Why the Gifts of the Spirit Are So Important

[HKHaugan]

"But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir (Gal.4:4-7 NIV)."

One of the things we need to see in Paul’s letter is his stress on the importance of the individual believer’s relationship to God. God was giving Paul a new insight about faith. It was more than faith in a system, a law or a heritage. It was restored personal faith that transcended these. What had happened historically was the emergence of resignation, legalism and politics. What God had given for worship, community and heart were taken captive by abusive leadership, futility and power politics. These three factors stand out here.

First, Paul saw the resigned deference to religious leadership in Israel. In essence people were dealing with God through a leadership that was spiritually bankrupt. There was an air of despair that drifted across the generational landscape of Israel. It was a culture of resignation with no hope.

Second, Paul saw the spiritual life of the people dictated by the leadership of the few in power. They stood between the people and God. The Pharisees, the Sadducees, the priesthood and their government controlled how they saw God. This is the way it had always been and would continue to be. Accept it.

Third, he saw the politics of fear guiding the leadership of God’s people. The Roman Empire dominated the known world at that time and Jewish leadership was always subservient to its wishes. It was a matter of survival and political compromise was the order of every day.
When Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus he knew that he had been a part of and a tool of those three factors. Note how he recalls this in his letter to the Philippians: “If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless (3:4-6).”

What Paul found in Jesus was the joy of being restored to a personal heart relationship with God. He was free from bondage to fear, ethnicity and sin. As far as religious servitude was concerned he put it this way, “22But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. 23Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. 24So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ[a] that we might be justified by faith. 25Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law (Gal.3:22-25).”

So as sons of God we are also heirs of everything God offers us. We are faith partners with every believer whether it is a leader, a supervisor, a husband, wife, child, worker, friend or enemy. We are equal sharers in the Gospel and beneficiaries of all that Jesus died on the Cross to give us. The Scripture defines Jesus as the Head of His Body and how we live out the spiritual roles we play in this world. Husbands love their wives, wives respect their husbands, we obey authority and we live peaceable lives loving one another as Jesus loved us. It is Jesus and His Word that become our overseers, our true authorities and our assurance. We live by the Holy Spirit trusting His guidance as we go from moment to moment.

Therefore spiritual gifts are God’s way to elevate us spiritually and give each of us that sense of immediacy that we are part of His plan to further His Kingdom. Spiritual gifts give us that sense of dependency on one another as brothers and sisters sharing equally God’s blessings. Spiritual gifts enable us to know that now in Jesus we have the guarantee that love does in fact overcome fear, that faith does give us direct and personal contact with God and that we are free to experience everything God wants for us without worldly restriction. We are free to exercise our gifts and talents.

The abundant life in Jesus is freedom from political fear, freedom from despair and freedom to see each next moment as a discovery of the freshness of His Presence. “Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you (Gal.5:1 The Message).”