Again, the text supports the fact that God gives us gifts in measure (and not according to what we demand).  Also, the type of gift differs, depending on what God wishes to appoint to us:

It may be argued (as it often is by charismatics) that what we have depends on the level of our faith.  No, it is God Who determines the level of our faith!  And it is God Who determines what gifts we shall have and when we are to use them.  Thus "according to the proportion of faith" means 'according to the faith God has given to us'.

Note, in 1 Corinthians 12:1, Paul says "Now concerning spiritual (gifts)."  The word 'gifts' is not included in the original Greek, but is implied.  We must not portray the old English translation in a modern way.  The correct interpretation is thus "Now concerning spiritual things (pneumatikos), or 'spiritual matters' ".  See how very broad the meaning really is?  The charismatic use is self-limiting and almost derogatory.  Paul is speaking about all (good) spiritual things, not just those few sample 'gifts' he mentions in his letters and which he begins to list in verse two of this chapter.

It is possible to list the fruit amongst the gifts, too, for they are also 'spiritual things'. Such a possibility is heightened when we consider, say, the gift of  love, or knowledge, etc., which are also listed elsewhere as examples of fruit!  This intricate intertwining of truths serves to remind us that God's word is far bigger than we think it is, its scope and breadth being too immense for us to encapsulate it fully within human theories.  (It is a truism that the more we learn of God the less we appear to know!).

Charismatic theories are speculation based on speculation.  They separate and divide God's word to suit preferred meanings.  If we apply all of the above to such false charismatic movements as the Toronto Blessing, we can see the magnitude of the error.

We will now concentrate on the gifts as particularly portrayed in Corinthians.

The book of Corinthians is the 'happy hunting ground' of charismatics.  Let us, then, see what it says about the gifts.  It will become clear that charismatics have missed the mark.  Equally, so have others, whose theology is certainly closer to the Truth, but whose prejudice against the gifts prevents them from understanding what God's word actually says.

The difference between the two extremes is that with charismatics (those who are saved, that is), the danger is that they are easy prey to Satanic attack and oppression; with others, they are unaware of the fullness of God and of the marvellous workings of the Holy Spirit and so they never attain a significant level of spiritual life.  In these, Satan suppresses joy and understanding.

There is a saying that 'knowledge is power'.  That is true, almost literally, when it comes to what is being discussed in this Article, for the Lord urges us to gain knowledge, which is closely connected with the experience of His power (I will not take this loose analogy too far).  

Paul makes an urgent plea, that he should see the power in his fellow Believers, because power must be the foundation of our lives. Spiritual power is not the prerogative of charismatics!  It should be the normal experience of all Believers at all times.  What does the Apostle mean by the 'power'?  (Calvinists and others will not like what he says, but they must not distort scripture to fit their views). (Also see Article 'Power', A-00079)

1 Corinthians 4: 19,20

Before we look at the power, note that the 'kingdom of God' is not some future event or place.  It is a present state of soul.  Kingdom is basileia. Generally, this word does not refer to a physical kingdom, but to the rule by a prince or king.  In the New Testament, it means the rule of the Messiah in our hearts and lives.  As this begins the moment we are saved, it obviously means that the 'kingdom of God' is with us now, and is present in every Believer.  

That the kingdom refers to the ruler and not to a land or physical kingdom is discovered in the root of basileia, basileus, meaning prince, commander, king.  These definitions refute the classical dispensationalist idea of an actual millennium on this earth.

To get back to power...

The word 'speech' is logos - one of those Greek words that is familiar to virtually every Believer.  However, most Believers only know one interpretation of logos - 'word'.  There is much more to logos than 'word'.  It can also mean ideas and concepts; what God says; doctrine; dispute; used by the mind only; a reference to salvation, and so on. Rooted in lego, is also means: to say, to teach, exhort, advise, command.  The context tells us that logo is what men say (whether doctrine, dispute, or anything else concerning their beliefs).

To be 'puffed up' - phusioo - is to be inflated, swollen up, made proud, to bear oneself loftily. Or, to put it in common language - a 'big-head'!

The word 'power' is dunamis.  It means mighty work; power in a thing because of its nature; power for performing miracles; moral power and excellence of soul.  From dunamai, it means to be capable, strong and powerful. 'Word' in verse 20 is the same as 'speech' in verse 19.

Thus, these two verses are incapable of being misinterpreted because the text itself provides us with the meaning.  Paul is saying that he does not want to hear the mere words of proud men; he wants to see the evidence of their salvation (or 'fruit').  The evidence must be forthcoming, for salvation confers spiritual power upon a person.  The only thing that prevents us from showing that power in our lives is our sinfulness and refusal to allow the power of God to operate.

We can see that the power can refer to working of miracles.  Some Believers work miracles. We cannot and must not deny this.  Paul does NOT tell us this facility is only for Apostolic times. The context and meaning is one that applies to all Believers at all times, there being no indication to the contrary.  But the major meaning is that of moral virtue and strength of spiritual character. To concentrate too much on miracles is to miss the point.  The power to be like this is inherent in salvation, because of its nature. 

Salvation is supernatural and brings with it supernatural power.  Otherwise it is like a 'blip' on a radar screen, which comes and goes suddenly, never to be seen again.  After all, we have a God Who is God Almighty, supernatural, the same yesterday, today and forever.  His promises have been given and He never regrets them.  Therefore we can expect to receive the same blessings as were given to earlier Believers...otherwise we are left with the shell of a former deity, Whose power is no more.  This, however, is not the case and so we, too, receive power from the Lord.

When we are saved we become 'new creatures' and already have one foot in heaven, the place where God is.  Our spirits are now alive and commune with the Holy Spirit.  We can only do this by being supernaturally empowered to do so.  We are empowered (re dunamai) to be 'capable, strong and powerful' in our new Christian lives.  There is a sadness about Christians who believe that this power is only available to some; they bemoan the fact that they themselves are so weak and lacking in spiritual excitement.  The reason for their weak state is not God, but themselves!  Their refusal to act according to God's will and their insistence on continuing in their sins, prevents them from being what they ought to be....full of spiritual power.

Those (Christians) who attend charismatic meetings, especially the more recent 'Toronto Blessing' meetings, attend because of acute awareness of their lack (but with an underlying rejection of gaining true knowledge - they want an instant answer).  They see and hear 'power' in others in these meetings and so they want to 'have some' for themselves.  It is a sign of desperation, or of resignation to their futility.  Either way, their poor spiritual state causes them to ignore Biblical warnings and teaching, and to be misled by Satan's power.

They do not understand that Satan has power, too, even though they agree to the fact in their heads.  He has great power and he is using it currently to fool and seduce even Christians, as the next text indicates.  (Others who attend are either unbelievers who pretend to be Believers, or Believers with carnal intentions - they want the power and the 'blessing' but not the spiritual growth, maturity and commitment).

The 'power' of Christians, then, is of God and from God, but it is not inherently of the Believer. Whilst the Believer may display power in all kinds of ways, that power is not indwelling in the sense that it is his alone.  The Believer is only the 'conduit', through whom the Holy Spirit acts.  The alternative is that the Believer owns and contains the power and dispenses with it at any time he pleases - which is a Romanist/cultist/occultist concept.

The power given to Believers is behind all that they (should) do, and it is behind gifts and fruit of the Spirit.  Now we shall take a closer look at the gifts, beginning with Luke 11:13, a text that has been much misused:

Luke 11:13

Charismatics assume that they may ask God for whatever they wish, especially the gifts, and He will automatically give them.  The text, however, does not say that; nor does the rest of scripture.  God does not contradict Himself.  What, then, does this verse tell us?  Its context is this: a man went late at night to his friend - he needed food because visitors had come unexpectedly.  The true friend will, of course, get up and give the food.  Then we are told that a father does not give his son a stone when he wants bread.  Now, in this text, we are shown that although we are sinful people, we nevertheless love and help our children.  We give them 'gifts' when they ask for them.  It is important to understand what is meant by 'gifts' and 'ask'  in this context.

The 'gifts' are qualified and defined for us in the preceding text - they are those things that are spiritually necessary (although at other times they can be physical, emotional, or intellectual). This may, or may not, include the 'gifts' spoken of in Corinthians.  Remember that 'spiritual gifts' actually means 'spiritual things'.  The gifts in this text are given when we ask for them.  Bear in mind that God only answers those prayers that he Himself has prompted us to offer back to Him.  This is why, if we do not "ask aright" we experience the 'stone wall' of silence.  Thus, we may only ask "according to the portion" given to us by God.  Outside of this proviso there are no answers!

The text is telling us, then, to ask God for whatever we need (necessities), and He will give them to us.  The necessities are also defined for us in the words "Holy Spirit" - they are spiritual things needed for us to continue our daily walk with God.  It logically follows that God will only give us what we need, as already allotted by Himself, and which have been predetermined for the particular Christian activities we are to perform on His behalf.  

As God is not reactionary and cannot act randomly, we cannot request something that He has not already determined for us. Or, rather, we can request it - but we will not get it!  This means that the charismatic claims are false, whether by deliberation or by delusion.  We cannot simply demand, or even request, gifts that God has not already provided for us in eternity. God will give us whatever He wishes at whatever time.  Yet, charismatics call people to the front, where they automatically dispense salvation and the Holy Spirit, evidenced in so-called 'tongues'.  They also dispense gifts - even calling on God to provide certain types of gifts!  None of this is scriptural or possible, as we can see from the above.  With all this in mind, let us now consider more Corinthian texts...

Once we realise that 'spiritual gifts' means 'spiritual things', we can understand that the list of gifts given in Corinthians is a sample list only.  The gifts range from love and salvation to the more spectacular miracles.

1 Corinthians 12:4

Diversities - diairesis - are different gifts distributed to different people.  That is, distributed by (God's) choice (haireomai).  This reinforces what has already been said.  Gifts - charisma - favour given without merit on the part of the receiver; pardon and salvation given on the merits of Jesus Christ.  Also, grace or gifts denoting extraordinary powers, due to the power of the divine grace operating on the souls of the recipient and user, by the Holy Spirit.  So, we see that the gifts are not our own, but are displayed through us by the Holy Spirit.

Everyone receives a gift or gifts pertinent to the portion determined by the Lord, Who also determines the measure of the gifts and when they are to be used.  All (good) gifts are given by the same Holy Spirit, so there is an unity amongst them.

Note that the charisma 'denote' extraordinary powers and that those powers are due to the power of divine grace (favour).  'Denoted' means 'symbolised'.  Thus,  the gifts are only symbols of God's power - they are not signs of actual power within ourselves.  To put it another way, the power of the gifts and what they do, come direct from the Holy Spirit.  As has already been said, the power is not contained within ourselves, but is 'passed through' us as though we were conduits.

At this juncture, then, it is wise to repeat an earlier statement - that charismatics who claim to be able to use their 'gifts' at any time for any purpose are deluded, according to the Biblical evidence and to the logic of scriptural theology.  These facts lead us to disturbing conclusions concerning charismatic gifts and their use.  For example:

There are other conclusions, but the above are suffice to demonstrate the potential dangers in charismatic-style thinking, which is unscriptural.

"...but the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal."

Now please read Article A-00033 Part 2 which continues the topic.