Note to the non-Christian: Spiritual gifts refer to God-given abilities that Christians use to serve each other and are talked about in 1 Corinthians 12, among other places.
Several years ago, a visitor to our Sunday service came up to me and asked why I referred to "spiritual giftings" as opposed to "spiritual gifts." I was flummoxed. I realized my New International Version Bible did say "gifts" but not "giftings."
Anyway, I heard "giftings" again last week and decided to research the issue. Using my trusty Biblegateway.com (free, online Bible), tried to find "giftings" in all the English versions--couldn't find it anywhere. I turned to the Oracle of our age, Google: more than 1.7 million hits for "spiritual gifts" compared to only a few thousand for "giftings." Moreover, the only websites that used "giftings" seemed to be Charismatic Christian churches. (Charismatic means believing that manifest works of the Holy Spirit--such as prophesy, speaking in tongues, healing--continue today and didn't cease with the passing of the original apostles.)
My best guess is that some crazy Charismatics, of which I am one, started using "giftings" mistakenly, and that the meme spread from there. It's kind of interesting to see how words that are spoken from the pulpit or from teachers carry a sort of undisputable authority, so that we don't even question the grammer of what's being said. It's a bit frightening, actually.
Can someone perhaps enlighten me as to the origins of "spiritual giftings?" Have you ever heard it before? Do you use the term yourself?
8 comments:
hi ts - thanks for stopping by my blog and for your words of encouragement.
i do not share your concern about non-christians thinking that christians are grammatically incorrect or deficient. i desire them to see Christ in me.
i am, however, concerned that you would focus in on such an insignificant use of this word. i don't find anything frightening about grammatical errors coming from the pulpit; however, i do agree with my roommate, who has a MDIV, whom is of the opinion that if the "incorrect" use of a word changes the intent of the Author, there would then be a valid point of concern. my pastor is not charged with grammatical correctness - he is charged with my spiritual growth. as long he is sharing what God has placed on his heart, i really don't see the significance of how he says it, as long as he is faithful to, and responsible with, the Word of God.
i hate that you got called out and sidetracked by such a legalistic and ridiculous manmade dispute. i think our time here is much better spent on things above, but that's just me... and God's Word - Colossians 3:1-2 (NIV) Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
hi, ann.
it's not a dispute, actually. i totally agree with what you wrote, but all the same i figure people are going to want to know that giftings is not a word and use gifts instead. aren't you glad you now know the right word to use?
TS, that's a weird one! I've never heard it, but not being charasmatic, I suppose I wouldn't.
Actually, I must disagree with your first 'caller' and say that this is VERY important. We need to be on the same page, as Christians. Too often poor dogma and misinterpretations can erupt if we aren't.
Hi, ts--
Thanks for leaving this message on my blog. I am an English teacher, and to me, words are very important. I really had a pretty good idea that "giftings" is not even a word, and I looked in my NIV concordance and did not find it there. I think it is one of those made-up words that people are so good at these days. "Gifting" is actually a verb, and not a main one, at that.
I think that people who are trying to spread the gospel through blogs should try to be accurate in calling things what they are called in scripture.
Hi again, ts,
I see I goofed. I wrote about this in my blog today. (When you get an English teacher all worked up over a word, you just have to be prepared for anything.) Here is what I wrote, in part:
. . .The use of “giftings,” then, is really incorrect. When I responded to “ts,” I said to him that “’Gifting’ is a verb and not even a main verb, actually.” But I suddenly realize that is wrong: “Gift” is a noun. You can’t put the verb ending “-ing” on a noun and use it as a noun. It is certainly not wrong to use an “-ing” verb as a noun, necessarily. We have gerunds in English—words like “swimming” and “reading”—that can be used as either nouns or verbs.
Oh, dear. This is confusing. Any time you try to put a universal rule on the English language, you are in trouble, because it originates from such a mish-mash of a number of languages. And English is always in the flux of change. But . . . I hold that people who write about spiritual gifts should say just that: gifts, and not giftings.
hi ts,
as with others, thanks for your note. i realized i didn't respond to one of your questions - yes, i am a fellow believer.
in this post, your text, as well as those who have responded don't seem to have tapped the fundamental charismatic meaning behind using the word "gifting" as opposed to "gift". the main idea is to give credit to the *source* of the gift - the spirit - and to take away the emphasis on the person receiving the gift. hence the verb usage is geared towards recognizing that it is the *spirit* who gives the gift. this difference is pedantic in nature, but i believe that's what the intent is.
when it comes to the person who questioned you... well, most people who ask stuff like that have much deeper issues at hand. the person who disputes creationism and why dinosaurs went extinct may be wondering - if god didn't care about the dinosaurs, how can i be sure he will care about me? stuff like that.
bipin
wow - this has become quite the discussion.
everyone has valid points, although i don't agree with some. really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things... although i would like to clarify that my blog is not intended as an evangelical tool - it is a personal journal of my thoughts, struggles and journey toward Him. if it happens to speak His Truth into someone's life along the way, then all credit goes to the Father.
i agree with the gist of bipin's comment - our lives should point back to Him...
which leads me back to my original thought - our focus, as christians, should be on Him. i think our time is much better served getting involved in each other's lives, not creating camps around proper word usage.
anyway... this has been an interesting discussion. i pray HIS best for each of you.
Happy V and Lupercalia Day, TS - to you and your adorable family!
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