We believe that the Gift of the Spirit is the Holy Spirit himself, and He is to be desired more than the gifts of the Spirit which He in His wise counsel bestows upon individual members of the Church to enable them properly to fulfill their function as members of the body of Christ. The gifts of the Spirit, although not always identifiable with natural abilities, function through them for the edification of the whole church. These gifts are to be exercised in love under the administration of the Lord of the church, not through human volition. The relative value of the gifts of the Spirit is to be tested by their usefulness in the church and not by the ecstasy produced in the ones receiving them.
Bible References: Luke 11:13; 24:49; Acts 1:4; 2:38-39; 8:19-20; 10:45; 11:17; Rom. 12:4-8; I Cor. 12:1-14:40; Eph. 4:7-8, 11-16; Heb. 2:4; 13:20-21; I Peter 4:8-11.
The Holy Trinity, God, the Father, Jesus Christ the Son of God, The Holy Spirit,The Bible, God's Word, God's Purpose for Us, Marriage and the Family, Man'sChoice, Salvation (Atonement), Justification and Regeneration, Good Works, Sin After Regeneration, Sanctification: Initial, Progressive, Entire, The Gifts of the Spirit, The Church, The Sacraments: Baptism and the Lord's Supper, The Second Coming, The Resurrection of the Dead, The Judgement of Mankind and Destiny.
