perhaps with the exception of number three, all are selfish reasons to want to be saved if we see them as rewards. They are part of the main reason to be saved. The main reason to be saved is to be united with the One, “Who loved our souls” so much He’d rather die than to live without us. The main reason to be saved should be that we are so grateful to Him for what He did for us, that we love Him so much we’d rather die than to live without Him. And, even this love is a gift. Are we receiving it?
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