Does Everyone Have Spiritual Gifts?

Does everyone have spiritual gifts? It's a question that's frequently asked in Christian circles. Let's get our answer from the Bible, and if the answer is yes, then why aren't that many believers using them?

Does Everyone Have Spiritual Gifts? Let's Discover the Truth

Part 3 of 8 by Don Bell | ⏱️ 12 minute read

Bright Sunlight Breaking Through the CloudsDoes Everyone Have Spiritual Gifts? Let's Find Out
Source: ©diportinanni/Depositphotos.com

When teaching about spiritual gifts, I've often been asked, "Does everyone have spiritual gifts?" My answer is YES. And it can be proven from Scriptures!

All nine gifts of the Holy Spirit are yours to receive! The Holy Spirit doesn't withhold His gifts from you. He means for you to receive ALL His gifts. Why? Because He is who He is, and you NEED them all to do the works of Jesus.

Let's examine carefully what the Apostle Paul taught concerning the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12, keeping in mind Paul's frame of reference is how the gifts are used when the Church has gathered.

Paul says, "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all" (1 Corinthians 12:4-6).

Paul is reminding that there are various gifts given by the Holy Spirit, different ministries given by Jesus (Ephesians 4:11,12), and various activities that arise for meeting needs, but it's God the Father who works everything according to His will.

He explains that these nine spiritual gifts (supernatural abilities) can be called upon by EACH believer to meet a variety of needs as the Holy Spirit prompts:

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).

The word MANIFESTATION is the KEY that opens the above passage to our understanding. The dictionary definition of manifestation is to show, to demonstrate, to reveal something.

Paul is listing the MANIFESTATIONS, and we need to distinguish between the gift (supernatural ability) and its manifestation (supernatural demonstration). Keeping that in mind, carefully reread the passage of Scripture:

But the MANIFESTATION of the Spirit is given to each man for the profit of all: for to one [manifestation] is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another [manifestation] the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another [manifestation] faith by the same Spirit, to another [manifestation] gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another [manifestation] the working of miracles, to another [manifestation] prophecy, to another [manifestation] discerning of spirits, to another [manifestation] different kinds of tongues, to another [manifestation] the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills [in a meeting] (1 Corinthians 12:7-11, emphasis added).

There are nine gifts (supernatural abilities) listed in the above passage, and each has its unique MANIFESTATION. The name of the gift describes its manifestation. For example:

  • The gift of prophecy manifests a word of prophecy.
  • The gift of a word of wisdom manifests a word of wisdom.
  • The gifts of healing manifest healings, and so on.

Paul is saying that the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person, and he lists the manifestations of the nine gifts. He is not talking about one gift being given to one person.

When you are FILLED with the Holy Spirit, you possess ALL nine spiritual gifts because they are ALL inherent in Him. You receive ALL of Him, not just part. His gifts are ALL available and ready for you to manifest at will, as they are needed. He means for you to receive them because YOU NEED THEM to do the works of Jesus.

However, His gifts will lay dormant and be hidden within you until you step out in faith and begin to use (manifest) them.

You Receive All Nine Spiritual Gifts

Paul taught that you can receive all nine gifts of the Holy Spirit. For example, consider the three Utterance Gifts:

  • Tongues: "I wish you ALL spoke with tongues …" (1 Corinthians 14:5, emphasis added).
  • Interpretation of Tongues: "Therefore let HIM who speaks in a tongue pray that HE may interpret" (1 Corinthians 14:13, emphasis added).
  • Prophecy: "For you can ALL prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged" (1 Corinthians 14:31, emphasis added).

Clearly, one person can expect to manifest ALL three Utterance Gifts. This premise also holds true for the three Revelation Gifts, and the three Power Gifts, and it more than answers the question, "Does everyone have spiritual gifts?" Yes, they do, all nine!

It's the Lord's will that each believer excels in ALL nine gifts of the Holy Spirit. That's why Paul writes, "How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, EACH OF YOU has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification" (1 Corinthians 14:26, emphasis added).

When believers gather, the Holy Spirit can prompt ANY individual to use ANY gift (or gifts) for the edification of all believers.

Why Doesn't Everyone Walk in the Gifts?

Paul asks, "Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?" (1 Corinthians 12:30). The answers are NO, NO, and NO.

  • Not everyone will lay hands on the sick although they can. Some individuals will, and some will choose not to.
  • Not everyone will speak in tongues although they can. Some individuals will, and some will choose not to.
  • Not everyone will interpret an unknown tongue although they can. Some individuals will, and some will choose not to.

You'll find in any group of believers, not everyone will choose to walk in the nine spiritual gifts although they can. Disappointing, but true. It has everything to do with an individual's free will. The Holy Spirit will NEVER violate your free will.

Does everyone have spiritual gifts? Paul alludes that everybody CAN have spiritual gifts by saying, "But earnestly desire the best gifts" (1 Corinthians 12:31). The best gifts are those that meet the moment's need.

So, why doesn't every Spirit-filled believer walk in the nine gifts of the spirit? It's mostly because of fear arising from a lack of knowledge and confidence.

Fear will stop you just when you need to be stepping out in faith! Ask the Holy Spirit to help you overcome your fears…

  • of failure
  • of people
  • of ridicule
  • of criticism
  • of falling into error
  • of not being experienced enough
  • of the unknown and the supernatural

Our human nature tends to avoid the unfamiliar, especially when it causes discomfort. The solution is to gain knowledge as it will dispel the fear. Then with experience and growing confidence, we can exercise the Holy Spirit's gifts and fulfill God's calling.

I can still remember getting my first bicycle. Though I desperately wanted to ride it, I was fearful of not holding my balance and falling onto the hard gravel.

Dad encouraged me to climb on, hold the handlebars straight, and then peddle while he ran alongside steadying the bike by holding the back of the seat with his strong hand. He assured me that I wouldn't fall if I maintained my balance and momentum.

When I had reached the end of our farm lane I was riding without fear, not realizing Dad had let go at the halfway point.

Stepping out in the gifts for the first time is similar to climbing onto a bicycle for the first time. Both require knowledge and momentum. Once you are knowledgeable about the gifts, you can gain momentum by stepping out in faith while knowing your Heavenly Father won't let you fall. Any lingering fear will be replaced with confidence.

We read in Scripture, "To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us KINGS AND PRIESTS to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" (Revelation 1:5,6, emphasis added).

However, Hosea prophesied, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being PRIEST for Me …" (Hosea 4:6).

Does everyone have spiritual gifts? Yes, but we cannot have confidence to receive God's gifts to operate in our priestly calling if we don't have knowledge of what they are and how they operate.

Once we learn the basic principles of the gifts of the Spirit and build our confidence, we'll experience success in receiving them. Operating the gifts will become as familiar as riding a bicycle — once you've done it, you'll always be able to do it.

But, you must first learn the basics and acquire hands-on experience before going deeper. Thankfully, the Lord Himself gave some to be teachers for the equipping of the saints (that's us) for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11,12).

Paul considered it necessary to teach on the gifts. He writes, "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant" (1 Corinthians 12:1).

Instruction in the gifts of the Spirit is necessary if we will avoid misunderstandings in their operation. Too often, well-meaning believers become overconfident and run with the gifts while making errors. They influence others who make the same errors. Soon, needless ignorance has created hurt and havoc within the Body of Christ.

The Holy Spirit Desires to Manifest

The Holy Spirit's desire is to manifest His presence, but far too many followers of Christ ignore His promptings to step out in the gifts. They sit quietly, always waiting for the leaders to do the work of ministry.

Meanwhile, the leaders busy themselves in ministry while ignoring their calling to equip the people for the work of ministry. It's a cycle counter productive to what God intended.

We read in Scripture, "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the EQUIPPING OF THE SAINTS for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-13, emphasis added).

So why aren't believers being equipped "for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ"? Both leaders and the people are held captive by fears and misconceptions because they lack in knowledge and understanding.

People leave the dry meetings thirsty for the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit. Read what Isaiah prophesied:

The harp and the strings, the tambourine and flute, and wine are in their feasts; but they do not regard the work of the Lord, nor consider the operation of His hands. Therefore my people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge; their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst (Isaiah 5:12,13).

Now, let's reread the above Scripture while substituting "church services" for the word feasts, and "spiritual gifts" for the operation of His hands, since believers are called to do the work of the Lord and be His hands in today's world (John 14:12).

The harp and the strings, the tambourine and flute, and wine are in their [church services]; but they do not regard the work of the Lord, nor consider the operation of His [spiritual gifts]. Therefore my people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge; their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst (Isaiah 5:12,13, emphasis added).

Does it remind you of some services you've been in?

Does Everyone Have Spiritual Gifts? Paul Believed So!

Paul the Apostle surely believed that every believer possessed the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He strongly encouraged the operation of the gifts by EVERY member of the Church. Whenever he encountered reluctance or errors, he explained the proper usage of the gifts.

So why doesn't every believer excel in the gifts of the Holy Spirit? It's not because they can't. Every believer who's baptized in the Holy Spirit receives the fullness of the Spirit with all His gifts waiting to be activated. You don't just receive part of the Holy Spirit!

The Greek word ἀγνοέω (agnoeō), translated as ignorant, means by implication to ignore through hesitancy or reluctance. We are often hesitant or reluctant to receive something when we lack information and don't quite understand what it is.

Some believers don't use the gifts of the Spirit simply because they have chosen not to. We all can have reasons not wanting to do something, and God never forces His gifts upon anyone. He respects our free will, allowing us to make our own choices. But it's our responsibility to make wise choices!

Although some believers fluently speak in tongues privately, they choose to sit in quietly in the background whenever the Church has gathered. Proficiency in the gifts of the Spirit has nothing to do with someone's intelligence, personality background, or manner; it has everything to do with one's choice.

Believers who are hungry for the things of the Spirit must be encouraged to exercise the gifts of the Spirit, and the others simply left to God. Each of us has received a calling to spread the gospel of the Kingdom, but because of the choices we make, we might not excel in all areas or to the extent we could.

If YOUR desire is to please God and find your place in the Body of Christ, start to use the nine gifts of the Spirit. It comes down to choices! Ask God to help you make the right choices, so you can fulfill His plan for your life.

The Greatest Gift and Motivator

We read in 1 Corinthians 13 that love plays a significant role in the operation of the gifts of the Spirit. LOVE is the more excellent way; it's the true motivator. If we truly love others, our heart's desire will be to bring them edification, exhortation, and comfort.

When you see the gifts of the Spirit flowing in the Body, it's a sign that love is flowing. The Gifts of the Spirit cannot operate in an environment void of love!

Jesus sent the Holy Spirit with His gifts to help you reach your true potential in the Body of Christ by edifying others and in turn being edified by others — the sure sign of a Church that's alive with the potential for growth.

Paul urges, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Colossians 3:16).

We Are to DESIRE Spiritual Gifts

The degree we hunger and thirst for truth determines the degree we'll push aside excuses and fears, and be filled to overflowing with love for ministry. We really need to ask, "How hungry and thirsty am I?

Following his teachings on the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians, Paul plainly states, "If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the COMMANDMENTS of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 14:37, emphasis added).

So, if you could ask Paul today, "Does everyone have spiritual gifts?" He would say YES, without hesitation. He considered the nine gifts of the Spirit vital to the believer's walk in Christ, and the growth of the local Body.

Paul did NOT consider the gifts of the Spirit optional. So, let's choose to be diligent in using them.

More in This 8-Part Series

Part 4: How Did Jesus Perform Miracles?

In case you missed it, Part 1: Nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit


About the Author

Don Bell of Kingdom Anointing

Don Bell is the creator of the Kingdom Anointing website, and a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ. He shares insights from his spiritual journey to encourage ordinary believers to seek God's Kingdom and lead extraordinary lives in the Holy Spirit.


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