Christians - how do you feel about the gifts of the Holy Spirit? Scriptural evidence?

Question

I know that some are for them (like me), and some are against them.

I'm curious to see both sides of the argument with supporting scriptures.

God Bless!!
xo Anna

To Mark.... I am talking generally about ALL the gifts...but specifically about the controversial ones such as prophecy, healing, tongues, intrepretation, discernement....

My personal feeling is that they DO exist and are REAL....but that they are not something that we all need to be saved. God pours out his gifts where He feels necessary. He saved us with Jesus.

I'm just curious what everyone thinks. I want to see all angles.

1 Corinthians 12

7But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

8For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

9To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

10To 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:

New System Lady... I agree! BUT, now that we are in the end of times... wouldn't Joel's words be true NOW? Not preaching, just curious of views.

Joel 2
28And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

29And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

30And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

31The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come.

Answer 1

Anna, I forgot to throw my Bible in the car when I left the house today, so I cant get into all the Scriptures. I'm kinda glad though. Otherwise this would turn into a Bible Study paper and people would be "dueling" with scripture verses being tossed back and forth. And arguing about what they "really" mean. But I'll say this of the top of my head. I dont believe that any of the "sign" gifts are oparating today. Why? Well , take a look around you. Do YOU know anyone who has the "gift" of healing? I'm not talking about someone on TV who fixes your "backache" or some other nebulous ailment. I think that the secular world has done the real Christian Church a real favor in exposing these charlatons. They have ALL been shown to be frauds and cheats. I person with the REAL gift of healing would be able to heal by Gods Power just by saying the word. Like the Disiples. There would NOT be any doubt about the validity of it. They would also be duty bound, if they were any sort of a Christian, to go down to the local Childrens Cancer Ward at the nearest Hospital and CLEAR it out. To NOT do so would be incredibley cruel. As for tongues, I would think that is obvious. What people call "tongues" today is NOT the biblical gift of languages. On the day of Pentecost, everyone heard in their OWN language. It is a "sign to the UNBELIEVER". Not the Believer. When Paul speaks of the gift of tongues in 1Cor12, He is contrasting the REAL gift with the COUNTERFEIT utterances of the pagan religions. Christians sitting in Churchs today making "noises" and so-called "prayer languages" are in complete violation of Scripture. As Paul says, if the church is doing THIS and an unbeliever came into the service, he would think you are all NUTS. It obviously would not be operating as a "sign to the unbeliever". Another thing, in the infancy of the Church, when these things were used to get the Church started, no one had ANY doubt that these things were FROM God. The mere fact that we are HAVING this discussion shows that the "counterfeit" has infiltrated the Church. Believe me, if the REAL sign gifts WERE operating today, you would see people getting saved, people getting healed, the Church being EDIFIED (instead of deviding) on this issue. The POWER of the LORD moving through the Church would be UNMISTAKABLE. I believe that these gifts (the sign ones) ceased when the Scriptures were COMPLETE. We have all the revelation we need in the Bible. As far as "Joel" is concerned, I do not believe that that passage will find it FULL fulfillment until the Tribulation Period, when God again turns His Prophetic Program Focus back on the people of Israel. Thats when I think its possible when you see the "Gifts" operating in full again. A lot of a persons "viewpoint" on this issue depends on what they think that Paul meant when he said, "When the Perfect comes, the Partial will be done away with". Many Bible Teachers believe that He was talking about the completed N.T. being the "Perfect". I have read GOOD arguments on BOTH sides. So, I'm not going to comment on what I think that is. But WHATEVER a person thinks it is, I think we CAN all agree that WHATEVER view we take, there is NO WAY that the "sign gifts" are being used with the same results that was shown during the first century. And I think I'll leave it at that......theBerean

Answer 2

all of them have self belief in it till they are new to this church and don't understand yet. notwithstanding they have self belief in talking in tongues, basically 6% incredibly do (in accordance to what I heard). the proportion could have replaced of course. however the rationalization to have self belief is that that's in the Bible and the Bible is inspired you recognize. in case you're an evangelical Christian you may actual understand the Bible is inspired and talking in tongues in particularly there. study the e book of Acts over three times and by potential of this time you will see further and further. God needs to open your eyes to understand his will and what he's doing. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the commencing place of the spirit-crammed existence. being waiting to desire (and consistent with probability sing and talk) in tongues is information of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Baptism supplies Christians greater boldness to witness and tongues is very efficient to those who've it yet seems nonsense to those who don't understand. i will recommend some books which will help understand inclusive of "They talk with different tongues" by potential of John and Elizabeth Sherrill. that's been around an prolonged time although that's between the excellent and proves without shadow of a doubt that praying and talking in tongues is real and that it has a efficient purpose. study Acts a million:5, 8; 2:4 and 19:4-6, then study the entire e book of Acts and that i Corinthians 14, Epesians 4:7-sixteen.

Answer 3

Anna,

Please specify WHICH Gifts of the Holy Spirit? Obedience is a Gift..... Yet MANY Never speak about that ONE!

(Luke 6:46) And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

IF you specify which Gift, I will answer!

Thanks, RR

Answer 4

My grandmother had the gift of stopping bleeding. I do not know if there is a specific name for this gift, she said there was a passage in the Bible that she said silently. I do not know what it is and she died several years ago. Example of this healing. My brother stepped on a very large nail. Mother had me call Grandma while she got the nail out. She pulled the nail out and blood gushed about the same time I told my grandmother over the phone what had happened. It stopped immediately. Many more incidents happened over the years.

Answer 5

I definately believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

John 14:16-17 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever"


1 Corinthians 12 "Now concerning spiritual gifts, bretheren, I do not want you to be ignorant."

1 Corinthians 12:4 "There are diversities of the gifts, but the same Spirit..."

I believe that the spirit dwells within us, and that we receive His gifts. some of intercession, some of tongues and some of prophecy etc..

Answer 6

“But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

It is helpful in identifying trees, as well as a check-list for self.

Answer 7

They are God's to give. They are NOT evidence of salvation. Especially "tongues". St. Paul is pretty clear when he asks "Do all speak with tongues?" The answer to the rhetorical question is "no". All do not. Ergo, none of the gifts are necessary.

Do they exist? I must think so as I have seen some pretty miraculous healings....and I personally have been blessed with "discernment".

Answer 8

1 Corinthians 13:8-11

When the apostles died, the gift of healing/speaking in tongues etc passed away. Paul himself indicated that this would happen. Likening the Christian congregation to an infant, Paul said: “When I was a babe, I used to speak as a babe, to think as a babe, to reason as a babe; but now that I have become a man, I have done away with the traits of a babe.” The point of his illustration was that miraculous gifts of the spirit were part of the infancy of the Christian congregation. They were “the traits of a babe"
Back then they served as a sign to non-believers & as a means of building up faith in believers. Later, they were no longer needed and so were done away with as the Christian congregation matured

Jesus Christ warned that a time would come when many would say to him: “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many powerful works in your name?”
And yet Jesus would tell them: “I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:22, 23) What, then, accounts for their seeming success in performing “powerful works” if it is not the spirit of God?
It must be from another source otherwise it wouldn't be rejected by Jesus.

(the fruitages of the spirit are different to the "gifts" of healing/speaking in tongues/prophecying)

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Anna,
We do believe that the words in Joel are being fulfilled today in the way of prophecying or declaring the good news about God's Kingdom. (v 29)
The preaching work cannot be done without Jehovah's holy spirit. Mere dust (as we are) cannot accomplish this worldwide.
Back in Paul's day speaking in tongues was needed both as a sign but also to spread the good news. Today, as the Christian congregation is matured these "signs" are no longer needed.
However, we still need God's holy spirit to further this life-saving message.
Verse 32 of Joel shows why "And it must occur that everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will get away safe...."
We are so thankful to Jehovah both for giving us the privilege of declaring this good news and for his help by means of his holy spirit in helping us to do so.
Also Joel’s prophecy at Joel 2:31, which tells of the sun turning into darkness, is paralleled as an event by the words at Isaiah 13:9, 10 and Revelation 6:12-17, and also at Matthew 24:29, 30, where Jesus shows the prophecy to apply at the time he comes as the Son of man with power and great glory. These events will take place when Jesus executes judgement on behalf of his Father.

Answer 9

The gifts of teh Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, right judgement, knowledge, courage, reverence and wonder and awe of the magesty of God.

Why would people be against these gifts?

Answer 10

Love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, and self control. These are the fruits of God's Spirit.
http://www.watchtower.org/
This is what I looked for in a person when I was searching for the truth.