When most people start asking questions about the Holy Spirit, the questions don’t stay abstract for long. They usually move quickly to the topic of spiritual gifts.
That makes sense, because the New Testament talks about spiritual gifts in more than one place. Paul addresses them explicitly in three of his letters (1 Cor. 12–14; Eph. 4:11–13; Rom. 12:6–8). Peter also mentions them briefly (1 Pet. 4:10–11). And in the last century—especially in the 20th and 21st centuries—interest in spiritual gifts has intensified, largely due to the influence of Pentecostal and charismatic movements in the United States.
So here’s the question: What are spiritual gifts, and what is their purpose?
Start Where We Should Always Start: Scripture
The obvious starting point is Scripture. When we talk about spiritual gifts, we need to confine ourselves to what the Bible actually says about them. There are enough modern debates, assumptions, and experiences around this topic that it’s tempting to begin somewhere else. And that’s usually what happens. People often start with personal experience. Someone tells a story about a missionary who witnessed a miraculous healing. Or almost every Christian knows someone who claims to have the gift of tongues. Those are things we might need to consider, but they should not be our starting point.
We need concrete ground under our feet. That ground is Scripture.
This matters because we live in a culture that treats experience as a high authority, especially in religion and spirituality. But Christianity doesn’t work that way. Scripture is our standard—our rule—by which everything else is tested.
That’s one reason the Westminster Confession of Faith uses such direct language when it speaks about the Bible: it describes holy Scripture as “given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life” (WCF 1.2). In other words, when the church is trying to answer questions of faith and practice—including spiritual gifts—we don’t begin with stories, impressions, or secondhand reports. We begin with the Word of God.
So What Are Spiritual Gifts?
Once we begin in Scripture, the basic contours of spiritual gifts become clear.
Paul tells the Corinthians that there are “different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them” (1 Cor. 12:4). That means spiritual gifts are not self-generated abilities. They are gifts given by the Holy Spirit.
Paul also says, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Cor. 12:7). That single verse guards us from one of the most common errors: gifts are not given for individual prestige. They aren’t meant to elevate one Christian above another. They are given “for the common good”—meaning the building up of the church.
Peter teaches the same thing: “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Pet. 4:10). Gifts are to be used. They’re not trophies. They’re not spiritual status markers. They are abilities God gives so that we can serve one another.
Romans adds another important emphasis: believers are to use their gifts (Rom. 12:6). In other words, gifts are not theoretical. They are meant to be exercised in the life of the church.
So, if you wanted a simple definition drawn straight from these passages, you could say it like this: A spiritual gift is an ability…given graciously…by God…for service…to build up the church.
Gifts Are Promised by Jesus and Poured Out by the Spirit
It’s also important to remember that spiritual gifting is not random. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to his disciples: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper…even the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16–17). Then Jesus makes good on that promise after his ascension when the Spirit is poured out at Pentecost (Acts 2).
And that promise marks a major shift from the Old Testament into the New. In the Old Testament, God certainly gifted people by his Spirit for ministry, but those gifts were often concentrated in particular offices—prophets, priests, and kings. The Spirit’s gifting was real, but his gifting was not poured out on all believers in the same broad way.
In the New Testament, God pours out his Spirit on the whole church. That means something very direct: if you belong to Christ, you have been gifted by the Spirit, and you are meant to use your gifts for the good of the body.
What Gifts Are Mentioned in the New Testament?
The New Testament names a variety of gifts across different passages. When you gather them together, you see gifts such as encouraging, leading, giving, faith, mercy, wisdom, knowledge, service, discernment, teaching, shepherding, evangelism, and others (Rom. 12:6–8; 1 Cor. 12:4–11, 28–30; Eph. 4:11; 1 Pet. 4:10–11).
And here we need a simple reminder: God does not give one person every gift. He distributes gifts across the church so that Christians need one another. John Calvin makes this point memorably in his commentary on 1 Corinthians 12: “To no one does he give all, lest anyone, satisfied with his particular portion, should separate himself from others, and live solely for himself.” That is exactly the opposite of the individualism so many of us breathe in our cultural atmosphere. God gifts the church in a way that binds us together.
A Necessary Correction on “Required Gifts”
At this point, we also need to address a serious misconception that sometimes appears in Pentecostal and charismatic contexts: the idea that there are certain gifts you must have to be a Christian. The most extreme version says that if you don’t speak in tongues, you are not a Christian. A less extreme version says there are “ordinary” gifts and “miraculous” gifts, and those who receive miraculous gifts have received a second blessing or second-tier baptism of the Spirit.
But that isn’t how Paul treats gifts—especially in 1 Corinthians. In Corinth, some believers were making much of tongues and using it to elevate themselves. Paul rebukes that posture because it turns spiritual gifts into a hierarchy and treats certain Christians as superior. Paul’s entire argument cuts the other direction: gifts are given for the common good and must be exercised in love (1 Cor. 12:7; 13:1–13).
And it’s worth clarifying what “tongues” are in Scripture. In Acts 2, tongues are known languages, heard and recognized by the people present (Acts 2:1–8). That’s why Paul insists that tongues require interpretation in the gathered church (1 Cor. 14:27–28). A private “secret prayer language” is not something you can find taught in the Bible—and it clashes with the stated purpose of gifts: to build up the church.
Most importantly, the mark of the Spirit is not any particular gift. The mark of the Spirit is the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22–23). Gifts matter. But they are not the determining factor of conversion, spiritual status, or whether someone belongs to Christ.
Conclusion
Spiritual gifts are gracious abilities given by God through the Holy Spirit for service, so that the church is built up and strengthened. They are not for individual glory. They are not spiritual badges. They are given so that ordinary Christians can serve one another in ordinary faithfulness so that the body of Christ grows into maturity.
