FAQ About Nine Gifts of the Spirit: Answers for Believers

Part 4 of 7 by Don Bell | ⏱️ 7 minute read

If you are seeking biblical answers about God's power in your life, these answers to FAQ about nine gifts of the Spirit are designed to clear up the confusion. Many believers hesitate to step out in faith because they are unsure how to activate these spiritual gifts or fear they might be deceived by counterfeits.

In this article, we will tackle your most pressing questions head-on, helping you distinguish between natural talents and true supernatural power so you can operate in the Spirit with total confidence.

FAQ About Nine Gifts of the Spirit: Clearing Up Any Confusion

Conceptual Image of Towering Forest Trees to Represent FAQ About 9 Gifts of the SpiritFAQ About Nine Gifts of the Spirit Answered
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These FAQ about nine gifts of the Spirit are often asked by Christians who desire to activate the Holy Spirit's gifts and need some assurances that they are on the right path.

Answers to Common Questions on Spiritual Gifts

Do I have to "earn" the gifts of the Holy Spirit?

NO! You as a believer receive the Holy Spirit's nine gifts freely by God's grace, not because you've earned them or because you've reached a stage of spiritual maturity.

What happens if I never activate the gifts of the Spirit?

Since the gifts are considered part and parcel of the Holy Spirit, you cannot lose them. The Holy Spirit is IN you, so His gifts are IN you. However, if you never activate them, they lie dormant and hid within you.

What happens if I stop using the gifts of the Spirit?

You will still have all nine gifts of the Spirit available, but by ceasing to use them, you'll likely lose confidence over time and find yourself growing rusty in their operation. Consider taking steps today to restore your confidence and bless others by activating your spiritual gifts.

Can the gifts be misused or abused?

Yes. That's the entire reason for Paul's detailed teachings on their use in 1 Corinthians 12–14.

Some believers in the Corinthian Church were using the gifts in a disorderly manner and for personal glory instead of exercising them to edify the Body of Christ. These diving gifts are under our control, and we must use them wisely as the Holy Spirit prompts us.

Can I lose the gifts of the Holy Spirit?

NO! God cannot take back the gifts and be true to His Word. The Holy Spirit is in you, and He cannot be separated from His gifts and fruits.

Make no mistake, if you have the Holy Spirit in you, you have all His gifts. We read in Scripture, "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable" (Romans 11:29).

It explains why celebrity evangelists who have gotten caught up in scandals have continued to manifest the gifts of the Spirit. Eventually, without a turnaround, disobedience to God will impair one's ability to hear the Spirit clearly, and operation of the gifts of the Spirit will become less effective.

Can both men and women receive the gifts of the Spirit?

YES! The gifts of the Holy Spirit transcend gender distinctions. Scripture clearly shows that both men and women are equally empowered by the Holy Spirit to exercise all nine gifts, as demonstrated throughout the book of Acts.

Male and female are considered equal in the Kingdom of God: "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:27–28).

Can the gifts be exercised by believers without experiencing the baptism of the Spirit?

When you invite Jesus into your life and become spiritually awakened (born again of the Spirit), you receive the Holy Spirit, and He arrives complete with ALL His gifts; however, the gifts become much stronger and more prominent after the Holy Spirit comes upon you in His fullness.

It's possible that some believers exercise the gifts of the Spirit without being aware of it despite the fact they hadn't received the baptism with the Spirit.

For instance, some have received a word of knowledge and called it "intuition." Some have thought themselves "lucky" to have made a right decision without realizing that God had given them a timely word of wisdom. God in His mercy is good to us!

Distinguishing True Gifts from Common Misconceptions

Colored Pencils Highlighting the Book of John, Chapter 8, Verse 32The Truth Shall Make You Free (John 8:32)
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When seeking to understand and activate the Holy Spirit's gifts, having answers to FAQ about nine gifts of the Spirit can help you to differentiate between genuine gifts of the Spirit and other supernatural manifestations. While some manifestations may appear similar to the gifts, they sometimes arise from different sources and may serve different purposes.

A Personal Anecdote

My first full-time job was working for a major trust company and part of my training was learning how to spot counterfeit currency.

I was handed a quantity of genuine $20, $50, and $100 banknotes and told to spend time counting them, feeling them, and examining their markings to become totally familiar with them. I was never handed a counterfeit bill to examine!

Believe me, once you know the genuine, you will NEVER be fooled by the counterfeit!

Understanding the true nature of the gifts of the Holy Spirit empowers us to exercise them effectively. Let's explore what distinguishes genuine gifts of the Spirit from common misconceptions:

Difference Between the Nine Gifts of the Spirit and the Seven Isaian Gifts

One frequently asked question is, "What are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit?" The Seven Isaian Gifts in the Catholic Church tradition are not counted with the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit. The seven Isaian gifts are:

  • Wisdom
  • Understanding
  • Counsel
  • Strength
  • Knowledge
  • Godliness (Piety)
  • Fear of the Lord

Scripture says, "The Spirit of God shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and godliness shall fill him; the spirit of the fear of God…" (Isaiah 11:2–3 Septuagint: LXX).

There is much speculation about this mysterious Scripture in the Book of Isaiah. However, it's thought that the seven Spirits represent aspects of the Holy Spirit and affect the constant inner transformation of the believer, whereas the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit are instantaneous and outward in their operation.

Msgr Peter Coughlin

Monsignor Peter Coughlin says, "Many people tend to evaluate themselves in terms of how they are growing functionally in the use of charisms [gifts] and in terms of how they feel — the fruit of the Spirit being viewed mainly as feelings. Having an incorrect perception, people do not make solid, long-term progress in terms of their inner growth, and so their functional and emotional life can suffer.

Recognizing and cultivating the seven Isaian gifts which deal with the inner transformation of the person can foster a more healthy and balanced spiritual outlook." (Coughlin, 1998, p. 11)1

Distinction From the Five-Fold Ministry Gifts

The five-fold ministry gifts mentioned in Ephesians 4 are not to be counted with the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit. Ministry gifts are different, and they are given by the Lord for an entirely different purpose:

We read in Scripture, "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11–13).

The Lord calls some individuals to specific roles within the Body of Christ — apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Their work is to perfect, mature, and equip the believers for the work of ministry and enable them to advance the Kingdom.

The Role of Free Will in Exercising Spiritual Gifts

Manifestations of the Holy Spirit's gifts are often called signs and wonders, but not all signs and wonders are the manifestation of a gift of the Spirit. For instance, we can choose whether to exercise a gift of the Spirit whereas some supernatural manifestations occur beyond our control. Here's one example:

Jesus says, "'They will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them'" (Mark 16:18).

These signs and others like them are interventions subject to God's will alone. The gifts of the Spirit are not exercised in such cases. This all becomes perfectly clear when we examine the operation of the nine gifts.

A Personal Anecdote

My wife and I asked God to protect us from disease and food poisoning before leaving home on a mission trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1994

It was known that the city's drinking water was contaminated with Giardia and that restaurant food was sometimes set out at room temperature for long periods of time.

We returned home in excellent health and did so again after a second trip to Russia. We have no doubt that God intervened to protect us from anything deadly that we had eaten or drunk.

We read in Scripture, "But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand. So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, 'No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live.' But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm" (Acts 28:3–5).

Paul the Apostle was supernaturally protected from an accidental encounter with a poisonous snake on the island of Malta, but he did not purposely handle the creature to initiate a miracle as that would be tempting God.

As God commanded the Children of Israel in the dessert, "'You shall not tempt the LORD your God …'" (Deuteronomy 6:16).

Similarly, Jesus rebuked Satan in the wilderness, "'It is written again, "You shall not tempt the LORD your God"'" (Matthew 4:7). We're to walk in the Spirit without deliberately putting ourselves in harm's way.

Supernatural Power vs. Natural Talent

It's important to keep in mind that the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit are not developed natural abilities or God-given talents such as writing, singing, playing a musical instrument, or public speaking. They also cannot be determined by personality types and spiritual gifts tests.

The Holy Spirit's gifts are supernatural abilities that operate at the will of the believer. Jesus says, "'You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth'" (Acts 1:8).

Here, the Greek word δύναμις (dynamis) is translated as miraculous power, referring to the power we receive to manifest the gifts of the Spirit.

God gives these nine gifts to equip us for the work He has called us all to do. And make no mistake, these gifts are for EVERY believer, not just those active in full-time ministry.

They are available for us to use at believers' meetings, at the workplace, and as we go about our personal lives. What's more, we can use these divine abilities anywhere and anytime at will, as the Holy Spirit leads and empowers us.

Recognizing God's Gifts vs. Enemy Counterfeits

Jesus cautions, "'If anyone says to you, "Look, here is the Christ!" or "There!" do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect'" (Matthew 24:23–24).

For instance, the Apostle Paul had to contend with a demon possessed young woman who counterfeited the gift of prophecy by fortune-telling.

We read in Scripture, "Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, 'These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.' And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, 'I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.' And he came out that very hour" (Acts 16:16–18).

The enemy counterfeits God's gifts hoping to deceive unwary people. For that reason, we must become knowledgeable about the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit so we won't be fooled.

More will be shared on how to recognize and deal with counterfeited gifts when we study the gift of discernment of spirits. For now, rest assured that when you desire and ask for the gifts the Holy Spirit, He will not give you a counterfeit.

Jesus says, "'What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!'" (Matthew 7:9–11).

Trust God to always give you good gifts!

Next Step in Your Walk with the Holy Spirit

Now that you've had FAQ about nine gifts of the Spirit answered and have clarity on what the gifts are, and what they are not, you are ready to see them in action. The best way to learn is to look at the Master Himself as He healed the sick and set the captives free.

Continue to Part 5, and discover exactly How Jesus Exercised the Gifts of the Spirit to perform miracles, signs, and wonders, proving that this divine power is available to you today.

Endnote

1 Coughlin, Peter B., Understanding the Charismatic Gifts, Hamilton: C.C.S.O. Bread of Life Renewal Centre, 1998.

In This Series


About the Author

Don Bell of Kingdom Anointing

Don Bell is the creator of the Kingdom Anointing website, and a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ. He shares insights from his spiritual journey to encourage ordinary believers to seek God's Kingdom and lead extraordinary lives in the Holy Spirit.


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