The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: - Vital Christianity

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Until recent times the Church of Jesus Christ has been so preoccupied with “grace” in the
form of God’s “common grace” to all mankind, and particularly His “saving grace” to all
believers, that she has overlooked this further usage of the word “grace,” which might best be
called “serving grace.”
Although we most often refer to the gifts as “gifts of the Spirit,” it should be noted that in
Romans 12 and I Peter 4 “God the Father” is the author of spiritual gifts and in Ephesians 4 they
are the gifts of the “ascended Lord.” Moreover, in I Corinthians 12:4-6 there is deliberate
reference to all three Persons of the Trinity: “the same God . . . the same Lord . . . the same
Spirit.” Spiritual gifts are the result of the grace of God, of all three Persons of the Godhead,
poured out upon the church.
It is extremely important that whenever the topic of the gifts of the Spirit are discussed that
the emphasis is brought to the fruit of the Spirit. When the gifts are studied and used in the
context of the fruit of the Spirit, balance occurs. Fruit has to do with character—who we are, our
spiritual condition—whereas gifts has to do with ministry, our effectiveness in service. The fruit
of the Spirit must be central since who we are always is more important that what we “have”
or “do.”
THE FRUIT—BELIEVERS RELATION TO THE SPIRIT: Love, Joy, and Peace
LOVE–Wanting the best for others and willing to help to bring it about.
Paul in speaking of the fruit of the Spirit begins with love which really captures the rest of the
fruit. Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are
different manifestations of love. This is clearly seen in Paul’s description of love in I Corinthians
13 (as illustrated on page 23). John Wesley put it: “Love is the root of all the rest.”
It is also appropriate that Paul lists love first since “God is love” (I Jn. 4:8,16) and, therefore,
the greatest of all virtues is love (I Cor. 13:13). The word love (agape) that Paul uses here is
descriptive of that love for God and man described by The Great Commandment (Lev. 19:18;
Gal. 5:14; Mt. 7:12; Mk. 12:31). The entire law (the Law and the Prophets) is summed up by love
for God and neighbor.
John tells us how we can experience this fruit of love: abiding and obeying (Jn. 15:9-10, 12).
At the basis of love is self-sacrifice. The ultimate expression of that love is laying down one’s life
for someone else (Jn. 15:13; Rom. 5:6-8).