By Sidharth Mohandas

As we move on in this series of Eternal Judgment, we will be dealing with the different scenes of judgment. In this article we will look at one such judgment scene - the judgment of believers.

The Bema

 First of all, it is vital to know that the wicked will not stand in judgment along with the righteous (Psalm 1:5). The judgment of the wicked and the judgment of the righteous are two different realities with two different purposes. The first group of people subject to judgment will be the righteous (1 Peter 4:17). This judgment, as discussed in the preceding article, is not for condemnation, but for commendation (Romans 8:1, I Corinthians 4:5).

The term that is used to refer to the judgment of the righteous is “the judgment seat of Christ/God”. This term is never used for any other judgment save the judgment of believers. (The verses quoted below were addressed by Paul to all believers)

· For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10)

· For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ (II Corinthians 5:10)

Note that the Greek word used for “judgment seat” is the word “bema”. This word is very peculiar and different from the other Greek words used in connection with judgment. This word, “bema”, was used in Classical Greek to denote the judge’s seat in an arena of Olympic Games. The bema was the seat where the judge sat - not to punish the contestants, but to reward them. This again establishes the fact that the judgment of believers is primarily for the commendation of the works we have done in our body.  

Revealed by Fire

Paul describes in detail, the judgment of believers in I Corinthians 3:11-15:

For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

In the above passage Paul makes it clear that this is a judgment of each believer’s work, and not his soul. Even if his work is totally burnt up, his soul will be saved. (I Corinthians 3:15).  Again let me emphasize, this judgment concerns only those who have built their faith upon Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 3:11)

Further, in the above assessment of a believer’s work, Paul brings up two categories: on the one hand there is “gold, silver, and precious stones”; on the other hand there is “wood, hay, and straw”. The basis of this division is their ability to withstand fire. The items in the first category will pass through fire, while those in the second will be consumed by fire. Another implication from this categorization is that quality is of higher regard to God than quantity. You would need more volume of “wood, hay, and straw” to balance an equal mass of “gold, silver, and precious stones”.

Today, we need to examine what we do for the Lord. We aren’t required to make a final evaluation of ourselves, but we are to judge our motives, our obedience and the message we carry. I want you to ask yourselves a few questions:

(1)  What are my motives in my works? Do I work for name, fame, and number? Do I work for the Lord for any selfish gain or praise?

(2)  Am I seeking to obediently serve God even in the little and unseen things?

(3)  Is my lifestyle one that is of power or is it only of words? Am I truly depending on His Spirit to do what He has commissioned me to do? Am I denying the power of the Holy Spirit by my theology?

Your answers to these questions will determine the category that your works will fall into - wood, hay, and straw vs. gold, silver, and precious stones.

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Imrah has been up for two years now! We thank each one of you who have been an encouragement and a joy to us– for giving us your time, your attention and your love. Each one of you mean a lot to us. There are few more people whose pictures I couldn’t get:

PJ, for spending hours, days and weeks instructing us, encouraging us, and equipping us in love.

Jacob, Hanna, Sue and Jaicks, who visit the site and encourage us with mails and comments.

And all those in the picture for being so special to us, and we mean that!

–The Imrah Team

By Sidharth Mohandas

Introduction

Eternal Judgment is a topic that is rarely discussed in contemporary churches; yet it is one of the six foundational doctrines of Christianity, mentioned in Hebrews 6:1-2. I personally can testify that whenever I study the topic of judgment, I am brought to an awareness of accountability to God and it leads me to a personal evaluation of myself in the light of God’s Word.

First and foremost, we must realize that God is the judge of all (Hebrews 12:23 ESV). God has the final say in everything. However, unlike us, God never uses flippant remarks or praises, nor bases His judgments on that which is seen or heard in the natural. His judgments are eternal. Two individuals could do the same work in the natural but one could be praised and the other rebuked, because God’s scale is based on the unseen (Matthew 6:6, Matthew 6:18).

God’s Purpose of Judgment

Later in this series, Titto will share with you how God deals separately with the righteous and the wicked. The purposes of judgment for each category are different too.

When it comes to the righteous, God sees judgment primarily in the positive sense. In other words, God wants to judge us so that He can praise us for what we have done for Him. [1 Corinthians 4:5b NIV]

Judgment for the things we did not do for Him or for the wrong we did is secondary in God’s judgment. As I was examining how God judged the seven churches in the book of Revelations, I found that in each of them He first commends them for their faithfulness and service, and then rebukes them for the times when or instances where they fell short of expectations [with an exception of the church at Laodicea, which is outside the scope of our study].

When it comes to the judgment of the wicked, historically we see that God’s heart was not geared to punish the wicked, but to protect the righteous. In fact, a judicial system that is concerned only with punishing wickedness is not a just system according to God’s Word. “How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked? Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; free them from the hand of the wicked.” [Psalm 82:2-4]

However, note that, in eternity, the judgment of the wicked is for condemnation.

God’s Reluctance to Judge

Scripture clearly teaches us that God does not delight in judging the wicked. His reluctance to administer judgment is expressed in the way His judgments are ultimately carried out. Let’s examine this point in detail.

In the first instance and by sovereign eternal right, judgment belongs to God the Father. The apostle Peter speaks about the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work (1 Peter 1:17). Here, judgment of all men is declared to be the office of God the Father.

However, in John 5:22-23 and John 5:26-27 we are told that the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son. Here, it is explicitly stated that the office of judgment has been transferred from the Father to the Son.

Well, the transfer of rights does not stop here. So gracious and merciful is the divine nature of the Son, as in the Father, that Christ, too, is unwilling to administer judgment that He transfers the final authority of judgment from His own Person to His words (John 12:47-48)

Therefore, all the standards and principles of God’s judgment are contained within His Word. God’s eternal judgment therefore is based on our response to His Word. May we raise our standards of judgment today — judging our motives, attitudes and conduct soberly by God’s Word.

By Titto Thomas

Billy Graham once said “I have read the end of the book; therefore I am convinced of my future hope!” Isn’t that true of the bible? Isn’t it thrilling to learn that we will not stay conquered by death, but rather will be resurrected into the very presence of God. According to the Bible there is going to be a bodily resurrection for all people. While unbelievers will be resurrected to hell, believers will be resurrected to heaven.

In this post I want to look at our future resurrection in detail.

When?

The Bible teaches us that Jesus Is coming back. This return will be restricted to the clouds. It is at this time that the first resurrection starts- the resurrection of the believers. All those who died in Christ and all those who will be living in Him are going to be resurrected and caught up with Him (I Thessalonians 4:16-17).

Now, what about those people who accept Christ after this first coming? They will be resurrected at the third coming of our Lord. The third coming will be a glorious appearance where He will come as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. At this point the remaining believers will be resurrected. This completes the resurrection of the believers (Revelation 20:4-5).

After the third coming Jesus will reign on earth for a thousand years. At the end of this thousand year period, the remaining people will be resurrected and judged. This resurrection is for those people who have rejected Jesus (Revelation 20:13).  

How?

Now let’s look at how we will be resurrected. In I Corinthians 15, Paul likens our death and resurrection to that of a seed. This perishable seed will be sown into the ground and after the outer covering perishes, it will regain a new form.  Likewise, after our bodies perish on being sown into the ground, we will resurrect into a new imperishable body.

Like Jesus’ new body after resurrection our new body will also be a tangible one. Jesus re-iterated that he had not resurrected into a spirit, but had real flesh and bones (Luke 24:39). He ate normal food with the disciples (Luke 24:41-43), yet he could appear and disappear (Luke 24:36, Luke 24:31 and John 20:19). Thus, this new body will have more characteristics of the spirit than of the flesh.

Many people are blinded by the false belief that when they die, they just perish. However, the Bible teaches us otherwise and warns us that every action on earth will have a consequence in eternity. In the next series of posts we will show you what happens after resurrection.

]]> http://www.imrah.org/2008/10/our-future-hope/feed/ http://www.imrah.org/2008/10/resurrection-continued/ http://www.imrah.org/2008/10/resurrection-continued/#comments Sat, 11 Oct 2008 20:47:07 +0000 Titto Thomas http://www.imrah.org/?p=395

By Titto Thomas

In the last couple of posts, Sidharth introduced the biblical reality called resurrection. In this post we delve deeper into this. 

Let’s start with this key verse “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20 ESV).

To fully understand the term resurrection, we must first comprehend the term ‘death’. Death simply means separation–separation of the body from the soul (physical death), or separation of the spirit from God (spiritual death, Romans 5:17). Resurrection, however, is just the opposite–it is a reunion.

We know that Jesus defeated death and rose again, but we also ought to remember that he was not the first person to do so. There are a number of references in the Old Testament where people rose from the dead. For example, a dead man sprang back to life when his body was thrown onto Elisha’s grave (2 Kings 13:21). In the Gospels too, we find people being raised from the dead, the most documented of which was the resurrection of Lazarus’s. Even at the time of Jesus’ death, a multitude of people rose from the dead (Mathew 27:52).

So, how is the resurrection of Jesus unique? How does it stand out from the rest of the cases we pointed out? To answer this, let me ask you if those resurrected people are alive today. The obvious answer is “of course not!” Everyone who was resurrected is no longer around today, because they died later on–except for Jesus. He was the first person to conquer death and rise back to immortality (never to die again).  And by doing so, he defeated death itself. But what is this claim based on?

Although we witnessed the resurrected savior when we first met with the Lord, there are other tangible proofs which clearly document Jesus’ resurrection. We are well acquainted with historical, prophetical (Matthew 12:40), and archeological proofs, but there is one logical proof which demands recognition. Many people are willing to die for the truth, many actually die for a lie they believe to be true, but it goes beyond reason to die for something which you know is a lie. Consider then how Jesus’ 11 disciples died. They all chose death (save John, but then he received persecution for the same question) over renouncing their faith in Jesus.

All of them claimed witness to the resurrected Lord, meaning one of two things: either the disciples believed it to be true, or they knew it to be true. But if they merely believed, there is room left for doubt and uncertainty. I am fully convinced that a person would not give their life for something they were uncertain of. In other words, the disciples were not delusional or uncertain about it. Rather, they witnessed the resurrected Christ and they died for the truth! These lowly fisher folk—one of whom could not even summon the courage to talk to a servant girl—that went around turning the world upside down and then laying down their very lives for the Gospel. If, as the Jews claimed, they had hidden Jesus, they would never have been able to stand like they did. But rather, they had seen the risen Lord, and had in fact dined with him. This knowledge of the truth is what changed them for eternity. Anyone who denies the resurrection is obliged to justify the disciple’s response.

Now that we know why Jesus’ resurrection was so unique, let us consider its significance. Right from Jesus’ birth, He had numerous attempts on his life. But God had appointed a time for his death and when that time came he was crucified. Just like scriptures foretold, Jesus rose back from the dead on the third day. Death could not contain him, Hallelujah! This resurrection is the testament of his complete victory on the cross. Yes, He had died (bodily) for your sin and mine, but now he is alive(bodily alive) for your justification and mine (Romans 4:25). He won the battle and the enemy was defeated. Hence the resurrection was a sign of His victory and proof of His everlasting kingdom.

The resurrection factor is what makes the Christian faith so unique over all other philosophies, ideas and religions of the world. Our Lord did not just claim to be Lord but proved it by conquering death itself. Many ‘good’ people have come and gone, some of them have preached a lot of ‘good things’. But when their time was up, they died. Death had conquered them all!

 You can sense the euphoria in Paul’s writing in 1 Corinthians 15 as he speaks about the Lord’s resurrection. Paul patterns it to show that the resurrection factor is what portrays the supremacy of Christ. He then goes on to say that our very faith rests on this fact. He was resurrected for our justification and is now seated at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55-60). In the next post I will show you how this relates to our future hope.

By Sidharth Mohandas

What happens after death? Do we cease to exist? Is there life after death? These are some questions that cross every person’s mind. In this article I desire to lift a part of the veil that separates this world from eternity by giving you a glimpse of what comes after death.

There is one fact that you and I must be aware of: everyone who faces death will also face the resurrection of the dead, whether they are believers or unbelievers. Those who believe will be resurrected to eternal life, while those who do not believe will be resurrected to eternal contempt (Daniel 12:2, John 5:28-29).

Before we move further into the topic of Resurrection of the dead, it is vital that we realize what happens to each faculty of man. We know that man is a triune being, with a spirit, soul and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23). The spirit and the soul constitute the immaterial part, while the body is the material part that holds the immaterial. The moment the body stops functioning, the immaterial part is released from it. The body goes to the dust where it came from, while the spirit and the soul return to God (Ecclesiastes 12:7, Ecclesiastes 3:21). The appearance of the spirit of man before God immediately after death is for one main purpose: to hear the divine sentence appointed to each spirit. In other words, to be given the state and place it must occupy from the time of death till the time of resurrection of the body.

The destiny of man’s immaterial faculty is based on one great choice they make on the earth: a “yes” or a “no” to Jesus.

What happens to those who say “no” to Jesus?

Scripture tells us that when they die, the material part (body) will return to dust where it came from, while the immaterial part (spirit and the soul) will be in a place that the Bible calls Hades in Greek, or Sheol in Hebrew (Psalm 9:17, Luke 16:22-23). The body is taken over by the enemy called Death, while the real person (the spirit and the soul) is tormented in Hades until the Day of Judgment. On the Day of Judgment, Death and Hades will give up that which is in them and the wicked will be judged according to the deeds done in their body (Revelation 20:13, II Corinthians 5:10) and they will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.

What about those who say “yes” to Jesus?

The body of those who believe in Jesus will return to dust as well. However, the Scripture clearly teaches that the immaterial part [spirit and soul] will be in Paradise, or in other words, in the presence of God (Luke 16:22,  II Corinthians 5:8-9)

Further, when the Lord Jesus manifests Himself at His coming He will bring the immaterial part of those in Paradise along  with Him so that they will re-unite with their sleeping bodies (1 Thessalonians 4:14,16 ).  At the same time, those of us who are alive at His coming will be caught up into the air. (I Thessalonians 4:13-18,  I Corinthians 15:51-52). This event is called “harpazo” in Greek generally referred to as the rapture.

In the upcoming articles Titto will discuss the essence of the resurrection of the dead.

By Sidharth Mohandas

The doctrines discussed so far dealt with the issues in the realm of time. The examination of the last two doctrines will however lead us to an altogether new realm of study. We are making a transition from the realm of time to the realm of eternity (Hebrews 6:2).

Before we move onto these doctrines, we should have a clear understanding of what the word “eternal” or “eternity” means. There is a common misconception that the word eternity represents an infinitely long period of time. This is not so. Eternity is not endless time. Eternity is in fact, outside the realm of time. It is the mode and the realm in which God lives.

“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity…” (Isaiah 57:15 KJV).

One of the most important things we need to realize about eternity is that it is not bound or weighed by quantity, but by quality. On the other hand, the world of time is governed by quantity. If you have noticed, even our successes are gauged by numbers: the quantity of money we earn, the number of cars we own, the number of people we minister to and so forth. This would explain why God asked Gideon to decrease the size of his army from 32,000 to 300, why the widows mite was considered of more value than the large sums offered by others, or how God could take just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes to feed a crowd of over 5000. God has called us to a higher standard of living (1 Timothy 6:12), a life that is influenced by the values and power of eternity.

How does He do it? Not by taking us out of time, but by training us to live in time driven by eternity.

Time is a reality to all us, and we are aware of the merciless tyranny of it in the fact that we can do nothing to arrest or reverse the course of time. However, there is a bigger and more inevitable reality awaiting all of us: The reality of coming before an eternal God. You and I will face with two universal appointments and that is, the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.

In the coming articles, we desire to deal with these two doctrines which will help us to lead lives geared by eternity.  

By Sidharth Mohandas

At Imrah Ministries we have so far dealt with three out of the six foundational doctrines of the Christian faith based on Hebrews 6:1-2. We started off with Repentance from dead works and Faith towards God. In these topics, we saw Abba exhorting us to turn away from just about everything and move towards unreserved faith in Him. We then moved onto Baptism in Water, which means union with Christ in His death and resurrection just as marriage is the union between a bride  and her bridegroom . The latest we dealt with was  about the empowerment that is ours through the Baptism in the Spirit and the Gifts of the Spirit, which helps us  continue the work of Christ on earth.

Today we will deal with the fourth doctrine, the doctrine of the laying on of hands. What does the laying on of hands mean? It is an act by which a person places his or her hand upon another with some definite spiritual purpose. It is mostly accompanied by prayer or/and prophetic utterance.

The purpose of the laying on of hands is two-fold. First of all, it is to transmit blessings (Genesis 48:14, 20). Secondly, it is to publically acknowledge and impart authority to do the works of the Lord (Numbers 27:22-23).

(A) To Impart Blessings

(1) Impartation of the Holy Spirit

We find that in three out of the five instances where the baptism in the Spirit is mentioned, people received the Spirit through laying on of hands (Acts 8:17-18, Acts 9:12,17, Acts 19:6). Certainly this is not the only way one can receive the Spirit. On the day of Pentecost and in the case of Cornellius and his household we find that the Holy Spirit was given even without the laying on of hands (Acts 2:4, Acts 10:44-46). However, on the basis of all cases considered, we may say that it’s normal and scriptural to seek to be ministered by other believers through the laying on of hands.

(2) Impartation of Healing

The second blessing that is imparted through the laying on of hands is physical healing. In Mark 16:18 we find believers being instructed to lay hands on the sick to impart physical healing. You find this practiced in the ministry of Jesus (Mark 6:5, Luke 4:40, Luke 13:13) and the apostles (Acts 14:3, Acts 5:12, Acts 9:17, Acts 19:11, Acts 28:8).

(3) Impartation of Spiritual Gifts

The third blessing that is imparted through the laying on of hands is spiritual gifts (Romans 1:11-12). Timothy is an example for a person who received spiritual gifts through the laying on of hands. Paul and the group of elders laid hands on him so that he could receive a particular spiritual gift. As a result, the nature of the ministry was revealed to him through prophetic utterances (1 Timothy 4:14,  2 Timothy 1:6). Paul tells Timothy that these prophecies were given so that “by them he may wage the good warfare” (1 Timothy 1:18). Note that the two main weapons that are used by the unseen forces of darkness are the weapons of doubt and fear. Like most of us, Timothy would have faced times of great difficulty, failure, and frustration in his ministry. In such periods it is easy to doubt and fear the reality of one’s calling. However, Paul in 2 Timothy 1:6-7 urges Timothy to stir up his spiritual gift by continuing to go forth fearlessly and without doubt.

(B) To Impart Authority and to Commission Ministers

This is last purpose of the laying on of hands. You find this practiced in Acts 13:1-4 where, through the laying on of hands, Barnabas and Saul were sent out for the work Abba had called them to. (Also read Acts 6:1-6)

Who Can Lay Hands?

Some people believe it’s only the apostles who can lay hands on others. However, this is not so. In Acts 9:12, we find the Lord sending Ananias to lay hands on Paul. Ananias, obviously wasn’t one among the apostles; he is simply referred to as “a certain disciple of the Lord” (Acts 9:10). Therefore, every believer who has something worth to impart is eligible to lay hands on others.

Do not take it lightly

Paul  warns us in 1 Timothy 5:22 not to take the laying on of hands lightly or carelessly. He follows this with two distinct warnings: 1) not to share in other people’s sins, 2) to keep oneself pure. It is no accident that these two warnings follow the warning not to lay hands on anyone hastily. For in the act of the laying on of hands, two spirits are coming in contact. In this contact there is always a possibility of spiritual harm resulting to one or both of the believers. Therefore, this ministry must always be exercised in a spirit of prayer and humility, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The believer who lays hands must be so empowered by the Holy Spirit that he is able to overcome any kind of evil influence.

If you have been empowered to do the works of the Lord, I encourage you to wisely use this medium to impart what Abba has given you by His Spirit. Remember, freely you have received, freely give (Matthew 10:8)

By Sidharth Mohandas

Introduction

In our previous articles we shared with you on how important it is to actively desire the supernatural gifts that Abba has offered to us through His Spirit.

Paul, after instructing us to actively desire these gifts, goes on to say something that he considered more important. He says, “And now I will show you the most excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:31). The Greek word for excellent here is “huperbole”, which means “supereminence” or “something of the highest priority”. What is this “way” that is super eminent to even charisma? It is the force of the highest order - love or simply the fruit of the Spirit.  (1 Corinthians 13:1-3, Galatians 5:22)

Gifts of the Spirit vs. Fruit of the Spirit (Love)

Let me use a common analogy to distinguish the gifts of the Spirit from the fruit of the Spirit. The gifts of the Spirit can be likened to the gifts hung on a Christmas tree, while the fruit of the Spirit can be likened to the fruit that  naturally grows on a tree. We hang gifts on a Christmas tree by one single act. In the same manner, God imparts the gifts of the Spirit to us also by a single act. On the other hand, the fruit of the Spirit is an outcome of growth over a period of time, just how the fruit on a tree is the result of growth over time.

Let us now take some time to evaluate ourselves to see whether we bear this fruit. Are we abiding in Abba’s love? We may have imparted healing to the sick, worked miracles or operated in the prophetic, but how much of it was done with a motive to express Abba’s love? Paul tells us that if we operate in the gifts and do not have love, we amount to nothing on God’s scales. We should never make the mistake of equating the manifestations of the Spirit in a person, to maturity or well-developed character.

King Saul, for example, had received the gift of prophecy when Abba anointed him. We also find that even after King Saul fell and the Spirit of God left him (1 Samuel 16:14), he was able to operate in the prophetic gift (1 Samuel 19:23). Balaam is another baffling combination of supernatural spiritual gifts and a corrupt character. In spite of the greed and avarice in his life, he could still operate in the prophetic gift. Why was this so? It is because God’s gifts and callings are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). This means that once Abba gives you a gift, He will not take it back.

Now, how are the takeaways from these examples applicable to our daily lives? First, we need to raise our standards for discernment. Just because someone operates in some supernatural gift, we cannot blindly conclude that he belongs to the Lord. Remember, Jesus’ criterion for discernment was the fruit of the Spirit (Matthew 7:15-19). He said, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:22-23).

Abiding in Love

Well, now that we have placed ‘love’ on a higher plane than the ‘gifts of the Spirit’ should we start treating the gifts of the Spirit with contempt? By no means! In fact, a person who is walking in the love of God will all the more want to see the gifts of the Spirit operating in his life. Why? This is because his focus is on profit-for-others and not profit-for-self.

What is the secret to walking in the love of God? It starts off by you and I experiencing Abba’s love at a personal level – as simple as that! This is a truth that the majority of Christians have overlooked. A person who has experienced Abba’s love and who continues to abide in it will automatically bear the fruit and keep on growing in love for others.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:11). 

In other words, it is impossible for a person who has met with Abba not to grow in love! Let me explain why. Have you ever tried spending time with someone who has a character superior to yours? You would have noticed that shortly afterwards, his or her character has started to rub off on you. The same goes for the Lord. When you fellowship with Him, His love rubs off on you and you naturally start loving others the way He does.

Our heart’s desire here at Imrah is to see the body of believers established in the Word, not only getting developed in charisma but also in character. With this, we come to an end of the Gifts of the Spirit series. 

By Sidharth Mohandas

In this article I will be dealing with the last three gifts of the Spirit, which can be collectively called the Gifts of Power.  I will quickly brush through these three gifts as they don’t need much of an explanation.

(a) The Gift of Faith

The “gift of faith” should not be confused with “saving faith” or with  “growing faith”. What is “saving faith”? When an individual hears the Gospel, faith is imparted to him as a gift (Greek for gift here is dorea; Romans 10:17, Ephesians 2:8-9). This  can be called the “saving faith”.  What is “growing faith”?  The seed of saving faith grows and matures as the person exercises it and continues to abide in God’s Word. This can be called the “growing faith”.

So, what is the “Gift of Faith”? It is a supernatural and spontaneous faith, which is not necessarily received as a result of training in the Word. It was by the manifestation of this gift that the Hebrew boys quenched the violence of fire (Daniel 3:25, Hebrews 11:34), that Daniel stopped the lions mouth (Daniel 6:19-22, Hebrews 11:33), that the Red Sea was parted, etc.  Further, the operation of this gift has nothing to do with one’s personal faith! For example, Elijah used this faith to call down fire on an altar that was drenched with twelve large jars of water (1 Kings 18:30-38).  However, moments later we find him under a Juniper tree, afraid and wanting to die (1 Kings 19:3-4). His personal faith failed here. So we can infer from this example that this “gift of faith” is given for a certain period of time in order to fulfill a certain task.

(b) The Gifts of Healings

Through this gift, healing is supernaturally imparted to a sick person. This gift is accompanied with the gift of faith, most of the time.

As you would have noticed, gift and healing are in their plural form. This implies that a person can have the gift to bring healing for a particular sickness, but may not have the gift to bring healing for some other type of sickness. That is, the healing for each sickness is considered as a different gift. For example, a  person may have the gift to heal cancer, but may not have the gift to heal AIDS.

(c) The Working of Miracles

Literally, this gift is putting into effect the power of God. The result is a happening or event that supercedes the natural order or physical realm. This gift was in operation when Jesus fed over 5000 with 5 loaves and 2 fishes (Mark 6:30-44), when He stilled the raging storm (Matthew 8:23-27), when He walked on water (Mark 6:48-50), when He raised Lazarus  from the dead (John 11:41-44),etc. 

This is the last article in this series on the gifts of the Spirit. In the coming post, I will be dealing with the balance that we as Christians are required to maintain while we operate in the gifts of the Spirit.