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`Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for
us ... that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through
Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith'
(Gal. 3:13,14).
Here it is made clear that the promise to Abraham, which we
have already seen includes the gospel as preached in Romans,
and was, as Galatians 3:8 testifies, `foreseen' by the Scriptures,
includes also `the Spirit'. It may perhaps be objected that this
reference to `the Spirit' does not include `spiritual gifts' but just
gospel grace. The same chapter in Galatians, however, contains
a complete proof that `spiritual gifts' are in view:
`Received ye the spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
... He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles
among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Even as Abraham believed ...' (Gal. 3:2-6).
It is clear, therefore, that the spirit given through the faith that
is reckoned for righteousness, is also the spirit associated with
`working miracles', and that being so, our case is proved.
The other line of teaching associated with spiritual gifts is that
found in 1 Corinthians 14:21. Those addressed in 1 Corinthians
10 & 11 were by nature `Jews' - for it obviously could not be
written of Gentiles that `all our fathers were under the cloud,
and all passed through the sea' (1 Cor. 10:1). To those who have
`ears to hear' this fact and its bearing upon the only reference to
the Lord's Supper in Paul's writings (in 1 Cor. 11) will speak
with no uncertain sound.
In 1 Corinthians 12, however, the apostle turns from the
Jewish section of the Church and addresses the Gentiles: