1 Corinthians 1:4–9 (ESV)
I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
It is easy to read this passage and not notice what it says. When we see the words, “the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus,” we generally think of the gift of salvation.
That’s included in what Paul’s talking about here, but it’s not his point. He’s mostly referring to supernatural gifts of the Spirit. That’s what he talking about when he says, “in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge.”
Speech and knowledge were the keys to status in first-century Greece. Paul is saying that they have it at supernatural levels. They are “gifts” of the Holy Spirit. It’s easy to miss how significant this is. We’re used to hearing talents described as gifts, but that concept was new back then. The “gift” of the Holy Spirit was introduced in Acts 2:38.
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (ESV)
The Bible’s first mention of a specific gift-talent might be in Romans 1:11.
For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— (ESV)
However, Paul doesn’t exactly say what he means by “some spiritual gift” in that passage. Still, by Romans 12:6, Paul has made this concept of specific spiritual gifts obvious.
Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; (ESV)
This is what Paul means by gift in this passage, and it’s supposed to stand out. These people need encouragement, and it’s hard to imagine any words more encouraging than, “so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end,.”
Every Christian is given the Holy Spirit along with some specific gifts—new “talents and abilities.” These can be completely unrelated to the talents and abilities we had prior to conversion. Thus, we often don’t recognize our gifts. Thus, they can end up untapped and undeveloped.
This is pitiful. Great things may be waiting to be discovered. Many Christians think that couldn’t possibly play a significant role in Christ’s kingdom, so they don’t look for great things in themselves.
Stepping out of your comfort zone and taking on a bigger job than you’d like is how you discover gifts.
