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PNEUMA 39 (2017) 342–363
Subsequence in the Pauline Epistles
Robert P. Menzies
Asian Center for Pentecostal Theology, Kunming, China
rmenzies@mail2go.net
Abstract
Paul encourages every believer to experience a bestowal of the Spirit’s power that is theologically, and usually chronologically, distinct from the gift of the Spirit received at conversion. Paul typically describes this post-conversion infusion of spiritual power with the nounχάρισμα(“gift”). Paul speaks of this experience as “the gift of God” (2Tim 1:6), “the gift in you” (1Tim 4:14), and a “spiritual gift” (Rom 1:11), and the result of this empowering experience with simply the term gift (1Cor 12). Thus Paul, like Luke, also highlights the need for each believer to experience a post-conversion infusion of spiritual power for ministry.
Keywords
Paul – Pauline epistles – Holy Spirit – spiritual gifts – subsequence – pentecostal
There is widespread agreement that the most distinctive and defining message of the modern pentecostal movement is its claim that all Christians may, and indeed should, experience a baptism in the Holy Spirit “distinct from and subsequent to the experience of new birth.”1 For Pentecostals, this doctrine of subsequence is rooted in the conviction that the Spirit came upon the disciples at Pentecost (Acts 2), not as the source of new covenant existence, but rather as the source of power for effective witness. The language of subsequence or “a second experience” is not simply or even primarily a statement about the
1 Minutes of the 44th Session of the General Council of the Assemblies of God (Portland, or:
August 6–11, 1991), 129.
© koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2017 | doi: 10.1163/15700747-03903019
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timing of the reception of the pentecostal gift.2 Rather, it is a statement about the gift’s nature and purpose. It is a clear affirmation that the pentecostal bestowal of the Spirit cannot be equated with conversion and regeneration. On the contrary, this doctrine affirms that the pentecostal gift, available to every believer, is a missiological empowering that enables its recipient to fulfill his or her divinely appointed task. This understanding of Spirit baptism, I would argue, has given the modern pentecostal movement its identity, its unifying experience, and its uniquely missional focus.
In spite of the significant role the doctrine of subsequence has played in the formation of the modern pentecostal movement, more recently many fine scholars, including prominent theologians who identify themselves as Pente- costals, have rejected it.3 Underlying this trend appears to be the assumption that a different approach, one that connects the pentecostal gift to Christian initiation, allows us to integrate more fully Luke’s insights into the Spirit’s work together with Paul’s broader pneumatological perspective. In other words, to state the matter negatively, these scholars fear that a doctrine of subsequence is incompatible with Paul’s understanding of the Spirit and thus inappropri- ately elevates Luke above Paul.4 As Anthony Thiselton notes, “Luke is but one voice in the canon.”5 Thiselton speaks for many when he implies that, while Pentecostals have accused traditional Protestant theologians of viewing the Holy Spirit through the lenses of Paul, they in turn are guilty of viewing the Spirit “through the lenses of Luke.”6
So, the question must be asked: Is the pentecostal doctrine of subsequence compatible with Paul’s pneumatological perspective? Certainly, Thiselton is correct to emphasize that, according to Paul, “no single individual can possess
2 Although Pentecostals affirm that typically believers are baptized in the Spirit (in the Lukan
sense of the term, Acts 2) after their conversion (which, as Paul clearly indicates, is marked
by the regenerating work of the Spirit), they would acknowledge that these events may be
experienced simultaneously (e.g., Acts 10).
3 Simon Chan, Pentecostal Theology and the Christian Spiritual Tradition (Sheffield, uk: Shef-
field Academic Press, 2003); Frank D. Macchia, Baptized in the Spirit: A Global Pentecostal
Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006); Amos Yong, The Spirit Poured Out on All Flesh:
Pentecostalism and the Possibility of Global Theology(Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005). 4 D.A. Carson,Showing the Spirit: A Theological Exposition of 1Corinthians 12–14(Grand Rapids:
Baker,1987),158.Withreferencetosubsequence, Carsonwrites:“Paulstands positivelyagainst
it” (158).
5 Anthony C. Thiselton,The Holy Spirit—In Biblical Teaching, through the Centuries, and Today
(Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2013), 393. In this regard, see also Max Turner, The Holy
Spirit and Spiritual Gifts: Then and Now(Carlisle: Paternoster, 1996), 152–168.
6 Thiselton, Holy Spirit, 492.
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all of the gifts.”7 This does not, however, negate the fact that each of the cen- tral authors of the New Testament (Luke, Paul, and John) calls every Christian to experience a gift of the Spirit subsequent to conversion. Indeed, in this arti- cle I shall argue that Paul himself encourages every believer to experience a bestowal of the Spirit’s power that is distinct (theologically and often chrono- logically) from the life-giving reception of the Spirit received at conversion and that provides strength to fulfill God’s calling upon their life. In other words, like Luke, Paul also highlights the need for each believer to experience a post- conversion infusion of spiritual power for ministry. Typically, this spiritual gift is received in a specific experience and initiates the believer into a dimension of the Spirit’s power that repeatedly surfaces at specific moments of need. This experience, then, has an ongoing or repetitive character: it is the beginning point for a series of experiences through which the Spirit’s enabling is mani- fest.
This is my thesis and I will attempt to support it, first, by placing this discus- sion in the larger context of recent scholarly voices on the matter; second, by analyzing several key Pauline texts that in turn enable us to describe Paul’s per- spective with respect to subsequence experiences of the Spirit; and finally, by showing how the pentecostal doctrine of subsequence actually helps us accom- plish what its detractors desire: a holistic biblical theology of the Spirit that does justice toeachof the canonical voices.
Setting the Stage
Whereas an earlier generation of pentecostal pastors and teachers tended to base their understanding of baptism in the Spirit as a subsequent experience on patterns found in the narrative of Acts or related biblical analogies, more recent pentecostal scholars have called the church to take a fresh look at Luke’s theological perspective and purpose.8 Roger Stronstad, with his seminal book The Charismatic Theology of St. Luke (1984), was the first to clearly articulate this new perspective. The book’s central thesis is that Luke is a theologian in his own right and that his perspective on the Spirit is different from, although complementary to, that of Paul. Stronstad argued that Luke, unlike Paul, who
7 Thiselton, Holy Spirit, 476.
8 See Gordon Fee’s critique of this earlier pentecostal approach in Fee, Gospel and Spirit:
Issues in New Testament Hermeneutics (Peabody, ma: Hendrickson, 1991), 105–119, and my
response in William and Robert Menzies,Spirit and Power: Foundations of Pentecostal Experi-
ence(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), 109–120.
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frequently speaks of the soteriological dimension of the Spirit’s work, consis- tently portrays the Spirit as the source of power for service.
My own work supported Stronstad’s conclusions by placing this reading of Luke-Acts within the larger context of the early church’s developing under- standing of the work of the Spirit.9 I argued that a thorough study of the New Testament reveals that Paul was the first Christian to attribute soteriological functions to the Spirit and that his distinctive insights did not impact the non- Pauline sectors of the early church until after the writing of Luke-Acts (approx- imately 70ad). So, while Paul frequently speaks of the soteriological dimension of the Spirit’s work, the authors of the Synoptic Gospels neverdo.Indeed, Luke’s narrative in particular, although filled with references to the work of the Spirit, reflects a more limited and focused pneumatology.10 Precisely because of this distinctive focus, Luke’s message is one that the contemporary church des- perately needs to hear.11 Luke consistently portrays the Spirit as a prophetic gift (Acts 2:17–21 = Joel 2:28–32), the source of power for witness (Acts 1:8). In this way Luke reminds the church—every Christian in it—that we are called, and have been promised the power needed, to be a community of prophets: prophets who will bear bold witness for Jesus to the ends of the earth.
This thesis created quite a stir. Most biblical scholars shared the commonly held assumption that the New Testament presents a relatively unified picture concerning the work of the Spirit in general and baptism in the Spirit in particular. Paul clearly speaks of Spirit baptism as the means by which one is initiated into the body of Christ (1Cor 12:13), and he offers a rich and full description of the work of the Spirit. Since Paul’s epistles are among the New Testament’s earliest writings, does this not suggest that from the very beginning the early church had a unified and highly developed understanding of the work of the Spirit? Surely Paul, Luke, and John speak with one voice: the Spirit is the very source of Christian existence.12 How, then, could Spirit baptism be anything less than the miraculous, life-giving transformation of the believer (that is, regeneration)? My thesis challenged these assumptions by showing that the New Testament documents bear witness to considerable diversity and,
9
10 11
12
Robert P. Menzies,TheDevelopmentof EarlyChristianPneumatologywithSpecialReference to Luke-Acts, jsntss 54 (Sheffield, uk: jsot Press, 1991) and the slightly revised version, Empowered for Witness: The Spirit in Luke-Acts,jptss6 (Sheffield,uk:jsotPress, 1994). See especially Luke 11:9–13; Acts 8:4–24; 18:24–19:7.
For more on this see Robert P. Menzies, Pentecost: This Story is Our Story(Springfield,mo: Gospel Publishing House, 2013).
James D.G. Dunn provided the classic exposition of this position with his Baptism in the Holy Spirit (London:scmPress, 1970).
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more specifically, the early church’s growing awareness of the Holy Spirit’s work.The NewTestament texts suggest that the early church’s understanding of the work of the Spirit involved a process of development that included various overlapping stages: it begins with the typical Jewish understanding of the Spirit as the source of prophetic inspiration (the Synoptic Gospels and Acts), which is supplemented by Paul’s larger insights into the life-giving nature of the Spirit’s work (shaped in part by his Gentile audience and his conflict with Jewish legalists, and facilitated by his contact with the Jewish wisdom tradition),13 and the process then culminates in the Gospel of John, which retells the story of Jesus, but now with the fuller pneumatological insights gleaned from Paul. Thus, in John’s Gospel the Spirit is presented as the source of spiritual life (John 3–7; the promise of John 7:37–39 is fulfilled in John 20:21) and, in a distinct bestowal, as the inspirer of bold witness in the face of persecution (cf. how the Paraclete promises in John 14–16 anticipate Pentecost).14
This thesis has not been universally accepted. Paradigm shifts do not hap- pen overnight. Since the great theologians of the Reformation (Luther, Calvin, Knox) highlighted insights primarily gleaned from Paul, Protestant theology has for the most part been Pauline theology. It should not surprise us, then, that New Testament scholars often share presuppositions that give Paul pride of place. This fact is illustrated nicely by Anthony Thiselton’s recent book,The Holy Spirit—In Biblical Teaching, through the Centuries, and Today.15Thiselton repeatedly questions the wisdom of those who “wish to drive a wedge between Luke and Paul”16 and flatly states, “Luke and Paul do not stand on equal foot- ing.”17
Nevertheless,thepentecostalreadingof theNewTestamentdescribedabove has gained considerable and growing traction among New Testament schol- ars. This judgment finds support in the Festschrift published to honor James D.G. Dunn.18 Numerous comments sprinkled throughout the book indicate
13
14
15 16 17
18
See Menzies, Development, 303–315; G.T. Montague, The Holy Spirit: Growth of a Biblical Tradition(New York: Paulist Press, 1976), 110.
Robert P. Menzies, “John’s Place in the Development of Early Christian Pneumatology,” in Wonsuk Ma and Robert Menzies, eds.,The Spirit and Spirituality: Essays in Honor of Russell P. Spittler,jptss24 (London: Continuum, 2004), 41–52.
Thiselton, Holy Spirit, see esp. pp. 69, 137, 392–393, 434, 467, 490, 492–493, 496. Ibid., 490.
Ibid., 496. The reason for Thiselton’s judgment is that, in his opinion, it remains uncertain whether Luke intended to offer instruction for the church, a blueprint for later Christians, with his writings.
Graham N. Stanton, BruceW. Longenecker, and Stephen C. Barton, eds.,TheHolySpiritand
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that the landscape has changed dramatically since Dunn’s first volume, Bap- tism in the Holy Spirit, was published in 1970. I think particularly of the manner in which several authors acknowledge the distinctive nature of Luke’s pneuma- tology in relation to that of Paul and John. Robert Morgan, for example, notes that “Paul and John had reflected deeply, and Luke perhaps less deeply, on the relationship between what they said about the Spirit and what they were say- ing about the risen Jesus.”19 There is also Robert Banks’s striking statement, “In regard to Luke’s general view of the Spirit, there is a scholarly consensus that the Spirit is the primary agent legitimating the mission, that in Acts it is largely the Spirit’s prophetic work, which involves an ‘empowering for witness,’ that dominates, and that Luke shows little interest in the Spirit as the source of spiritual, moral, or religious renewal in the individual as such.”20 Finally, Scot McKnight concludes, “SometimeafterPentecost [note that the text from Joel is remembered as the focus there] and probably by someone other than Peter, an early Christian came to the conviction that the pneumatic experience of Pente- cost was in fact what was expected by Jeremiah and Ezekiel.”21Here McKnight acknowledges that Luke (or at least his sources, including Peter) did not asso- ciate the promises of new covenant blessing (cf. Ezek 36:22–38 and Jer 31:31–34) with the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost. This association, he argues, was made at a later date and then found its way into the Pauline circle. Although I disagree with McKnight’s historical reconstruction in many respects—Paul, it appears, was the first believer to associate the gift of the Spirit with new covenant existence and he does so based on Ezekiel 36:26 (cf. 2Cor 3:1–18), with no reference to Pentecost22—I certainly appreciate the significance of McK- night’s thesis. He acknowledges significant development in the early church’s understanding of the Spirit’s work and he correctly connects Ezekiel 36:26 (not mentioned by Luke, but highlighted by Paul and John) with the latter presenta- tion of the Spirit as the source of new covenant existence. None of these state- ments, and McKnight’s thesis in particular, could have been put forward in 1970.
19
20
21
22
Christian Origins: Essays in Honor of James D.G. Dunn (Grand Rapids: Wm B. Eerdmans, 2004).
Robert Morgan, “Unity and Diversity in NewTestamentTalk of the Spirit,” inTheHolySpirit and Christian Origins, 12.
Robert Banks, “The Role of Charismatic and Noncharismatic Factors in Determining Paul’s Movements in Acts,” inThe Holy Spirit and Christian Origins, 117–118.
Scot McKnight, “Covenant and Spirit: The Origins of the New Covenant Hermeneutic,” in The Holy Spirit and Christian Origins, 54 (italics his).
John’s pneumatology, which does not associate the life-giving reception of the Spirit with Pentecost, presents major problems for McKnight’s thesis.
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So,thereisnowconsiderableagreementthatLukehasadistinctivecontribu- tion to make to a holistic biblical theology of the Spirit. This bodes well for the future of pentecostal theology in general and, more specifically, the pentecostal doctrine of subsequence. Nevertheless, a problem remains. This brings us back to our central question: Is the pentecostal doctrine of subsequence compatible with Paul’s pneumatological perspective? As I have stated, many scholars today disregard the notion of a normative “second experience” of the Spirit because they feel that Paul opposes it.
A review of the relevant literature reveals that the apparent conflict with Paul’s perspective hinges on a single issue:The universality or normative expec- tationforasubsequentbestowalof theSpiritinPaulissaidtobelacking.Simply put, opponents to subsequence insist that Paul does not speak of a specific, post-conversion bestowal of the Spirit that is beneficial for and available to every believer. Rather, Paul emphasizes that the Holy Spirit is received at con- version and, while he acknowledges that there are often dramatic and powerful experiences of the Spirit subsequent to this initial reception of the Spirit, he does not speak of a second experience of the Spirit that can be described as normative (that is, promised and available to every believer). Thus, all experi- ences subsequent to conversion, we are told, must be understood as renewing experiences of the one gift given to every Christian in conversion-initiation.23If this reading of Paul is correct, then it represents a serious conflict with the pen- tecostal reading of Luke (and John) noted above. It is one thing for Pentecostals to assert that the perspectives of Luke and Paul are different, but ultimately complementary and harmonious. It is quite another to suggest that they are contradictory. Understandably, most Evangelicals reject this sort of approach. However, is this reading of Paul accurate? Does it really do justice to the com- plexity and richness of Paul’s descriptions of the Spirit’s work? To this question we now turn.
23
Turner, The Holy Spirit, 157–168; H.I. Lederle, Treasures Old and New: Interpretations of “Spirit-Baptism” in the Charismatic Renewal Movement (Peabody, ma: Hendrickson, 1988), 227–240; Gordon Fee,Gospel and Spirit, 105–119 andGod’s Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul (Peabody, ma: Hendrickson, 1994), 863–864; Thiselton, Holy Spirit, 129–130, 435; and the works written by Chan, Macchia, and Yong cited in n. 3 above.
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Subsequence in Paul
Paul, writing from an early stage in the life of the church, offers a rich and full account of the Spirit’s work. Paul speaks of the Spirit as the source of cleansing (1Cor 6:11; Rom 15:16), righteousness (Gal 5:5; Rom 8:1–17; Gal 5:16–26), intimate fellowshipwith(Gal4:6;Rom8:14–17)andknowledgeof God(1Cor2:6–16;2Cor 3:3–18). He even describes that ultimate transformation, the resurrection, as a work of the Spirit (Rom 8:11; 1Cor 15:42–49; Gal 6:8). Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen is certainly correct when he affirms that for Paul, “the fundamental mark of belonging to Christ is the gift of the Spirit that makes one a Christian (Rom 8:9) and a sharer in sonship (8:14–16; Gal 4:6).”24
Another aspect of Paul’s pneumatology should not be overlooked, how- ever: “Paul makes a clear connection between the Spirit and the experience of power.”25Paul frequently alludes to the power of the Spirit enabling his own ministry (Rom 15:19; 1Cor 2:4; 1Thess 1:5). And he also refers to special spiri- tual gifts that energize the ministry of others (1Tim 4:14; 2Tim 1:6–7; cf. 1Thess 5:19). In view of the ad hoc nature of the Pauline epistles, it should not surprise us that Paul nowhere speaks specifically of the pentecostal gift. Paul has not set out to write a comprehensive theological treatise delineating the dynamics of spiritual life. Nevertheless, even a casual reading of Paul’s epistles suggests that Luke’s emphasis on the significance of the pentecostal gift (Acts 1:8; 2:17– 18) for the vitality of the church and the missionary enterprise resonates well with Paul’s perspective. Yet, the central question must still be addressed: Does Paul speak of a normative bestowal of the Spirit’s power beyond the conver- sion experience? Although Protestants have been conditioned to answer this question with a resounding “no,”26I would like to reexamine the evidence.
Second Timothy 1:6–7
In 2Timothy 1:6–7 Paul calls Timothy to look back to an important event in his life:
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God (ἀναζωπυρεῖν τὸ χάρισμα τοῦ θεοῦ) which is in you through the laying on of my hands
24
25 26
Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, Pneumatology: The Holy Spirit in Ecumenical, International, and Contextual Perspective(Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2002), 32.
Fee,God’s Empowering Presence, 863.
Craig Keener, 3 Crucial Questions about the Holy Spirit (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996), 46, 49; Turner,The Holy Spirit, 157–168.
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(ὅ ἐστιν ἐν σοὶ διὰ τῆς ἐπιθέσεως τῶν χειρῶν μου). For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline (πνεῦμα δειλίας,ἀλὰ δυνάμεως καὶ ἀγάπης καὶ σωφρονισμοῦ).27
This is indeed a striking passage. Paul here encourages Timothy to remember a specific moment in the past when “the gift of God” (τὸ χάρισμα τοῦ θεοῦ) was imparted to him through the laying on of Paul’s hands (and presumably Paul’s accompanying prayer).28 Additionally, Paul urges Timothy to “fan into flame” this gift of God that, Paul declares, will result in Spirit-inspired “power,” “love,” and “self-discipline” (v. 7).
Let us begin to unpack the meaning and implications of this text by asking how we are to understand the phrase, “the gift of God.” Various proposals have been offered. An earlier generation of scholars interpreted this phrase (along with 1Tim 4:14) as referring to Timothy’s ordination and office.29 Yet, this reading has been rejected by most contemporary scholars who see this approach as anachronistically reading the structure and practices of the later church into the early charismatic communities that made up the early church. There simply is no evidence that at this early date the meaning of the term χάρισμαhad shifted from “a gift of the Spirit” to a ministerial “office.”30
More plausible is the view that here “the gift of God” refers to one or more of the gifts of the Spirit that Paul frequently references. Yet Siegfried Schatzmann notes that “in Rom 1:11, 1Cor 1:7, 1Tim 4:14, and 2Tim 1:6, thecharismataare not directly linked to a particular category of gifts.”31 Raymond Collins acknowl- edges this fact, but tentatively suggests that the author is here thinking about the gift of prophecy.32While this reading is certainly plausible, there is a better suggestion.
27 28
29
30
31 32
All English quotations are from theniv.
I happily include the Pastoral Epistles in this study of Pauline theology. AsThiselton notes, “A number of reputable scholars, who include J.N.D. Kelly, Bo Reicke, Gordon Fee, Bruce Metzger, and Joachim Jeremias, view the Pastoral Epistles as genuinely Pauline, partly on the basis of a secretary being responsible for style and vocabulary. Many more view the author of Ephesians, 1 and 2Timothy, and Titus as either Paul or at least a devoted disciple of Paul” (Thiselton, Holy Spirit, 495).
Philip H. Towner, The Letters to Timothy and Titus, nicnt (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerd- mans, 2006), 458, lists various scholars who interpret the text in this way.
Siegfried S. Schatzmann, A Pauline Theology of Charismata (Peabody, ma: Hendrickson, 1987), 50. Contra James Dunn, Jesus and the Spirit (London:scmPress, 1975), 347–349. Schatzmann,Charismata, 50.
Raymond F. Collins, i & iiTimothy and Titus: A Commentary, The nt Library (Louisville: Westminster, 2002), 196.
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As Towner notes, “a straightforward reading of the text suggests that v. 7 explains ‘the gift of God’ in v. 6 as being the Holy Spirit given by God.”33Fee is of the same mind: “even though ultimately Paul may have Timothy’s ‘ministry’ in view, the χάρισμα in this case refers more directly to the source of his ministry, the Spirit himself.”34 Indeed, several factors suggest that with this phrase, “the gift of God,” Paul describes a reception or gifting of the Spirit that results in an infusion of power and thus equips Timothy for the challenges of ministry that lay ahead. First, the context points to “the gift of God” in v. 6 as the source of the Spirit-inspired “power,” “love,” and “self-discipline” of v. 7. Additionally, there is a strong link between this passage and 1Thessalonians 5:19, where we read: “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.” Fee’s logic is hard to refute: “It is certainly arguable that if the fire of the Spirit can be quenched (1Thess 5:19), so also it may be ‘fanned into flame.’”35Finally, the literary unit, which includes vv. 6–14, begins and ends with references to the work of the Spirit.
Here, however, is where most interpreters encounter difficulties. If, as the context clearly indicates, “the gift of God” refers to the gift of the Holy Spirit or an infusion of the Spirit’s power, how do we correlate this with the fact that this gift is granted to Timothy in a specific, post-conversion experience? Fee and Towner resolve the difficulty by declaring that “the gift of God” here refers to the gift of the Spirit received at conversion.36 Fee seems to overlook (or simply ignores) the tensions that this judgment creates with the text, but Towner is more forthright. Towner acknowledges, “What might give pause is the text’s claim that this gift came by way of the apostle’s hands.”37Indeed! This “conversional” reading of the text is flatly contradicted by Paul’s words. Paul declares to Timothy, “the gift of God” that is in you came to be there “through the laying on of my hands” (v. 16). The instrumental force of the preposition (διάwith the genitive case) cannot be missed.38Towner ultimately argues that Paul simply confirmed the presence of faith in Timothy through the laying on of his hands,39 but this hardly does justice to what Paul actually says. The “gift
33 34 35 36 37 38 39
Towner,The Letters to Timothy, 458.
Fee,God’s Empowering Presence, 787.
Ibid.
Towner,The Letters to Timothy, 458–459 and Fee,God’s Empowering Presence, 789. Towner,The Letters to Timothy, 459.
A point that Towner notes; see Towner,The Letters to Timothy, 458.
Ibid., 459. Did Timothy receive the gift when Paul laid his hands upon Timothy or at some point prior to this event? Towner concludes that the former option is “not impossible” and the latter “would also have been fitting” (459).
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of God” that Timothy received and is called to “fan into flame” came to him in a charismatic experience sometime after his conversion.
This charismatic event most likely took place shortly after Paul met Timothy in his hometown of Lystra (Acts 16:1). The book of Acts tells us that Paul had arrived in Lystra and was preparing to travel from town to town to deliver “the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey” (Acts 16:4). There he met Timothy, who is described as a disciple (μαθητής), a Christian (Acts 16:1). The “brothers” in Lystra and nearby Iconium “spoke well” of Timothy (Acts 16:2) and Paul was clearly impressed—so much so that we read, “Paul wanted to take him along on the journey” (Acts 16:3). Paul and Timothy thus began their partnership in the gospel, traveling together and ministering in the various towns that they visited. They proved to be an excellent team, for Luke reports, “the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers” (Acts 16:5).
It appears that prior to embarking on this journey, Paul (and perhaps others, cf. 1Tim 4:14) laid his hands upon Timothy, prayed for him, and in this moment, the Holy Spirit came upon Timothy and bestowed power for the ministry that lay before him. Paul refers to this bestowal and reception of the Spirit as “the gift of God” (τὸ χάρισμα τοῦ θεοῦ) and it is clearly foundational for Timothy’s ministry. Indeed, Paul urges Timothy to “fan into flame” this gift. He looks back tothis pivotal event; and the post-conversion and missional nature of this empowering should not be missed. Consider the following points:
– The gift of God (τὸ χάρισμα τοῦ θεοῦ). The term χάρισμα is utilized seventeen
times in the New Testament. Paul uses the term sixteen times. The one non-
Pauline occurrence of the term is found in 1Peter 4:10. Of these sixteen
Pauline occurrences of χάρισμα: twelve refer to a Spirit-inspired “ministry”
gift;40 three clearly refer to a salvific gift;41 and one usage of the term is
ambiguous.42Thus, Paul’s use of the termχάρισμαsuggests that in 2Timothy
1:6 he is referring to a post-conversion empowering of the Spirit. – The laying on of hands. In v. 6 Paul declares that “the gift of God” was
bestowed “through the laying on of my hands” (ὅ ἐστιν ἐν σοὶ διὰ τῆς ἐπιθέσεως
τῶν χειρῶν μου). In Luke-Acts the laying on of hands is closely associated with
the work of the Holy Spirit and occurs in two contexts: prayer for the sick
(Luke 4:40; 13:13; Acts 9:12, 17; Acts 28:8) and “commissioning and empower-
40 41 42
Rom 1:11; 12:6; 1Cor 1:7; 7:7; 12:4, 9, 28, 30, 31; 2Cor 1:11; 1Tim 4:14; 2Tim 1:6. Rom 5:15, 16; 6:23.
Rom 11:29.
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ing” for ministry (Acts 6:6; 8:17–18; 13:3; and 19:6). Paul only uses the phrase
“the laying on of hands” (forms of ἐπίθέσις or ἐπιτίθημι with χείρ) on three
occasions: in 1Timothy 4:14; 5:22; and 2Timothy 1:6. In each of these Pauline
usages the phrase is associated with commissioning and empowering for
ministry.43Additionally, it should be noted that Paul facilitated this bestowal
of the gift of the Spirit (v. 6) through the laying on of his own hands. Paul,
then, was certainly present when Timothy received the gift. According to
the record of Acts, as we noted above, Paul first encountered Timothy after
Timothy had already become a “disciple,” a Christian (Acts 16:1). Again, all
of this indicates that in 2Timothy 1:6–7 Paul describes a post-conversion
experience through which Timothy is empowered by the Spirit for his future
ministry.
– The immediate context: the impact of the gift.The immediate context of Paul’s
admonition to Timothy to “fan into flame the gift of God” (v. 6) is instructive.
The following verse (v. 7) enumerates the anticipated outcome of this action:
it will result in Spirit-inspired “power” (δυνάμις), “love” (ἀγάπη), and “self-
discipline” (σωφρονισμός).44 Timothy undoubtedly needed a heavy dose of
each of these attributes. However we assess Timothy’s personal constitution
(cf. 1Cor 16:10), the problems he faced at Ephesus would have been daunting
for even the hardiest and most seasoned minister. Clearly Timothy faced
stiff opposition from false teachers (2Tim 2:17–18) and, in this setting, “it
is not hard to imagine Timothy, feeling outnumbered and outmaneuvered
… cowering in the face of threats and Paul’s declining reputation.”45 In the
face of these challenges, Paul pointsTimothy to his previous reception of the
Spirit’s power and calls for him to draw upon this reservoir of strength. In this
context, the “power” (δυνάμις) granted by the Spirit should be seen as power
to bear bold witness and endure suffering in the face of opposition (2Tim 1:8;
cf. 2Tim 1:12; 2:1–3). So also, the reference to “love” (ἀγάπη) should probably
been understood in terms of service for others. Paul’s words in 2Timothy 2:10
illustrate the theme beautifully: “I endure everything for the sake of the elect,
that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal
glory.” Finally, the reference to Spirit-inspired “self-discipline” (σωφρονισμός)
calls to mind Paul’s words in 2Timothy 2:3, “Endure hardship with us like a
good soldier of Christ Jesus,” and the verses that follow (2:3–13). Of course,
all of these Spirit-inspired attributes are vital for Timothy’s future ministry.
43 44
45
Note Heb 6:2, where “the laying on of hands” also probably carries this meaning. Fee argues persuasively that we should understand theπνεῦμαin v. 7 as a reference to the Spirit of God (God’s Empowering Presence, 788).
Towner,The Letters to Timothy, 459.
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Thus, the immediate context makes it abundantly clear that “the gift of God”
(v. 6) is a bestowal of the Spirit’s power that will enable Timothy to fulfill his
divine calling.
– The larger context. In addition to the immediate context, there are two
Pauline passages that represent in various ways close parallels to Paul’s
words in 2Timothy 1:6–7. The first text, 1Thessalonians 5:19, reads: “Do not
put out the Spirit’s fire” (τὸ πνεῦμα μὴ σβέννυτε). Since the verb used here,
σβέννυμι, typically means “to put out a fire” (cf. Mt 12:20; Eph 6:16; Heb
11:34),46 the parallels with “fan into flame the gift of God” are obvious. This
parallel verse confirms what the context of 2Timothy 1:6–7 demands, that
“the gift of God” is a bestowal of the Spirit’s power. It also provides additional
context for understanding how the gift of the Spirit that Paul references in
2Timothy 1:6 was likely experienced.
In 1Thessalonians 5:19–22 Paul offers the church at Thessalonica instructions for their life together. Paul writes: “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil” (1Thess 5:19–22). The structure of Paul’s words at this point is instructive. Notice how Paul juxtaposes “do not put out the Spirit’s fire” with “do not treat prophecies with contempt.” Paul’s wording at this point is remi- niscentof his couplingof tonguesandprophecyin 1Corinthians14:39, wherehe declares, “be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.” Indeed, this verse forms a striking parallel to 1Thessalonians 5:19–20. Of course, the close association between prophecy and tongues is characteristic of the book of Acts as well. Tongues and prophecy are explicitly linked in Acts 19:6, and by implication in Acts 2:16–18 and Acts 10:43–46. All of this suggests that when Paul encourages his readers to “not put out the Spirit’s fire,” he has speaking in tongues specifically in mind.47 This also indicates that when Paul encouraged Timothy to “fan into the flame the gift of God” (2Tim 1:6), he probably antic- ipated that this action would typically include glossolalic prayer or praise. Of course, the link between speaking in tongues and the power of the Spirit in the early church is well attested in the book of Acts (2:4; 10:46; 19:6). Glossolalia was also commonplace in Paul’s communities and the early church as a whole.48
46
47
48
Frederick W. Danker and Walter Bauer, eds., A Greek-English Lexicon of the NewTestament, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001), 917.
So also J.P.M. Sweet, “A Sign for Unbelievers: Paul’s Attitude to Glossolalia,” in Watson E. Mills, ed., Speaking in Tongues: A Guide to Research on Glossolalia (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1986), 153.
There is a total of thirty-five explicit references to speaking in tongues in the nt: twenty-
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Another Pauline passage that parallels 2Timothy 1:6–7 is 1Timothy 4:14, “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you” (μὴ ἀμέλει τοῦ ἐν σοὶ χαρίσματος, ὃ ἐδόθησοιδιὰπροφητείαςμετὰἐπιθέσεωςτῶνχειρῶντοῦπρεσβυτερίου).49Although Towner argues that 2Timothy 1:6 and 1Timothy 4:14 refer to different events,50 most scholars affirm that they describe the same experience.51The differences in these descriptions are attributed to the different concerns that they address. The context of 1Timothy 4:14, which refers to preaching and teaching (1Tim 4:13), highlights the fact that for Paul the term χάρισμα (“gift”) designates spe- cific ministry functions that are enabled by the Spirit’s power (Rom 12:6; 1Cor 1:7; 7:7; 12:4, 9, 28, 30, 31) or, more generally, the bestowal of the Spirit that makes them possible (Rom 1:11; 2Cor 1:11; 2Tim 1:6; cf. Eph 4:7). Here, since no specific function is associated with “the gift” and the definite article is utilized (τοῦ ἐν σοὶ χαρίσματος), as in 2Timothy 1:6, the emphasis appears to be on the bestowal of the Spirit that makes Timothy’s exercise of various ministry gifts possible.
The cumulative force of the passage confirms our conclusions regarding 2Timothy 1:6. In both of these texts Paul describes a post-conversion infusion of the Spirit that equips Timothy with the power he needs to fulfill the divine purposes for his life. The fact that Paul can speak of “the gift in you” (1Tim 4:14) and “the gift of God” (2Tim 1:6) reminds us that he is referring to a Pentecost- like, post-conversion bestowal of the Spirit. It is this dynamic, empowering experience that he cautions Timothy “not to neglect” (1Tim 4:14) and that he calls Timothy to “fan into flame” (2Tim 1:6). Far from representing the subordination of the Spirit to office and the onset of early Catholicism, this is all very much in line with the charismatic life of the apostolic church described in the book of Acts.52
Did Paul consider this kind of experience—a post-conversion, Pentecost- like infusion of the Spirit’s power—to be the privilege of a select few? Or did
49 50 51
52
eight are found in 1Cor, twenty-three of these in 1Cor 14. The other occurrences are found in Acts and the Gospel of Mark. See 1Cor 12–14; Acts 2:4–11, 10:46, 19:6; as well as Mark 16:17. For more general references to charismatic activity that probably include speaking in tongues see: Rom 8:26–27; 2Cor 5:4; Eph 5:19, 6:18; Col 3:16; 1Thess 5:19; and Jude 20. See also Robert Menzies,Speaking in Tongues: Jesus and the Apostolic Church as Models for the Church Today(Springfield,mo:gph, 2016).
Note also 1Tim 1:18.
Towner,The Letters to Timothy, 459.
Schatzmann, Charismata, 50; Collins, i & iiTimothy and Titus, 197; and (cautiously) Fee, God’s Empowering Presence, 786.
Contra Dunn, Jesus and the Spirit, 347–349.
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Paul envision it to be available for every believer?The fact that Paul, after urging Timothy “to fan into flame the gift of God” (2Tim 1:6), can declare that “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power …” (2Tim 1:7), suggests the latter. The shift from the singular (you) to the plural (us) implies that Paul understood this post-conversion gift of the Spirit to be available to all of God’s people. This judgment finds further support in our next text.
Romans 1:11
In Romans 1:11 we read: “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong” (ἐπιποθῶ γὰρ ἰδεῖν ὑμᾶς, ἵνα τι μεταδῶ χάρισμα ὑμῖν πνευματικὸν εἰς τὸ στηριχθῆναι ὑμᾶς). This wish to impart a spiritual gift forms part of Paul’s introductory comments in his letter to the church in Rome (Rom 1:8–15), which include words of thanksgiving, prayer, and (beginning in v. 11) his desire to visit the Christians there. Fee highlights the fact that in this introductory section Paul actually offers three reasons for his longing to visit the believers in Rome: to impart a spiritual gift (v. 11); to reap a harvest in Rome (v. 13); and to preach the gospel to those in Rome (v. 15).53 Fee goes on to suggest that the spiritual gift Paul desires to impart to the Romans should be understood by means of this context, particularly Paul’s desire to preach the gospel to those in Rome. The spiritual gift, then, is Paul’s “understanding of the gospel that in Christ Jesus God has created from among Jews and Gentiles one people for himself, apart from Torah.”54This is the “spiritual gift” that Paul longs to impart to them and in fact what he does impart to them by means of his letter.
I would like to challenge this reading of the text, which is based on what I believe to be a faulty foundation. Fee’s reading is rooted in his conviction that χάρισμα for Paul carries primarily the generic meaning of “gift.” He makes much out of the fact that in Romans 1:11 Paul qualifies the noun χάρισμα (“gift”) with the adjective πνευματικὸν (“spiritual”). Over against a significant group of scholars who find this usage (“spiritual gift”) unusual and somewhat redundant,55 Fee insists that it demonstrates that for Paul χάρισμα simply means “a concrete expression of grace” rather than more specifically “a spiritual gift.”56
Although I believe Fee correctly highlights the significance of Paul’s use of πνευματικὸν (“spiritual”) to modify χάρισμα (“gift”), I contend that he draws
53 54 55 56
Fee,God’s Empowering Presence, 487. Ibid., 488.
See, e.g., Dunn, Jesus and the Spirit, 208. Fee,God’s Empowering Presence, 488.
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the wrong conclusions from this expression, which is found only here in the Pauline epistles. We have already noted that for Paul the term χάρισμα (“gift”) designates specific ministry functions that are enabled by the Spirit’s power (Rom 12:6; 1Cor 1:7; 7:7; 12:4, 9, 28, 30, 31) or, more generally, the bestowal of the Spirit that makes them possible (Rom 1:11; 2Cor 1:11; 2Tim 1:6; cf. Eph 4:7). The only exceptions to this rather specific usage are found in Romans, where Paul uses the termχάρισμα(“gift”) to refer to the gift of eternal life (Rom 5:15–16; 6:23) and for privileges granted to Israel (Rom 11:29).This broader, salvific rather than charismatic, usage of the term later in Romans encourages Paul to qualify the term in Romans 1:11 in a unique way.This explains, then, why Paul uses the noun χάρισμα(“gift”) with the adjectiveπνευματικὸν(“spiritual”) in Romans 1:11 when this construction elsewhere in Paul’s corpus would indeed appear redundant.
This should alert us to the fact that Paul’s desire in Romans 1:11 is consistent with his usage of χάρισμα(“gift”) elsewhere in his epistles. Indeed, the fact that Paul states that he desires to impart “some spiritual gift” (note the use of the indefinite pronounτι) argues against Fee’s interpretation. If Paul’s understand- ing of the gospel is in view, this ambiguous reference seems quite out of place. Additionally, the reason Paul desires to impart this “spiritual gift” is so that the Roman believers might be strengthened. This is very much in line with other impartations of the Spirit that Paul describes as infusions of power (Eph 3:16; Col 1:11; 1Tim 4:14; and 2Tim 1:6). This impartation of Spirit-inspired power is generally portrayed as enabling its recipient to bear bold witness and endure suffering in the face of opposition (Col 1:11; 1Tim 4:13–16; 2Tim 1:8, 12; 2:1–3).
All of this indicates that Paul’s desire to impart “some spiritual gift” to the believers in Rome refers to an actual, post-conversion gift of the Spirit that will enable them to exercise diverse ministry functions. Of course, God bestows the Holy Spirit, but Paul is quite willing to speak of his actions as the instrument through which God operates (1Tim 4:14; 2Tim 1:6). Here, then, “spiritual gift” does not refer to the content of Paul’s gospel; rather, it refers to the Spirit- inspired boldness and endurance needed to make this gospel known to a lost and dying world (Rom 1:16).
An Actual Bestowal
A survey of contemporary interpretations of the phrase “so that I might impart some spiritual gift to you” (ἵνα τι μεταδῶ χάρισμα ὑμῖν πνευματικὸν) in Romans 1:11 offers a great example of how our past experience shapes the way we read a text. As a Pentecostal, I naturally read Paul’s wish here as referring to an actual impartation of spiritual power, Paul’s desire to convey the ability to exercise “some spiritual gift.” I was surprised to learn that the vast majority of scholars do not even acknowledge this exegetical option and that most of the few that
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do dismiss it with little comment.57 Most scholars assume these words refer to Paul’s desire to minister to the believers in Rome through his exercise of a spiritual gift (such as teaching, prophecy, and so forth).58 Nevertheless, I do believe that a careful analysis of the evidence supports J.K. Parratt’s conclusion that Romans 1:11 “indicates that Paul was familiar with a medium of bestowing the charismatic gifts of the Spirit upon his converts.”59Naturally, “the medium” that Parratt references is “the laying on of hands.”60
The evidence for reading Romans 1:11 as referring to an actual bestowal is extensive. As we have already noted, this reading is consistent with Paul’s usage elsewhere, including references to impartations of the Spirit as infusions of power (Eph 3:16; Col 1:11; 1Tim 4:14; and 2Tim 1:6) and passages where Paul clearly speaks of his actions as the instrument through which God distributes the gift (1Tim 4:14; 2Tim 1:6). These latter passages from Paul’s letters to Timo- thy are particularly important because they call into question the fundamental reason generally offered for dismissing this reading: “… the gifts are bestowed by the sovereign decision of God [Rom 12:6], or Christ [Eph 4:11] or the Spirit [1Cor 12:11]. So, the apostle could hardly claim to be able to ‘impart’ acharisma himself.”61
An analysis of Paul’s terminology is also helpful. The verb μεταδίδωμι gener- ally carries one of two meanings: first, more concretely, “to give” or “to impart” something, such as “a coat,” “bread,” or “money”; second, with abstract nouns, “to share” or “to make known,” as with a report, a message, or an idea. In addi-
57
58
59
60 61
See Brendan Byrne, Romans, Sacra Pagina Series 6 (Collegeville, mn: Liturgical Press, 1996), 49–50; James D.G. Dunn, Romans 1–8, Word Biblical Commentary 38a (Dallas: Word, 1988), 30; Fee, God’s Empowering Presence, 488; Joseph A. Fitzmyer, Romans: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, The Anchor Bible 33 (New York: Doubleday, 1993), 248; Robert Jewett, Romans: A Commentary, Hermeneia (Minneapolis, mn: Fortress Press, 2007), 124–125; Douglas Moo,The Epistle to the Romans,nicnt(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996), 57–58; Schatzmann, Charismata, 14–15; Thomas R. Schreiner, Romans, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the nt (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998), 54; John R.W. Stott, The Message of Romans: Good News for the World, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, uk: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 56; Charles H. Talbert, Romans, Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary (Macon,ga: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 2002), 35.
Note, however, that Paul tends to use forms of διακονέω (“to serve,” Rom 15:25; 2Cor 3:3; 8:19; 1Tim 3:10; 3:13; 2Tim 1:18; Phlm 13) or οἰκοδομέω (“to build up” or “to edify,” 1Cor 8:1; 1Cor 10:23; 14:4, 17; 1Thess 5:11) to describe ministry or service.
J.K. Parratt, “Romans i.11 and Galatians iii.5—Pauline evidence for the Laying on of Hands?”ExpTim79 (1967–1968), 151.
Parratt, “Laying on of Hands,” 151–152.
Stott, Romans, 56.
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tion to Romans 1:11, the term occurs four times in the New Testament and seven times in thelxx.The former meaning, which supports our more concrete read- ing (“to impart”), is clearly found in seven of these references (Luke 3:11; Rom 12:8; Eph 4:28; 2Macc 1:35; Prov 11:26; Job 31:17; Bar 6:27); the latter meaning (“to share” or “to make known”) is clearly found in three of these texts (1Thess 2:8; Tob 7:10; 2Macc 8:12). In one rather ambiguous text (Wis 7:13), the verb refers to the sharing of wisdom, but probably as a metaphor that describes the giving of riches. While all of this indicates that the verb μεταδίδωμι can be used with either of the senses noted above (“to impart” spiritual power, or “to share” with or minister to others by exercising a gift), the verb most commonly conveys the more concrete idea, “to impart.” More importantly, this meaning is clearly present in two texts that use forms of χάρισμα or χάρις (Rom 12:8 and 2Macc 1:35).
Additional support for an “actual bestowal” reading of Romans 1:11 is found in the fact that Paul often uses forms of the verbδίδωμιwhen he speaks of God giving χάρισμα or χαρίσματα (“spiritual gift or gifts”).62 Of course in these texts the actual bestowal of a spiritual gift or gifts is in view. With this in mind, Paul’s use of the verbμεταδίδωμιmight be seen as related to the fact that the spiritual gift he desires to convey ultimately comes from God. Paul, who has received the gift as a result of God’s grace (Rom 12:3–8), desires to share it by conveying it to the Romans, probably through the laying on of hands and prayer.
This understanding of μεταδίδωμιalso helps explain the somewhat awkward verse that follows: “that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith” (Rom 1:12). The awkwardness of the construction stems from the fact that, while Paul seeks to emphasize that he too will be blessed by his fellowship and interaction with the Romans, he cannot simply say that they too will “impart” or “convey” a gift to him. As the book of Acts indicates, the ability to impart the gift of the Spirit through the laying on of hands is generally reserved for a special group of people gifted for this task (cf. Acts 8:17–21).63
Gifts Available to All
It should also be noted that Paul’s desire is not limited to a select few within the church at Rome. The plural form of “you” (ὑμῖν) reminds us that Paul is addressing the entire church. The post-conversion gift of the Spirit that he
62
63
Rom 12:6; 1Cor 12:7; 1Tim 4:14; note also where the verb describes God’s giving of χάρις: Rom 12:3, 6; 15:15; 1Cor 1:4; 3:10; 2Cor 8:1; Gal 2:9; Eph 3:2, 7, 8; 4:7; 2Tim 1:9.
Note, however, that this group is not limited to the Twelve or the apostles (cf. Acts 9:11, 17; 13:3); and, of course, God is not limited to bestowing the gift through this group or in this way (Acts 2:4; 10:46; cf. Luke 11:9–13).
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speaks of in Romans 1:11 is clearly available to every believer. Again, we are reminded of the similarities here between Paul’s practice and that of the early church recorded in the book of Acts. In Romans 1:11 Paul describes his desire to impart a Pentecost-like gift of the Spirit to the church at Rome (cf. 2Tim 1:6).
Anthony Thiselton notes that for Paul, “the Holy Spirit constitutes both a special gift given to a chosen individual to perform particular tasks, and a gift poured out either over the community of all God’s people, or within the framework of God’s purposes for thewhole community.”64While this is all true, it really doesn’t say enough. The fact is that for Paul the special gift given to a chosen individual to perform particular tasks is also promised to every individual within the community. Of course, this impartation of the Spirit will enable diverse ministries and has a repetitive, ongoing character. This latter point is highlighted in 1Corinthians, especially 1Corinthians 12:4–7 and 12:31.
In 1Corinthians 12:4–7 we read, “There are different kinds of gifts [plural of χάρισμα], but the same Spirit.” Paul’s desire to highlight the diversity of the gifts is complemented by his insistence that every believer has a role to play. So, Paul continues by stating, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” (1Cor 12:7). This verse and indeed Paul’s entire discussion in 1Corinthians 12–14 indicate that gifts of the Spirit are available to all of God’s people.65 At this point, however, the corollary, which Romans 1:11, 1Timothy 4:14, and 2Timothy 1:6 so clearly illustrate, is often forgotten: gifts of the Spirit are typically granted in a post-conversion experience. The gifts of the Spirit all flow from the same Spirit, the Holy Spirit who marks our identity in Christ (1Cor 12:13), but not necessarily, indeed not typically, from our reception of the Spirit at conversion.
This point is affirmed in 1Corinthians 12:31 (cf. 14:1) with Paul’s exhortation, “But eagerly desire the greater gifts [plural of χάρισμα].” This statement clearly indicates that gifts of the Spirit are received in some sense after one’s initial reception of the Spirit at conversion. Certainly, there is a beginning point, a specific moment, when for the first time a gift of prophecy, or a gift of tongues, or a word of wisdom is uttered. Paul’s descriptions of χάρισμαoutlined above suggest that this initial experience typically involves the initiation of the believer into a dimension of the Spirit’s power that repeatedly surfaces at specific moments of need.This charismatic experience, then, has an ongoing or
64 65
Thiselton, Holy Spirit, 71 (italics his).
See also Ephesians 4:7–13. I have refrained from discussing Eph 1:7; 3:7, 16; 4:7; and 5:18 in this essay due to the lack of space and the fact that the termχάρισμαis not found in these texts.
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repetitive character: it is the beginning point for a series of experiences through which the Spirit’s enabling is manifest.
Different Kinds of Gifts
It is also important to recognize that Paul’s gift language is, in reality, quite nuanced. In 1Corinthians Paul uses two terms to refer to gifts granted by the Spirit: χαρίσματα (“gifts”)66 and πνευματικά (“spiritual gifts”).67 The term πνευματικός (“spiritual man,” 1Cor 2:15; or “spiritually gifted,” 1Cor 14:37) is also quite prominent. The significance of Paul’s language at this point is debated.
Earl Ellis has argued that the term χαρίσματα has a broad range of meaning and can be used to refer to any or all of the gifts. The termπνευματικά, by way of contrast, refers to a more restricted grouping of spiritual gifts, the “prophetic- type gifts.”68 Ellis suggests that the terms πνευματικά and πνευματικός “denote, respectively, gifts of inspired utterance or discernment and men who exercise such gifts.”69
Ellis’ thesis is not without its critics,70 but it does highlight significant texts that appear to link the πνευματικά with gifts of special revelation and inspired speech. If Ellis is correct, then the Pauline category of πνευματικά is strikingly similar in function to the Lukan gift of the Spirit. This observation is important because Paul’s language in 1Corinthians 12–14 suggests that he has chosen his words carefully in order to address the specific problems that have emerged in the church at Corinth. Thus, his stress here (1Cor 12–14) on the diversity and the universality of the gifts of the Spirit should not blind us to the fact that Paul also speaks of a specific group of ministry gifts (Rom 12:6–8; 1Cor 12:28– 30; Eph 4:11) that are typically received in a charismatic empowering distinct from conversion (Rom 1:11; 1Cor 12:31; 14:1; 1Tim 4:14; 2Tim 1:6). This special group of ministry gifts features the cluster of prophetic-type gifts associated with the term πνευματικά. While most scholars affirm that Paul understood the gift of prophecy to be available to every believer,71 this clearly does not mean that every believer was equipped to exercise the gift or did in fact do
66
67
68
69 70 71
Normally the plural form of χάρισμαor “gift” is used in 1Corinthians (1Cor 1:7; 7:7 (sg.); 12:4, 9, 28, 30, 31).
The plural form of πνευματικὸν appears in 1Cor 12:1 (probably neuter) and 14:1. In both instances thenivtranslates “spiritual gifts.”
E. Ellis, “Prophecy in the New Testament Church—And Today” inPropheticVocation in the New Testament and Today, ed. J. Panagopoulos (Leiden: Brill, 1977), 48.
E. Ellis, “‘Spiritual’ Gifts in the Pauline Community,”nts20 (1973–1974), 128.
Carson,Showing the Spirit, 23–24; S. Schatzmann,Charismata, 7.
Carson,Showing the Spirit, 117–118; Keener, 3 Crucial Questions, 118.
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so. Paul’s charge in 1Cor 12:31, echoed in 14:1, indicates that this gift (or cluster of gifts) would typically be received in a special, post-conversion charismatic experience. As we have noted, this conclusion is supported by Paul’s desire to impart “some spiritual gift” in Romans 1:11. Parratt states the matter clearly: “If then the χάρισμα πνευματικόν of Ro i.11 is taken to be either tongues or prophecy there would be a strong presumption that the means of imparting it was the laying on of hands.”72The parallels between Paul’s desire (Rom 1:11) and admonition (1Cor 12:31; 14:1) at this point and Jesus’s call, addressed to believers, to pray for the gift of the Spirit in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 11:13; cf. Acts 2:17–21) are particularly striking.
Conclusion: Putting It All Together
I have argued that the evidence from Paul’s epistles suggests that Paul him- self encouraged every believer to experience a bestowal of the Spirit’s power distinct (theologically and usually chronologically) from the gift of the Spirit received at conversion. Paul typically describes this post-conversion infusion of spiritual power for ministry with the noun χάρισμα (“gift”),73 which is often combined with forms of the verbδίδωμι(“give”).74As we have seen, Paul speaks of this experience as “the gift of God” (τὸ χάρισμα τοῦ θεοῦ; 2Tim 1:6), “the gift in you” (τοῦ ἐν σοὶ χαρίσματος; 1Tim 4:14), a “spiritual gift” (χάρισμαwithπνευμα- τικόν; Rom. 1:11), and the result of this empowering experience with simply the termgift (χάρισμα; 1Cor 12:4, 9, 29, 30, 31; 2Cor 1:11).
Although Paul’s language is distinct from that of Luke or John, his theological perspective is harmonious. Of course, Paul’s grasp and vision for the breadth of the Spirit’s works surpasses that of Luke, and clearly John has borrowed heavily from Paul’s storehouse of pneumatological riches (cf. John 3–7; 20:21). Never- theless, when it comes to the dynamics of the Christian life and particularly the Spirit’s role in the ministry and mission of the church, these three giants of the New Testament are in essential agreement. Certainly, their respective con- tributions to a fully orbed biblical understanding of the work of the Spirit flow together to form a harmonious, cohesive picture.
72 73
74
Parratt, “Laying on of Hands,” 151.
The term χάρισμα (“gift”) designates specific ministry functions that are enabled by the Spirit’s power (Rom 12:6; 1Cor 1:7; 7:7; 12:4, 9, 29–31) or, more generally, the bestowal of the Spirit that makes them possible (Rom 1:11; 2Cor 1:11; 2Tim 1:6).
Forδίδωμιwithχάρισμαsee Rom 1:11; 1Cor 12:4–7; 1Tim 4:14; cf. 2Tim 1:6, where the verb is implied.
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The fact that Paul does not specifically allude to Pentecost or the pentecostal gift should not surprise us.75Paul does not set out to write a comprehensive sys- tematic theology but, rather, letters that address specific situations and needs. Furthermore, Paul’s more comprehensive view and his distinctive language should not blind us to the significant harmony that does exist.
Luke tells us that there is a dimension of the Spirit’s enabling that one enters by virtue of a baptism in the Spirit distinct from conversion. This dimension might be properly called the prophetic dimension. In Luke’s perspective, the community of faith is potentially a community of prophets; and it is by recep- tion of the pentecostal gift (Spirit-baptism) that this potential is realized. Here Luke helps bring clarity to aspects of Christian experience that Paul does not definitively address.
John too highlights the significance and availability of a specific, post- conversion reception of the Spirit’s power. I have argued elsewhere that John, writing in the 90s and fully aware of the prophetic pneumatology of the Syn- optic Gospels and Acts as well as Paul’s broader perspective, provides a striking synthesis.76 His synthesis affirms that the Spirit comes as a regenerating force (John 3–7; cf. John 20:22) and that, in a theologically distinct experience (cf. the Paraclete promises in John 14–16), the Spirit is also received as the power that enables the disciples to bear witness for Christ. As John’s paradigm for Pentecost, the Paraclete comes to the disciples as their advocate, one who assists them in presenting the case for Christ to an unbelieving world. John’s perspective, then, challenges reconstructions of early Christian pneumatology that do not allow for diversity and development. His perspective also calls into question approaches that seek to pit Paul against Luke, particularly those that insist that Paul’s pneumatological perspective is incompatible with a two-stage model for receiving the power of the Spirit.
My argument in this essay is that Paul also fits rather easily into this two- stage model. While Paul highlights, like no other, the profound truth that Chris- tian existence is grounded in and marked by the presence of the Spirit, as we have noted, he also speaks in various ways of a post-conversion enabling that is available to every believer. My hope is to encourage the reader to examine the evidence once again. Perhaps as we do, we too will hear afresh Paul’s admoni- tion in 2Timothy 1:6. May that lead us to hunger for and “fan into flame” the gift of God.
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Some see an allusion to Pentecost in the “descent” of Eph 4:9–10.
Menzies, “John’s Place in the Development of Early Christian Pneumatology,” 41–52.
PNEUMA 39 (2017) 342–363
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