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NASB | 1 Corinthians 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Corinthians 12:1 Now about the spiritual gifts [the special endowments given by the Holy Spirit], brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. |
Subject: Am I ignorant |
Bible Note: Greetings John! You are always welcome to jump in my friend! :-) Allow me to make a couple of points in response. 1) First of all, no one has discussed anything about faith healers or false teachers. The question being discussed is what the Bible says about Spiritual gifts. Nothing I believe about Spiritual gifts has come from any false teacher. It is based only on what Scripture has to say about them. 2) You claim that God does not give these gifts to people today like He did in the early Church. Which verse in the Bible says that? Now, I want an actual Scripture reference, not an argument from silence. :-) Of course, I already know that there is no such verse. Unfortunately, because of false teachings and abuses over the years, we have lost out on the 'gifts of grace' that the Holy Spirit distributes as He wills. We get so hung up on tongues that we forget that the 'gifts' of God are limitless. There certainly are abuses and false teachings about spiritual gifts that need to be addressed. However, we have thrown the baby out with the bathwater and simply made the pronouncement, without Scriptural support, that the gifts are no longer for today. Are faith, giving, service, teaching, encouragement, and leadership no longer for today? Yet, Rom. 12 lists them as 'charismata' or 'spiritual gifts'. All of the spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit to enable us to administer God's grace (1 Peter 4:10). All of them have their proper place in the life of the church. Even when the gift of tongues was being misused by the Corinthians, Paul said "forbid not speaking in tongues" (1 Cor. 14:39). Even it had its proper role in the life of the church. Now, on the basis on an unsupported claim that spiritual gifts are no longer given, we are implying that those who believe that they are still available do not believe in the authority of Scripture. Scripture lists many gifts. Scripture provides rules for their proper use. Scripture never once says that they were only for the 1st century or that they have been done away with. If you can show me otherwise, I would be happy to listen. Otherwise, I'll stick with what Scripture actually says. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |