The Manifestation of the Spirit

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I Corinthians 12:7   But the manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

Manifestation, from the Greek word phanerosis, means a making known, a making open, or clear; a putting into evident use. The indication is that up until the time of the manifestation, the thing manifested was unknown, or not evidently in use.

A manifestation should only be understood as a gift, insasmuch as the benefit of a gift is a gift itself. For example, if I receive a gift of $100, then the 7 course meal I buy with that money can be understood as a gift. But the $100 was the gift, not the meal. The meal was a result of my evidential use of the gift.

The previous verses in I Corinthians speak of things other than manifestations:

I Corinthians 12:4-6   Now there are differences of gifts, but the same Spirit.  And there are differences of services, but the same Lord.  And there are differences of energizings, but it is the same God who energizes all in all.

I Corinthians 12:7  BUT THE MANIFESTATION OF THE SPIRIT… IS GIVEN… TO EVERY MAN… FOR THE PROFITING.

As opposed to there being differences among the believers in the things previously mentioned (gifts, services, energizings), the manifestation of the spirit is given to every man.

I Corinthians 12:8-10   For to one… to another… To another… to another… To another… to another… to another… to another… to another.

All the words to seem to indicate that manifestations are given to different individuals. But verse 7 says the manifestation is given to every man. No, this word to should be translated for, and each of the words one, another, another, are relative pronouns, each relating to the word profit. Thus, these phrases should be understood as: for one profit, for another profit, for another profit, etc.

Then verse 11 says: But all these are energized by that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man himself as he wills.

The word dividing is the verb form of the word differences from verses 4-6. It’s the Spirit that does the dividing, or distributing. But who is the phrase as he wills talking about?… the Spirit or each man? God makes that clear by His use of the word idios, translated himself (very poorly translated as severally in the King James). The emphasis is on each man himself… as each man himself wills, the Spirit does the distributing, as regards the manifestation of the spirit.

You see, the gift is the Holy Spirit. Jesus said he would send the gift of (which is) the Holy Spirit. Whether or not we “spend” or “use” that gift is up to us to decide, even though it’s the Spirit doing the distributing of the energizing needed for each manifestation.

So lets get specific.  What follows verse 7 is a listing of 9 different manifestations, or evidences, of the spirit. They are: From verses 8-10 (and translated correctly):
1)  a word (logos) of wisdom – a situation is seen and/or understood in a clarity that makes Godly options evident 
2)  a word (logos) of knowledge (gnosis)  – an inner experiential knowing of the truth
3) faith – the capacity to take unto oneself and put to use the things of God
4) gifts of healing – self explanatory….not necessarily miraculous or instantaneous
5) workings of miracles – energizing of a display of the power within
6) prophecy –  a making known of the spiritual realm (kingdom of heaven)
7) discerning of spirits – to perceive a spirit as separate from the flesh
8) kinds of tongues  – to speak in a language unknown to the speaker
9) interpretation of tongues – to make known in a common language the gist of that which was spoken in kinds of tongues.

9.  Only 9.  There are 9 manifestations of the spirit. 9 ways the spirit of God evidences itself in the senses realm. All but the last 2 were seen in the Old Testament.

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1)  A word of wisdom. The word word is logos, meaning that which a thing communicates of itself. In this manifestation, the person or situation or event is seen with the vision and understanding of God Himself, with a result that a solution, or multiple possible solutions, are clearly evident… because the end is seen before the beginning. 

2)  A word of knowledge. Again the word logos. The word knowledge is not oida, meaning a knowing of the mind, but rather gnosis, meaning a knowing which comes from having a relational experience with the thing known. The spirit of God can give such a knowing even without you having the physical experience. This word of knowledge is always in play when it comes to understanding spiritual things… the deep things of God, the mystery of Christ. You cannot understand these things without the spirit of God and the manifestation of a word of knowledge.

3)  Faith. Faith always includes 2 facets… God speaking (revealing) to us, and our accepting as absolutely true what He says. When Jesus said that faith as a mustard seed would provide the ability for a person to command a mountain to move, this is what he was talking about. This ability cannot be understood in the senses world. It is a manifestation of the spirit of God which gives a person the absolute conviction that what they do or say will come to pass; the absolute assurance needed to build a spiritual life in Christ. A person cannot do it on his own. Without the faith provided by God by means of His Holy Spirit, it is impossible to please God.

4)  Gifts of healing. The only time the word gift is used in the context of the manifestations. You cannot control when it will happen. Thus, it is a gift. There is no formula that demands its appearance. It is always a gift; one God is very willing to impart, but a gift nonetheless. Hence this manifestation involves the ability to receive the gift. Healings are not necessarily instantaneous.

5)  Working of miracles. The energizing of dunamis (ability, or power). Jesus said that we would take onto ourselves dunamis when the gift of the Holy Spirit came upon us. Yet even its activation requires the spirit’s work. This manifestation often comes into play when the timing of events seems a fantastic “coincidence.” So even recognizing it can require the spirit.

6)  Prophecy. God speaking now. In order to make known heaven, one must be able to see heaven. Only the spirit can give one the ability to see the spiritual realm. Only the Holy Spirit can give one the ability to effectively communicate heaven to another. This is prophecy. It may be foretelling (telling the future), but most often is forth telling on behalf of God, or Christ. Prophecy is always intended to encourage, comfort, exhort toward a more worthy endeavor.  It is judgmental only to those who reject its content.

7)  Discerning of spirits. The word discern (diakrino) comes from the same root as the words distribute and divide, seen in the verses above. It means to make a distinction, to see or to cause a division. It is the work of the spirit of Christ to reveal the distinction between soul and spirit (a person’s personality and a devil spirit… or the holy spirit). As regards a devil spirit, this same manifestation not only brings the recognition of the spirit, but in that recognition the judgment of condemnation of the devil, which Jesus brought about by his death and resurrection, as well as the power to sever it from its living human host. All of these results are one and the same, and happen without any special exertion of human effort.

8)  Kinds of tongues. Also known as speaking in tongues. A person speaks in a language (of men or of angels) they do not understand. That it happens is up to the speaker, but what is spoken is up to the spirit. The only real manifestation never before seen until the day of Pentecost. Its benefits are numerous, and powerful, though it is often viewed as among the weakest of the manifestations. The one manifestation available to the believer at all times, and one of 2 (the other, faith) that are specifically designed to benefit the one doing the manifesting.

9)  Interpretation of tongues. Not a translation. It comes across like prophecy, as it is a making known of the things of God in the language of the people present. But it follows when one speaks in tongues in an assembly of saints. It is usually spoken by the same person who speaks in tongues out loud during the meeting.

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All of the above are a result of the holy spirit of God manifesting in and through the life of a believer. All are for specific profit, and all have an order to them, in that they are just the right thing at the right time, and happen by supernatural energizing.

Pray for the energized ability to see the Holy Spirit manifest in and through your life, as the profit which each manifestation brings is needed in the body of Christ and in your own life. But never forget that love is always always always the motivating force which causes the Holy Spirit to be powerfully energized in your life in these 9 ways.
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See related studies:
Discerning Devil Spirits
The Faith of Christ has Come!
Learning to Recognize the Voice of God
Speaking in Tongues in the Bible (a non-exhaustive list)
An Index of Miracles