224. Gifts of Grace
Ephesians 4:7-8 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Every person who is called by the Gospel and believes in Christ is given a grace gift. A gift is always free, not earned, given by grace. In the case of our gift of salvation it was, however, earned by Jesus Christ. Along with the gift of salvation given by grace through the Gospel come the gifts of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit has called us by the Gospel and enlightened us with His gifts.
Examples of a couple dozen gifts are given in the New Testament. The number of gifts varies with the interpretation and the lists are probably not meant to be exhaustive. The point is simply that every believer has a gift of grace. The gifts are given by God to be used for the building up of the body and the growth of the kingdom.
The other point is that the gifts of grace are free. We do not learn them or need special training to develop them. We simply discover what gifts we have been given and then use them. Generally, spiritual gifts are distributed as the Spirit sees fit; we do not choose them. A gift is something that one is naturally good at, likes to do it, and it comes easy to the believer.
A talent is usually considered to be something that a person has by nature; he is born with it. A talent can be trained and developed. A talent is often used for living in the world and it may be used for one’s own gain and benefit. A natural talent can and should be used for the glory of God and the building up of the body of Christ. A spiritual gift is normally used for the good of others. The explicit differences between gifts and talents are not always clearly distinguished in Scripture. But whether we use a gift or a talent we regard it as a gift of God, and we use it in the service of people.We believe this promise when we use the grace gifts we are given.