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Transcript 247B — The "Gifts" in Romans 12:8
HC: Good evening Welcome to Open forum.
CALLER: Yes. I was wondering about the gifts in Romans 12:8.
HC: The question is about the gifts spoken of in Romans 12:8: "He who exhorts, in his exhortation, he who contributes, in liberality," and so on. Actually, God is teaching here that people are different from each other. The salvation is one. We're all saved through the Lord Jesus Christ, and as Christians we all stand on the same ground before God. There's neither Jew nor Greek, nor slave nor free, nor male or female. We all are sons of God.
But God endows each of us with different abilities and different opportunities. One, for example, might be given a gift of music. And he is to use that to the praise of God. Another one may be given a rich inheritance, of property, or whatever. He's to use that in the service of God. Another one is given a very compassionate soul, extra compassionate. And he's to use that in the service of God. And so on. Another one is given the gift of teaching, or the gift of exhortation. And he is to use these in the service of God.
I'm not exactly sure of the definition of exhortation, but when we exhort someone we are counseling with them, we are pleading with them, we are guiding them by what we are saying. I can exhort you to read the Bible more carefully. I can exhort you to . . . it's really to encourage and to counsel. It's another way of saying that we're declaring God's Word, but we're doing it in an encouraging way.
CALLER: Okay then.
HC: Thank you for calling. Good night.