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Spiritual Gifts

Acts 8:5-19
5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.
6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.
8 And there was great joy in that city.
9 But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great,
10 to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is the great power of God."
11 And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time.
12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.
13 Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.
14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,
15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.
16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money,
19 saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
20 But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!
(NKJ) 

According to Mark's account of the Great Commission, the gifts were given to believers to confirm the testimony of the Apostles as they went out to preach the Gospel. The distribution and continued exercising of supernatural gifts was specifically to confirm the Apostolic testimony of Christ's teachings and His resurrection. 

There is abundant testimony in Acts to miraculous deeds being done by the Apostles. With the coming of the Spirit's power at Pentecost came certain supernatural "gifts" upon the Apostles themselves. But, we also find that others besides the Apostles received spiritual gifts after Pentecost. The question before us now is, what was the mode of transmitting spiritual gifts to ordinary Christians as the Gospel spread through the witness of the Apostles? Jesus told His Apostles that "signs shall follow them that believe," as they obeyed the Great Commission. But how would this occur?

If the purpose of distributing miraculous gifts to converts was to confirm the Apostles' own testimony, we would expect that reception of the gifts by believers would take place only when Apostles were present, as they testified to the Gospel of Christ and His resurrection. If the distribution of gifts by the Holy Spirit was intended to operate independent of the Apostles (without their personal touch or presence), we would expect to see the gifts being bestowed at any place or at any time the Gospel was preached in truth. But that is not the case either in Scripture or early Church history.

Without exception, the Biblical record indicates that at least one of the 12 Apostles were present in every instance where spiritual gifts were bestowed by the Spirit. In all but two of these, the Apostles laid hands directly on the recipients. This was the normal MODE of transmission of the gifts to those who believed the Gospel message preached by the Apostles. Even in the couple of exceptions where direct contact did not occur, the impartation of the gifts was done with Apostles present. In every case where the Gospel was preached without an Apostle being present, no impartation of spiritual gifts is indicated in the historical narrative.

Our text above provides us with three critical kinds of information (three witnesses) establishing the mode of transmission of spiritual gifts. They are as follows:

I. Explicit Statement of Apostolic Distribution
The statement about Simon's observation in verse 18 provides a direct statement of the mode of distribution. The Greek literally reads, "When observed (or perceived) Simon, that through (the agency of) laying on (of) the Apostles' hands the Spirit IS BEING GIVEN..." The verb translated "saw" (observed or perceived) is in the aorist tense. The aorist tense indicates the totality of a "happening" or occurrence of something without regard for continuation. It describes the whole event, usually something that is quickly over. It is almost always rendered in the past tense in English. Simon SAW or OBSERVED something — a single happening. "When Simon saw..." Simon's observation was quickly over. Simon made an observation and drew a conclusion from it. But, the verb translated "was given" in the KJV is misleading in English. In the Greek text it is in the present tense and indicative mood. The "present indicative" always refers to something CURRENTLY happening CONTINUOUSLY. In this case, "the Spirit IS BEING GIVEN" through the Apostles' hands. Remember, Luke was writing a narrative, recounting for his readers what had happened in the past. His use of verb tenses is consistent with his telling the story of what occurred. But, Luke's language also indicates that it was the norm for the Spirit's power to be given in this manner. It does not merely indicate that Simon observed a single occurrence of the Spirit's manifestations being given in this manner. There is a very significant shift from the aorist tense to the present indicative. (Simon) SAW (aorist - meaning something that occurred - an event quickly over) that by the laying on of the Apostles' hands the Spirit IS BEING GIVEN (present indicative). The continuous present action of the present indicative Greek verb leaves no doubt that Luke meant the distribution of the gifts through the Apostles' hands was a continuous action when he was writing Acts! IF Luke meant Simon SAW that through the Apostles' hands the Holy Spirit WAS (or had been) given in that particular instance (both verbs referring to a single event that Simon had just observed) he would have used the aorist tense again (was given) rather than switching to the present indicative. Luke's use of the present indicative in his narration indicates the Spirit's manifestations were continuously being given through the Apostles' hands when Luke penned Acts AFTER the fact. That is the ONLY reasonable explanation for Luke's shift from the aorist to the present indicative in his statement. The switch from the aorist tense (Simon SAW) to the present indicative (is being given) indicates that Simon's OBSERVATION was momentary (aorist), but the giving of the gifts through the laying on of the Apostles' hands was continuously ONGOING when Luke wrote Acts. It was THE MANNER in which the Spirit's power was being distributed at the time. Young's literal translation renders this verse correctly as follows:

Acts 8:18
18 And Simon, having beheld that through the laying on of the hands of the apostles the Holy Spirit is given, brought before them money,
(YLT)

In other words, Simon discovered or observed something that was a continuous (present) reality, not a momentary occurrence.

Implicit Evidence of Apostolic Distribution
Notice also that Simon wanted to buy the "POWER" to do this. "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit." Peter referred to this ability to impart the Spirit (manifestations) as "the gift of God." "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!" Note carefully that the POWER to impart the gifts to others is what Peter called "the gift of God." The words "gift of God" in verse 20 DO NOT refer to the Holy Spirit Himself. Simon was not asking to receive the Spirit, any of the gifts he had seen Philip exercise, or even the gifts received by the other Samaritans on whom Peter and John laid hands. Simon wanted something more, the unique POWER that the Apostles themselves possessed to impart the Spirit's power to others. This unique power, which was held exclusively by the Apostles of Christ, was the "gift of God" that he could not buy from the Apostles.

The POWER to impart the Holy Spirit's manifestations on believers was one of the unique GIFTS only the Apostles themselves possessed. (The other unique gift being the ability to punish people with supernatural power - cf. Acts 5:1-13 & Acts 13:8-12). The unique Apostolic gifts are not included in other lists of spiritual gifts in the New Testament. Being Apostolic gifts, they were not given to anyone else. That the power to impart the Holy Spirit's gifts to other believers was itself called "the gift of God" by Peter implies Apostolic use on a continual basis. If ordinary spiritual "gifts" were meant to be the permanent possession of the recipient, the same would apply to this special Apostolic gift, it being a permanent possession of the Apostles to be exercised continually.  A "gift" was meant to be used on an ongoing basis. This also implies that the mode of distribution was through the Apostles' hands.

Circumstantial Evidence of Apostolic Distribution
In Acts 8, it was apparently necessary for Apostles of Christ to be present in order for the Samaritan converts to receive the supernatural manifestations of the Spirit. Luke provided a comment in verse 16, explaining why the Jerusalem church sent the Apostles down to Samaria. They thought it necessary because the Samaritan believers had not yet themselves received any personal confirmation by miraculous signs. Philip, who preached the Gospel to them, was not himself one of the Apostles of Christ. It should be noted that Philip himself possessed certain supernatural spiritual gifts. It was through his performing great signs that the Samaritans believed the Gospel. Yet, Philip was apparently unable to transmit spiritual gifts himself to the Samaritans. Otherwise, the Jerusalem church would not have sent Peter and John to Samaria for this purpose. When the Jerusalem church heard what had happened in Samaria, they sent Peter and John who imparted the power and manifestations of the Spirit to these believers, just as Jesus had said in Mark 16 — "these signs shall follow them that believe" the testimony of the Apostles.

Other Examples of Apostolic Distribution
1. The Ephesians: When Paul first arrived at Ephesus, he found Jewish followers of John the Baptist. Having explained the Gospel of Christ and baptized them, Paul laid his hands on them to impart spiritual gifts.

Acts 19:6-7
6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
7 And all the men were about twelve.
(KJV)

2. The Romans: Paul wrote to the Romans that he desired to travel all the way to Rome to impart spiritual gifts to them (Rom. 1:11). This is similar to the case in Acts 8, where Apostolic travel to distant locations for the purpose of imparting spiritual gifts was required. The Church in Rome was not started by an Apostles, but by someone aquatinted with the Apostles, probably an Evangelist like Philip in Acts 8. Paul had never been to Rome when he wrote his Roman Epistle.

Rom 1:9-13
9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,
10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you.
11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established —
12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.
(NKJ)

The Evangelist who began the Roman church probably possessed some spiritual gifts himself, but was not able to impart them to others, just like Philip's ministry to the Samaritans. Interestingly, in his Roman Epistle, Paul discussed "gifts" that the Romans already possessed (Rom. 12). But, when we compare them to the gifts in 1 Corinthians (a church started by Paul an Apostle of Christ), the list is completely different. Notice the similarity of instructions, but the vast difference in the gifts — the Corinthian "gifts" being almost entirely supernatural, but the Roman gifts being almost entirely natural gifts.
 

It is striking that in both Epistles, Paul's instructions regarding "gifts" are very similar. That is, the point he was making — unity — is precisely the same. Both churches were to use their various gifts in love, working together as a body, each part playing the role dictated by his gift, operating as a unified whole. He used the human body, with its various parts working in unison, as his example. Yet, the gifts being exercised by the Corinthians (a church the Apostle Paul himself founded) were vastly different from the gifts being exercised by the Romans (a church founded by an Evangelist)! The only gift mentioned in Roman list, that would be considered one of the supernatural gifts of the Spirit, is "prophecy." All the rest are what we might call natural gifts or talents. Why are the lists so different? If Paul expected that the Spirit distributed supernatural gifts apart from direct Apostolic involvement, would he not indicate that the Romans possessed all the same gifts as the Corinthians, and list the supernatural gifts? Of course he would. The disparity between the Corinthian and the Roman gifts can only be explained if the Romans did not have the supernatural gifts the Corinthians had. Only "prophecy" was common to both churches. And this could be easily explained if Paul knew that the Evangelist, who established the Roman congregation, exercised the prophetic gift (just as Philip himself exercised supernatural gifts in Acts 8). This explains why Paul would be so anxious to travel to all the way to Rome just to impart spiritual gifts, the kind of gifts they lacked, but for which Corinth was well known (Rom. 1:10-12).

3. Timothy's Gift: Paul reminded Timothy to exercise the spiritual gift given him through the laying on of Paul's own hands. Paul mentioned this occasion twice, once in each of his Epistles to Timothy.

2 Tim 1:6
6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
(NKJ)

1 Tim 4:14
14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.
(NKJ)

Some might conclude from the second verse that spiritual gifts were not given exclusively by the agency of the Apostles, but also by the elders of the churches. But, the Greek text does not support that conclusion. Notice in both cases "gift" is singular. Paul was referring to the same event, when Timothy received his "gift," in both verses. That the agency of distribution was exclusively Paul's hands, and not the elders, is clear from the very distinct and specific meanings of the words "through" (Greek - dia) and "with" (Greek - meta). "Dia" means "the channel of an act." But "meta" means "accompaniment" ("amid" - Strong's). When we put these two statements together, both dealing with the same event, it is obvious what occurred. Paul encouraged the elders of this church to join him in laying hands on Timothy as an act of solidarity and approval of the young man. But, the gift was bestowed exclusively THROUGH (by agency of) Paul's hands, with the elders accompanying him with their hands. The language does not permit the elders being the agents through which Timothy received his gift from the Holy Spirit. It was transferred to Timothy by Paul's hands amid the elders also laying hands on Timothy.

4. The Corinthians: In the first two chapters of 1 Corinthians, Paul acknowledged the many gifts the Corinthians had received, and the mighty demonstrations of power, when Paul was in their midst, founding this church.

1 Cor 1:4-7
4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus,
5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge,
6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you,
7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
(NKJ)

1 Cor 2:4
4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
(NKJ)

2 Cor 12:12
12 Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds.
(NKJ)

Paul seems to have been recalling his founding of this church, which is actually recorded in Acts 18. Paul continued with this new group of converts, instructing them for 18 months. In the above verses, Paul recalled his 18 month stay with them, teaching and preaching with supernatural demonstrations of the Spirit's power. That Paul rejoiced with them regarding their gifts, and in the same context spoke of the Spirit's power manifested through him in their presence, most likely indicates he was referring to his imparting the gifts to them in the same manner we find elsewhere. The last verse identifies his demonstrations as "the signs of an Apostle." That Paul meant something more than just miracles in general is apparent, because he identified one of the common gifts distributed to their members as "working of miracles." If the gift of "miracles" and other "mighty deeds" mentioned in the list of gifts given to the members of the church of Corinth is what Paul himself possessed, how then could these be "the signs of an Apostle?" In order to be "the signs of an Apostle," Paul's gifts must have been UNIQUE to only Apostles of Jesus Christ. "The signs of an Apostle" had to be something more, that was unique to the Apostles of Christ beyond the list of spiritual gifts in chapter 12. Otherwise, anyone who received the gifts of miracles or other supernatural gifts would be considered "Apostles" because they possessed "the signs of an Apostle." The only satisfactory explanation for the above passages is that Paul's referring to his own "demonstration of the Spirit and of power," and his mention of "the signs of an Apostle" refer to something other than the gifts received by his readers. Paul's demonstration of the power proved that He was an Apostle of Jesus Christ, setting him apart from the rest of the people who also exercised their spiritual gifts. This unique "power" and "sign" was most likely Paul's own hands acting as the conduit for the distribution of the gifts to the Corinthians.

Exceptions to Apostolic Distribution
Whenever there is a rule or norm, it seems there are always exceptions. The above passage indicates the RULE. When there are exceptions, there should be obvious reasons for them. The exceptions in Scripture, where spiritual gifts were distributed WITHOUT the Apostles' directly laying hands on people, are as follows:

1. Pentecost - Acts 2: The reasons why the gifts were distributed to the Apostles themselves without human agency is obvious in this case. The Apostles would not lay hands on themselves. Nor is there any indication that they knew at this time what was about to happen. And there is certainly no indication that they knew they would come to possess this power to impart spiritual gifts to others. Jesus had merely told them to wait in Jerusalem for the power of the Spirit before they began to obey the Great Commission.

2. Cornelius' Household - Acts 10: Peter was reluctant to go and preach to Gentiles. In fact, when he finally went to Cornelius' house, he began his sermon by saying that it was unlawful for a Jew to enter the home of a Gentile. God had to shatter Peter's Jewish segregationist and elitist mentality regarding Jew and Gentile, through a vision, just to get him to go to Cornelius' home. Peter preached the first Gospel sermon to a group of Gentiles who took in and embraced every word of his sermon. Before Peter could finish his sermon, the Holy Spirit produced among these Gentiles a repeat of the Jewish day of Pentecost. In this case, the Spirit's manifestations, confirming Peter's message, also served to confirm to Peter and the other Jewish brethren that "God is no respecter of persons." When Peter returned to Jerusalem, he was challenged by the church for his going in and preaching to a Gentile household. Apparently, they thought that Gentile conversion would be like it was in Mosaic Judaism. Gentile proselytes came to the synagogue, and were permitted to sit in an adjoining room to listen but not participate. While the Jewish church certainly knew Jesus' commission to preach to the Gentiles, they expected Peter to maintain the segregationist customs established by the Law of Moses. Going to a Gentile's home, and holding a preaching service exclusively for Gentiles, was quite beyond the pale. But, Peter's recounting what had happened to the Jerusalem church led him to one inescapable conclusion. "Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?" (Acts 11:17). It is obvious then, that the Apostles were actually lagging behind the Holy Spirit, and not keeping up with the program He had in mind. Under such circumstances, we should conclude that Peter probably would not have even attempted to lay hands on these people, given his surprise that the gifts were also distributed to Gentiles by the Holy Spirit.

Objections to Apostolic Distribution
1. Gifts distributed by the Spirit Himself: No doubt, some will object on the grounds that Paul wrote the Spirit distributed the gifts according to His own will. But, this is not in conflict with the idea of Apostolic agency. Paul's point in 1 Cor. 12 was that the type of gift given to any particular individual was entirely up to the Spirit. In other words, the Spirit alone decided what gift each individual would receive (1 Cor. 12:7-12). This could occur as the Apostle laid hands on the individual, in obedience to the Spirit's prompting. The Apostle did not decide the particular gift given through his hands. That was left entirely up to the Spirit. The Apostles' hands were merely the conduit for the distribution, as the Holy Spirit saw fit to give specific gifts to specific individuals.

2. Christians should seek the best gifts: Twice Paul told the Corinthians to strongly desire (or be zealous about) the best gifts (1 Cor. 12:31 & 14:39). However, this does not imply that new gifts would be granted to individual "seekers," or that gifts were bestowed directly without an Apostle being present. The contexts of both passages indicate Paul meant that the Church as a whole should zealously seek to have the "best gifts" exercised in their meetings. By "best" he meant the gifts that edified the whole congregation (as he explained in ch. 14), particularly "prophecy." He was not instructing individual believers to be dissatisfied with their current gift, desiring something greater. That concept is exactly opposite what Paul had just taught in the same chapter, that each member should be satisfied with their particular gift (cf. 12:14-19).

Conclusion:
All of the evidence, direct, indirect, and circumstantial, points to the same conclusion. The specific gifts were chosen by the Spirit, but distributed through the Apostles' hands, or at least in their presence. The purpose of this mode of distribution was to confirm the preaching of the Apostles themselves, as personal witnesses to Jesus' teaching and His resurrection. I am aware of no passage that does not conform to this model. The preponderance of evidence leads inescapably to the conclusion that the Bible specifically endorses only this mode of distribution. If we assume nothing, and accept only what the Scriptures themselves proclaim both explicitly and implicitly, the implications of this point alone are enough to settle the ceasationist vs. continuance issue. Since all of the New Testament passages are consistent with this model, unless God began dispensing the gifts in some manner other than the New Testament model after the original Apostles died, the "gifts" were no longer distributed after the last Apostle died. To say that they continued is to invent a new way for spiritual gifts to be distributed without any direct biblical support. And if an alleged modern mode of distribution is completely different than what the early Church experienced, and what is recorded in the New Testament, how can we be sure that such  "gifts" are genuinely those embraced by the early Church? We will have moved outside of Biblical precedent into the realm of speculation. And since we are dealing with the supernatural and spiritual entities, that is an extremely dangerous excursion without a biblical compass.

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