Greetings, beloved brothers and sisters in the faith,
Today, let’s explore how Peter groups the different kinds of spiritual gifts:
“As each one has received a gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God—whoever speaks, as one speaking the oracles of God; whoever serves, as one serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and might forever and ever. Amen.”
1 Peter 4:10-11
Peter explains that everyone has received a gift. The gifts he refers to are those enabled by God in different people. They are specific abilities that some people can perform better than others. These are the gifts bestowed upon us by God Himself.
Peter then states that these gifts have a single purpose: to serve one another. He emphasizes this because, as humans, we naturally put ourselves first. Consequently, we might want to use the gifts given to us by God for our own benefit. However, as Jesus says, the second greatest commandment is to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 19:19). These gifts equip us to accomplish this commandment.After explaining the purpose of the gifts, Peter categorizes them into two main groups:
1. Speaking Gifts
The first group Peter mentions is “those who speak.” This includes all the gifts that are primarily delivered by means of speech.
2. Serving Gifts
These are primarily delivered by ‘doing’. These are the gifts that involve doing certain things to serve others.
Let’s explore some passages that list different spiritual gifts and see how they fall into these two groups.
First, let’s look at the gifts listed in Romans:
“But having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: whether prophecy, in agreement with the faith; or service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with generosity; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”
Romans 12:6-8
In this passage, we see that the speaking gifts are prophecy, teaching, and exhortation. The serving gifts include serving, giving, leading, and showing mercy.
Now let’s look at the gifts listed in 1 Corinthians:
“For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to someone else faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the workings of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to someone else various kinds of tongues, and to another the translation of tongues.”
1 Corinthians 12:8-10
In this passage, the speaking gifts include wisdom, word of knowledge, prophecy, various kinds of tongues, and translation of tongues. The serving gifts include faith, gifts of healing, workings of miracles, and distinguishing of spirits.
Let’s revisit how Peter identifies the purpose of these two groups of gifts.
Peter says that those who speak should “speak the oracles of God.” This means that those with speaking gifts should use them to speak the truths of God’s word. The phrase “oracles of God” suggests that the speaker should convey God’s truth as though God Himself is speaking through them. This excludes personal opinions and preferences, focusing solely on God’s truth.
Similarly, he says that those with serving gifts should serve “as one serving by the strength which God supplies”. This implies that with the gift comes a special strength bestowed upon the gifted. This strength should be used to accomplish the purpose of the gift.
It’s important to note that both categories of gifts are meant for the edification of the church. These gifts are never meant for self-edification. Every gift that God bestows upon the church is intended for the edification of one another, ultimately bringing glory to Him.
Using these gifts in this way qualifies the gifted persons as “good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
Here are some takeaways:
- We are all gifted: Let us spend time discovering what gifts we have been given, whether in speaking or in serving.
- All gifts are meant to edify the church: These gifts are never meant to benefit the individual alone; instead, they should be directed toward building up the Church of Jesus Christ.
- Glorifying God is the end goal of all gifts: Ultimately, the purpose of exercising our gifts is to glorify God. We should always evaluate whether or not God is glorified through our use of the gifts.
I pray that we do not shy away from the gifts the Lord has bestowed upon us and that we use them with wisdom.
Bless you, Paul.
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