The Measure of Christ’s Gift.

The measure of Christ’s gift

There are two major categories of spiritual gifts: temporary and permanent.

a. Temporary spiritual gifts only functioned during the pre-canon period.

The temporary spiritual gifts operated in the first generation of the church age.

There were three kinds of temporary spiritual gifts: foundational, sign, and revelatory.

Foundation gifts laid the foundation for the church: (1)introducing the Gospel to the Jews and the Gentiles;

(2) establishing the first congregations, and
(3) completing the canon of Scripture.

Eph 2:19-22

Foundation:

apostles
prophets

Peter and Paul were apostles. They had supernatural abilities to preach the gospel and perform signs.

Sign gifts brought attention to the messengers and their new message -

- and confirmed the divine source of their new message.

1Co 12:8-11

Sign:

healings
miracles
tongues

2Co 12:12

There is evidence that the sign gifts ceased operating before the revelatory gifts did.

Heb 2:1-4

Revelatory gifts provided partial revelation to the early church -

while the canon of the New Testament was still being written.

The LORD provided supernatural means for revealing new truths.

1Co 12:8-11

Revelatory:

word of wisdom
word of knowledge
faith

Revelatory:

prophecy
discerning of spirits
interpretation of tongues

When Paul speaks of the gifts being curtailed or ceasing,

he mentions one from each of these three groups.

1Co 13:8