Spiritual gifts are given for certain goals

Summary:

Spiritual gifts can be described as being given to those who are in Christ. 

For more information:

List of spiritual gifts:
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There is evidence that spiritual gifts are given for certain GOALS. For example:

1) To EDIFY believers in Christ.

2) To bring believers in Christ to BECOME MATURE SPIRITUALLY. 

3) To bring believers in Christ to ATTAIN THE UNITY OF THE FAITH. 

4) To be SIGNS for believers in Christ and unbelievers.

You can find more details below:

1) To edify believers in Christ:

Gifts can EDIFY believers in Christ.

It is written: "He gave some (as) apostles, and some (as) prophets [...] FOR (THE) EDIFICATION (OF) THE BODY (OF) CHRIST" (Ephesians 4:11-12).

Paul wrote: "The (one) speaking (in a) tongue IS-EDIFYING HIMSELF, but the (one) prophesying IS-EDIFYING (THE) CHURCH" (1 Corinthians 14:4).

Paul wrote: "since you-are zealots (for) spiritual (gifts), be-seeking that you-may-abound FOR THE EDIFICATION (OF) THE CHURCH" (1 Corinthians 14:12).

Paul wrote: "WHAT THEN IS (TO BE DONE), brothers? Whenever you-come-together, each (one) has (a) psalm, has (a) teaching, has (a) revelation, has (a) tongue, has (an) interpretation. LET ALL (THINGS) BE-DONE FOR EDIFICATION" (1 Corinthians 14:26).

1) A) Who can be edified?

The following things can be described as being able to be edified:

1) "EDIFICATION (OF) THE BODY (OF) CHRIST" (Ephesians 4:12).

2) "EDIFICATION (OF) THE CHURCH" (1 Corinthians 14:12).

3) "THE OTHER (PERSON) is [...] BEING-EDIFIED" (1 Corinthians 14:17). 

4) "IS-EDIFYING HIMSELF" (1 Corinthians 14:4).

All these are refering to believers in Christ.

Someone is able to edify the entirety of the believers, or simply another individual, or even just oneself. 

Paul instructed to seek to edify as many believers as possible, as he wrote: "be-seeking that YOU-MAY-ABOUND FOR THE EDIFICATION (OF) THE CHURCH" (1 Corinthians 14:12).

1) B) To edify someone is the opposite of tearing down someone:

There is evidence that to edify someone is the opposite of tearing down someone. For example:

Paul wrote about his "authority, which the Lord gave for EDIFICATION [oikodomé 3619 in Greek] and NOT for TEARING you DOWN [kathairesis 2506 in Greek]" (2 Corinthians 10:8). 

➔ Here "EDIFICATION" is the opposite of "TEARING-DOWN [kathairesis 2506 in Greek]" someone.

Paul wrote: "let-us-be-pursuing the (things of) peace and the (things of) EDIFICATION [oikodomé 3619 in Greek] for one-another. Do NOT BE-TEARING-DOWN [kataluó 2647 in Greek] the work (of) God for-the-sake-of food. All (things are) clean, but (it is) evil (for) the person eating with (an) OPPORTUNITY-FOR-STUMBLING" (Romans 14:19-20). 

➔ Here "EDIFICATION" is the opposite of to "BE-TEARING-DOWN [kataluó 2647 in Greek]" by being an "OPPORTUNITY-FOR-STUMBLING" for someone else. 

1) C) To tear down someone is distinct from tearing down ideas that someone holds:

There is evidence in the Bible that tearing down SOMEONE (which is not good) is distinct from tearing down IDEAS (which is good if those ideas are not in accordance with God).

For example, Paul wrote that his authority is "NOT for TEARING YOU DOWN [kathairesis 2506 in Greek]" (2 Corinthians 10:8), that is not to tear PEOPLE down.

However, only 4 verses earlier Paul indicated that he has been given weapons to tear down false IDEAS, as he wrote: "the weapons (of) our warfare (are) not fleshly, but powerful (in) God for (the) TEARING-DOWN [kathairesis 2506 in Greek] (of) FORTRESSES. (We are) TEARING-DOWN [kathaireó 2507 in Greek] CONSIDERATIONS and every height being-raised-up against the knowledge (of) God" (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). 

Only 2 verses earlier, Paul had been indicating that some individuals in the church were having false CONSIDERATIONS that Paul and Apolos may be walking in accordance with the flesh, as Paul wrote: "And I-am-begging (that I may) not (have to) be-bold (while) present (with) the confidence (with) which I-am-considering to-dare (to act) against some CONSIDERING us as walking in-accordance-with (the) flesh" (2 Corinthians 10:2). 

It is as a response to those considerations that Paul mentioned he had weapons to be "TEARING-DOWN CONSIDERATIONS" (2 Corinthians 10:5), even if Paul clarified that using those weapons were only used against IDEAS and "NOT for TEARING YOU DOWN" (2 Corinthians 10:8) as PEOPLE. 

False IDEAS can actually tear down PEOPLE who hold to them, so tearing down the false IDEAS that they hold is actually for the EDIFICATION of those PEOPLE, as it seeks to remove ideas that are objectively tearing them down. 

Paul already tore down false IDEAS that some of these believers were holding in a previous letter addressed to them, writing for example: "how (is it) SOME ARE-SAYING AMONG YOU that there-is no resurrection (of) dead (ones)?" (1 Corinthians 15:12). Paul then went on to tear down that false idea, writing: "if there-is no resurrection (of) dead (ones), neither has Christ been-raised. And if Christ has not been-raised, then our proclamation (is) also empty; your faith (is) also empty; and we-are even found (to be) false-witnesses (of) God, because we-testified against God that He-did-raise Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:13-15). 

2) To bring believers in Christ to become mature spiritually:

Gifts can bring believers in Christ to BECOME MATURE SPIRITUALLY. 

Paul wrote that gifts are given to the church so that by them we might become MATURE, as he wrote: "He gave some (as) APOSTLES, and some (as) PROPHETS, and some (as) EVANGELISTS, and some (as) SHEPHERDS and TEACHERS, for the completeness (of) the holy (ones)" (Ephesians 4:11-12), "until we all attain to the unity (of) the faith and (of) the knowledge (of) the Son of God, TO (a) MATURE [teleios 5046 in Greek] man, to (the) measure (of the) stature (of) the fullness (of) Christ, so-that WE-MAY-BE NO-LONGER INFANTS" (Ephesians 4:13-14)." 

"Paul, (AN) APOSTLE (of) Christ Jesus" (Colossians 1:1) wrote that he was laboring so that he may present every person perfect in Christ, as he wrote about Christ "Whom we are-proclaiming, admonishing every person, and teaching every person with all wisdom, in-order-that WE-MAY-PRESENT every person MATURE [teleios 5046 in Greek] IN CHRIST, FOR WHICH I AM ALSO LABORING" (Colossians 1:28-29).

3) Until we all attain the unity of the faith:

Gifts can bring believers in Christ to ATTAIN THE UNITY OF THE FAITH. 

Paul wrote that gifts are given to the church so that by them we might ATTAIN THE UNITY OF THE FAITH, as he wrote: "He gave some (as) apostles, and some (as) prophets, and some (as) evangelists, and some (as) pastors and teachers [...] UNTIL WE ATTAIN TO THE UNITY (OF) THE FAITH and (of) the knowledge (of) the Son of God" (Ephesians 4:11-13).

4) To be signs for believers in Christ and unbelievers:

Gifts can be described as SIGNS for believers in Christ and unbelievers.

Paul wrote: "the TONGUES are FOR (A) SIGN [sémeion 4592 in Greek], not (for) the (ones) believing, but (for) the unbelievers. But the PROPHECY (is A SIGN) not (for) the unbelievers, but (for) the (ones) believing" (1 Corinthians 14:22).

Healing can be a sign, as it is written: "the man was more (than) forty years (old) upon whom this SIGN [sémeion 4592 in Greek] (of) HEALING had-taken-place" (Acts 4:22). 

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