“So that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 1:7)

“That you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 1:8)

Both these phrases indicate plainly that the Church of Christ at the end of this age will not be considered by God to be complete or blameless unless she is fully equipped with all the supernatural spiritual gifts.

In many sections of the Christian Church today there is an unhealthy tendency to treat these supernatural spiritual gifts like extra chrome fittings or fancy gadgets on a car. The suggestion is that the person who wishes to pay a little extra may have the chrome or the gadgets on his car, but that these are not of any real consequence, and the car would really function just as well without them. In the same way, Christians often seem to think that the supernatural gifts are optional – a kind of unnecessary spiritual luxury which people may seek after if they wish, but which are not in any way essential to the proper functioning of the Church. However, this attitude is not at all in line with Scripture.

According to the New Testament, the supernatural spiritual gifts are an integral, built-in part of God’s total plan for the Church. Without these gifts in operation the Church can never function on the level of power and efficiency God intended.

10c:T915,

The last two days we looked at the similarities of the talents and the minas. Today we are looking at another number of parallels. In both these parables alike, failure to make active use of the talent or mina committed to each servant is described by the very strong word wicked. In each case the lord commences his judgement of the unfaithful servant by the phrase “you wicked servant.”

From this we learn that, by God’s standards, wickedness consists not only in actively doing that which is bad, but just as much in the failure to do good when it lies within our power to do it.

“Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17)

In other words, the sins of omission are no less serious than the sins of commission.

The same thought is contained in Malachi’s prophetic revelation of God’s judgement.

“Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.” (Mal. 3:18)

Here we find a clear and sharp distinction made by God between the righteous and the wicked. The righteous are defined as those who serve God; the wicked as those who do not serve God. Once again the lesson is plain: not to serve God is in itself wickedness.

It was this wickedness that led to the condemnation and rejection of the unfaithful servant in each of the two parables we have studied. In neither of these parables did the rejected servant do anything evil; in each case the ground of his rejection was merely that he failed to do the good which it was in his power to do. In both these parables Christ indicates that this same principle of judgement will be applied to all those who claim to be His followers and servants.

10d

Foundations

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