Re: [Church_of_Christ] Re: Spiritual gifts
heb12347 wrote:
I must say to begin, I enjoy our exchanges because you are careful to present your views as a son of Israel (literally "prince of God"), rather than couched in subtle attempts to demean another.
Greetings Kent, ED replying
Acts 8 - It appears to me that this passage is intended to teach us how the spiritual gifts were given. I could be wrong, but here is why I believe this:
This is offered as mere considerations.
- Philip, an evangelist, had spiritual gifts and demonstrated them with great effect, 6-13.
- Once word reached Jerusalem that there were Samaritan converts but they had not received the HS, two apostles went to Samaria, evidently to supply what was missing, v 14. I infer from this that Philip was not able to pass on what he had demonstrated.
- The first thing they did was pray that they might receive the HS. But they didn't expect them to receive it until they laid their hands on them, vs 15-17.
- They laid hands on them for the express purpose that they might receive the HS, vs 16, 17. And Simon saw "that thru the laying on of the apostle's hands the HS was given" v 18. The way this whole thing is drawn out and explained in very detail says to me this is intended to teach us something and that something is how the HS manifestations were imparted on others than the apostles.
- Simon thought he could bribe his way into having the same ability as the apostles. Not to simply receive a gift, but to do what the apostles could do, v 19.
- Peter rebuked him and in the rebuke he told Simon "you have neither "part nor portion in the matter". Two reasons Simon didn't get what the apostles had: first, it cannot be bought & second, he didn't have "part or portion" - what does that mean? The word "part" is the same word used in Acts 1:25 when they were replacing Judas in the apostolic ministry. Simon couldn't do what they could do because he wasn't part of the apostles, it was not his portion!
I appreciate it. And I fully agree that this, the laying on of hands by the apostles, was one of the methods by which spiritual gifts were given.
I also offer for consideration that in the case of Cornelius and his guests, they received the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues without having any apostles lay hands on them. This is the second method by which spiritual gifts were given in the first century, of which I spoke earlier.
Concerning the third method, that of earnestly desiring and/or praying for spiritual gifts, strictly speaking, I do not know of any instance in which we have a record of this actually happening. We only have the record of apostolic instruction for doing so.
Your last bullet point above, however, needs correction. You said that, "Simon couldn't do what they could do because he wasn't part of the apostles, it was not his portion!" But the Biblical text actually gives a different explanation of why he had no part:
21You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.
So Simon's problem was not that he wasn't an apostle, but that his heart was not right.
-- Kent West <")))>< http://kentwest.blogspot. com
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