Picturing Theology, Revised Edition

186 | Picturing Theology, Revised Edition

b. Matthew 5:45 (ESV) – . . . so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. c. “The same God is God of creation and of new creation, working out both through his perfect will. . . . God’s gracious purpose for each of us is eternal. It was formed and even “given” to us in Christ “before eternal time” (2 Timothy 1:9, literally); God chose us to be holy and destined us to be his sons through Jesus Christ “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4-5); and the good works for which were re-created in Christ are precisely those “which God prepared beforehand.” This fundamental truth that God planned the end from the beginning should warn us against . . . [too easily separating] . . . between nature and grace, between our pre-conversion and our post conversion life” (John R. W. Stott, Baptism and Fullness: The Work of the Holy Spirit Today ). B. View #2 – Spiritual gifts are new supernatural abilities given to Christians which are only available to us through God’s power and are able to accomplish things far beyond the reach of human ability. This view is concerned to safeguard the fact that: 1. Salvation is transformative as well as restorative. 2. God is able to supply whatever is needed in a situation regardless of the resources we seem to have available. We are dependent upon God’s Spirit, not our own resources. 3. Supernatural powers exceeding anything possible in the natural order are available to the body of Christ. 4. We all are commanded to seek certain spiritual gifts that are of benefit to the body (1 Corinthians 12:31 and 14:12). The gifts are always spoken of in relation to how they build up Christ’s body. There is no scriptural reference to spiritual gifts apart from their use in and by the Church. a. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (ESV) – For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. [27] But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; [28] God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to