I have always been intrigued by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Believers often desire for the Spirit to gift them with the amazing power to heal the sick, perform miracles, prophesy, speak in tongues, or have wisdom as Solomon did (1 Cor 12:7–11). I have, in the past, longed for the Holy Spirit to empower me to miraculously heal others. But now I wonder what my true motivation was for seeking such a gift. Was the desire to heal others rooted in love, or was I seeking man’s recognition and praise?
Although Scripture teaches that we are to desire spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit, the word of God first and foremost commands us to pursue love (1 Cor 14:1) and then desire the spiritual gifts. Pursue (διώκω in Greek) means “to do something with intense effort and with a definite purpose or goal.”[1]
Thus, the seeking out of spiritual gifts should be secondary to believers pursuing the excellent or supreme way of love (1 Cor 12:31a). Love, rather than the ability to perform spiritual wonders is a sign that God is truly working in us.
Jesus commands us to love God and each other (Matt 22: 30–31), and love really does permeate the New Testament:
- “Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” (1 John 4:7 NIV)
- “Let all that you do be done in love.” (1 Cor 16:14 ESV)
- “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” (Col 3:14 NLT)
In his teaching on the Holy Spirit, Smith[2] adds that love is the essence of Christian character and that the other eight fruits of the Spirit radiate from the love that believers reflect on their journey towards Christlikeness. Galatians 5:22–23 teaches that the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When we walk by the Spirit these fruits become evident in our lives and attest to others that God is indeed working in and through us.
Paul teaches that spiritual gifts – speaking in tongues, prophecy, understanding, knowledge, faith that can move mountains, the generous giving of possessions nd even of one’s body (martyrdom) all profit a believer nothing if these acts are performed without the motive and attitude of love. The heart behind the actions matters.
The Bible records that even false prophets were miracle workers who were able to prophesy (Deut 13:2–4). Pharaoh’s wise men, were also able to change their staffs into snakes, like Aaron did, whilst wielding their secret magic, (Exodus 7:11–12) and Simon the sorcerer deceived people with his astonishing power of witchcraft to the extent that people followed him around calling him “the great power of God.” (Acts 8:9–25)
In Matthew 7:15 Jesus warns his followers that even though people prophesy, cast out demons, and perform many wonders in his name, they do not necessarily know him nor belong to him. Rather, evidence of belonging to Christ is found in the fruit that our lives produce, not the spiritual gifts we exercise. Jesus highlighted that love would be the very trait that would be the means through which his true disciples would be recognized (John 13:34b–35). First John 4:19 reminds us that we love because he first loved us. Our ability to love others is a testament to our having personally experienced God’s gracious love, and the transformative power of the Holy Spirit working in and through us.
Whilst discussing the challenges we face when loving biblically, Jeanrond[3] notes that all Christian thinkers agree that love is the central theme of the Christian religion. In Scripture, love is emphasized as being eternal whilst our spiritual gifting is seen as being temporal. Paul highlights that, ultimately, all things will pass away (1 Cor 13:8–10), and when all things are fulfilled (1 Cor 13:10), and the final eschaton arrives, we will see God face to face (Rev 22:4) and all of our deeds, actions, and words will be weighed (2 Cor 5:10). Jesus Christ will know whether we have truly pursued love and obediently focused on fulfilling the royal law of Scripture: to love God above everything else and to love our neighbors as we have loved ourselves. (James 2:8)
John Wesley[4] notes that “love accompanies to, and adorns us in, eternity; it prepares us for and constitutes heaven.” It is love—not faith, not hope, and not the spiritual gifts that we endeavor to attain— that will be found to be stronger than death (Song 8:6), and at home in eternity (1 Cor 13:8). Indeed, love is the most excellent way that we as believers are called to pursue. Love is a testament to God in us and acting through us. It is God’s love that births spiritual fruits and transforms us into Christlikeness.
Therefore, friends, rather than longing for certain spiritual gifts, which we may desire for our own gratification, or for man’s acclamations, let us pursue the most excellent way of love. I’ve realized that although I desire for God to heal others through me, such healings will always be according to God’s will, timing and purposes, and must solely glorify God.
Let all that we say and do, be done in love, trusting that the spiritual gifts will surely follow. When we obey Jesus’s command to pursue love, above everything else, we can be assured that when we finally meet Jesus Christ our saviour face to face, we will be adorned by the eternal beauty of love, and he will recognize us as his own.
Biography
Yvonne Roberg is married to Christian Roberg and the mother of their two young adult children, Thomas and Catherine. She works as a physiotherapist in Johannesburg, treating spinal, sport, and musculoskeletal injuries. She is a local preacher in the Methodist Church and a lecturer at the South African Theological Seminary (SATS). She has completed her MTh at SATS, with a focus on divine healing in light of the eschatology in the epistle of James. She is passionate about the Word of God, and the hope and healing that it offers humanity. When she isn’t reading, cooking, and writing, she is off walking her Border collie, Maya.
Sources:
[1] Bass, Friedrich, Albert Debrunner, and Robert W. Funk. 1961. A Greek Grammar of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
[2] Smith, Kevin G. 2011. The fruit of the Spirit: Reflecting Jesus in the SATS Course “The Holy Spirit, what the Bible teaches”. Johannesburg: South African Seminary.
[3] Jeanrond, Werner G. 2003. “Biblical challenges to a theology of love.” Biblical Interpretation . 11(3–4):640–653.
[4] Wesley, John. 1818. Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament. New York: Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States.