Type of Doctrine: Secondary
Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.
1 Corinthians 14:1 ESV
Why does it matter?
In 1 Corinthians 14:1 Paul says, "Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy" (1 Cor. 14:1 ESV). Both "pursue love" and "earnestly desire" are plural commands in Greek. I've never heard someone argue that we shouldn't pursue love, but many are uncomfortable with pursuing spiritual gifts-especially the miraculous ones. We should have a good reason for disobeying a command in the Bible! Also, spiritual gifts are given to build up the church (1 Cor. 12:7; 14:4; Eph. 4:11-16). If we are missing some, then are we missing out on the church being built up in some way? What we believe about spiritual gifts can dramatically affect the type of church that we attend as well. These are a few reasons that it really matters what you believe about spiritual gifts.
What is it?
Spiritual gifts are specific abilities energized by the Holy Spirit. These include the non-miraculous spiritual gifts such as: teaching, hospitality, leadership, or encouragement. But they also include the miraculous spiritual gifts such as: prophecy, healings, or tongues. For a more complete list, please reference 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4.
Spiritual gifts are specific abilities energized by the Holy Spirit.
The following gives the four main views on spiritual gifts.
View | Brief Description | Main Distinction | Pursues Spiritual Gifts | Pursues Baptism in the Spirit |
Cessationist | Believes the miraculous spiritual gifts have ceased | Does not believe the miraculous spiritual gifts continue and therefore does not pursue them or expect them to happen | No | No |
Open But Cautious | Is convinced biblically that the miraculous gifts continue to present day but is cautious (perhaps due to abuses) | Believes the miraculous spiritual gifts continue but does not usually pursue them or expect them to happen often | Maybe, but probably not | No |
Third Wave | Often believes baptism in the Holy Spirit happens at conversion; Convinced biblically that the miraculous gifts continue to present day and believes they must be passionately pursued (biblically of course) | Believes the miraculous spiritual gifts continue and also passionately pursues them and expects them to happen often; they generally do not seek baptism in the Spirit | Yes | Maybe but probably not (will however pursue fillings of the HS - see Eph. 5:18-19) |
Pentecostal/Charismatic | Often believes that baptism in the Holy Spirit is subsequent to conversion; Convinced biblically that the miraculous gifts continue to present day and believes they must be passionately pursued (biblically of course) | Believes the miraculous spiritual gifts continue and also passionately pursues them and expects them to happen often; they generally do seek baptism in the Spirit | Yes | Yes (will likely also pursue subsequent fillings of HS) |
As Wayne Grudem points out in the conclusion of Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?, there are areas of agreement and disagreement among each of these different views (341-346). First, all the views agree that each other are Christians. They agree on their commitment to Scripture. Additionally, they agree on having a personal relationship with God and on a number of general things regarding spiritual gifts.
Where they differ, however, is on the details of spiritual gifts, the "emphasis and expectation" regarding spiritual gifts (342). Thus, they disagree on the expectation of how frequently they occur, whether they should be pursued, on the nature and definition of prophecy, the main purpose of miracles, whether there is a single empowering for ministry (i.e., baptism in the HS), whether the New Testament church is a pattern to imitate, and results in church life.
Application
A key Scripture on this topic that must guide us in how to live is this: "Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy" (1 Cor. 14:1).
Where can I learn more?
Bibliography:
- Wayne Grudem, ed. Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?: 4 Views. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996.