Podcast Summary: “What Are Spiritual Gifts?”

Podcast: Doctrine Matters with Kevin DeYoung
Host: Kevin DeYoung (Christ Covenant Church, Matthews, North Carolina)
Date: October 28, 2025
Episode Focus: Exploring the doctrine of spiritual gifts—their biblical foundation, purpose, controversial aspects (miraculous gifts, cessationism vs. continuationism), and the meaning of “baptism in the Holy Spirit.”

Main Theme Overview

In this episode, Kevin DeYoung provides a comprehensive and accessible overview of spiritual gifts within Christian theology. Drawing from key New Testament texts, he unpacks what spiritual gifts are, why they're given, the debates over so-called “miraculous” gifts, and clarifies the biblical teaching on the baptism of the Holy Spirit. While engaging with both sides of the cessationist/continuationist debate, DeYoung ultimately articulates his reasons for holding to a cessationist position, while emphasizing points of agreement among all Christians.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Defining Spiritual Gifts (00:30 – 05:40)

• Key text: 1 Corinthians 12:4-11

• “The word gift...comes from the word charisma. Now we have that word in English, meaning someone who's got a lot of personal pizzazz or influence or people are drawn to a magnetic personality. But that's not what charisma means here. Here, it simply means gift.” (Kevin DeYoung, 01:25)

• Spiritual gifts are best understood as:

  • The work the triune God does through his people
  • Interchangeable terms: gifts, service, activities—all rooted in the Trinitarian work (Spirit, Lord, God)
  • “Spiritual gifts are what the triune God does through his people in the church.” (02:45)

2. The Nature and Purpose of the New Testament Gift Lists (05:41 – 09:49)

• Paul’s lists in 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, 1 Peter 4 are not exhaustive; they’re ad hoc examples.

• “Paul isn't saying, now put this all together...and then you can take a spiritual inventory test and you can find out which of these gifts you have and which ones you don't. It's more ad hoc than that.” (06:59)

• Purpose of gifts:

  • To build up the church, not for personal fulfillment
  • “God does not distribute gifts so the individual Christian can feel fulfilled in ministry or experience a sense of closeness to God…We must always keep in mind that gifts are for building up the church.” (08:34)

3. The Miraculous Gifts: Continuation or Cessation? (09:50 – 22:56)

A. The Continuationist Position

• All NT gifts continue unless Scripture clearly says otherwise
• Arguments:
  1. No clear cessation in NT (10:50)
  2. 1 Corinthians 13’s “perfect” refers to Christ’s return—gifts remain until then (11:28)
  3. Revelatory gifts today have lesser authority than Scripture but may still exist
  4. “Shouldn't that be our inclination? To welcome the Spirit's work?” (Kevin DeYoung, paraphrased, 12:40)

B. The Cessationist Position (DeYoung's Viewpoint)

• Some gifts (e.g., tongues, prophecy) ceased after the apostolic period
• Arguments:
  1. “The miraculous gifts were only needed as authenticating signs for the initial establishing of the gospel, like Hebrews 2 refers to.” (14:31)
  2. 1 Corinthians 13 doesn’t specify timing—it’s open
  3. Ongoing prophecy or revelation would undermine the sufficiency of Scripture—“If God really is revealing himself to us, doesn't this undermine Ephesians 2:20 that the apostles and prophets are the foundation of the church?” (17:30)
  4. The modern “miraculous gifts” aren’t the same as in the NT

Notable Agreement:

• “Every proclamation must be tested against Scripture. So the best arguments on both sides are going to say we don't want anything to be equivalent to Scripture, always needs to be tested to Scripture, we're not adding to the canon.” (20:23)
• “We should be open to the Spirit working in mysterious ways...God can surprise us sometimes.” (21:05)

C. DeYoung’s Reasoned Preference for Cessationism

• Tongues in Acts and 1 Corinthians are the same (foreign languages, not ecstatic utterance)

• Modern “tongues” lack objective linguistic content; even continuationists like Gordon Fee acknowledge the difference (23:27)

• Ephesians 2:20 marks prophecy as a foundation of the church, now complete. “Just as there are no more capital A apostles, so there are no new revelatory utterances and no more prophets.” (25:09)

• Healing still happens by God’s sovereign will, but the ‘gift’ of healing as in the apostolic era is not ongoing.

4. Baptism with/by/in the Holy Spirit (28:20 – End)

• “That phrase...occurs seven times in the New Testament…Six of the seven is looking...about Pentecost looking forward or looking back. The seventh passage, 1 Corinthians 12:13 is unique…” (29:11)

• Some interpret 1 Corinthians 12:13 as a “second blessing”; DeYoung disagrees based on the context:

  • “For in one Spirit we were all baptized and we were all made to drink of the Spirit. Whatever Paul is talking about there, it's clear that he assumes everyone at Corinth has experienced it.” (30:25)
  • Spirit baptism is not a special post-conversion experience but the common experience of all who belong to Christ.

• Quote from John Stott (31:09):

  • “Spirit baptism is a distinctive blessing only realized in the New Covenant, an initial blessing given at conversion and a universal blessing poured out on every genuine believer.”

• Baptism in the Spirit should unite—not divide—Christians.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Definition of gifts:
  • “Spiritual gifts are what the triune God does through his people in the church.” (02:45)
• On the lists of gifts:
  • “Paul isn't saying, now put this all together...It's more ad hoc than that.” (06:59)
• Purpose of gifts:
  • “God does not distribute gifts so the individual Christian can feel fulfilled in ministry…We must always keep in mind that gifts are for building up the church.” (08:34)
• On cessationism:
  • “Just as there are no more capital A apostles, so there are no new revelatory utterances and no more prophets.” (25:09)
• Spirit baptism:
  • “Baptism in the Spirit is something every Christian has experienced...It is, in other words, nothing less than our union with Christ.” (30:56)
• John Stott on spirit baptism:
  • “Spirit baptism is a distinctive blessing only realized in the New Covenant, an initial blessing given at conversion and a universal blessing…” (31:09)

Timestamped Structure

| Time | Topic/Segment | |--------------|--------------------------------------------------------| | 00:30 | Defining spiritual gifts (charisma and Trinitarian structure) | | 05:41 | Nature and purpose of the NT gift lists | | 09:50 | Introduction to the continuationist/cessationist debate| | 10:50 | Continuationist arguments | | 14:31 | Cessationist arguments | | 20:23 | Common ground & healthy openness to Spirit’s work | | 23:27 | DeYoung: modern tongues vs. biblical tongues | | 25:09 | Ephesians 2:20: Prophecy as foundational and completed | | 28:20 | Spirit baptism in the NT | | 31:09 | John Stott’s summary of Spirit baptism |

Conclusion

Kevin DeYoung navigates deep theological waters on spiritual gifts, offering clarity on biblical intent, practical implications, and the unity all Christians enjoy through the Spirit. Stressing humility and mutual respect, he calls listeners to treasure the diversity of gifts, test all experiences by Scripture, and celebrate the common bond of Spirit baptism received by every true believer.