Spiritual gifts and redemption

Our pastor, Mark Wible, preached on service and spiritual gifts from 1 Peter 4:10-11. Along with a conversation that I had with my sister, it sparked a few thoughts.

God created—and from here flows our gifts. To be in his image partly entails to have gifts in order to serve him, to rule over the earth as a steward (Gen. 1:26, 28). Our giftings and calling flow from our creation and dependence on him. Spiritual gifts and service are grounded in our very natures of who we were created be, grounded in God.

After the Fall, our giftings are restored by the Spirit, who transforms us into the image of Christ, the true man, the true image of God, the very God (2 Cor. 3:17-18; Rom. 5:12-21; Heb. 1:3; Col. 2:9). It is said that when you serve in your gifting by the Spirit, you feel fulfilled and enlivened—perhaps it is because we are being regenerated, reborn, restored to whom we were created to be—servants and creatures dependent on our God. Only in union with God do we find our true selves, as John Calvin says. We are not created to be autonomous, but to be in union with God. Christ’s work on the cross reconciles us to God, and the Spirit transforms us into Christ’s image, the true image of God. Our spiritual gifting is part of this larger story of redemption, reconciliation, and restoration.

 Christ is also Christus exemplar, Christ our example. “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6). “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mat. 11:28-28) (another clue that spiritual giftings are not burdensome!). Jesus was the perfect steward of gifts—completely dependent on the Spirit, manifesting the fruit of the Spirit, and using all his gifts for the Father’s will. Looking at him, we see the giftings at their best, in service to God and others. Fix our eyes on Jesus and we will become more like him, including in the area of proper stewardship of giftings.

Pastor Mark also asked, “Why don’t we serve?” Contemplating the glory and life of Christ (2 Cor. 3:17-18; 2 Cor. 4:4-6), the Spirit shows us our idols. It is idolatry that keeps us from serving. If I don’t want to serve, it is because there is something more important to me. I idolize my time—I have better things to do than to build up the body of Christ. Or I idolize my career or my studies, which means my time and money and energy are spent in service to this god.

Although, Pastor Wible did a great job of reminding us there are seasons and times for giftings. God may give a time of rest, a time of surrender, a time of change, etc. And if we don’t heed that—that is an idol too. Perhaps one of people-approval: “The whole church is expecting me to continue serving. I had better.” Or seeking praise in what you do from men. Or, unbelief in Jesus’ work, that it is not enough and serving functions as a “functional savior” to try to earn salvation. We don’t serve to gain a sense of fulfillment or approval from God or man. We can both serve and not serve out of idolatry and self-glorification.

Rather, we serve because we see Christ. We serve because we see how he has served us and gave his time, energy, glory, his very life so we could be with God (Phil. 2:6-11). We serve because we are filled with his love for his people and his body, for which he died and for which he has gifted us to build up (Eph. 4:11-13; Eph. 5:23-27). We serve because we are passionate for his glory, which is shown forth when we love each other and build each other up (John 13:35; John 17:20-22). We serve because we see how much he loves others. We serve because he first served us; we love because he first loved us.