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Uses and Abuses of Spiritual Gifts
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- I. Spiritual Gifts
- The Church occupies a special place in the cosmic hierarchy, "in Christ"
- All Christian life is Spirit-given (1 Cor. 12:3)
- Spiritual gifts serve charity, build up the body of Christ (1 Cor. 10:23-24, 12:4-7)
- All are gifted, gifts order the entire Christian life (Rom. 12)
- Cessationism: Some gifts apply only in specific contexts (1 Cor. 14:22)
- Pentecostalism: Gifts come as they did at Pentecost (Acts 11:15, Heb. 13:8)
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- II. The Practice of Tongues
- Xenolalia: Proclaiming God's mighty works in foreign (unlearned?) tongues (Acts 2:4)
- This begins with the "baptism in the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1:5)
- The point of the gift is evangelism, inculturation, inclusion (Acts 1:8)
- Glossolalia: Ecstatic prophecy in "the tongues of angels" (1 Cor. 12:28, 13:1, 14:1-33)
- This begins with incorporation into Christ (1 Cor. 12:3-6)
- The point of the gift is the common good, inclusion (1 Cor. 12:7, 14:12)
- Issues:
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- How are these two practices related?
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- How do tongues compare with other spiritual gifts? (1 Cor. 14)
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- Are these gifts for everyone?
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- What constitutes abuse? ("simony," Acts 8:18-24; confusion, 1 Cor. 11:29)
- Bottom line: Authentic spiritual gifts bear the fruit of Christ's work (Gal. 5)
