Staying true to cultural trends, the church has developed various methods to ascertain an individual's gifts. Attempting to simplify the discovery of these gifts, spiritual gift inventories have been developed. The purpose of these inventories is to locate and evaluate a person's giftedness in order that each Christian might be better equipped. Even so, with such consumer friendly resources, confessing Christians encounter difficulties in using their gifts. The first and obvious problem, attempted to be overcome by the aforementioned test, is not knowing how one is gifted. Once the gift is made known, having a poorly conceived notion of what the church is and how the gifts are used is detrimental. Worse yet, spiritual lethargy creeps in and motivating believers to use these gifts becomes another obstacle. All those difficulties affirmed, the use of the gifts is necessary for the proper working of the body of Christ.
Counteracting the problems of ignorance, misconception, and lethargy can be done through various means. One insipid, yet common, method of inspiring the use of the gifts is to teach believers that the gifts provide purpose. While it is the responsibility of those in Christ to be faithful stewards of their gifts, these precious endowments are not meant to be a Christian's purpose in life.
Yet the machine of the church must press on. Exploiting the biblical principle of spiritual gifts in an effort to give those in the church purpose appears to be harmless until the question, ‘why?’ is asked. One might complain that it doesn't matter why the gifts are used, as long as Christians are using them, because this is what is commanded. This question might seem to be juvenile, much like an inquisitive five year old who asks ‘Why?’ incessantly, but this question is much more substantial. Why should Christians use their spiritual gifts? Should they be used for the sake of giving purpose and duty? Are the gifts of God in general our chief end?
Now, to fully answer these questions requires extending beyond the current topic, but it must be understood from this short line of questioning the extent of this seemingly small problem. Should these gifts be a believers chief end? No, they must not be used for this end.
Why then should believers use their spiritual gifts? The importance of answering this is to demonstrate that the end does not justify the means. Spiritual gifts are the means to achieve man's purpose and are not an end in themselves. So, WHY should believers use spiritual gifts?
- Christians are to be living sacrifices, by the mercies of God, not being conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of the mind, to discern the will of God. With a renewed mind Christians then are fit to use their gifting as living sacrifices, which is their reasonable service. (Romans 12:1-8)
- God commands his children to use their gifts! Yes, that’s right! God, the magnificent One, has commanded the use of the gifts. His children must obey. (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12)
- Ephesians 4:15, 16—“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” Christians are to use their spiritual gifts because they are equipped with them to work together, as God has intended, in order that the body might build itself up in love.
While this list is not exhaustive, the reader should get the point; Christians should use the gifts they possess. None of these passages teach that gifts grant purpose to the believer. Believers must stand firm knowing that man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever, (1 Corinthians 10:31; Isaiah 43:7; Ps 73:25, 26). Standing upon any other purpose for life is vain. God has given his bride tools not as an end in themselves, but on the grounds of achieving his ordained purpose--His Glory!
Bringing glory to the Father is man's sole purpose in life, which can only be done by faith in Christ. Jesus Christ redeems the lost and does not lose a single one that the Father gives Him, so that the Father might receive glory. Finding purpose in life, and thus fulfillment, cannot come from things outside of God, but in God alone. "You make known to be the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11).
Soli Deo Gloria!
Bringing glory to the Father is man's sole purpose in life, which can only be done by faith in Christ. Jesus Christ redeems the lost and does not lose a single one that the Father gives Him, so that the Father might receive glory. Finding purpose in life, and thus fulfillment, cannot come from things outside of God, but in God alone. "You make known to be the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11).
Soli Deo Gloria!
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