Determining the nature of a spiritual gift is a very practical matter. It helps us determine what to look for so that we can identify the gift. If two people disagree on the nature of a gift, then they will not identify that particular gift in the same people and the process of learning more about the gift will be curtailed. There are really only two natures a gift can have. One is a manifestation that passes through us; the other is an ability that we possess. Intermediate positions have been attempted but are difficult to defend[1].
There is a very rough correlation of the manifestation view with the charismatic movement, and of the ability view with non-charismatics, or conservatives, but there are very few authorities in either camp who believe that all of the gifts belong to one category or the other; most assign (at least implicitly) some gifts to the manifestation category and some to the ability category, and both groups now are so diversified that there is often more overlap than difference between charismatic and conservative authors, with many in both groups agreeing in substance and only disagreeing in area of focus.
The decision of how to group gifts according to category generally falls into four patterns. The following chart represents the continuum of opinion from "all gifts are manifestations" to "all gifts are permanent abilities" with the two intermediate positions in the middle.
All gifts are temporary manifestations
•Charismatic: The most quoted source for this position is James D. G. Dunn[2] from the charismatic position. He believed that none of the gifts are possessed by believers and that all of the gifts are expressed as events in time. Gifts cannot be used but only manifested as the Holy Spirit chooses. This would appear to be the default position of some early charismatic authors, but few explicitly applied the category to the gifts of Romans 12 and Ephesians 4[3].
•Conservative: While this is an uncommon position for conservatives, it can be found in the work of cessationist[4] Richard Gaffin:
Three-List view
The three-list view defines each of the three major gift lists as containing completely different types of gifts. The list in I Corinthians is of manifestation gifts, the Romans list of ability gifts, and the Ephesians list contains office gifts. This position has enough evidence for it that it should not be quickly dismissed, but the pros and cons will be examined in more detail in the next section. It is held by many in the charismatic community and by a few conservatives.
•Charismatic: For the charismatic David Ireland, the focus of his book Activating the Gifts of the Holy Spirit is on the nine gifts of I Corinthians 12:8-10, while the “motivational gifts” of Romans 12 and the “ministry gifts” of Ephesians 4 get only a brief mention.
•Conservative: From the conservative side, Charles Stanley’s Ministering through Spiritual Gifts, and Don and Katie Fortune’s Your God Given Gifts both focus almost entirely on the seven gifts of Romans 12, while only mentioning that the gifts of I Corinthians and Ephesians belong to other categories. One author who treats the 3-category position in a more even-handed manner, giving appropriate space to each category, is Harley Schmitt[6].
Most Gifts are Abilities
This position is not as easily defined as the others, and is seldom if ever stated as a position. It must be inferred from an author’s various descriptions and can be found among charismatics and conservatives. Typically, the obvious supernatural gifts such as healing and miracles are defined as manifestations, and most of the other gifts as abilities. A few gifts such as wisdom, faith, and discernment can fall into either category depending on the author.
All gifts are abilities
•Charismatic: Wagner takes this view from the charismatic side, believing that all of the gifts still exist as “lifetime possessions[7].”
•Conservative: MacArthur takes the conservative position that even the four miraculous gifts were abilities used “at will[8]” but no longer remain.
References
[1] David Lim identifies a continuum of four positions, favoring the view that “God makes full use of the vessel—his mind, thoughts, background, and current situation. The vessel himself is part of that message, thus his life and way of sharing the gifts are vital parts of what builds up others.” Spiritual Gifts: A Fresh Look (Springfield: Gospel Publishing House, 1991), 50. This is an insightful attempt at a moderate view, but it is difficult to maintain. Any positions other than “gifts equal abilities” turn out to be variations on the “gifts equal manifestations” theme. The believer’s attributes are not necessary for the gift to occur, but the manifestation is. From this perspective, the manifestation is always the defining aspect of the gift and any contribution from the believer is supplemental. See also, a similar argument by Charles Hummel, who believes that while some gifts make use of natural ability and others do not, none are “personal possessions.” Fire in the Fireplace (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1993), 88-91.
[2] James Dunn, Jesus and the Spirit (London: SCM Press, 1975), p. 209, 221. Dunn’s works carry considerable weight among scholars, especially in the charismatic community, but this particular position is routinely refuted, e.g. D. A. Carson, Showing the Spirit (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1987), 21-22; Max Turner, The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Gifts (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), 262-275. Turner attributes the source of this position to F. Grau, ‘Der Neutestamentliche Begriff “Χάρισμα”’ (Tübingen: unpublished PhD dissertation, 1946).
[3] In 1970, Frederick D. Bruner could write, “The gifts listed, for example, in Eph. 4:7-11 and Rom. 12:6-8 receive, it would be fair to say, little attention in Pentecostal literature.” A Theology of the Holy Spirit: The Pentecostal Experience and the New Testament Witness (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1970), 131. See also Kinghorn, 18.
[4] Total cessationists are rare. The term is virtually always a reference to someone’s position on the more spectacular gifts.
[5] Richard Gaffin, Perspectives on Pentecost (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1979), 53-54. Gaffin represents the cessationist position in the debate book Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?
[6] Harley Schmitt, Many Gifts One Lord (Fairfax, VA: Xulon Press, 2002).
[7] C. Peter Wagner, Discover Your Spiritual Gifts (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 2002), 33.
[8] John MacArthur, Jr., Charismatic Chaos (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992), 263.
There is a very rough correlation of the manifestation view with the charismatic movement, and of the ability view with non-charismatics, or conservatives, but there are very few authorities in either camp who believe that all of the gifts belong to one category or the other; most assign (at least implicitly) some gifts to the manifestation category and some to the ability category, and both groups now are so diversified that there is often more overlap than difference between charismatic and conservative authors, with many in both groups agreeing in substance and only disagreeing in area of focus.
The decision of how to group gifts according to category generally falls into four patterns. The following chart represents the continuum of opinion from "all gifts are manifestations" to "all gifts are permanent abilities" with the two intermediate positions in the middle.
Four positions on the nature of gifts
All gifts are temporary manifestations
•Charismatic: The most quoted source for this position is James D. G. Dunn[2] from the charismatic position. He believed that none of the gifts are possessed by believers and that all of the gifts are expressed as events in time. Gifts cannot be used but only manifested as the Holy Spirit chooses. This would appear to be the default position of some early charismatic authors, but few explicitly applied the category to the gifts of Romans 12 and Ephesians 4[3].
•Conservative: While this is an uncommon position for conservatives, it can be found in the work of cessationist[4] Richard Gaffin:
Probably the most important and certainly the most difficult lesson for us to learn is that ultimately spiritual gifts are not our presumed strengths and abilities, not something that we “have” (or even have been given), but what God does through us in spite of ourselves and our weakness.[5]
Three-List view
The three-list view defines each of the three major gift lists as containing completely different types of gifts. The list in I Corinthians is of manifestation gifts, the Romans list of ability gifts, and the Ephesians list contains office gifts. This position has enough evidence for it that it should not be quickly dismissed, but the pros and cons will be examined in more detail in the next section. It is held by many in the charismatic community and by a few conservatives.
•Charismatic: For the charismatic David Ireland, the focus of his book Activating the Gifts of the Holy Spirit is on the nine gifts of I Corinthians 12:8-10, while the “motivational gifts” of Romans 12 and the “ministry gifts” of Ephesians 4 get only a brief mention.
•Conservative: From the conservative side, Charles Stanley’s Ministering through Spiritual Gifts, and Don and Katie Fortune’s Your God Given Gifts both focus almost entirely on the seven gifts of Romans 12, while only mentioning that the gifts of I Corinthians and Ephesians belong to other categories. One author who treats the 3-category position in a more even-handed manner, giving appropriate space to each category, is Harley Schmitt[6].
Most Gifts are Abilities
This position is not as easily defined as the others, and is seldom if ever stated as a position. It must be inferred from an author’s various descriptions and can be found among charismatics and conservatives. Typically, the obvious supernatural gifts such as healing and miracles are defined as manifestations, and most of the other gifts as abilities. A few gifts such as wisdom, faith, and discernment can fall into either category depending on the author.
All gifts are abilities
•Charismatic: Wagner takes this view from the charismatic side, believing that all of the gifts still exist as “lifetime possessions[7].”
•Conservative: MacArthur takes the conservative position that even the four miraculous gifts were abilities used “at will[8]” but no longer remain.
References
[1] David Lim identifies a continuum of four positions, favoring the view that “God makes full use of the vessel—his mind, thoughts, background, and current situation. The vessel himself is part of that message, thus his life and way of sharing the gifts are vital parts of what builds up others.” Spiritual Gifts: A Fresh Look (Springfield: Gospel Publishing House, 1991), 50. This is an insightful attempt at a moderate view, but it is difficult to maintain. Any positions other than “gifts equal abilities” turn out to be variations on the “gifts equal manifestations” theme. The believer’s attributes are not necessary for the gift to occur, but the manifestation is. From this perspective, the manifestation is always the defining aspect of the gift and any contribution from the believer is supplemental. See also, a similar argument by Charles Hummel, who believes that while some gifts make use of natural ability and others do not, none are “personal possessions.” Fire in the Fireplace (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1993), 88-91.
[2] James Dunn, Jesus and the Spirit (London: SCM Press, 1975), p. 209, 221. Dunn’s works carry considerable weight among scholars, especially in the charismatic community, but this particular position is routinely refuted, e.g. D. A. Carson, Showing the Spirit (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1987), 21-22; Max Turner, The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Gifts (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), 262-275. Turner attributes the source of this position to F. Grau, ‘Der Neutestamentliche Begriff “Χάρισμα”’ (Tübingen: unpublished PhD dissertation, 1946).
[3] In 1970, Frederick D. Bruner could write, “The gifts listed, for example, in Eph. 4:7-11 and Rom. 12:6-8 receive, it would be fair to say, little attention in Pentecostal literature.” A Theology of the Holy Spirit: The Pentecostal Experience and the New Testament Witness (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1970), 131. See also Kinghorn, 18.
[4] Total cessationists are rare. The term is virtually always a reference to someone’s position on the more spectacular gifts.
[5] Richard Gaffin, Perspectives on Pentecost (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1979), 53-54. Gaffin represents the cessationist position in the debate book Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?
[6] Harley Schmitt, Many Gifts One Lord (Fairfax, VA: Xulon Press, 2002).
[7] C. Peter Wagner, Discover Your Spiritual Gifts (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 2002), 33.
[8] John MacArthur, Jr., Charismatic Chaos (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992), 263.
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