BIBLE: Impartation of Spiritual Gifts

[John Henry]

The Impartation Of Spiritual Gifts
By John Henry

I am a landmark Baptist.  I believe that Christ established His Church during His earthly ministry. The apostles were the first members (1 Cor 12:28; Luke 6:13-16), and their church established other churches, and those churches did likewise on to this very day.  There has never been a time since then that there was not a Biblically based church on the earth to carry out God's work (Matt 28:20;  Eph 3:20-21).  Jesus received baptized believers from John the Baptist (John 1:33-37; Acts 1:20-23), these in turn baptized others (John 3:22, 4:1-2), He sent them out soul winning (Matt 10:5-6; Luke 10:1-2),  He established church discipline (Matt 18:15-20), He established the Lord's Supper (Luke 22:15-20), He gave it authority (John 20:19-23),  and He gave it the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20).  The Church was established before the Lord ascended back to Heaven!  However, it still lacked one thing:  POWER.

1 Corinthians 12:13 must be interpreted in the light of the whole tenor of the New Testament's teaching on the subject.  The Lord's last personal appearance to His Church is recorded in Acts 1.   During this last meeting He "...commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.  For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence....But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:4-5, 8) 

The Lord Jesus is talking about the same baptism that John the Baptist referred to when he said,  "...I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost." (John 1:33) 

The Lord cried out on the last day of one great feast "...saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)" (John 7:37-39)

Here the Bible is not speaking as much about salvation as it is about the power that Jesus began to impart on the day of Pentecost.  On that day the Lord Jesus Christ began baptizing saved believers with the Holy Ghost.  It is the Holy Ghost who imparts power to believers through spiritual gifts for the purpose of edifying the local church.

Many spiritual gifts such as all the sign gifts (i.e. tongues, healing, etc.) and the revelation gifts (i.e. the word of knowledge and prophecy) ceased with the completion of the Bible at the death of the last apostle, John (1 Cor 13:8-12; Rev 22:18). 

However, there are several supernatural service gifts (broken down into two categories: speaking and ministering) still in operation (Rom 12:6-8)  There is nothing in the Bible to indicate that these gifts ceased.  But instead the Bible says, "As EVERY MAN hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Pet 4:10-11)  

Today these gifts are received when Christ baptizes the believer when he gets saved (Acts 1:5, 2:1-4, 11:15-17).  Just as in 1 Peter 4:10, the context of 1 Corinthians 12 demands that this impartation of spiritual gifts is to "every man" (1 Cor 12:7, 11), that is every saved person.

Spiritual gifts are for the purpose of edifying (building up in number and strength) the local church.  However, this does not mean that only Baptists receive them.  Such a teaching would lead to the heresy of Baptist Brideism. All saved folks are saved the Baptist way (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Eph 2:8; Titus 3:5), but many believers are disobedient and do not become Baptists.  All will be judged for the way they used or did not use their spiritual gifts (1 Cor 3:11-15; 2 Cor 5:9).

There is some confusion among Baptist as to what the "body of Christ" is.  In the Bible it may refer to:

1. The physical body of Jesus (1 Cor 10:16; Rom 7:4; Heb 10:10)

2.  Local churches (1 Cor 12:27;  Eph 4:12)

3.  The Church in prospect, the future Church at the Rapture.

Let me zero in on this last one:  This is the future Church that will be assembled at the Rapture (Eph 1:19-23, 5:25-32).  All saved folks of this Age of Grace "...are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones." (Eph 5:30; cf. Col 1:18-22)   At this time it has no work to do, but is already spiritually seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." (Eph 2:4-7)  

Even though the Rapture of all the saved of this Age cannot be technically termed as the Rapture of the Church, when they all are assembled they will be the Church, the Bride and body of Christ.

Without a dispensational understanding of the Bible this may seem confusing, but when we understand that the Old Testament saints are not members of the Bride and body it becomes clear. John the Baptist handed off the baton of Salvation in Christ to the Church. He was the last of the Old Testament prophets and was not of the Bride (John 3:29).  The Old Testament and Tribulation saints will not be resurrected until after the Tribulation (Heb 11; Note verses 39-40) 

In Revelation 1:19 we learn the outline of that Book. It says, "Write the things which thou hast seen [Chapter 1:  John's vision of Christ], and the things which are [Chapter 2 and 3:  the Church Age], and the things which shall be hereafter [Chapter 4-22: The Rapture, Tribulation, Millennium, and Eternity]."  Chapters 2 and 3 are 7 letters to 7 literal New Testament churches, but they also stand for this Age of Grace.  The Tribulation is a resumption of the Old Testament Dispensation of Law, the last week of Daniel's 70 weeks (Dan 9:24-27).  All the saved of this Age of Grace will assemble at the trumpet call of Revelation 4:1.  Then all born again folks, regardless of denomination will "...receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" at the Judgment Seat of Christ.  Seven years later it will be said:  "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints." (Rev 19:7-8)  Then the Old Testament and Tribulation saints will be raised for "the marriage of the Lamb."

1 Corinthians 12:13 says, "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit."

The interpretation of the verse is this: All believers of this dispensation are baptized by Pastor Jesus "with" or "by" (same word in Greek) the Holy Ghost, and at the same time filled with the Spirit.

The Baptism is a one time event.  The filling is repetitive.  We are commanded to "be filled with the Spirit" (Eph 5:18). The new birth, the baptism, the filling are not the same, but occur simultaneously.

The "one baptism" of Ephesians 4:5 is neither Spirit, nor water baptism.  It was the Lord's baptism of suffering in our stead when He took our sins upon Himself (Luke 12:50;  Matt 12:39, 20:22, 27:46; Jonah 1:17 - 2:6; Psalm 16:10, 22:1; Acts 2:31;  Micah 7:19;  Isa 53:6, 9, 12).  Without that baptism Spirit baptism would not have been possible, and water baptism would have been meaningless. 

The Lord's baptism imparts spiritual power to all who receive Him as Saviour.  This power is indispensable.  The Lord said:

"And, behold, I 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." (Luke 24:49)

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

Again, it is a gift of supernatural power given to "every man", that is every saved person, for the work of the ministry. 

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." (Acts 2:38-39)

Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:4 and their context clearly define what the "promise" is referred to.  It is the Holy Ghost and His power that a believer receives when Pastor Jesus baptized him from on high.  This gift enables the believer to witness and help carry out the work of the Church through giving, prayer, preaching, leading, teaching, etc. 

Everyone gets at least three gifts to use:

1. Faith  (I Corinthians 12:9).  This is not saving faith (Ephesians 2:8), and it is not the measure of faith that God hath delt to every man (Romans 12:3); but it is a special faith to believe for,  and pray for great things from God (Mark 11:20-24) including healing (James 5:15-18).

2. Giving  (Romans 12;8;  II Corinthians 8:1-7)   This is the Spirit given ability to trust God for finances to be given for the work of the ministry over and above the tithe.   Every Christian has this spiritual gift  (II Corinthians 9:7-13).

3. Showing mercy (Romans 12:8)  This is the spiritual gift of soul winning that all believers get (I John 5:9-12; Matthew  4:19,  5:7, 13-16,  28:18-19;  John 15:26-27;  Acts 1:8).  It consists of having pity and compassion of the lost,  and expressing it by praying for,  and telling them of salvation from Hell which only the risen Son of God,  the Lord Jesus Christ,  can provide  (Matthew 9:36-39;  Jude 22-23; I Peter 3:15-16;  Proverbs 11:30;  Daniel 12:3;  Luke 6;32-36; Philippians 2:1-2,  15-16;  Colossians 4:5-6;  John 14:6,  15:26-27, 20:20-23; Acts 1:8,  4:12).  

Every believer since the Day of Pentecost has received spiritual gifts to use to build up the membership and strength [edify] the Church (I Corinthians 14:12;  Ephesians 4:7-8, 11-12). 

The Bible says that "the gifts and calling of God are without repentance" (Romans 11:29;  James 1:17).   "Neglect not the gift that is in thee" (I Timothy 4:14),  and "stir up the gift of God which is in thee" (II Timothy 1:6).  "As every man hath received the gift,  even so minister the same one to another,  as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (I Peter 4:10).  We are to be  "zealous of spiritual gifts", "desire spiritual gifts",  and  "covet earnestly the best gifts"  (I Corinthians 12:31,  14:1, 12). 

God gave them to us for a reason.  Let's use our spiritual gifts for Him.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BBFI-Open/message/1828