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¿Qué tiene que ver conmigo? por Teófila Gottfried
Lo que leemos en la Biblia tiene que ver con todos los seres humanos, sean cristianos o judíos, ateos o agnósticos, budistas, musulmanes o adherentes a alguna de las filosofías o nuevas religiones que surgen en el mundo. ¿Por qué? Ver mayor información sobre este interesante libro.
Scripture of The Day - St. John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Escritura del día - San Juan 14,6
Jesús le dijo: Yo soy el camino, y la verdad, y la vida; nadie viene al Padre, sino por mí.
Bibelstelle des Tages - Johannes 14,6
Jesus spricht zu ihm: Ich bin der Weg und die Wahrheit und das Leben; niemand kommt zum Vater, denn durch mich!
Are The Spiritual Gifts Of 1 Corinthians God-Given Psychic Abilities To Be Developed?
"Christian" psychics teach that everyone is born with psychic abilities--which they call spiritual gifts--that need to be developed. They teach that some use their developed "spiritual gifts" for good, while others use theirs for evil. So, the two questions to which we will get biblical answers are:
1. Are psychic abilities the same as the spiritual gifts of God seen in 1 Corinthians 12?
2. Is everyone born with spiritual gifts from God that can be developed and used for good OR evil?
First and foremost, let's remember God made man a spiritual being by nature. The scripture of 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says man is a three-part being, and that one of those parts is SPIRIT. Why would a spiritual being NOT have some spiritual experiences? So, let's not call a perfectly normal thing "latent psychic abilities" or "spiritual gifts" to entice people to develop "control" over their spiritual body, which is nothing short of witchcraft in disguise.
Now let's look at the spiritual gifts of 1 Corinthians 12:1-10.
The Spiritual Gift Of Wisdom
1 Corinthians 12:8 - "For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom..."
King Solomon was the wisest man on earth...until Christ was born. And considering the fact that Christ was actually God in the flesh, that makes Solomon the wisest mortal of all time. Was Solomon born with an innate spiritual gift of wisdom and knowledge that he developed? Not according to 1 Kings 3:7, 9. The young king prayed, "...O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father. And I am but a little child. I know not how to go out or come in... Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad..."
If Solomon had been born with the spiritual gift of wisdom, why did he have to pray for wisdom? Now, could he have had wisdom without knowing it? Not according to God's answer to his prayer:
"Behold, I have done according to thy words. Lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart, so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee." (1 Kings 3:12).
If Solomon had been born with wisdom, God would not have responded with, "I have done according to thy words". Solomon's word were a request for wisdom. God says He answered the request, which tells us Solomon asked for something with which he had not been born.
Do we read that the wise Solomon practiced any exercises to develop the spiritual gift of wisdom? No. We just read that he got his wisdom through a sincere prayer. Conclusion: Bible-believing Christians get wisdom the very same way the wise Solomon did. They pray and ask God for it. This is why the Bible says, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God..." (James 1:5).
The Spiritual Gift Of Knowledge
1 Corinthians 12:8 "...to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit..."
If you read the second chapter of the Old Testament book of Daniel, you will read of when king Nebuchadnezzar had a terrifying dream. The unique situation here is that the king cannot even remember his nightmare, let alone interpret it. So, he calls for the wise men of his kingdom to tell him what he dreamed, and to interpret the dream. Imagine being asked to tell someone else what he dreamed! You certainly need the spiritual gift of knowledge to do that.
They were called wise men, because they had "highly developed psychic abilities". Now then, the king threatens to execute the wise men if they don't find a way to tell him what he dreamed, and interpret his nightmare.
We're talking about an entire kingdom with many wise men with extremely highly developed psychic abilities, yet none is able to discover what the king dreamed. Not even to save their life.
But Daniel and his companions sought God. We read, "Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision." (Daniel 2:19).
Had Daniel been born with the spiritual gift of knowledge? If so, why did he have to wait on God for the revelation of the king's nightmare? Even if we say Daniel had developed his spiritual gift of knowledge so highly that it only took one prayer to get the answer, we still have a problem. If that were the case, why could none of the other wise men with such highly developed psychic abilities seek their gods, and get the answer? Scripture plainly tells us all Daniel did was seek the God of Israel. Now even if we argue that he had developed psychic abilities prior to that, it does not answer the question of why not even one of the wise men could get the answer from their gods. Again, not even to save their life. Think about what's going on here: Professional wise men who specialize in developing psychic abilities to serve the king and his kingdom cannot get any help from their gods. Daniel, on the other hand, gets the answer from the God of Israel. The bottom line is that neither Daniel nor any other non-wise man could have competed with the psychic abilities of the wise men in service to the king.
The Spiritual Gift Of Faith
1 Corinthians 12:9 - "...to another faith by the same Spirit..."
Now this is one of the spiritual gifts for which there is a clear revelation of how it begins. We read, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17). Let's not say that "hearing" refers to a psychic exercise involving subliminal messages or internal voices. No. "Hearing" refers to literally hearing the gospel message. How do we know that? Romans 10:14 says, "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?"
Listening to a preacher is not a psychic exercise. He or she is a real person who preaches the Word of God in the earth, just as Christ commanded His followers to do. But do not forget that the Holy Bible is also a "preacher", because it is God's Word, behind which is the Spirit of God. This is why there are real life testimonies of people who have received Christ as Savior through reading the Bible.
The Spiritual Gift Of Healing
1 Corinthians 12:9 - "...to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit...."
In the Bible we read, "And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven. And it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians." (Exodus 9:10-11).
Ancient Egypt was full of magicians and sorcerers with highly developed "spiritual gifts". The book of Exodus tells of their powerful magic. Are we to think not even one of them had the "spiritual gift" of healing developed enough to heal himself and his people from the boils God placed on them? Think about it. Those magicians worked signs and miracles by profession. They were masters of psychic abilities. Moses, on the other hand, was a family man, and a shepherd (Exodus 3:1). How does an amateur like Moses with undeveloped "spiritual gifts" overpower the highly developed "spiritual gifts" of ALL the pros of Egypt?
When Jesus sent seventy of His disciples out to heal the sick, that is exactly what all seventy did (Luke 10:1, 9, 17). Had those disciples developed a "spiritual gift" of healing? No. We are told how they got their power. They got it from Christ. Jesus said to them, "Behold I GIVE unto power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy..." (Luke 10:19).
The Spiritual Gift Of Miracles
1 Corinthians 12:10 - "To another the working of miracles...
We read, "And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people." (Acts 6:8).
We do not read that Stephen worked those miracles, because he had developed psychic abilities, but because he was "full of faith and power." That means Stephen was full of Christ, because 1 Corinthians 1:24 tells us, "Christ the power of God..." If you develop a power or ability, it was not given to you. And if it was given to you, you did not develop it. That is why Jesus told His disciples, "I GIVE unto you power." So, why do "Christian" psychics tell you to develop the spiritual gifts, which God says that He gives according His will (1 Corinthians 12:11)?
Spiritual Gifts Are NOT Neutral Powers To Be Used For Good OR Evil
Keep in mind there are satanic signs, wonders and miracles worked by false Christs and false prophets. And many are deceived by their works (Matthew 24:24, 2 Thessalonians 2:9). These "lying wonders"--as the Bible calls them--are NOT spiritual gifts from God that people chose to use for evil instead of good. It is IMPOSSIBLE to use God's spiritual gifts for evil purposes. The Lord lets us know that no one who even says anything evil about Him can work a miracle in His name! How then could a satanist use spiritual gifts when satanists do a lot more than just speak evil? They work evil. Jesus said, "There is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can LIGHTLY speak evil of me" (Mark 9:39).
Remember, false prophets can perform miracles in the name of a false Christ, but NOT in the name of the real Jesus of Nazareth.
In the 19th chapter of Acts, we read about a group of Jews who were exorcists, and who tried to cast an evil spirit out in the name of Jesus. The mistake they made was that when they used the name of Jesus, they specified they were referring to Jesus of Nazareth. We read, "Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the LORD Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth." (Acts 19:13).
The Jesus that Paul preached was Jesus of Nazareth. In verse 16, we read of how the evil spirit viciously attacked and wounded those exorcists. They fled naked and ashamed.
Like wise men, exorcists also have highly developed psychic abilities and so-called spiritual gifts. Now if the spiritual gifts of 1 Corinthians are truly neutral gifts anyone can use for good or evil, why couldn't the exorcists in the above passage use the supernatural power in the name of Jesus just like the apostle Paul did regularly?
The Spiritual Gift Of Prophecy
1 Corinthians 12:10 - "...to another prophecy..."
We read, "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." (2 Peter 1:21).
The scripture we just read tells us God's prophets did NOT prophesy of their own will. What is more is we are told they prophesied when they were MOVED by the Holy Ghost. Where in that do we see development of a "psychic ability to prophesy"? They prophesied when they were moved. And, they were not in charge of when the Spirit moved upon them. We know that, because the scripture says the prophesy did NOT come to them by their own will. Translation: They could not make the Spirit move upon them at will.
Thinking that the spiritual gifts of 1 Corinthians 12 are innate psychic abilities that need to be developed, and that can be used for good OR evil is a very dangerous thought. This is not opinion. This is a fact we're about to see in the Bible.
A man in the Bible named Simon actually held such erroneous thoughts. He had witnessed the manifestation of the spiritual gifts in the apostles. Simon knew their gifts were from the Holy Spirit. And, he wanted that power to do with as he pleased. This thought that he had was so wicked in the sight of God that not even the apostles knew if it would be forgiven. That tells us Simon bordered on committing the unpardonable. Only God knows whether he actually crossed that line, but we--the readers--are warned of the seriousness of wrong thought concerning the works of the Holy Spirit.
We read: "And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter; for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee." (Acts 8:18-22)
The spiritual gifts of 1 Corinthians are inseparable with being filled with the Holy Spirit. In light of that truth, how can we say satanists have spiritual gifts from God that they just choose to use for evil? That goes against everything in the Christian Bible.
The Spiritual Gift Of Discerning Of Spirits
1 Corinthians 12:10 - "...to another discerning of spirits..."
The apostle Paul is a powerful New Testament example of how God manifests the spiritual gifts of 1 Corinthians 12 in the lives of His servants. One example of spiritual discernment in Paul is seen in the 16th chapter of Acts. A girl is seen following Paul and the Christians with whom he ministered. She would tell the people the men were servants of the most high God, and that they taught the way of salvation (verse 17). One might even think the girl was being led by God to help them preach. But through the spiritual gift of discernment, Paul knew she was demon possessed. And he cast the evil spirit out of her (verse 18).
Now we know for sure Paul had not done any type of psychic exercise to develop the spiritual gift of discernment of spirits. How can we be so sure? Let's read Acts 9:4-5, which speaks of Paul's conversion to Christ. Before Paul converted, his name was Saul. We read, "And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecuteth thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest..."
If Saul had developed the spiritual gift of discernment of spirits, why did he ask Jesus, "Who art thou?" By this point in the story, Jesus has died on the cross, been resurrected, and has returned to heaven. He is a Spirit. If Paul had developed the spiritual gift of discerning spirits, he would not have had to ask Jesus who He was.
He's talking to Jesus, and doesn't even know it! That certainly wasn't spiritual discernment, but rather more like spiritual blindness. But the very same Saul, whose name was changed to Paul after he converted to Christ, was then able to discern the evil spirit in the girl in the Acts passage. He's now Paul. He's now in Christ. And Christ is in him. So now he truly can discern spirits. What more evidence do we need to see that every spiritual gift of 1 Corinthians 12 demands the very presence of the Spirit of Christ? And when has a satanist ever had the spirit of Christ?
The Spiritual Gift Of Divers Kinds Of Tongues
Again, biblical scripture destroys the lie that the spiritual gift of tongues must be developed. In the second chapter of Acts, we read of when followers of Christ were gathered together on Pentecost. We read, "And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2:3-4).
It cannot be made any clearer that the spiritual gift of tongues comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit. There is no training or development of a spiritual gift of tongues here. Do we forget that they IMMEDIATELY spoke in tongues when the Spirit filled them? It is clear that speaking in tongues came through the filling of the Holy Spirit. When has the Spirit of God ever filled a satanist? Unless he converted to Christ, of course.
Could it be that those Christians did anything to invite the Spirit to fill them? Yes. But what they did had NOTHING to do with developing a "latent spiritual gift". They simply did what Jesus had told them to do, which was to "wait for the promise of the Father" (Acts 1:4).
The Spiritual Gift Of The Interpretation Of Tongues
1 Corinthians 12:10 - "...to another the interpretation of tongues."
This is another of the spiritual gifts that were in operation even in Old Testament times. In the fifth chapter of the book of Daniel, we read of when a man's hand appeared, and wrote a message in a language that none knew. None of the king's astrologers or wise men or soothsayers could translate the message. Again, we have a host of people with highly developed psychic abilities, yet not one can translate the message in that strange language. Why? Because the message was from God, as you will see, if you read the chapter. Only Daniel, who was a true servant of the God of Israel, received the translation of the message. This proves this is not a spiritual gift that anyone can develop for good or evil purposes. Were that the case, at least one person among so many with highly developed psychic abilities would have been able to translate the message. But there was not even one.
Final Questions On The Spiritual Gifts of 1 Corinthians
Okay. Spiritual gifts are not psychic abilities that can be developed for good or evil. They are inseparable from the presence of the Holy Spirit, which of course does not dwell in a satanist. We've also seen that no one is born with spiritual gifts. But, why then does the Bible say, "For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance" (Romans 11:29)?
The Romans passage does NOT say SPIRITUAL gifts. It says gifts. It is referring to gifts that are natural, which you will see if you read the chapter. So, let's not add the word "spiritual".
Finally, let's look at one more passage used to support the lie that spiritual gifts must be developed. We read, "Neglect not the gift that is in thee..." (1 Timothy 4:14).
Now then, we need only read the rest of what that same verse in 1 Timothy says to see that it is not biblical support for belief in developing psychic abilities incorrectly called "spiritual gifts".
The gift that was in Timothy was not something with which he had been born. 1 Timothy 4:14 says, "...the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery."
Timothy received a gift from God through the laying on of hands and prophecy, NOT by birth. That let's us know it was not some latent gift that needed to be developed.
What's more is that it is NOT called a SPIRITUAL gift. The passage says, "Neglect not the gift that is in thee." It does not say "the spiritual gift".
If you read the letters Paul wrote to Timothy (1 and 2 Timothy), you will see how the apostle guides him. None of what he advises Timothy is in agreement with what "Christian" psychics are telling people to do to develop psychic abilities they call "spiritual gifts".
If you have been deceived by the lies of "Christian" psychics, but now receive God's truth for correction, you need only sincerely repent to God. Ask for His forgiveness in Jesus' name. Ask for His guidance, His help in understanding the Bible, His protection; and then be obedient. Trust Him. Seek Him diligently in prayer.
"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness. According unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions." (Psalm 51:1).
Based on true events, The Third Man by Angela Sheffield, brings the Bible up close and personal as the characters face real issues of life: Betrayal, deceit, romance, bitterness, anger against God, hopelessness, will power, perplexity, triumph, unforgiveness, mental illness, and the "Alcohol made me do it" excuse. Read chapter one FREE now.
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