Should we seek gifts?
Question 09070
The question of whether Christians should actively seek spiritual gifts touches on a tension that runs through much of the charismatic debate: the balance between the Spirit’s freedom to distribute as He wills and the believer’s responsibility to desire what is good for the church. Paul’s instruction in 1 Corinthians 14:1 is direct: “Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.” The answer is yes, but the manner and motive of the seeking matter as much as the seeking itself.
What Paul Actually Says
Paul’s command in 1 Corinthians 14:1 is not ambiguous. The verb zeloute (“earnestly desire”) is an imperative. It is a command, not a suggestion. Believers are told to desire spiritual gifts, and prophecy is singled out because of its capacity to build up the church through intelligible communication (1 Corinthians 14:3-5). This instruction comes immediately after the great love chapter, which means the desiring of gifts is to be governed entirely by love and directed entirely toward the building up of others. The two cannot be separated.
Paul makes a similar point in 1 Corinthians 12:31: “But earnestly desire the higher gifts.” The “higher” gifts are not the more spectacular or publicly impressive ones but the ones that most directly edify the body. Prophecy is ranked above tongues precisely because it is intelligible and builds up the church without requiring interpretation (1 Corinthians 14:5). The standard for evaluating a gift’s significance is not how impressive it looks but how effectively it serves the common good.
The Spirit’s Freedom and the Believer’s Desire
Paul’s instruction to desire gifts does not override his equally clear teaching that the Spirit distributes gifts “as he wills” (1 Corinthians 12:11). These are not contradictory statements. The believer is free to ask God for gifts that would serve the body, and is encouraged to do so. The Spirit remains free to distribute as He determines. The proper posture is not passive indifference (“I’ll just wait and see what happens”) nor presumptuous demand (“I claim this gift in Jesus’ name”), but humble, eager openness: “Lord, equip me to serve your church in whatever way you see fit, and if it pleases you, grant me gifts that will build others up.”
This is where much of the charismatic tradition has overstepped. The teaching that every believer should seek and expect the gift of tongues as evidence of Spirit baptism has no biblical warrant. Paul’s rhetorical question in 1 Corinthians 12:30, “Do all speak with tongues?”, expects the answer “no.” The Spirit distributes different gifts to different people, and no single gift is universal. Seeking gifts is good; demanding a specific gift as a right or as proof of spiritual status is not.
Motive Matters
The desiring of gifts can go wrong when the motive shifts from service to self. If a person seeks the gift of teaching because they want a platform, or seeks prophecy because they want influence, or seeks tongues because they want the status it carries in certain circles, the desire has become disordered. Paul’s insistence on love as the governing framework (1 Corinthians 13) addresses this directly. The gifts without love are nothing. A gift sought for self-promotion will not function as the Spirit intended, even if it is genuinely exercised. The question to ask is not “What gift will make me significant?” but “What gift will enable me to serve the body of Christ most effectively?”
So, now what?
Scripture encourages believers to desire spiritual gifts, and there is nothing presumptuous about asking God to equip you for effective service. The desire must be governed by love, directed toward the building up of the church, and held in submission to the Spirit’s freedom to give as He determines. Pray for gifts. Seek to be useful. Remain open to what God may do in and through you. But hold every desire with open hands, remembering that the Spirit who distributes the gifts knows what the body needs far better than any individual member can discern.
“Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.” 1 Corinthians 14:1