Spiritual Gifts: Important Questions (Part 2)10 min read

Are Spiritual Gifts Tests Reliable?

     A popular tool that many churches make use of is some kind of Spiritual Gifts test or inventory to try to discern peoples' Spiritual gifts. These tests—supposedly—not only help the people who take the tests possibly discover or affirm their spiritual gifts, but they also help the church's leadership and members become aware of how a person might be useful within the body. Now, while these resources are generally good, they do have their limitations, and can possibly cause damage if the tests are not appropriately taken and calculated. These inventories are man-made, and will not be 100% accurate, and sometimes may even be 100% wrong. Allow us to explain...

    When people take tests where they judge, by themselves, what they believe is true about them, their feelings, their likings, their inclinations, and preferences, it is inevitable and almost certain that the results will be somewhat biased and tainted, and therefore slightly inaccurate. It is human nature to select the answers that reflect what we either "see" ourselves doing (even if we're not doing them), or answers that reflect what we want to see ourselves doing (even if we shouldn't; e.g., if we really don't have a certain Spiritual gift). This point alone can disqualify any inventory test, even outside of Spiritual matters. A person has to be very objective in order to properly take these tests, and this is difficult for most to do.

     Another issue with these inventories and tests for discovering Spiritual Gifts is the reality that many of the Spiritual gifts listed in the Bible can be mistaken for talents and/or personality traits, and the tests have no sure way of sorting these out. Some of the Spiritual gifts have their worldly counterpart which makes it difficult for most people to tell the difference between them, and that can lead to disaster. A few examples would be teaching, serving, leadership, and giving. All of these gifts can very well be carried out in the flesh if one naturally possesses these characteristics to some capacity.

     Think about it. People can have a talent for teaching but not the gift of teaching through the Spirit. Others can enjoy serving people (maybe because they were brought up to do that), but the Holy Spirit's gift of serving is not required to serve. Still, others can be great natural leaders, but they have not been given the gift of leading through the Spirit and for the Church. And lastly, many people can love giving to others, but the Spiritual gift of giving is not necessarily at work. And even more shocking is the fact that some of the gifts of the Spirit can be counterfeited by Satan himself. The gifts of miracles, tongues (interpreted as ecstatic speech), teaching (false doctrines), and knowledge (worldly knowledge) would fall under this category. 

     Because of the limitations of Spiritual Gifts Tests, it is recommended that certain safeguards and "checks and balances" be placed when attempting to discern someone's Spiritual gifts. In order to better arrive at someone's true Spiritual gift(s), assuming they are believers, the opinion of their church's leadership and members, their spouse, and their immediate family should also be solicited. Also, God's leading regarding the desire to use each gift at a local church should be sought after through much prayer and reflection. A Spiritual Gifts Test, then, should only serve as a general assessment or evaluation of what you should already be aware of in your life in terms of your Spiritual gifts, not as the answer to what your gift or gifts are.

How Can We Tell The Difference Between Talents, Personality Traits, And Spiritual Gifts?

     Among one of the more interesting questions that are asked about Spiritual gifts is how we can tell the difference between talent, a personality trait, and a Spiritual gift. This, indeed, is almost impossible for any Spiritual Test to distinguish. It is baffling to people how someone who does not have the Holy Spirit or is an unbeliever can possess incredible abilities or prodigious talent, and natural good inclinations, often attributed to their genetics, personality, or upbringing. Therefore, it becomes seemingly difficult to differentiate between what is a talent, a genetic/personality trait, or a genuine Spiritual gift.

     We must start our answer, then, by asserting that every person is made in the image of God, and that every person has some gift(s) from God, whether a believer or not. A talent is a gift God gives someone so that they would glorify Him; the problem is that unbelievers use their talents to serve or glorify themselves (or humanity). One's genetics or personality is also something that God creates—yes, with the help of outside influences such as our parents, family, friends, etc. But Spiritual gifts are unique in that these are only given to believers, and for one purpose: to edify or build up His Church.

     Along with simply guiding ourselves by the lists of Spiritual gifts in Scripture, another way to distinguish between a talent, a genetic/personality trait, and a Spiritual gift is by noticing its nature and timing. Is the gift something that has been cultivated and trained for throughout your whole life, such as a musical ability? If so, then this is probably not a Spiritual gift...it is a talent. If you had a talent for music your whole life—even before becoming a Christian—then your ability is just that. And if you always had an inclination to serve people before becoming a believer, then that might be a personality trait. If, however, you were never good at teaching before becoming a believer, and then all of a sudden you were able to teach the Word of God effectively once you became a Christian, then that might be a sign of a true Spiritual gift. A gift's nature and timing is a great way to discern whether or not it is a natural gift or a Spiritual gift.

     Of course, it can be the case that you are now using the talents and personality traits which you have always possessed in your church to serve there, but that fact in and of itself does not mean that you have those as Spiritual gifts—but by all means, keep using your talents, traits, and gifts to serve and glorify the Lord! In the end, anything you use in order to please, serve, and glorify God is not done so in vain, and we encourage you to give yourself to the Lord's work within the Church and the world. In time, we believe God will reveal to you what your true Spiritual gifts are that He wants you to use for the edification of His Church—you may have already been using it without noticing.

Will God Ever Change Or Remove Your Spiritual Gift(s)?

     This is an interesting question and may be difficult to answer conclusively. It does appear to be true that believers express certain gifts at different points in their Christian walk, so does that mean that God changes His mind about the gifts He gives us and changes or removes our Spiritual gift(s) as He sees fit? Being that God does not change His mind (for that would imply that He is imperfect), we find it better to assert that God allows a certain gift He has already given us to shine more or less at any given point in our lives, and this in accordance with His sovereign will. But, of course, it could also be the case that it was always in God's plan to change or remove your gift at a specific moment; hence the difficulty in answering this question conclusively.

     Some may argue that God can change His mind and, therefore, can take away the gifts He has given us if we are not maturing as Christians or are in unrepentant sin, or for whatever other reason. We would say, however, that instead of removing our Spiritual gifts, God simply does not allow us to use them in any meaningful capacity within the body. In effect, He disciplines us and allows us to become rather ineffective in the kingdom for a time so that He can continue His sanctifying work within us...until we repent and get "back on track," so to speak. We believe His mind, however, is perfect and fixed in terms of the gifts He gives us (even if at various points of our lives)—God does not make mistakes! He gave us our gifts because He wants us to use them and knows we can/will be effective using them with His guidance and blessing.

Does God Give Spiritual Gifts Conditionally Upon A Person's Maturity Level?

     Related to the previous question—but not the same—is it true that believers must be at a specific level of Spiritual maturity in order for God to endow them with Spiritual gifts? In other words, are God's Spiritual gifts conditional upon a person's Christian maturity? This can quickly become a very controversial question, for we could ask "Who is ever at a 'good enough' level of maturity to receive blessings from God?" The answer is, no one...if it weren't for Christ. We are all found lacking in the end, but this is where His grace abounds!

     Therefore, we find it hard to believe that God requires a certain level of maturity in order to give believers their Spiritual gifts. All believers are given their Spiritual gift(s) at the point of salvation and are expected to use them in the local church for the edification of its members. Although the greater gifts possibly require much more cultivation and training, a believer need not be necessarily mature in order to receive them. Take the Corinthians, for example; Paul told them (a spiritually immature congregation) that they lacked no spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 1:7. If gifts were contingent upon maturity level, those believers would certainly have been missing some spiritual gifts.

     Therefore, it can be true that God gives immature people even the gift of prophecy; but maybe He simply does not allow them to use it just yet until they reach a certain level of maturity. At its core, this view avoids having to say that God changes His mind according to the actions (i.e., maturity level) of His people. This question is the old "which came first, the chicken or the egg?" dilemma; for which comes first, God's grace in giving people Spiritual gifts because of who He is and for His purposes, or people's maturity and spiritual discipline in order to be given these gifts? The answer is easy: the chicken came first; God's grace and gifts come first for believers in Christ, regardless of their level of maturity—if not, we'd all be in some serious spiritual trouble.

Reflection

     Although some may not agree with our conclusions, we believe these answers align best with what we see in Scripture. We never see any evidence of someone losing their Spiritual gifts or having them taken away from God (except maybe in the old testament because the Holy Spirit would depart the person—which is not the case for NT believers). We do see some who were mighty and powerful once before become ineffective for a time, but it is not made clear that they had their gifts removed from them—whether due to maturity level or otherwise.

     It is conceivable that God would choose to wait to give someone a specific gift until the due time, but we believe this is wholly His decision and His work according to His will. It is one thing to say that God only gives certain gifts at specific times to accomplish His purposes, and quite another to say He removes or takes away Spiritual gifts because of what we do or not. The former is dependent upon God, the latter on man; the former is grace-driven, the latter is merit-driven.