If the gifts of God are irrevocable, shouldn’t the gifts of the Holy Spirit continue?
Question:
Hi,
I have a question about gifts of the spirit ceasing. Romans 11:28-29 says "From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.". I understand in the context it is talking about salvation for Jews and Gentiles among other related things, but what does "gifts" in v. 29 refer to? Is it really referring to salvation by the gift of grace or is it referring to miraculous gifts of the Spirit?
The Greek word for gifts in Romans 11:29 is "charismata", which means a gift of grace or free gift. But it is also the same Greek word used in I Corinthians 12:9 when it talks about gifts of healing.
So how do we know Romans 11:29 isn't talking about spiritual gifts such as healing? Also, it says the gifts are irrevocable. Does that mean if it were talking about miraculous gifts, that the gifts would never be taken away or revoked? And on a related note, even if it were talking about the gift of grace in reference to salvation, would that mean salvation would never be revoked?
Thanks.
Answer:
"The baseball pitcher asked for a pitcher of water."
It is a mistake to assume that a word always refers to the same thing, especially if it is found in different contexts and that word is a common word.
The gift under consideration is found in Romans 11:27, "This is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins."
The Jews, as a whole, opposed the Gospel which was encouraged so that the Gentiles could enter into God’s covenant. But the Jews remain able to return to God because of His promise to their forefathers (Deuteronomy 7:8; 9:5; 10:15). God won’t completely destroy them, despite all their sins (I Thessalonians 2:14-16). God doesn’t remove His promises (Numbers 23:19). This doesn’t mean that the consequences to any individual or generation remain the same regardless of their behavior (Jeremiah 18:7-10). However, the chance to benefit from God’s gifts remain, waiting for people to turn from their sins. God doesn’t pull His offers back (I Samuel 15:29; Psalms 89:35-56; Ezekiel 24:14; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18; James 1:17).
The word "gifts" is in the plural form because each person receives a gift of salvation from his sins.
