Charism

A charism is an inspired gift, bestowed by the Spirit of God on chosen persons for the work of God among others. The pattern runs through both Testaments: the Spirit comes upon a person and equips them to do something they could not do on their own — to judge, to prophesy, to heal, to speak in another tongue, to discern. The shape of the gift varies; the source does not.

The Spirit Coming Upon a Person

In the older history, the gift typically arrives as the Spirit of Yahweh "coming mightily" on a chosen person, and the act follows. Othniel becomes a judge: "And the Spirit of Yahweh came upon him, and he judged Israel; and he went out to war, and Yahweh delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand" (Jg 3:10). Gideon is mustered for battle in the same idiom: "But the Spirit of Yahweh came upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet" (Jg 6:34). Samson's strength operates the same way (Jg 14:6; Jg 14:19). Saul's first prophesying — and his anger that mobilizes Israel — are likewise framed: "And when they came there to the hill, look, a band of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came mightily on him, and he prophesied among them" (1Sa 10:10); "And the Spirit of God came mightily on Saul when he heard those words" (1Sa 11:6). David is anointed and the Spirit comes "from that day forward" (1Sa 16:13). Even Saul's messengers, sent to seize David, are caught up: when they see the company of prophets prophesying, "the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied" (1Sa 19:20). Balaam, an outsider, prophesies because "the Spirit of God came upon him" (Nu 24:2); Azariah son of Oded does the same (2Ch 15:1).

Among the seventy elders gathered around Moses, the gift is distributed by act of God: "And Yahweh came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was on him, and put it on the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did so no more" (Nu 11:25). The text marks both the arrival of the gift and its non-permanence in this case — the prophesying happens once.

A Promised Outpouring

The prophetic line moves from individual gift to a wider pouring out still future. Isaiah sees a transformation that depends on it: "until the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is esteemed as a forest" (Is 32:15). The promise is bound into covenant: "my Spirit who is on you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, will not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your seed, nor out of the mouth of your seed's seed, says Yahweh, from now on and forever" (Is 59:21). Ezekiel makes the pouring out the seal of restoration: "neither will I hide my face anymore from them; for I have poured out my Spirit on the house of Israel, says the Sovereign Yahweh" (Eze 39:29). Joel widens the recipients further still: "I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; and your⁺ sons and your⁺ daughters will prophesy, your⁺ old men will dream dreams, your⁺ young men will see visions" (Joe 2:28). Zechariah names what is poured out: "the spirit of grace and of supplication" (Zec 12:10).

Jesus carries the same promise forward in his own voice. "If you⁺ then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your⁺ children, how much more will [your⁺] heavenly Father give good [things] to those who ask him" (Lu 11:13). And on the eve of his departure: "And I will pray the Father, and he will give you⁺ another Supporter, that he may be with you⁺ forever" (Jn 14:16); "It is expedient for you⁺ that I go away; for if I don't go away, the Supporter will not come to you⁺; but if I go, I will send him to you⁺" (Jn 16:7).

The Mission of the Seventy-Two

In the gospels the inspired gift takes its sharpest narrative form when Jesus sends the seventy-two ahead of him. "Now after these things the Lord appointed seventy-two others, and sent them two by two before his face into every city and place, where he himself was about to come" (Lu 10:1). The commission includes a healing component: "and heal the sick who are in it, and say to them, The kingdom of God has come near to you⁺" (Lu 10:9). The authority backing the commission is explicit: "Look, I have given you⁺ authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing will in any wise hurt you⁺" (Lu 10:19). And the report on return is the language that later becomes shorthand for the whole charismatic phenomenon: "And the seventy-two returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name" (Lu 10:17).

Healing Virtue

A related strand frames the healings around Jesus as a tangible going-forth of power. Mark catches the crush of it: "And wherever he entered, into villages, or into cities, or into the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and implored him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole" (Mr 6:56). Luke twice notes the same phenomenon explicitly: "And all the multitude sought to touch him; for power came forth from him, and healed [them] all" (Lu 6:19); and after the woman with the hemorrhage, "But Jesus said, Someone did touch me; for I perceived that power had gone forth from me" (Lu 8:46). The "gifts of healings" later listed among the church's charisms (1Co 12:9) stand downstream of this.

Tongues, From Babel to the Church

The gift of tongues sits in a long arc. The first appearance of multiple languages in scripture is judicial: "Therefore the name of it was called Babel; because there Yahweh confounded the language of all the earth: and from there Yahweh scattered them abroad on the face of all the earth" (Ge 11:9). What is scattered there is gathered again under the Spirit's distribution in the church, where speaking with tongues — and the necessary partner gift, the interpretation of tongues — appears as one specific allotment among several: "to another [diverse] kinds of tongues; and to another the interpretation of tongues" (1Co 12:10). Paul does not put tongues at the top of the charismatic order: "Now I would have all of you⁺ speak with tongues, yet even better that you⁺ should prophesy: and greater is he who prophesies than he who speaks with tongues, except he interprets, that the church may receive edifying" (1Co 14:5). The criterion is edification of the assembly.

(The longer ending of Mark, which would include the saying about new tongues among the signs that follow, is excluded from UPDV — the row reads, "UPDV excludes Mark 16:9-20; no UPDV text available for this verse.")

The Catalogue at Corinth

The most extended treatment is 1 Corinthians 12. Paul opens with the basic Christological criterion for any inspired utterance — "no man can say, Lord Jesus, but in the Holy Spirit" (1Co 12:3) — and then sets out the diversity-with-unity pattern in three parallel statements: "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are diversities of servings, and the same Lord. And there are diversities of workings, but the same God, who works all things in all" (1Co 12:4-6). The purpose clause names the criterion of distribution: "But to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit to profit as well" (1Co 12:7).

The catalogue itself runs:

"For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom; and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit: to another faith, in the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, in the one Spirit; and to another workings of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discernings of spirits: to another [diverse] kinds of tongues; and to another the interpretation of tongues: but the one and the same Spirit works all these, dividing to each individually even as he wills" (1Co 12:8-11).

The point is sovereign distribution — the gifts are not chosen by the recipient. Paul reinforces this with the body image: "For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free; and were all made to drink of one Spirit" (1Co 12:13); "Now you⁺ are the body of Christ, and severally members of it" (1Co 12:27). The list of offices and powers is then structured into a kind of order:

"And God has set some in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, [diverse] kinds of tongues" (1Co 12:28).

The rhetorical questions that follow show that no single gift is given to all: "Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all [workers of] miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?" (1Co 12:29-30). The chapter closes with an instruction that nevertheless permits desire and ranking: "But desire earnestly the greater gifts. And moreover a most excellent way I show to you⁺" (1Co 12:31).

The Duty to Cultivate the Gift

A charism received is not a charism left alone. The pastoral letters frame the recipient's responsibility plainly. To Timothy: "Don't neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the group of elders" (1Ti 4:14); "exercise yourself to godliness" (1Ti 4:7). And again: "For which cause I put you in remembrance that you stir up the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands" (2Ti 1:6). The gift is given through the Spirit and conveyed through human hands; it is not preserved by the receiving but by the stirring up.

Sirach gives the underlying premise in one line, set against God's giving of discernment to humanity: "And he gave to men discernment, To glory in his mighty works" (Sir 38:6).

The Wider Anointing

Alongside the differentiated gifts stands a wider claim about the believing community itself: "And you⁺ have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you⁺ know" (1Jn 2:20). The anointing is not one of the listed charisms; it is the ground from which the listed charisms are distributed.