Summary of Temporary Spiritual Gifts

Tod Kennedy, August 16, 2000

 1.        Temporary spiritual gifts are supernatural sign gifts (supernatural abilities) that God gave to certain believers for a limited period of time so that they could authenticate their ministry and message about Jesus Christ.

2.        The primary purpose was not to cure physical or social ills.

3.        These gifts were operational only during the transitional first century.

4.        The Bible lists the following temporary spiritual gifts: word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healing, working miracles or powers, apostle, prophet and prophecy, differentiating of spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:8-10; 28-31; 13:8-9).

5.   The principle of temporary spiritual gifts is found in Hebrews 2:3-4, 1 Corinthians 13:8-11, 2 Corinthians 12:12, and Romans 15:18-19. Paul, during his first Roman imprisonment in AD 60-62, was not able to heal Epaphroditus even though he had healed Publius’ father and others on the island of Malta two years earlier (Acts 28:7-9; Philippians 2:25-27). Paul could not heal him because God had withdrawn the gift of healing.