Friday, August 29, 2025

1 Peter 4:7-11, True Charismatic Christianity

We have two words in this post that are both from the family of “grace” terms.  The word for “grace” is “charis.”  “Charisma” literally means a “grace-thing.”  In other words, it is a gift of grace.  We are not just saying it is given graciously; it is in a sense a “piece” of God’s grace given.  The second word is a verb that speaks of the way the grace is given.

carisma (charisma, noun) gift

·       Ro1:11: Paul wants to see them to impart a spiritual (pneumatikos) gift to them.  Understanding this requires that you recognize that the “piece of grace” (gift) is spiritual.  But the gift itself is “grace.”

·       Rom 5:15-16: free gift is not like the sin; the grace of God and the gift (dōreas) by the grace of the one Man abounded to many; the gift arose fr. many sins resulting in justification. (Doreas is a gift given freely; charisma, the grace gift, in these verses is that free gift.)

·       Rom 6:23: gift of God = eternal life thru JC our Lord

·       Rom 11:29: gifts & calling of God are w/o repentance.

·       Rom 12:6: having then gifts differing acc. to grace, use them w/excellence.  It is emphasized here that what God gives to believers, that we call a “spiritual gift,” is actually a portion of His grace by which we may live and serve Christ.

·       1Co 1:7: Corinthians not lacking any gift.

·       1Cor 7:7: each man has his own gift (celebacy or marriage; i.e. God gives grace to live in the way that pleases Him).

·       1Co 12:4: diff gifts but same Spirit.  This “grace” is given by the Spirit.

·       1Co 12:9,28,30f: to another gifts of healing; so there is set in the church ... gifts of healings;  have all gifts of healings? NO.  Covet earnestly the best gifts, yet here's a more excellent way.  Note that in the remainder of 1 Cor. 12-14 charisma refers to the gift that all believers have receives only in 12:31; otherwise, it refers to a specific gift of healing.

·       2Co 1:11: many prayers result in many thanks for gift given to Paul thru prayer.

·       1Ti 4:14: neglect not gift that is in thee.

·       2Ti 1:6: stir up gift of God in them by putting on of my hands.

·       1Pt 4:10: as every man has rec'd, so let him minister as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.  Again, if we have a “charisma” we have God’s grace.  In v11 there are two types of grace: those useful for serving and those for speaking.  Read the list in Rom. 12:1-8 and you will see this.

caritow (charitoō): to bestow favor on, bless

·       Lk 1:28: Hail Mary, thou are highly favored.

·       Eph 1:6: to praise of His grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved

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