The 9 Gifts of the Holy Spirit

What you are about to read is not intended to be a thorough study of the gifts of the Spirit, but simply a starting point — with a brief definition for each gift and a scriptural example to illustrate how each gift operates. Let’s take a look at each of these gifts one by one.

 Word of Wisdom

In First Corinthians 12:8, Paul listed a spiritual gift that he called the “word of wisdom.” The Greek word translated “word” in this context really refers to a fragment of wisdom. The word “wisdom” refers to special insight that is not naturally obtained.

Thus, the “word of wisdom” actually describes a gift that operates in that moment when a fragment of special insight is supernaturally revealed to an individual about a specific situation. It is received as “wisdom” because it delivers an answer or a directive to a pressing need, question, or situation, or it provides insight into future events that could not be known naturally.

 Example: In Acts 27, the apostle Paul was on a ship with others that was headed directly for disaster. After the crew’s long, futile struggle to bring the ship under control, Paul had a dream during the night in which he was told, “Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee” (Acts 27:24).

This information did not give Paul a full answer regarding his situation, but it was a “word” from Heaven that gave him direction and insight into the future for his situation. He supernaturally knew, at least in part, that all would be well, because he was destined to stand before Caesar in Rome. This is a wonderful example of a supernatural, fragmentary word of wisdom that both gave an answer to a believer for the pressing need of the moment and provided insight into an aspect of God’s future plan and purpose for that believer.

Word of Knowledge

In First Corinthians 12:8, Paul also listed a spiritual gift that he called the “word of knowledge.” As we just saw, the Greek word translated “word” really refers to a fragment of knowledge in this context. Just as we saw that a word of wisdom describes wisdom not naturally obtained, the “word of knowledge” likewise refers to a fragment of special knowledge that one supernaturally receives.

This, then, is the ability to supernaturally know facts and details that would not be known in the natural. When a “word of knowledge” is given to a believer by the Holy Spirit, it is often imparted to illuminate listeners to God’s intimate, personal involvement in the facts and details of a specific situation or in a person’s life so that His purpose can be fulfilled in that situation or in that individual’s life.

 Example: When Jesus was at the well in Samaria, a woman came to draw water. When she spoke to Jesus, certain facts and details of her life were instantly revealed to Him as He spoke with her. Jesus didn’t see every fact and detail about her life at that moment. But the fragments of personal information about this Samaritan woman that the Holy Spirit imparted to Jesus were precisely correct. And when He shared those supernaturally revealed details with her, the woman was immediately made aware of God’s tender care for her (see John 4:5-30).

Special Faith or the Gift of Faith

 In First Corinthians 12:9, Paul included “faith” in his list of spiritual gifts. This is not natural faith, which every person possesses. (In Romans 12:3, Paul clearly taught that every person is given a measure of faith.) In this context, Paul was referring to special faith, otherwise known as the gift of faith.

This spiritual gift is manifested as a sudden impartation by the Holy Spirit of supernatural, special faith at a critical moment to accomplish God’s purpose or desire in a particular situation or event. When this supernatural burst of faith is suddenly released in a believer by the Spirit, that person is empowered to believe that the impossible is doable in order to accomplish what can only be done supernaturally.

Example: In Acts 14, Paul was preaching to a group of pagans when he sensed a sudden release of special faith. In that moment, Paul called upon a lame man to stand and walk. In obedience to Paul’s command of special faith, the lame man immediately arose and walked — completely made whole in an instant. Paul recognized the divine moment when the gift of special faith was in operation, and he acted on it. As a result, the impossible was manifested as a reality in the natural realm.

 Gifts of Healing

 In First Corinthians 12:9, Paul also listed “gifts of healing” as a gift of the Spirit. It is significant that the word “gifts” is plural, because it tells us that there are different aspects of this spiritual manifestation — all of them designed to produce healing, but in sundry ways.

It is also noteworthy that the word “healing” is the Greek word iaomai, which means to cure. This word would even describe being doctored by a physician. This is important, because a medical doctor doesn’t normally produce instantaneous results for his patient; rather, he prescribes medicine or orders some procedure that eventually cures the one needing to be healed.

 Likewise, this gift of the Holy Spirit is very often a supernatural cure that begins with a prayer and at times the laying on of hands, but the healing may take full effect over a period of time. Although divine in nature, the word “healing” used here nonetheless refers to a progressive result.

Example: In Luke 17, a group of lepers met Jesus as He entered a certain village to seek His healing touch. As you will see in the following example, the “working of miracles” occurs when the laws of nature are overridden, and what could never occur in the natural suddenly and instantly takes place. A miracle is not what happened with that group of lepers. Luke 17:14 clearly says these lepers were healed and cleansed “as they went.” This was a manifestation of a gift of healing — a supernatural touch of the Holy Spirit that generally occurs over a period of time and that ultimately cures a person from his ailment.

Working of Miracles

 In First Corinthians 12:10, Paul went on to list the “working of miracles” as a gift that the Holy Spirit distributes as He wills. The Greek text actually says, “the operation of powers.” With this phrase, Paul described a divine operation of supernatural power that overrides natural laws and quickly does what is naturally impossible.

 When pertaining to the human body, the “working of miracles” usually occurs in a split second — when, for example, a damaged organ or limb is instantly and supernaturally healed or restored.

God’s power suddenly speeds up a healing process that would normally take place over a long period of time or that would perhaps never naturally occur — and in a blink of an eye, the process is miraculously complete.

Examples: One operation of the working of miracles would be a supernatural overriding of the laws of nature that enables one to do what no human could naturally do. An example of this occurred when Jesus walked on the water. In a split second, the atoms in that water solidified for Jesus to walk on a firm path. This was the power of God overriding natural laws.

 Another instance when “working of miracles” occurred was the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. This spiritual gift operated through Jesus at a critical moment when the power of God instantly transformed and supernaturally multiplied the small portions of food Jesus held in His hands. Although the instantaneous multiplication of physical matter is impossible in the natural realm, the power of God overrode the laws of nature and enabled the impossible to miraculously come to pass.

Prophecy

 In First Corinthians 12:10, Paul next listed “prophecy” as a gift of the Spirit that God intends to be actively operative in the Church until Jesus’ return for His Church. The word “prophecy” is a Greek word that means to speak on behalf of God; to speak in advance of a situation; to foretell an event; or to assert the mind of God to others.

It is important to note that one who speaks a prophetic word to the church is not necessarily called into the full-time ministry of a prophet. In First Corinthians 14:1, Paul encouraged everyone to seek this spiritual gift, and in verse 31, he stated that everyone can prophesy. Over and over in Scripture, we can see that this simple gift of prophecy manifested to comfort those under duress, bring encouragement to people’s hearts, and redirect their attention to God.

 According to First Corinthians 14:3, the primary objective of this spiritual gift is to impart edification, exhortation, and comfort to the listeners. When a person moves in this spiritual gift, he or she is divinely inspired to speak on behalf of God and to deliver a message He wants to convey to His people at a particular time or for a particular situation. This spiritual gift results in an individual or congregation receiving new understanding about a truth, insight, or directive from the heart of God that helps strengthen, encourage, and instruct the listeners so they can walk with Him more accurately.

Example: One instance of the gift of prophecy is found in the event that occurred when the elders of Antioch gathered for a time of fasting and prayer. Acts 13:2 says, “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.”

According to this verse, the gift of prophecy was at work as the Holy Spirit spoke through someone in the group. And when the Spirit spoke, that word from the Lord launched out Paul and Barnabas into their apostolic ministries.  

Discerning of Spirits

 Paul also listed “discerning of spirits” as a gift of the Spirit in First Corinthians 12:10. The Greek words for “discerning of spirits” actually describe one’s supernatural ability to perceive the true nature of a spiritual situation or to discern what spiritual forces are really at work in the life of an individual or in a specific circumstance.

This revelatory gift is a supernatural revealing or discerning of spiritual forces that otherwise cannot be naturally discerned. The manifestation of this gift occurs in an instant. It is as though a curtain has suddenly been pulled apart and one is enabled to see into the realm of the spirit to know what is really happening behind the scenes or to see or perceive the genuine spiritual condition that is otherwise hidden to the eyes.

This gift often manifests in spiritual leaders, since leaders need this grace-given equipment to supernaturally perceive what kind of spiritual influence people are yielding to. The discerning of spirits is a vital piece of spiritual equipment given to leaders as the Holy Spirit wills to aid in the selection of a leadership team, in leading others through difficult situations, and in accurately seeing the true nature of a particular spiritual environment.

 Example: In Matthew 9, Jesus was speaking with a group of scribes, and it seemed that they were listening with open hearts. But suddenly Jesus supernaturally knew what He otherwise would not naturally know. He literally “saw” or discerned spiritually what was occurring inside these scribes, and He confronted them. Matthew 9:4 says, “And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?” Although the people tried to conceal their true thoughts, the gift of discerning of spirits enabled Jesus to supernaturally perceive or see the actual spiritual forces He was dealing with.

Divers Kinds of Tongues

In First Corinthians 12:10, Paul stated that “divers kinds of tongues” is another gift that the Holy Spirit distributes as He wills for the edification of the Church. In this phrase, Paul described the public gift of tongues, which is different from a devotional tongue that one uses in prayer — often referred to in this modern day as a heavenly “prayer language.” Also, praying in tongues “publicly,” or as a corporate group, is not a manifestation of this gift of “divers kinds of tongues.”

Paul was explicitly referring here to that moment when someone is moved supernaturally by the Holy Spirit’s inner prompting to deliver a specific message in tongues from the heart of God to an individual or an assembled group.

 According to First Corinthians 14:5, Paul taught that when a public message in tongues is interpreted, which we will discuss next, it brings supernatural edification to the Church. Some try to discount this particular gift as a less important gift of the Spirit, but Paul listed it alongside the other spiritual gifts, ranking it equal in importance to the others.

 Example: The best scriptural reference to “divers kinds of tongues” is found in Paul’s discussion of this gift in First Corinthians 14, where the apostle taught about how to properly flow in the manifestation of this spiritual gift and where he charged that no one forbid its operation. If you want to know more about “divers kinds of tongues,” it is imperative that you do a serious and thoughtful study of First Corinthians 14.

Interpretation of Tongues

 Finally, in First Corinthians 12:10, Paul mentioned “the interpretation of tongues” as a ninth gift of the Holy Spirit. This gift operates in cooperation with “divers kinds of tongues.” When one is inspired to speak a public message in tongues, that vocal gift of the Spirit must be accompanied by a second vocal gift, the gift of interpretation (see 1 Corinthians 14:26-28).

It must be pointed out that this particular gift is not the translation of tongues; it is the interpretation of tongues. One who moves in this spiritual gift supernaturally understands and speaks out the meaning of the message in tongues that has been spoken. The person may not understand what was said in tongues word for word, but he has the supernaturally imparted ability to interpret it — in other words, to give public voice to what God desires to communicate. The length of the interpretation may not necessarily match the length of the message in tongues because this is a Spirit-inspired interpretation rather than a word-for-word translation.

 This gift of interpretation of tongues, then, necessarily works in partnership with divers kinds of tongues. Again, this is not a reference to a corporate group publicly praying in tongues together. It refers to the moment when an individual is inspired by the Spirit to deliver a distinct, public message in tongues. Such a message requires public interpretation, and for that to occur, the gift of interpretation must be present and active.

 Example: Once again, for a deeper understanding of the interpretation of tongues, it is best to refer to Paul’s instructions in First Corinthians 14, which covers the operation of this gift in-depth. The church at Corinth had the gift of “divers kinds of tongues” in regular manifestation. Therefore, Paul wrote to help guide and instruct the Corinthian congregation on how to properly flow in the gift of interpretation as a necessary accompaniment to the gift of “divers kinds of tongues.”

I want to add that the gifts of the Spirit often work in pairs or in groupings. For example, where the working of miracles is at work, it is often accompanied by special faith — and these two gifts working together can move mountains of opposition that literally are impossible to move in the natural realm. When the word of knowledge is in operation, it is often accompanied by the gifts of healing and the working of miracles. The breadth and variety of how these spiritual-gift combinations can manifest is manifold, but it is helpful to remember that wherever one of these spiritual gifts operates, it often does so in partnership with one of the other gifts.

The church at Corinth was so “enriched” with these spiritual manifestations that Paul felt it necessary to write an entire “chapter” in his first letter to this congregation about how to manage the operation of these spiritual gifts (see 1 Corinthians 14). Imagine that — so many of these gifts were in operation in a single Corinthian church service that the church had to be instructed on how to properly manage them!