Can "Bad" People Have Spiritual Gifts?
You see it in church all the time; Minister Smith comes to a new church and people see that Smith clearly has a gift to preach, and even has sharp prophetic senses. Smith must be an inherently good person to have been entrusted with such giftings. Therefore we should trust him. But then it turns out, Smith has some really huge vices, and because of this he also has major insecurities which cause him to put others down and even make them feel small in a way that makes him look better and more righteous. This is how a lot of people in the church get hurt; they trust a stranger to lead because they see spiritual giftings before knowing the person's character, and end up in spiritually abusive situations.
Or... Pastor Luke has had an affair with the church secretary. Suddenly everything Luke has preached and everything he's accomplished in the church is a lie. This is another way people get hurt--they were relying on that ultra-righteous person to set an example for them, because they had idealistic and unrealistic expectations. Luke was their last hope of good in the world. So when Luke fails, their faith fails.
Or better yet, Aunt Mary tells you what the Lord spoke to her about last week, but you know she is a huge gossip, and has used this to sabotage others before. Get on her bad side, and your life gets turned around. She's far from "moral" as much as she likes to lie to herself about it, so obviously God doesn't speak to her. It's definitely all fake. This is also how a lot of people sabotage their own faith. If God's not speaking to me, he's definitely not speaking to Aunt Mary!
This is all incorrect dogma about the character of God, and the nature of spiritual gifts. The scandalizing reality is that "God's gifts and his call are irrevocable" (Rom 11:29)... Meaning he doesn't take them back. When God gives a gift, he really gives it without stipulation. Hence the word "gift." Secondly--and don't skip over this one--good character is not a prerequisite for spiritual gifts, and thus spiritual gifts are not a sign of good character. And Thirdly, God certainly speaks to sinners--all the time!
If you read just the first 3 chapters of the Bible you see God speaking to Adam and Eve right after they did the one thing God told them not to do. God kicks them out of the garden, but not before he mercifully makes them garments to wear, and they still live long lives and are blessed with many children. They are still tasked with populating the world.
Next, you see God speaking to Cain right after Cain has murdered his own brother out of jealousy. And does he immediately kill Cain? No. He banishes him. And when Cain says to God, "this is more than I can bear!" for fear that people will kill him, God puts a mark on Cain, which will prevent others from killing him. Cain moves to a place, marries, has children, and builds a whole village.
So far you have God speaking to the first sinners in existence, and then speaking to a murderer. That's only within the first 4 chapters of the Bible.
Moses was a prince who murdered someone and ran away from his sins into Midian... There he found a wife and tried to live a quiet life. God spoke to him in a multitude of ways and chose him to lead the people of Israel out of slavery.
Jacob was a liar and scammed his own family. Of course, later he got pretty badly scammed himself, but God still blessed him. And further, God spoke to him and continued the bloodline of blessing and promise through him and the woman he loved.
Here's a lesser known story: Eli was a prophet who raised two terrible sons. God was not pleased that he did nothing to discipline them as young men. And because of Eli's neglect, many experienced abuse at the hands of his sons. God then brought Samuel to Eli through another family, and Eli had another chance to raise a young man right, and he did. There were consequences for Eli's neglect, however: both of his sons died in battle, and thus Eli died of grief. But by then he was already an old man. Despite people getting hurt and mistreated, God still, in his mercy, spoke to Eli and worked through him, allowed him to raise up the next prophet, and kept him in this role until his old age.
David, the king, had an affair, got Bathsheba pregnant, tried to cover it up, but when that failed, in order to avoid controversy, he sent Bathsheba's husband, to the front line of the battle where he would killed. David repented before God for his sin, and took responsibility for his actions by taking Bathsheba as his wife... but the child died. And David's reign was not easy with his other sons who were constantly plotting against him. God still spoke to David and made Bathsheba's son, Solomon, the successor to the throne. And David is still known as "a man after God's heart."
There's a theme emerging...There are always consequences for our actions, but God is a god of restoration.
I have seen some of the worst pastors speak prophetically, and correctly in ways they could not have faked. I have seen worship leaders sing with passion and inspire others towards devotion to God, while abusing those who closely followed them. I have seen good Christian leaders--sharp, educated, and even wise--commit moral failings of the highest degree. And God treats them no differently: in His mercy, he allows them to continue living. He continues to restore them and be merciful to them. he continues to speak to them. Again, there are always consequences for our actions, but there is also always a path to reconciliation. Not everyone follows that path, but that doesn't make God stingy.
Maybe Aunt Mary lied, but maybe she didn't. And if that's the case, maybe this makes you angry because how should Aunt Mary deserve an audience with God, especially since she's worse than you and you've never heard God's voice before in your life (hypothetically speaking). But it should make you grateful, because if God's willing to speak to Aunt Mary, then he's also willing to speak to you. The reality is, God gives generously, and loves unconditionally. And he wants to speak to you.
Photo by Giulia May on Unsplash
No comments:
Post a Comment