The nine gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-10)

The church at Corinth had everything: teachers, enthusiasm, intense spiritual experiences. It also had divisions, pride and disorder. To that church Paul writes a sentence that still stands: “concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant” (1 Corinthians 12:1). Something similar happens today. Some know nothing of the gifts because no one ever taught them; others fear them because of the abuses they have seen; others chase after them as if they were the goal. The apostle does none of the three: he explains them, puts them in order and places them at the service of love. And in the middle of his teaching he gives this list:

“For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues.”
1 Corinthians 12:8-10

This article is the introduction to a series of ten: here we look at the whole—what a gift is, who gives it, what it is for, how it is received and how it is looked after—and each of the nine gifts then has its own article. At the end you will find the index of the series and a prayer.

What a gift of the Spirit is

The Greek word is charisma, from charis, “grace.” A charism is a gift of grace: something not earned, not bought and not deserved. Paul also uses another very expressive phrase: “the manifestation of the Spirit.” A gift is a way in which the Holy Spirit, who is invisible, becomes visible through one person for the good of others.

“Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.”
1 Corinthians 12:4-7

There are three words and three persons: gifts, of the same Spirit; administrations, of the same Lord; operations, of the same God. The whole Trinity stands behind every gift. And there are two phrases worth underlining. “To every man”: there is no believer without a gift. “To profit withal”: no gift is for the one who receives it, but for others.

Gifts, fruit and talents: let us not confuse them

A gift is not a natural talent. God gives talents too, and the Spirit often takes them up and uses them; but a gift is an added grace, which may have no connection with a person’s abilities.

A gift is not the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit—love, joy, peace, patience—is the character of Christ, and God wants it whole in everyone. Gifts are capacities for service, and they are distributed differently. One can have many gifts and little fruit: of Corinth Paul says “ye come behind in no gift” (1 Corinthians 1:7), and at the same time he calls them carnal. That is why a gift never measures the holiness of the one who exercises it.

The nine gifts of 1 Corinthians 12 are not the “seven gifts” of Isaiah 11—wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord—which Catholic tradition associates with confirmation. Those describe the inner life the Spirit forms in the believer; these are manifestations for building up the community. Read The gifts of the Holy Spirit: what they are and how they work today.

The nine gifts, one by one

It is customary to group the nine gifts into three families of three. The classification is not in the text—Paul lists them in a different order—but it helps to remember them.

Gifts for knowing

1. The word of wisdom. A word given by the Spirit to know what to do in a specific situation: the right answer, the counsel that opens a way where none could be seen. Read The word of wisdom.

2. The word of knowledge. A knowledge that does not come from study or information, but which the Spirit grants in order to help someone or to shed light on God’s truth. Read The word of knowledge.

3. Discerning of spirits. The ability to tell where something comes from: the Spirit of God, the human heart or the enemy. It is the gift that protects the church from deception. Read The discerning of spirits.

Gifts for acting

4. Faith. Not saving faith, which belongs to all believers, but an extraordinary confidence that God will act in a particular situation. Read The gift of faith.

5. Gifts of healing. In the plural: varied graces through which God restores health of body or soul in answer to prayer. Read The gifts of healing.

6. The working of miracles. Works of power that go beyond the ordinary course of things and point towards the kingdom of God. Read The working of miracles.

Gifts for speaking

7. Prophecy. Speaking on God’s behalf for edification, exhortation and comfort. Read The gift of prophecy according to the Bible.

8. Divers kinds of tongues. Praying to or praising God in a language the speaker has not learned. Read Divers kinds of tongues.

9. The interpretation of tongues. Making known to the community what has been said in tongues, so that all may be built up. Read The interpretation of tongues.

It is not the only list

The New Testament offers other lists, and none claims to be complete. Romans 12:6-8 speaks of prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, generosity, leadership and showing mercy. Ephesians 4:11, of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Peter sums it all up in two: speaking and serving (1 Peter 4:10-11). And the same chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians adds “helps” and “governments.” The Spirit is more creative than our lists. Read The gift of service and Spiritual gifts: discover and use your gift to serve God.

Who gives them, and to whom

“But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.”
1 Corinthians 12:11

“As he will.” That phrase removes a great deal of pressure and a great deal of pride. Gifts are not bought—Simon the sorcerer tried, and Peter answered: “Thy money perish with thee” (Acts 8:20)—they are not manufactured by techniques, they are not demanded of God. He distributes. Our part is to ask, receive and serve.

And he distributes “to every man.” No one is left with nothing, and no one has everything: “Are all apostles? are all prophets?… do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?” (1 Corinthians 12:29-30). The answer is no, and it is good that it is so. Paul explains it with the image of the body: the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of thee,” nor can the foot say, “Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body.” The two errors are the same one: comparison. The person who feels superior and the person who feels useless have both forgotten that a gift is a gift.

What they are for: a single word

Building up. Paul repeats it tirelessly: “seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church” (1 Corinthians 14:12); “Let all things be done unto edifying” (14:26). That is the question by which any manifestation is tested: did it leave people closer to Christ, firmer, more united? A gift used to show off, to make money, to dominate or to divide has been torn from its purpose, even if it is genuine.

The more excellent way

“But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.”
1 Corinthians 12:31

It is no accident that the chapter on love stands right between 12 and 14. It is the centre. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal” (13:1). Prophecy, knowledge, faith that moves mountains: without love, “I am nothing.” The gifts are for the journey; one day they will cease, because we shall see face to face. “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity” (13:13). Whoever seeks the gifts without seeking love is seeking wrongly.

Are they still in operation today?

This is one of the questions on which Christians who love the same Bible answer differently. Pentecostal and charismatic churches, and the charismatic renewal within the Catholic Church and historic churches, believe that the nine gifts are still active and should be sought. Many Reformed, Baptist and historic evangelical churches understand that the sign gifts—tongues, revelatory prophecy, miracles as an office—accompanied the age of the apostles and ceased when the New Testament was complete. Others describe themselves as “open but cautious.” On this site we try to set out what Scripture says and to respect those who read it in good faith and reach one conclusion or the other. All agree on the essentials: the Holy Spirit is still at work, the Bible is the rule, everything must be tested, and love is the greatest.

How to desire and receive the gifts

Ask. “Desire spiritual gifts” (1 Corinthians 14:1). The Father gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask him (Luke 11:13).
Seek the Giver more than the gift. Whoever seeks Jesus receives what they need to serve him; whoever seeks experiences usually ends up with those and without him.
Start serving. Gifts are hardly ever discovered sitting down: they appear when you set about helping where there is need.
Listen to the community. Others see in you what you do not see. A true gift is recognised by the brethren, not proclaimed by oneself.
Exercise it. “Neglect not the gift that is in thee” (1 Timothy 4:14). “Stir up the gift of God” (2 Timothy 1:6).
Keep order. “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40).
Let yourself be tested. “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

Abuses the Bible corrects

The letter to the Corinthians exists because gifts can be misused. Its warnings are still needed: the pride of someone who thinks they are more spiritual for having a certain gift; contempt for those who do not have it; the disorder that confuses the outsider; trading in the things of God; the spectacle that puts the minister at the centre; and, at the opposite extreme, the fear that quenches the Spirit to avoid trouble. If you have been hurt by any of these abuses, remember that the misuse of a gift does not make it bad, nor does it say anything against the one who gave it.

Frequently asked questions

Does every believer have some gift? Yes: “the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man.” You may simply not have recognised it yet.

Can I have more than one? Yes. Paul prophesied, taught, spoke in tongues and prayed for the sick. The Spirit distributes according to need.

Are the gifts for ever? The Spirit is free: some gifts accompany a whole life of service; others are given for a particular moment.

How do I discover mine? Ask yourself what need pains you, what you do with joy and with fruit, and what those who know you recognise in you. And start serving.

Does having a gift prove that someone is of God? Not by itself. Jesus said that many will say “have we not prophesied in thy name… and in thy name done many wonderful works?”, and he will answer: “I never knew you.” The tree is known by its fruit.

Articles in the series

Prayer

Holy Spirit, you distribute your gifts as you will, and I have lived as though you had left nothing for me. Forgive me for envying another’s gift and for the fear that made me bury my own. Forgive your Church for turning your presents into grounds for pride and quarrels. Come, Holy Spirit. I do not come to ask for power so that I may be admired; I come to ask for whatever is needed to serve: a wise word for the one who does not know what to do, faith for the one who can no longer believe, hands to pray for the sick, discernment so as not to be deceived. Give me what you will, and with it give me love, for without love I am nothing. May everything you do through me build others up and point to Jesus. To him be the glory. Amen.