To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit…
I Corinthians 12:9a, NRSV
Most people can accept the others as gifts, bestowed by God where and when needed. But not faith. For whatever reason, people have convinced themselves that faith isn’t a gift. Faith has been redefined as a merit badge, something that any true believer can achieve with hard work and good intentions. It’s also been considered a sign that a person is a true follower, a way to identify who is really God’s beloved.
But faith is a given, a gift. It isn’t an achievement or an outward sign of an inward connection to God. It’s a gift given to some for the benefit of all. Not receiving faith is no more a mark of infidelity to God than not being able to heal others. We don’t get to choose our gifts, but we do get to choose whether we judge the state of our souls and the souls of others by its presence or absence.
I suppose I’ve read that passage a hundred times over the years, and never noticed that faith was a gift of the Spirit. I’ve heard plenty of sermons on that passage, and no one has ever pointed that out.
I can’t say that I noticed it before now, either – another instance of scripture growing along with the reader! peace, Johnna