SPIRITUAL GIFTS-BASIC CONSIDERATIONS

By Anthony D. Palma

Hans Kueng says, "To rediscover the charismata is to redis-

cover the real ecclesiology of St. Paul."l Even though he has
overstated the case, Kueng nevertheless emphasizes that the gifts
of the Spirit, properly understood, are an indispensable and in-
tegral part of Pauline ecclesiology. Paul presupposes charismatic
phenomena in Thessalonica (1 Thess. 5:19-21) and in Galatia
(Gal. 3:5) as well as in the church of Rome (Rom. 12:6-8) which he
did not found. It is obvious of course that his most extended

2Hans Kueng, "The Charismatic Structure of the Church," The Church and
Ecumenism, in Concilium(New York: Paulist Press, c. 1965), IV, 49.

Anthony Palma holds the Th.D. degree from Concordia Theological Seminary, St.
Louis. Dr. Palma is a widely-knownteacher and writer in the Assembliesof God.He serves
as dean of the TheologyDivisionof the Assemblies of God Graduate School,Springfield,
Missouri.

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treatment of this subject is found in his first letter to the
Corinthians (chapters 12-14).l
The purpose of this paper is to investigate a number of gen-
eral matters with respect to spiritual gifts, such as basic ter-
minology, trinitarian aspects, the relationship between the gifts
and the body of Christ, the distribution of the gifts, their
classification, whether they are offices or functions, their overall
purpose, and the relationship between gifts and fruit of the Spirit.

Charisma and Related Terminology

The vocable charisma occurs in the New Testament a total of

seventeen times and with one exception (1 Peter 4:10) all usage is
attributable to Pauline influence (Rom. 1:11; 5:15, 15; 6:23;
11:29; 12:6; 1 Cor. 1:7; 7:7; 12:4,9,28,30,31; 2 Cor. 1:11; 1 Tim.
4:14; 2 Tim. 1:6). Consequently, it is only in Paul's writings that
this concept acquires a weighty significance.2 The term occurs
nowhere in the Septuagint.
It becomes readily apparent that the word is used in both a
broad and a restricted sense. In its broad meaning it refers to the
whole gift of redemption (Rom. 5:15,16; 6:23). It is used by Paul in
referring to the gifts which God bestowed upon Israel (Rom.
11:29; see also 9:4-5). Again, Paul uses the word when referring to
rescue from mortal danger (2 Cor. 1:11). Certainly of these uses
the occurrence in Rom. 6:23 is all-important.

Other charismata only exist because of the existence of this

one charisma to which they are all related, and they only exist

lEduard Schweizer, "Pneuma, Pneumatikos in the New Testament," TheologicalDic-

tionary of the New Testament.translated fromthe German by GeoffreyW. Bromiley(Grand
Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdsmans Publishing Co., c. 1964-1974), VI, 423. Hereafter this
dictionary will be referred to as TDNT.

2Eduard Schweizer, Church Order in the New Testament,translated from the German by
Frank Clarke (London: SCM Press, Ltd., 1961), p. 99, fn. 377.

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 where the gift of eternal life is manifested in the eschatologi-
cally inaugurated dominion of Christ.1

The word is used with a limited connotation to indicate mani-

festations which bring a section of the community's members into
particular prominence.2 This is especially true of the usage of the
word in Rom. 12:6 and 1 Cor. 12:4,9,28,30,31. Paul tells the
Corinthians, "you are not lacking in any spiritual gift" (1 Cor.
1:7).3 This must have a direct connection with his extended
treatment of the charismata in chapters 12-14. In another passage
he makes the statement, "But each has his own special gift from
God, one of one kind and one of another" (1 Cor. 7:7). He regards
continence as a charisma of God. In writing to the Romans (1 :11)
he says, "For I long to see you that I may impart to (metadidomi-
share with) you some spiritual gift (charisma pneumatikon)." The
precise nature of this gift is not mentioned. Undoubtedly Paul has
in mind the kind of gifts described both in Romans 12 and 1
Corinthians 12-14. He himself possessed many of these gifts to an
eminent degree (see also 1 Cor. 14:18).4 The two passages in the
pastoral letters (1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:6) indicate a shift in the
meaning of the word from that of gifts which are distributed freely
to all members of the community to gifts identified with ec-
clesiastical leadership.

To summarize at this point: There is a completely non-

technical use of charisma to describe any of God's benevolent

lErnst Kaesemann, "Ministry and Community in the New Testament," Essays on

New Testament Themes,translated from the German by W. J. Montague (London: SCM
Press, Ltd., 1964), pp. 64-65.

2Jean Hering, The First Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians, translated from the
2nd French edition by A. W. Heathcote and P. J. Allcock (London: The Epworth Press,
1962), p. 126.

3Biblical quotations are from the Revised Standard Version.

4WilliamSanday and Arthur C. Headlam, A Critical and ExegeticalCommentaryon

the Epistle to the Romans (5th edition; New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1902), p. 21.

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operations in his world and in his holy community, and there are
gifts that the Holy Spirit imparts to individual members of the
community but does not necessarily impart to all.1 It may be
stated at this point that the usage in 1 Peter 4:10 is in remarkable
agreement with that of Paul in the second, more restricted sense.

The noun charisma indicates the result of the action under-

stood by charis (grace).2 God's charis is the origin of every
charisma. 3 Grace concretizes itself in specific gifts (Rom. 12:6; 1
Cor.12:11).4 Kaesemann calls a charisma "an individuation of the
power of grace."5

How is the term pneumatika related to the term charismata?

Pneumatika certainly appears to be used interchangeably with
charismata when one compares the parallel statements, "But
earnestly desire the higher gifts (charismata)" (1 Cor. 12:31) and
"earnestly desire the spiritual gifts (pneumatika)" (14:1). Pneu-
matika therefore is used for the totality of the gifts of the Spirit.
Consequently, the versions are correct which translate 1 Cor.12:1

lArthur Carl Piepkom, "Charisma in the New Testament and the ApostolicFathers,"
Concordia TheologicalMonthly, XLII (1971), 378-379.

2Friedrich Blass and Albert Debrunner, A GreekGrammar of the NewTestamentand

OtherEarly ChristianLiterature, translated and edited by Robert W. Funk (Chicago: The
University of Chicago Press, c. 1961), sec. 109(2).

3Arnold Bittlinger, Gifts and Graces, translated by Herbert Klassen (Grand

Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1967), p. 20.

4Hans Conzelmann,"charisma," TheologischesWoerterbuchzum Neuen T1!stament,

edited by Gerhard Friedrich (stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer, 1973), IX, 394.

5Ernst Kaesemann, "Worship and Everyday Life: A Note on Romans 12," New
Testament Questionsof Today (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, c. 1969), pp. 192-193. Cf.
Kueng, IV. 59.

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to read-"Now concerning spiritual gifts,"' The word pneu-
matikon, even though it may be neuter or masculine, in all
probability is neuter in this passage.
It is my judgment that the terms charismata and pneumatika
are indeed used interchangeably.2 The emphasis is different,
however, in that the former term calls attention to the aspect of
grace involved in the bestowment of the gifts, whereas the latter
directs attention to the Spirit as the giver of the gifts (see also 1
Cor. 12:11).
In Rom. 1 :11 the words pneurnatikon and charisma occur to-
gether, the former modifying the latter. In the absence of the word
pneumatika in Romans 12 in Paul's treatment of gifts, it is natural
to assume that the reader's attention will be directed back to 1 :11
for the specific meaning of the term charisma, namely, spiritual
gifts. This immediately links the listings found in Romans 12 and
in 1 Corinthians 12.
A third term used synonymously with charisma and pneu-
matikon is found in 1 Cor. 12:7, "the manifestation of the spirit (he
phanerosis toupneumatos). " Consequently a gift of the Spirit may
also be called a manifestation of the Spirit. Is the genitive in the
phrase to be taken as subjective or objective? Certainly in the
context either would be appropriate. But it is preferable to regard
the Spirit as the subject of the action; that is, the Spirit manifest
himself in these several ways.
Finally, we have words based on the verb didomi-I give. In
Ephesians 4:7-11 the words domata and dorea are used with re-
ference to gifts in the form of apostles, prophets, evangelists,
pastors, teachers. The verb is probably the most generally used
Greek word to convey the simple, basic idea of giving. Yet its noun
cognates are used in Ephesians to designate positions of leader-
ship elsewhere referred to as charismata and pneumatika. We
need to observe only that apostles, prophets, and teachers are also

lHans Conzelmann, Der erste Brief an die Korinther (Goettingen: Vanderhoeck &
Ruprecht, 1969), p. 241. Cf. also Schweizer, "pneuma," TDNT, VI, 437.

2Rudolf Bultmann, Theologyof the New Testament, translated by Kendrick Grobel

(New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, c. 1951), I, 156.

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alluded to 1 Corinthians 12:28-31 and Romans 12:6-8.

Trinitarian Aspects

We direct our attention to Paul's threefold statement con-

cerning the charismata which is found in 1 Cor. 12:4-6. The three
expressions are (1) Distributions of gifts (charismaton); (2) Dis-
tributions of services (diakonion); and (3) Distributions of work-
ings (energematon). Are these three terms to be distinguished
from one another? It is generally acknowledge that there is no
demonstrable difference among them.l In other words Paul is not
making a distinction between three different types of manifesta-
tion of the Spirit or three different categories of these manifesta-
tions. This variety of terms is occasioned more by rhetorical need
than by an attempt to make fine distinctions in meaning.2
It is worthy of note that each of the terms is associated with a
member of the Holy Trinity. All are operations of the Holy Spirit
(see 'verse 11). Consequently all are charismata related to the
same Spirit (verse 4). The Holy Spirit is the source. The gifts are
also "services," emphasizing that they take place in the service of
the Lord. They are also "workings," indicating that behind them
stands the power of almight God.3 Perhaps C. K. Barrett has
stated it most succinctly when he says that it is "the Spirit who
gives, the Lord who is served, the God who is at work."4

lKurt Stalder, Das Werkdes Geistesin der HeiligungbeiPaulus (Zurich: EVZ Verlag,
c. 1962), p. 88, fn. 15.

2Hans Lietzmann, An die Korinther I, II (Tuebingen: J. C. B. Mohr Paul Siebeck,

1949), p. 61.

3Johannes Weiss, Der erste Korintherbrief (Goettingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht,

1910), p. 294.

4Charles K. Barrett, A commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians (New

York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1969), p. 284. Hermann Gunkel makes the statement
that charisma, energemaand phanerosis tou pneumatos are correlative ideas with diakonia
in his Die Wirkurcgendes heiligen Geistes (3rd edition; Goettingen: Vandenhoeck &
Ruprecht, 1909), p. 69.

-8-
 This triadic statement by Paul which attributes the gifts to
the members of the Godhead reminds us of both the vertical and
the horizontal dimensions of spiritual gifts. Vertically, all spiritual
gifts derive ultimately from the Father who alone is the giver of all
that is good. Horizontally, a gift has value only as it is finally rooted
in the Son's self-giving service for others.1

Another indication of trinitarian implications is found in the

emphasis Paul gives to a member of the Trinity in each of the
major passages dealing with spiritual gifts. In Romans 12:1-8
attention is directed primarily to God (the Father?) who assigns to
each believer a measure of faith (verse 3). The Holy Spirit is the
prominent member of the Godhead in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 "who
apportions to each one individually as he wills" (verse 11). In
Ephesians 4 we are told that Christ gave gifts to men (verses 8-
11).2

The Charismata and the Body of Christ

It is especially significant that in the three major passages in

the epistles dealing with the subject of the gifts, the body of Christ
is also mentioned (Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:4-6,27; Eph. 4:4-6). The
gifts consequently are bestowed only within and for the body of
Christ.3

1 WalterJ. Bartling, "The Congregationof Christ-A Charismatic Body," Concordia

TheologicalMonthly, XL (February 1969), 75.

2These observations ought to caution the Pentecostal believer against any undue
emphasis on the Holy Spirit's ministry in gifts to the virtual exclusionof the Father and the
Son.

3Klass Runia, "The Gifts of the Spirit," ReformedTheologicalReuiew,XXIX, no. 3

(1970), 84.

-9-
 The immediate purpose which Paul has in using the picture
of the body in this great passage of 1 Corinthians the same
can be applied to Rom.12:5 has nothing to do with the church
at large; and it has everything to do with the life and spirit of
the particular congregation. Within their own assembly the
Corinthians had never learned to live as one body .... I

This may be termed "a phenomenological approach to the Body of

Christ."2 However, one may conceive of the term body of Christ as
encompassing all believers, this one body "always becomes parti-
cularized in the local church."3
The initial emphasis is upon the unity of the body (1 Cor.
12:12-13; Rom. 12:4-5). This thought must be regarded as par-
allel to the references to the one Spirit (1 Cor. 12:9,11,13). The
function of these gifts therefore is to promote the unity of the body
of Christ in a demonstrable way. By their proper functioning
within the local congregation, the gifts serve to edify the body.
But the concept of the body points out also the diversity of
gifts within the community (Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:40-20, 28-29).
Yet Paul is careful to state these two points of unity and diversity
in precisely the order herein given, namely, first the unity of the
body and only then the diversity of the individual members (1 Cor.
12:27).
Are the gifts given to the Body or to individuals? We shall
observe later that the gifts are for the church, that is, for its
benefit. But they are mediated through individuals. The record
clearly states, "to one is given..., and to another..., to
another ..." (1 Corinthians 12:8-10). It is therefore correct to say
that gifts are given to individuals for the church.

lWilliam Barclay, The Mind of St Paul (New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, c.
1959), p. 244

2Michael Bouttier, Christianity according to Paul, translated from the French by

Frank Clarke (London: SCM Press, Ltd., 1966), p. 61

3Lesslie Newbigin, The Household of God (London: SCM Press, Ltd., 1957), p. 70.

10
 Distribution of the Gifts

Paul speaks of "varieties" (diaireseis) of gifts (1 Cor. 12:4-6).

Does this Greek term mean "differences" or "distributions"? This
is its only occurrence in the New Testament. While certainly the
entire context emphasizes that there are indeed differences in
gifts given to the members of the community (see diaphora-Rom.
12:6), it is preferable to regard the word as meaning the act of
dividing or "dealings out."'
The verbal cognate found in verse 11 justifies this inter-
pretation : "All these are inspired by one and the same Spirit, who
apportions (diairoun) to each one individually as he wills." We
note parenthetically that this distribution or dividing of gifts by
the Spirit to each member is the opposite of the fleshly "divi-
sions" (haireseis) which existed at Corinth, for it produces
harmony (see 1 Cor. 12:4,11 and compare with 11:19).2
Do all Christians possess at least one gift? To be sure, the
Holy Spirit is the possession of all Christians (1 Cor. 12:13). This
is true whether or not there are any external manifestations of the
Spirit in the life of the believer. Yet it is also true that the gifts may
be thought of as something additional to the Spirit and the saving
grace which all believers possess, and that they are "the distin-
guishing factors, ordered toward the sanctification of the com-
munity, that differentiate the members of the body of Christ from
each other."3
Is the baptism in the Holy Spirit (as that doctrine is taught by
Pentecostalism) a prerequisite for the reception of spiritual gifts?
The question must be answered in the negative. Healings, for
example, were wrought by the disciples of Jesus prior to the day of
Pentecost (Luke 10:917). Yet it can safely be said that the baptism
in the Spirit results in a higher incidence of spiritual manifes-
tations among those so baptized.

'Weiss, p. 297; Conzelmann,Der erste Brief, p. 245.

2Edmund P. Clowney, "Toward a Biblical Doctrine of the Church," Westminster

TheologicalJournal XXXI, no. 1 (1968), 77.

3Piepkorn, XKII, 379; cf. also Bultmann, I, 163.

- 11-
 We note that Paul's discussion of spiritual gifts in 1 Cor-
inthians 12 includes the major New Testament passage on the
Body of Christ (verses 12-27). Yet both before and after this
treatment the chapter deals with spiritual gifts (verses 1-11, 28-
31). The matter cannot be pressed at all points, but Paul certainly
appears to be saying that each member is a gift or has a gift.
The consensus of New Testament writers, and especially
Paul, is that every believer possesses at least one gift (Rom. 12:3;
1 Cor. 1:7; 3:5; 12:7,11,18; 14:1,26; 1 Peter 4:10; Eph. 4:7,11;
Mats. 25:15). There can be no passive membership in the body of
Christ, for every Christian has been equipped and prepared for
serviced But Campenhausen maintains that no explicit statement
may be found to the effect that every member of the congregation
receives his own charis (which he equites with charisma). He says,
"Genuine Pauline utterances on this subject are not quite so
clearcut, though their general tendency is undoubtedly in the
same direction...."2
'
God does not bestow all the gifts on every church member.
This is underscored by Paul's manner of enumerating the
charismata when he uses the expressions "to one ... to another
... to another, etc." (1 Cor. 12:8-10). Consequently, Paul warns
his readers not to run after other people's gifts. Every believer
must think within the limits prescribed by God (Rom. 12:3).3
While each member of the community does indeed possess a
gift, is it possible for one person to possess more than one gift?
There is nothing to suggest that more than one function or gift
could not be exercised by one person,4 even though no one can
claim all the gifts of the Spirit (see 1 Cor. 12:29-30).5 For example,
it is possible for the glossolalist also to have the gift of inter-

1 Kaesemann,"Ministry and Community," p. 73.

2Hans von Campenhausen,EcclesiasticalAuthorityand Spiritual Power in MeChurch
of the First Three Centuries, translated from the German by J. A. Baker (Stanford:
Stanford University Press, 1969), p. 58, fn. 15.

3Schweizer, Church Order, p. 203. 4Barrett, p. 296.

5Kueng, IV, 56.

- 12-
preptation of tongues (14:5,13). A prophet may also exercise the
gift of distinguishing between spirits (verse 29). Yet it runs
counter to the tenor of Paul's entire treatment of the subject for
anyone to suggest that all ought to possess all the gifts.
"Not all are apostles, are they? Not all are prophets, are they?
Not all are teachers, are they? Not all work miracles, do they? Not
all possess gifts of healing, do they? Not all speak with tongues, do
they? Not all interpret, do they?" (1 Cor. 12:29-30). But there are
two statements by Paul himself in the same chapter which appear
to contradict the implied response to these questions. In 14:5 he
says, "Now I want you all to speak in tongues." How can this
contradiction with 12:30 be resolved?1 Possibly this is a charisma
which is granted in principle to all Christians and is latent in most
people, awaiting only to be summoned by the Holy Spirit.2 It is
also conceivable that Paul is drawing a distinction between the
private exercise of tongues and its manifestation in the service of
worship. For their personal spiritual edification, all Christians
may perhaps have the ability to speak in tongues (verse 4). But for
the exercise of the gift in a service of worship, which is intended to
be a means of upbuilding for the community, only a limited
number of persons may possess the gift.
The same basic question poses itself withrespect to the gift of
prophecy, for Paul says, "You can all prophesy" (verse 31). Not-
withstanding 1 Cor. 12:29, this means that the prophets "may turn
out to be a group coextensive with the church itself (cf. Num.
11:29; Acts 2:16ff. cf. also Joel 2:29-29)." Yet Paul does not assert
that all Christians will necessarily take part in prophetic activity,
but only that all may do so.3
We have already noted that the gifts are apportioned to each
one individually as the Spirit wills (1 Cor. 12:11; see also verses
18,28; Eph. 4:7-8,11; Rom. 12:6). Yet this concept appears to be
in bold contrast to Paul's statements, "Earnestly desire the
spiritual gifts" (1 Cor. 14:1) and "earnestly desire the spiritual
gifts" (1 Cor. 14:1) and "earnestly desire to prophesy" (verse 39).

lLietzmann, p. 101. 2Bittlinger, p. 100 .

3Barrett, p. 329.

13
In 12:31 he says, "but earnestly desire the higher gifts." It is
possible to understand the mood of the statements (especially the
last) as indicative rather than imperative; that is, Paul is making a
statement of fact concerning the Corinthian Christians. They
were, indeed, "eager for 'manifestations of the Spirit' (pneu-
"1 The
maton). meaning of Paul would then be, "continue to desire
earnestly (present imperative) the greater gifts. The Corinthians
coveted the greater gifts but they had formed a wrong estimate as
to which were greater."2 But the overwhelming majority of com-
mentators view these statements as commands by the apostles,
and it is best to understand them in that sense.

Yet there is no contradiction between the concept of the

Spirit as the sovereign distributor of the gifts and the believer
earnestly desiring the gifts.

The clear inference is that the individual Christian does not

receive a charisma against his will. As he is granted a measure of
faith (Rom. 12:3), he is in a position to accept whatever bestow-
ment the sovereign Spirit grants him. A rather clear implication is
that even though a believer may possess certain gifts of the Spirit,
such as the gift of tongues which was especially prominent at
Corinth, he may make himself available to receive additional gifts.
But as is obvious in the Corinthian situation especially, an
erroneous concept of the gifts may prevent a believer from re-
ceiving some of those gifts.

Classification of the Gifts

A comparative study of the difference lists of spiritual gifts

(Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12:8-10,28-29; Eph. 4:11) indicates that no
one list is complete, nor did Paul intend for it to be so. Each

1 Bittlinger,p. 73.
2Archibald Robertson and Alfred Plummer,A Criticaland ExegeticalCommentaryon
the First Epistle of SL Paul to the Corinthians (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1914), p. 282.

- 14-
catalog contains gifts not included in any of the others. Nor is it
necessary to conclude that a composite listing from all the sources
in Paul's letters is all-inclusive.

Furthermore, any attempt to divide the gifts into separate

categories can at best be only tentative and suggestive. In the
ninefold listing found in 1 Cor. 12:8-10, Paul uses both allos and
heteros.2 Even though the grouping is unsystematic, Conzelmann
says that "a sure grouping is nevertheless to be recognized" on the
basis of the usage of these two adjectives.3 But the employment of
these two synonyms is certainly for stylistic reasons.4 Yet a classi-
fication of the listing is possible as follows: (1) Utterance of
wisdom and utterance of knowledge; (2) Faith, gifts of healing and
working of miracles; (3) Prophecy, ability to distinguish between
spiritis, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. This breakdown is
based on the interrelatedness of the gifts in each of the three
categories. Nevertheless, it is still not possible to compare this list
of gifts fully with those in Rom. 12:6-8 and 1 Cor. 12:285

We note also that the gifts sometimes overlap. For example,

one function of prophecy is for exhortation, or encouragement
(paraklesis) (1 Cor. 14:3). Yet in Romans 12 the one who exhorts
(ho parakalon) is separate from prophecy (verses 6,8).

1See Appendix.
2"To one is giventhrough the Spirit the utterance of wisdom,and to another(allos) the
utterance of knowledgeaccording to the same Spirit, to another (heteros)faith by the same
Spirit, to another (auos) the working of miracles, to another (allos) prophecy, to another
(allos) the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another (heteros) various kinds of
tongues, to another (allos) the interpretation of tongues."
3Hans Conzelmann, Der erste Brief, p. 246.

4Blass and Debrunner, sec. 109 (2);Walter Bauer,A Greek-English Lexiconof the New
Testament and other Early Christians Literature, translated and adapted by William F.
Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich(Chicago: The Universityof ChicagoPress, 1957),p. 315. Cf
Hermann W. Beyer, `heteros,"TDNT, II, 702.

5Johannes Weiss, p. 299.

15
 Furthermore, it is not Paul's intention in 1 Cor. 12; 8-10 to
establish a rating or hierarchy of gifts. Rather, he wishes to show
that all gifts, including the "unimportant" and the "obscure,"
come from the same source-the Spirit.2 "As tasks given by the
Spirit they are all ... fundamentally equal, and superiority and
subordination are to be regarded as only incidental."3 There is
just one standard for measuring the relative importance of the
gifts: whether or not they testify to Jesus as Lord (1 Cor. 12:3) or,
to look at it another way, whether or not they edify the church.
Michel states that Paul avoids "a hierarchical or codified
gesetzliche arrangement, which in charismatic circles could have
been misused."4

Consequently, one cannot argue that the last gift in the list is
the least important any more than he can say that the first is the
most important. Is the gift of a word of wisdom the most im-
portant of the nine charismata given in 1 Cor. 12:8-10 because it is
listed first? Are the gifts of healing and working of miracles more
important than the gift of prophecy simply because they enjoy
priority in the listing over prophecy?5 In all likelihood the four gifts
of prophecy, distinguishing of spirits, tongues and the interpre-
tation of tongues occur last for literary reasons inasmuch as it is
these four which are discussed at length in Chapter 14-thus
providing easy continuity in the mind of the reader.

1Ibid. Cf. also Barrett, p. 286; Schweizer, Church Order, p. 100.

2Barrett, p. 286.

3Schweizer, Church Order, p. 100. The same applies, mutatis mutandis, to the
enumeration in Rom. 12:6-8.

4 OttoMichel,Der Briefan die Roemer(Goettingen: Vanderhoeck & Ruprecht,1966),

p. 298.

5 Similarly,are we to conclude that "acts of mercy" are the least valuable of the gifts
mentioned in Rom. 12:6-8 because they are last in the listing?

- 16-
 Offices or Functions?

There is no New Testament term that differentiates office

from ministry.' The three most common terms in Greek to de-
signate the concept of office were archelarchon, time and telos. Yet
nowhere in the New Testament are these terms applied to leaders
of the Church.2 But even though there is no equivalent in the New
Testament for this concept of office, the term charisma "describes
in a theologically exact and comprehensive way the essence and
scope of every ecclesiastical ministry and function...."3 There
appears to be on the part of Paul a deliberate attempt to avoid
distinction between clergy and laity.4

It is undeniable, however, that there are office-bearers

(leaders) in the Pauline congregations. How else is one to con-
strue terms like apostle, prophet and teacher (1 Cor. 12:28; see
Eph. 4:11 which mentions also evangelists and pastors)? Yet one
group of ministries was not necessarily bound permanently to an
office holder while others were practiced only as a specific
function for an actual situation.5 This is evidenced by the fact that
prophecy and teaching are also referred to impersonally (1 Cor.
12:8-10; Rom. 12:6-8) and furthermore that prophecy at least was
not the function only of those designated as prophets. But even

lSchweizer, Church Order, p. 181.

2See Schweizer,Church Order, p. 171, for statistical data on these terms.

3Ernst Kaesemann, "Ministry and Community,"p. 64. Cf. also Michel,p. 298, fn. 2; p.
57

4Though some, like Joseph Brosch, maintain that there was this distinction at the
time, though not to such a marked degree as later (Charismen and Aemterin der Urkirche
Bonn: Peter Hanstein Verlag G.m.b.H., 1951 p 162).

5Leonhard Goppelt, Apostolicand Post-apostolicTimes,translated from the German

by Robert A. Guelich (London: Adam & Charles Black, Ltd., c.1970), p. 183.

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when specific office-bearers are mentioned, the emphasis is not on
their ecclesiastical office but on the variety of functions, activities
and services in the church.1

An attempt to interpret the charismata as so many clearly-

defined ecclesiastical offices misses the point Paul wished to
make, which is to show how the different functions are those which
God has assigned to the various members of the single body.2 To
express it another way-the Pauline church is composed only of '
laymen who are all, within their possibilities, also "priests and
officeholders, that is, instruments of the Spirit for the enactment
of the Gospel in the everyday world."3

In summary, then, Paul stresses function rather than office,

even though the latter concept is not entirely absent in his major
epistle.4 Spirit and office are not necessarily antithetical either in
Paul or in the rest of the New Testament.5

1 Barrett, p. 237. Cf. Runia, p. 84.

2F. J. A. Hort, The Christian Ecciesia (London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 1900), p.
159. Robertson and Plummer express the same sentiment (p. 263).

3Ernst Kaesemann, "Paul and Early Catholicism,"New Testament Questionsof Today

(Philadelphia: Fortress Press, c. 1969), p. 246. But cf. Eph. 4:11; Tit. 1:5.

4Accordingto Schweizer,Paul takes a mediating position between that of the pastoral

letters, which emphasize the "backward" and "historical" viewwith a stress on office,and
the Johannine view which emphasizes the "upward" and pneumatic features jot .the"free
working of the Spirit." The one emphasizes tradition, the other, the trans-temporal
(Church Order, pp. 164-168).

5Heinrich Greeven, "Propheten, Lehrer, Vorsteher bei Paulus," Zeitschrift fuer die
neutestamentliche Wissenschaf4 XLIV (1952-1953), 32-39, 42; Bo Reicke, "proistemi," "
TDNT, VI, 702. Cf. e.g. Acts 6:3.

18
 The Overall Purpose of the Gifts

The all-embracing function of the gifts is that they might edify

or build up (oikodemein) the congregation (1 Cor. 14:3,
4,5,12,17,26). The keynote of 1 Cor. 14 is found in the words, "Let
all things be done for edification" (verse 26b)-a theme to which
Paul had already made programmatic reference (8:1,10; 10:23).l
In the context of a service of worship, Paul never speaks of
edifying oneself; he always means the edification of the com-
munity. The goal of the service is not the happiness or even the
salvation of the individual taking part in it. It is always the up-
building of the church.2 In the felicitous phrase of W. D. Davies,
"Pneumatic phenomena of whatever kind are to subserve the
common weal."3
A parallel expression to that of edification is found in 1 Cor.
12:7, "To each (hekastos) is given the manifestation of the Spirit
"
'for the common good' (pros4 to sumpheron).
Paul allows for miracles and ecstasy in the church, but he
distinguishes them from similar phenomena outside the com-
munity. They are validated "not by the fascinosum of the praeter-
natural but by the edification of the community."5 For according
to Matt. 24:24, Mark 13:22 and 2 Thess. 2:9, Antichrist also can
produce signs, wonders and mircles.
In summary, we cannot emphasize too strongly that the raison
d'etre of the charismata is the upbuilding of the church. The
common good must not be sacrificed in the interests of any benefit

lFerdinand Hahn, The Worshipof the Early Church (Philadelphia: Fortress Press,
1973), p. 68.
2Eduard Schweizer, "The Service of Worship,"Neotestamentica (Zurich: Zwingli
Verlag, c. 1963), pp. 337-338.
3 WilliamD. Davies,Paul and RabbinicJudaism (2nd edition; London: SPCK,1962),
p. 201.

4"Tending towards, leading to." C. F. D. Moule, An Idiom-Bookof New Testament

Greek (2nd edition; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1959), p. 53.

5Kasemann, "Ministry and Community," pp. 66-67.

19
which may accrue to the individual! The individual member of a
body must not attempt to disassociate itself from the body (1 Cor.
12:14-16); for good or ill, it is an integral part of the organism. So
must the "charismatic" not operate within a sphere bounded only
by his own interests, doing only that which brings personal
satisfaction to him. There was no room in Paul's teaching for the
individualistic, atomistic approach of some Corinthian Christians.
These pneumatics must exercise their gifts within a somatic
framework! They must contribute to the well-being of the body.
Liberty in the Spirit must be governed by responsibility to the
body.
Gifts and Fruit of the Spirit
The work of the Holy Spirit on a congregational level mani-
fests itself both in the gifts he bestows on the members and in the
spiritual fruit demonstrated by them (e.g., Gal. 5:22-23). Both
categories are central to Paul's concept of the Spirit's activity in
the local church. It is therefore impossible to agree with Burton
that

There is a clear distinction between the work of the Spirit of

God in producing so-called charismata, such as tongues,
prophecy, etc., and the operation of the same spirit in pro-
ducing ethical results, and a depreciation of the former as
compared with the latter. This appears first in Paul, and is
with him. I
perhaps original

We agree rather with the view that the gifts are "no secondary
alternative to love. They are the means the Spirit gives us to
express the love of Christ in all concrete and practical ways."2

1Ernest deWitt Burton, A Critical and Exegetical Commentaryon the Epistle to the
Galatians (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1921), p. 489. In this he is in agreement with
Hermann Gunkel, Die Wirkungendes heiligen Geistes(3rd edition; Goettingen: Vander-
hoeck & Ruprecht, 1909, pp. 71-72.
2L. Christensen, Die Beduetung der Gnadengaben, p. 90, quoted by Arnold
Bittlinger, p. 75.

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 Inasmuch as both the gifts and the fruit originate with the
Spirit, it is unjustified to place them in antithesis to each other.
The Corinthian Christians are told, "Make love your aim, and (de)
earnestly desire the spiritual gifts" (1 Car.14:1). The two ideas are
correlative, but certainly they must be understood in the light of
Paul's pointing to "a still more excellent way" (12:31). This
became necessary because of an abuse of the gifts and not because
of any inherent inferiority of the gifts to the fruit of the Spirit. At
Corinth the gifts were being used in competition instead of in
cooperation, in the interests of self-display and self-development
rather than for the edification of the congregation (see Rom. 12 :3-
5).2 Yet it is significant that at no time does Paul suggest that the
gifts themselves are not genuine when manifested in this way. It is
the charismatic who is "nothing"-not his gift (13:1-2). The gift is
genuine; the one who exercises it lovelessly may not be. The "still
more excellent way," then, is the mediation of the gifts through the
fruit of the Spirit-and primarily love.
Love, with its attendant fruit, is the regulative principle
behind the gifts of the Spirit. It is patient and kind; it willingly
defers to other Spirit-endowed members by giving them an
opportunity to speak as well (14:30-31). It is not jealous or
boastful; it recognizes that the Spirit sovereignly distributes his
gifts to whomever he pleases (12:11), nor does it pride itself in its
possession of any gift or gifts (12:21). It is not arrogant or rude; it
always considers the welfare of the entire body when expressing
itself in the congregation, and is willing to receive correction
(14:29-30). It does not insist on its own way; it submits itself to
duly constituted authority in the Church (14:37).
In addition to these suggestive observations on the role of
love in relation to spiritual gifts, one may reasonably ask whether
Paul might not also have had in mind love as the attitude of the one
who stands over against the gifts of the Spirit; that is, in this
person's assessment of what takes place respecting the gifts, he
too is to demonstrate these various aspects of love.

'William Barclay, p. 244. ,

2Charles K. Barrett, p. 327.

- 21-
 We observe further that love is not classified as a gift
(charisma) but as a fruit. It is the natural consequence of a life
which is lived in the Spirit and which walks by the Spirit. Gifts, on
the other hand, are sovereign endowments by the Spirit which may
be eagerly desired but which cannot be secured by one's efforts.'

Yet it is virtually impossible to make rigid distinctions

between the two categories. Especially with reference to the girts
listed in Rom. 12:6-8, there is a shading into what may be called
fruit of the Spirit in such gifts as contributing liberally, giving aid
and showing merch-responsibilities which surely devolve upon
every believer. In addition, the concept of diakonia (service)
applies to both the gift and the fruit.2 In one respect, however, love
is decidedly superior to the gifts. Love is eternal; the gifts are
temporary (13:8-13).

In view of these considerations that the fruit and the gifts of

the Spirit are not inherently antagonistic to each other, that one
group is not superior to the other, and that certain gifts impinge on
the nature of some fruit of the Spirit, we conclude that the two are
complementary activities of the Holy Spirit. In one passage Paul
attributes joy, peace and hope to the power of the Spirit (Rom.
15:13). In the same context he speaks of signs and wonders
wrought by the power of the same Spirit (verses 18-19). Further-
more, the building up (oikodeme) of the community is the ultimate
goal of both. Paul's apostolic authority was given to him for this
purpose (2 Cor.10:8;13:10); the gifts have this as their end (1 Cor.
14:3-5,12,17,26); the fruit of the Spirit, especially love, likewise
edify the community (8:1). By all these means Christians are
called upon to build up one another (1 Thess. 5:11). They are to
pursue what makes for peace and mutual upbuilding (Rom.
14:19).

lRobertson and Plummer, p. 305.

2For further comments on this point, see Ceslaus Spicq, Saint Paul and Christian
Living, translated by Marie Aquinas (Dublin: Gill & Son, c. 1963), p. 80.

- 22-
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