Fruit & Gifts of the Spirit

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Introduction

Pneumatology is the study of the Holy Spirit. Before we learn about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we must first understand his character and nature. God exists as a triune being comprising the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (see "Trinity: Jewish & Gentile Views"). The Bible also calls the Holy Spirit the "Spirit of God," showing his presence when God's Spirit moved over the waters during creation (Gen. 1:1–2). Incidentally, the Greek word pneuma (G4151) means "spirit," "breath," or "wind."

Jesus reveals the fullness of pneuma—the Spirit who gives life as both breath and wind—when he speaks to Nicodemus: "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, "You must be born again." The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit" (John 3:6–8). Jesus likens the Holy Spirit to the wind—unseen yet evident in its presence. The Spirit moves according to his will, imparting life and power to everyone who experiences spiritual rebirth. Like the wind, the Spirit acts independently, accomplishing God's purpose in every believer.

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Fruit of the Spirit

The Holy Spirit is unpredictable to us, yet the Father knows exactly where he sends him. According to Scripture and church tradition, the Holy Spirit proceeds (Greek: ekporeuomai, G1607) from the Father alone, while Jesus sends him from the Father (John 14:26; 15:26; see "Confessions of Faith"). The triune relationship within God never conflicts with his single purpose or identity. Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as our Paraklētos (G3875, "Paraclete")—who comes alongside believers as our Advocate, Comforter, Counselor, Helper, and Intercessor. He also serves as our defense attorney, presenting our case before God and before earthly authorities. The apostle Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit: "love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Gal. 5:22–23). Many of the biblical Greek words have more specific meanings:

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Gifts of the Spirit

Paul writes in depth about the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Greek: charismata, G5486, "gifts of grace"), urging believers to "follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy" (1 Cor. 14:1). He also says:

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines (1 Cor. 12:4–11​).

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit (1 Cor. 2:10b–14).

Likewise, the author of Hebrews writes, "God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will" (Heb. 2:4).

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Gifts of the Spirit: Then and Now​

Christians today differ over whether the spiritual gifts—especially tongues and prophecy—have ceased or continue. Cessationism teaches that the gifts ended early in church history and are no longer active. Continuationism holds that the gifts remain and should be used to strengthen and expand the church. At FCCF Ministries, we embrace a careful and moderate continuationism (see "Doctrine & Praxis"). We remain open to God's call while recognizing that he does not require gifts for salvation. They are true gifts—freely given by God for his purposes and distributed according to his wisdom.

Historical evidence from early church leaders suggests that while some gifts persisted into the third century, their frequency declined over time. By the third century, Origen observed that extraordinary manifestations of the Spirit had become uncommon in his day. Writing near AD 248, he said: "For they have no longer prophets nor miracles, traces of which to a considerable extent are still found among Christians, and some of them more remarkable than any that existed among the Jews; and these we ourselves have witnessed, if our testimony may be received" (Cels. 2.8). He later added: "Moreover, the Holy Spirit gave signs of his presence at the beginning of Christ's ministry, and after his ascension he gave still more; but since that time these signs have diminished, although there are still traces of his presence in a few who have had their souls purified by the gospel, and their actions regulated by its influence" (Cels. 7.8).

Origen's reflections show a church aware of its miraculous heritage but witnessing fewer public displays of spiritual power. However, we must be careful not to interpret these historical developments as direct expressions of God's will. Origen's writings illustrate a period when reports of miraculous gifts became less common as the church gradually shifted from the informal, charismatic gatherings of the first century to more formal liturgical practices led by bishops and priests. Yet to deny the Spirit's power altogether risks dishonoring him (Matt. 12:31). Speaking in tongues could function as an act of public devotion, which is the reason Paul gives specific instructions for its orderly use (1 Cor. 14:1–25).

He also describes praying quietly in the Spirit: "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans" (Rom. 8:26). Likewise, he urges believers to "pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people" (Eph. 6:18).

While Origen described a decline, earlier Christian writers give strong testimony that spiritual gifts continued long after the apostolic age. Irenaeus wrote: "It is not possible to name the number of the gifts which the Church, [scattered] throughout the whole world, has received from God, in the name of Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and which she exerts day by day for the benefit of the Gentiles" (Haer. 2.32.4). Justin Martyr noted: "For the prophetical gifts remain with us, even to the present time. And hence you ought to understand that [the gifts] formerly among your nation have been transferred to us" (Dial. 82). Tertullian echoed this claim, affirming the continued operation of prophecy, healing, and tongues: "For apostles have the Holy Spirit properly, who have him fully, in the operations of prophecy, and the efficacy of (healing) virtues, and the evidences of tongues; not partially, as all others have" (Exh. Cast. 4). Tertullian also exhorted new believers to seek the gifts of grace after baptism:

Therefore, blessed ones, whom the grace of God awaits, when you ascend from that most sacred font of your new birth, and spread your hands for the first time in the house of your mother, together with your brethren, ask from the Father, ask from the Lord, that his own specialties of grace and distributions of gifts may be supplied to you. "Ask," he says, "and you shall receive" (Bapt. 20).

Clement of Alexandria likewise noted that the Spirit continued to empower the church with signs and wonders: "The Valentinians say that the Spirit which each one of the prophets had adapted to service was poured out upon all those of the church. Therefore too the signs of the Spirit, healings and prophecies, are fulfilled through the church" (Exc. Theod. 24).

Taken together, these witnesses show that many in the second and early third centuries experienced and affirmed the gifts of the Spirit as active in the life and worship of the church. By Origen's time, these manifestations had diminished, yet the fathers consistently testified that the Spirit still worked among believers. Read together, these writings present a balanced picture: the early church acknowledged both the continuation of gifts and a gradual decline in their visibility. This record supports a thoughtful, moderate continuationism—one that remains open to the Spirit's work, grateful for his power, and mindful that God distributes his gifts according to his wisdom and timing.

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Bibliography

Primary Sources

Clement of Alexandria. Excerpta ex Theodoto. Edited and translated by Robert Pierce Casey. Studies and Documents 1. London: Christophers, 1934.

Irenaeus. Against Heresies. In Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. Translated by Alexander Roberts and W. H. Rambaut. Buffalo: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1885.

Justin Martyr. Dialogue with Trypho. In Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. Translated by Alexander Roberts and W. H. Rambaut. Buffalo: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1885.

Origen. Against Celsus. Translated by Frederick Crombie. In Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 4. Edited by A. Cleveland Coxe. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1885.

Tertullian. On Baptism. Translated by S. Thelwall. In Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 3. Edited by Allan Menzies. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1885.

Tertullian. On Exhortation to Chastity. In Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 4. Edited by A. Cleveland Coxe. Translated by S. Thelwall. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1885.

Monographs

McDonnell, Kilian, and George T. Montague. Christian Initiation and Baptism in the Holy Spirit: Evidence from the First Eight Centuries. 2nd ed. Wilmington, DE: Glazier, 1991.

McDonnell, Kilian, and George T. Montague. Fanning the Flame: What Does Baptism in the Holy Spirit Have to Do with Christian Initiation? Wilmington, DE: Glazier, 1991.

Edited Volumes

Grudem, Wayne A., ed. Are Miraculous Gifts for Today? Four Views. Counterpoints. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996.

Reference Works

Attridge, Harold W., ed. The NRSV HarperCollins Study Bible, Revised and Updated with Apocryphal and Deuterocanonical Books. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2006.

Dobson, Kent. NIV First-Century Study Bible: Explore Scripture in Its Jewish and Early Christian Context. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014.

Kaiser, Walter C., Jr., and Duane Garrett, eds. NIV Archaeological Study Bible: An Illustrated Walk Through Biblical History and Culture. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006.

Keener, Craig S., and John H. Walton, eds. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016.

Moore, Edward. "Origen of Alexandria."↗ Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. University of Tennessee at Martin.

Journal Articles

Busenitz, Nathan. "The Gift of Tongues: Comparing the Church Fathers with Contemporary Pentecostalism."↗ The Master's Seminary Journal 17, no. 1 (2006): 61–78. PDF.

Scotland, Nigel. "Signs and Wonders in the Early Catholic Church 90–451 and Their Implications for the Twenty-First Century."↗ European Journal of Theology 10, no. 2 (2001): 155–67. PDF.

Online Resources

Storms, Sam. "Spiritual Gifts in Church History."↗ Sam Storms (blog). May 26, 2013.