8) Romans 11:29. There are failed Christians who still have ability.
Do unsaved people have spiritual gifts?
1Co 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another
discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
12 ¶ For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
Verses 7 and 11 appear to teach that the Holy Sprit gives spiritual gifts to every person, including the lost. But verse 13 clearly shows that Paul is only talking to Christians. And 1 Corinthians 1:2 shows that the book of Corinthians is only talking to saints: 1Co 1:2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
In verse 7, we see that these gifts are profitable for the Body of Christ. And verse 11 shows that the Holy Spirit distributes these gifts as He thinks best, in order to help us. Now, what happens when a Christian has a good gift, and then the Christian falls away from God?
Romans 11:29 tells us "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable."
God does not take back His gifts or callings when a Christian turns away from the Lord. Not only is the Christian still saved, but he or she still has the abilities for Christian service that the Holy Spirit gave him.
So, if you deal with a Christian who has a lot of ability, but who is openly disobeying God's commands, it does not prove that the Christian is a spiritual giant. It only proves that God does not take back His gifts.
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1 comment:
Maybe I shouldn't make a comment on my own blog, BUT:
We're helping to start a new church here in Chapala, and I've been doing a lot of research on the web. I've found that a lot of well-meaning Christians get hurt when they feel that God has called them to be a leader, and the church rejects them.
So far, I've been dealing with situations in which ungodly people seized leadership over the saints, and the saints got hurt. But sometimes, the saints themselves are to blame.
After this series is finished, I plan to start another one that deals with Christians who hurt themselves in the church.
Adios, Vince
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