Ideas on researching this?
Hi all, I am wondering if you could offer as suggestions on how to research the following issue that I would like to read up on (both sides), or do you know a specific source that might be good? I am drawing a blank on best way to search for this. (Please no debates supporting either side, just techniques to search it would be appreciated!!)
Some believe that God gives us gifts to use, he decides, as they are gifts after all. We can pray for other gifts, which God may or may not provide at his discretion. But not having a gift only means God did not choose to offer it to us, nothing more.
Others believe that all gifts are open to us if we pray for them (I am thinking of spiritual gifts in this research, like the ones St. Paul articulates in 1 Cor), so if someone does not have a particular gift they desire (teaching, tongues, preaching, etc. etc.), it is in their control to pray for this and if they pray appropriately/genuinely/lovingly enough, God will grant their wish.
Thanks..
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Philosophically, a key question is whether the gifts are a permanent or momentary (temporary) endowment. That's because Paul states quite clearly that the whole point is that we all need one another (i.e. no-one person has all the gifts at one time). If you conclude that gifts a permanent endowments it then follows that some gifts won't be given to you. If you conclude that gifts a temporary, then it's possible you might receive any gift at any time.
A search like ("gifts of the Spirit", "spiritual gift") NEAR (permanent, temporary, momentary) will help a little with that question, though you also get a lot of hits that consider temporary to mean "ceased with the apostles", which is not what I mean by the term in this context.
The further question is prompted by your final sentence: "it is in their control to pray for this and if they pray appropriately/genuinely/lovingly enough, God will grant their wish". That's a much bigger question that merely spiritual gifts, and I'd say it is the more important. I'd do some searches for "name it and claim it", "positive confession" and perhaps "prayer of faith".
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Dominick Sela said:
Others believe that all gifts are open to us if we pray for them
Just to add to what Mark has suggested search for ("gifts of the Spirit", "spiritual gift") NEAR (pray, claim, receive, wish) with Match all word forms selected.
Dave
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You could search on key bible verses that are relevant to the question I.e. 1 Corinthians 12 8-10 and find any discussion on the subject that way.
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Thanks all for the suggestions so far!!
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Dominick, run a search in your library on "spiritual gifts" including the quotes. If you have created a collection of books on systematic theology this will help refine it. Look up the same phrase, (remember to enclose the words in quotations to avoid false hits)in your Bible Dictionaries and encyclopedias.
In addition to the passage mentioned in 1 Corinthians, study commentaries, journals, books, etc., that deal with spiritual gifts, and passages such as Ephesians 4:8, 11-16 and Romans 12:3-8.
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