The Gifts of the Spirit

Jesus walked in the power of all of the gifts listed in I Corinthians 12:1-10. He displayed all of the gifts in the book of John, except tongues and the interpretation of tongues. It could be argued that he even displayed this gift, because of his ability to talk with everyone that he met with no language barriers. John mentions miraculous signs seventeen times in his Gospel.32 Smith says, “…the Christological emphasis in his Gospel is unmistakable.”33 This Christology would include the meekness of man and the power of God; the power that is given through the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:11 says, “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.” 1 Corinthians tells us that the gifts are given through the Holy Spirit.
Jesus had the gift of wisdom. The Jews were amazed at his teachings. He had no formal training but he was teaching them in the theology of a scholar (John 7:14-24). The Holy Spirit worked in Jesus to tell him what to say. Mark 13:11 says, “Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus had the gift of knowledge. John tells about the woman that Jesus spoke to at the well. Andreas Köstenberger, Encountering John, says that John 4:17-18 regards Jesus’ supernatural knowledge.John the Baptist testified about Jesus with a supernatural knowledge that came from the Holy Spirit. He was full of the Spirit from the womb (Luke 1:15). John 6:61- 70 includes the gift of knowledge. Jesus knew from the beginning who would betray him. John 14:26-27 says:

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

It would seem here, aside from the supernatural peace, that Jesus is saying he will give supernatural knowledge to those who believe as well. He said the Holy Spirit “will teach you all things.”

Jesus had the gift of faith. He had the faith to know that Lazarus would be raised from the dead (John 11:1-37), along with all the other miraculous works that he did. He believed, never doubting, that what he asked of the Father would be done.

Jesus had the gift of Healing. He healed the official’s son (John 4:46-54). He healed the man at the pool (5:1-15). He healed the man born blind (9:1-12) and he raised Lazarus from the dead (11:38-44). The power of healing, like his other gifts, was available to him at all times.

I have laid my hands on people many times and the Lord has chosen to use me to heal. I have seen people healed instantly. Sometimes I pray for someone and they are not healed. Sometimes I pray for someone who is not healed until they are prayed for by another believer and then God heals them. There is no formula and God is not in a box. The most important thing is to be willing to allow God to use you to do his ministry at any given time. You should never be afraid to pray for someone out of fear that your prayer will not be answered and you will look bad. The focus is not on you, for it is God who answers the prayer; not you!

Jesus had the gift of miraculous powers. He changed the water into wine (John 2:1-11). He fed the five thousand (6:1-15) and he walked on the water (6:16-24). Not all believe that Jesus had miraculous powers. According to Erickson, Rudolph Bultmann “concluded that much of the New Testament is myth…” Bultmann considered the language in the New Testament to be that of symbolism. The miracles of Jesus were simply works that could not be described other than to make them sound bigger than they really were. One has to wonder what the definition of miracle is for Bultmann. Nevertheless, most who believe in the Bible as the inspired Word of God realize that it is not speaking figuratively. It is stating the life a man who was fully God and fully man and could do things beyond mortal limitations. Josephus, a Jewish historian, said, “Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it is lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works – a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ…” Some scholars have refuted as to whether Josephus actually wrote these words, but William Whiston says:

“…and since the principle testimony, which is that concerning Jesus of Nazareth himself, has of late been greatly questioned by many, and rejected by some of the learned as spurious, it will be fit for me, who have ever declared my firm belief that these testimonies were genuine, to set down fairly some of the original evidence and citations…”

He continues by stating:

“…The style of all of these original testimonies belonging to Josephus is exactly the style of the same Josephus, and especially the style about those parts of his antiquities wherein we find these testimonies. This is denied by nobody as to the other concerning John the Baptist and James the just, and is now become equally undeniable as to that concerning of Christ.”

Jesus had the gift of prophecy. Jesus prophesied about his death in the Good Shepherd discourse (John 10:11-18). His prophecies further include the power that the Christian who abides in him will be able to sustain through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit prophesied through Caiaphas that it was better for one man to lay down his life for a nation in John 11:50-52. However, can the Holy Spirit speak through an evil man? Origen answers this question with a resounding “no”. According to Ronald E. Heine, Origen had a major problem with this line of thinking. Origen said that Caiaphas could not have possibly prophesied because the Spirit had not come upon man yet. Jesus had not yet been glorified. However, when confronted with the problem that the Spirit of Lord had in fact come on people of the OT, he had to recant his previous stance and give an answer of uncertainty. Heine writes:

Finally, he answers the last question by asserting that “evil spirits too can bear witness to Jesus and prophecy of him…as that spirit which said, ‘We know who you are, the holy one of God.’ Origen concludes his discussion by presenting a defense for the view that the Holy Spirit did speak through Caiaphas. He denies that this is his own view, however and leaves it to the reader to draw his own conclusions about Caiaphas’ prophecy.
The question is, “If it was not the Holy Spirit, then what sort of spirit prophesied in Caiaphas?” In Numbers 24:2 the “Spirit of God came upon” Balaam to prophecy for Israel. We must conclude that God will speak through evil men since he spoke through a pagan diviner. The Spirit of God in this passage was indeed the Holy Spirit. Therefore, even though Origen concludes that it was not the Holy Spirit that spoke through Caiaphas, but that of another spirit, it is safe for us to conclude that it could have been, and probably was, the Holy Spirit giving the prophecy that Jesus would lay down his life for the nation of Israel and indeed all mankind.

There are many examples of the gift of prophecy in the Gospel of John. Some examples are:

o Jesus predicted his death (12:7-5).

o Jesus predicted his crucifixion (12:23-34).

o Jesus predicted his betrayal (13:18-30)

o Jesus predicted the Peter’s three time denial of Jesus (13:38).

o Jesus prophesied that the Holy Spirit would come (14:15-21, 25-27; 15:26-16:16).

o Jesus prophesied that the disciples would leave him all alone (16:31-33)

After quoting John 16:13-14, RSV, Wayne Grudem said, “Thus, the disciples are promised amazing gifts to enable them to write Scripture: The Holy Spirit would teach them ‘all things,’ would cause them to remember all that Jesus had said, and would guide them into ‘all the truth.’” The simple conclusion is that Prophecy is prevalent in the NT under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus had the gift of discernment. He discerns between spirits many times in the Gospels. He discerns that the religious leaders are of the Devil (John 8:42-47). He discerns the spiritual blindness of the Pharisees (9:35-41). He also discerns that the Jews (religious leaders) are not his sheep (10:22-30).

It is safe to say that Jesus operated in all the gifts (probably even tongues). All of these gifts were in operation because of the Holy Spirit. He walked on the earth in the completeness of God and fullness of the Spirit (John 3:31-36). He said that he must go so that he could send us the Spirit to reside with us (Luke 24:44-49).