Curious about spiritual gifts and how to recognize which ones you carry? This blog is for you! Spiritual gifts in the Bible are exactly what they sound like: gifts from the Spirit of God that are given to us because He loves us and He wants to show His love to others through you!
Here’s a quick list to help you answer the question: “What are the spiritual gifts in the Bible?”
A List of the Spiritual Gifts in the Bible
The New Testament lists several spiritual gifts. While there is some debate among scholars about the exact number of spiritual gifts, here are the most commonly recognized spiritual gifts:
1. Faith: The spiritual gift of having supernatural or extraordinary faith in God’s promises
2. Healing: The spiritual gift or supernatural grace to see physical healing and miracles
3. Prophecy: The spiritual gift of speaking God’s word; the ability to receive or communicate a message from God
4. Serving: The spiritual gift of serving and assisting others in practical ways
5. Administration: The spiritual gift and God-given ability to organize, plan, and execute tasks
6. Discernment: The spiritual gift of discerning what is from God vs. what isn’t; sometimes called the gift of discerning of spirits
7. Evangelism: The spiritual gift or supernatural grace to share the Gospel effectively and eagerly
8. Being an apostle: The spiritual gift of leadership and establishing Churches, which usually involves missionary travel to challenging or unreached places
9. Exhortation: The spiritual gift of encouragement
10. Giving: The spiritual gift or supernatural ability to give extravagantly – whether time, money, or resources
11. Helps: The spiritual gift of assisting others and volunteering first to promote the well-being of the Church
12. Hospitality: The spiritual gift to make others feel welcome through opening up their home or offering food to others
13. Knowledge: The spiritual gift to know things by the Spirit of God that can’t be known through natural means
14. Leadership: The spiritual gift to lead, guide, and motivate others
15. Mercy: The spiritual gift to empathize with others; often filled with compassion and drawn to those who are hurting
16. Speaking in tongues: The spiritual gift to speak in another language, whether a heavenly language or an earthly language
17. Interpreting tongues: The spiritual gift to discern and interpret the message that another person speaks while they are speaking in tongues
18. Teaching: The spiritual gift to communicate God’s word in a way that inspires growth and understanding; sometimes known as shepherding
19. Wisdom: The spiritual gift of supernatural wisdom, insight, and problem-solving
What Are Spiritual Gifts in the Bible?
Spiritual gifts are given to Christians by the Holy Spirit for the good of the Church and to spread the Gospel to the whole world. They are mentioned extensively in the New Testament and are sometimes a source of debate within Christian communities. However, spiritual gifts are from God, and the Bible will tell you all about them.
Bible Scriptures about Spiritual Gifts
The Bible is full of scriptures about spiritual gifts and how they are used. These are our top 5 biblical gifts scriptures that will encourage you to receive the spiritual gifts and use them every day for the glory of God.
The grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully - Romans 12:6-8
The Apostle Paul wrote this Bible verse about spiritual gifts. The spiritual gifts mentioned in this scripture are the gift of prophecy, the gift of serving, the gift of teaching, the gift of encouragement, the gift of generosity, the gift of leadership, and the gift of mercy. Each of these spiritual gifts helped to shape the church in Rome, and the book of Romans is helping us 2,000 years later to use our God-given spiritual gifts to encourage the Church and change the world.
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, - Ephesians 4:11
This Bible verse about spiritual gifts mentions the gift of apostleship, the gift of prophecy, the gift of evangelism, and the gift of being a pastor or a teacher. All of these spiritual gifts are needed to equip and build up the Church, especially in 60 A.D., when the Church was spreading like wildfire throughout the ancient world.
Learn more about the gift of evangelism and how you can grow in sharing your faith with others, every day: How to Cultivate a Lifestyle of Evangelism
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen - 1 Peter 4:10-11
Bible verses about spiritual gifts encourage believers to use whatever gift they've received wholeheartedly. When we do this, we don’t get lost in comparison. So, whether you have the gift of serving, the gift of teaching, or the gift of hospitality, whatever your spiritual gift: do it for the glory of God!
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. - 1 Corinthians 12:4-11
This Bible verse about spiritual gifts comes from the book of 1 Corinthians. The Apostle Paul was writing to the church in Corinth to encourage them and to provide rules for the early Church. Even though the Church was growing super fast, it was also faced with lots of confusion and persecution. This Bible passage about spiritual gifts helped to bring order and clarity to the new believers about their gifts from God. The spiritual gifts mentioned in this passage are the gift of wisdom, the gift of knowledge, the gift of faith, the gift of healing, the gift of miracles, the gift of prophecy, as well as the gift of tongues and interpretation of tongues. Who knows? Maybe someone in the early Church had a word of wisdom or a word of knowledge that prevented persecution within the early Church!
Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. - 1 Corinthians 12:15-20
This Bible verse about spiritual gifts also comes from the book of 1 Corinthians. While this scripture passage isn’t directly speaking about a specific spiritual gift, it is reminding believers to keep themselves from comparison by remembering that the Church functions like a body. The eye serves its purpose, so does the hand, and so does the ear. Every part of the body is important to the health of the Church. Whatever spiritual gift God has given you, use it often to share your faith and to encourage the believers at the Church that you attend.
How to Identify Your Spiritual Gifts
So, now that you’ve learned all about the spiritual gifts in the Bible and read 5 scriptures about spiritual gifts, it’s time for you to figure out what your spiritual gifts are!
1. Receive Jesus as Lord: First things first, if you haven’t accepted Jesus into your heart yet, today is your day! When you accept Jesus into your heart, you are a new creation, and the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of you. Giving your life to Jesus is simple, easy, and life-changing. Pray this simple prayer today to receive Jesus into your heart right now:
“Jesus, I need You. I know that I’ve messed up and I can’t save myself. I’m ready to trust You as my Lord and my Savior. I believe You died on the cross to take my sins away and rose from the dead to give me eternal life. I turn away from my sins and ask You to be in my heart and life. I’m ready to follow You. In Your Name, Amen.”
Yay! If you’ve just prayed this prayer, you are now a follower of Jesus! The Bible says that there is rejoicing in Heaven right now because our your decision to follow God (Luke 15:7-10).
You can learn more about Jesus and receive an 8-week new believer newsletter by letting us know you’ve decided to follow Jesus: This is For You
2. Pray about the Spiritual Gifts: After you’ve received Jesus, you also receive the Holy Spirit. Now is a great time to pray about the spiritual gifts and ask God to show you which spiritual gifts He’s given you. However, sometimes your spiritual gifts may seem super clear without even praying. For example, do you normally have solutions to complex problems? If so, you might have the gift of wisdom. Or, do you like things organized and love a good plan? If so, you might have the gift of administration. Through prayer, God will give you insight and show you which spiritual gifts you have. One of the best ways to pray to God about spiritual gifts is to meditate on the scriptures about spiritual gifts.
Learn more about Christian meditation and how to pray the Bible with the recipe for revelation: How to Practice Christian Meditation
3. Take a Spiritual Gifts Quiz: After prayer, it may be the right time to take a spiritual gifts quiz to see which spiritual gifts are yours. You can use this free spiritual gift quiz to find out your top spiritual gifts today!
4. Start Using Your Spiritual Gifts: Now that you know which spiritual gifts you have, it’s time to start using them for the Kingdom of God! Remember, no matter what spiritual gifts you have, do everything for the glory of God, and don’t fall into the trap of comparison.
5. Ask God for More Spiritual Gifts: Did you know you can ask God for more spiritual gifts? While it may seem silly, you can always ask God for more. If you desire to speak in tongues or want the gift of prophecy, but feel like that’s not possible for you, don’t worry: you can simply ask, pray, and seek God for that spiritual gift!
Learn more about prayer and how to develop a lifestyle of talking to God: Let’s Talk About Prayer: Simple Steps to Connect with God E-Book
Conclusion
As you can see, spiritual gifts are a beautiful expression of God's love and show His generosity towards all believers. As we've explored, these spiritual gifts are diverse, ranging from faith and healing to teaching and hospitality. Each gift is given by the Holy Spirit to serve a specific purpose, and understanding your own spiritual gifts has the power to help the Church and change the world.
Remember, the ultimate goal of spiritual gifts is to glorify God, build up the body of Christ, and share God's love with others. As you discover and embrace your spiritual gifts, you are doing your part to share your faith and make a difference everywhere you go!
