What is the spiritual gift of mercy?

(6) Leading. It is not a little striking that leading is placed among the services that have been given to the saints. The leader is not necessarily gifted to teach or preach, nor, on the other hand, is the teacher and preacher necessarily a leader. The leader is one who, by his wisdom and experience, is fitted to guide the people of God. He is to exercise his gift with the diligence that uses thought and care in his guidance.

(7) Shewing mercy. This is the happy service that expresses itself in acts of kindness and consideration for those in special need. It is not to be exercised grudgingly, but with the cheerfulness that can only come from the unselfish love that finds its pleasure in serving others.

"He that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness." This is a fine gift, and one much to be coveted by all who visit the poor and the afflicted. We are not only to show mercy, but to show it with such a cheerful spirit, as to manifest that, if it be a consolation to them, it is a pleasure to us. The value of any service of love rendered to the children of sorrow, mainly depends on the spirit in which it is done. It should be our watchful study to spare the feelings of the poor in our acts of benevolence, to soothe the sorrows of the sick, to shed a bright radiance in the chamber of suffering or death, and always to leave behind us the sweet fragrance of the name of Jesus.

After prophecy, we find ministry. From the context it is evident that this is not ministering in temporal things, such as is the deacon's place: it is spiritual service. It differs from prophecy, however, in this, that prophecy is the word of power from God to exercise souls, while ministry is the lowly service of meeting needs of those who are exercised. It is blessed work. Teaching is different again, in that it is primarily addressed to the intelligence, and cannot fill the place of prophecy or ministry. Exhortation is simply the stirring up of souls to act upon the truth. These four are then gifts that are occupied with the Word, and the spiritual welfare of souls.

Following this we have three gifts which certainly require no less spirituality, but are concerned more particularly with the proper temporal welfare of the saints, first, in provision, (for giving is counted a gift); secondly, in rule (and how needful the exercise of careful guidance — a firm yet gentle restraining hand — among the saints); and thirdly in protection, (for this showing mercy implies succor in time of need, when cares, trials, infirmities come in as an oppressing enemy, and defeat is threatened. It may be compared to the mercy of Hebrews 4:16 — “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Each of these then is in its place, and the manner of its exercise clearly given us. Giving is to be “with simplicity” — not in a hesitating, grudging, or patronizing manner, none of which savors of the grace of Christ. Ruling, or leading, must be with diligence: carelessness or half-heartedness here will have sad consequences. It must be considered a very real and solemn responsibility. And showing mercy is to be “with cheerfulness,” for we are in danger of becoming weary and impatient of having to protect saints against the weakening tendencies of their cares, trials, and infirmities. How good to see a cheerful spirit engaged in such a work!

But there is another matter to which I call your attention. Giving is a kind of ministry that is often deficient, not receiving, but giving. Again, it is another gift to show mercy. They are both admirable kinds of ministry. At the same time they are not assuredly the forms of ministry that men would have joined with prophesying and ruling: nobody would have thought of such an association. What are we then to infer from all? This at least, I think, that God is much larger, simpler, more real, than we are — that He counts as a part of the wondrous work that He is carrying on in the church a great many services that we do not call ministry and have not in general regarded as any gifts at all. Ought we not then to be guided in these things by God's word?

Next we have: "He that giveth, let him do it with simplicity." That has been variously put as liberality, but, in fact, the two things are very similar. A man that gives simply will do it liberally. The need will appeal to him and the love that is in him be aroused by the need; and true love is wise; there is no blindness about it. Divine love is, in fact, never separate from divine wisdom.

Next, we have "he that ruleth" or "he that leadeth." The leader is of necessity, to a large extent, the ruler also, but there is no absolute rule, except that of the Spirit in the church of God; but he that realizes that he is leading others has, of necessity, much responsibility attaching to this. If his word is weighty, he must be the more careful. The apostle says here, he must rule or lead "with diligence," that is, not careless of what he is doing, not at random, but as giving thought and care to that which is having effect upon the minds of others. The apostle closes here with, "he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness." These are, of course, only specimens of how we are to use the gifts that are given to us, and the opportunity of showing mercy is itself, in a way, a gift.

Besides let us never forget that, whatever the differences, all are gifts; and the grace which has given has made one to differ from another but also each necessary to the others, as all in the one body. Whatever we have from the Lord, let us use all in subjection to Him, and for the object He had in view: if prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith. Such an exhortation is the more weighty, because we see that even the highest of the gifts of edification comes within the scope of such a caution. He that prophesied had to beware of overstepping what God had given. The reality of gift did and does not supersede the need of regulation by the word. None put the hearer's soul more directly in contact with God than prophesying; yet must it be conformable to the faith. And if a man's gift lay in ministering to the saints, not in the way of speaking but serving them otherwise in love, his wisdom would be to occupy himself in this, as also the teacher and the exhorter in their own work, not in a service for which they had no divinely given fitness. It is plain that each of these gifts is distinct, though of course God might give more than one sometimes to the same man. But commonly each would have his proper gift.

Another remark it will be well to make, that God guards us here from so sharp a distinction as would favour the ruinous distinction, into which the early church too soon slipped, of clergy and laity. Even the more moderate of those who would apologize for it seek to extract the transition from public to private gifts out of the omission of εἴτε ("whether" or "or"). But this is wholly fanciful; for the Holy Spirit has taken care to render such a scheme untenable by placing the most public gift possible, the ruler or leader (ὁ προι>στάμενος) between "him that bestows" and "him that shows mercy," all three being found after the omission supposed to mark the private gifts. The desire to avoid the force of this has led men into arbitrary meanings of ὁ πρ. as merely presiding over one's own household, which really demands that sphere to be defined as in 1 Timothy 3:4-5, 12; or a patron of strangers as in Romans 16:2, which however is a different word. But 1 Thessalonians 5:12 (not to speak of 1 Timothy 5:17) clearly shows the true meaning where it occurs absolutely.

Again, we may notice that, as he that bestows has to take heed that he yield to no evasive pretexts, but to cultivate liberality (which with money is "simplicity"), so the leader or ruler is exhorted to diligence, and he that shows mercy to show it with cheerfulness, not as if he grudged the consolation. Some take ὁ μεταδιδούς as the official distributor of the public charities of the assembly, rather than as dispensing from his own property; but διαδιδούς in that case would probably have been the word chosen.

In verses 6-15 we get the practical working out of this. Each has his own gift according to the grace bestowed, so each is to recognize the part he is to play in the scheme. Each too is to take care that what he does, he does in the right way and spirit. The one who prophesies, for instance, is only to do so according to his faith. His knowledge may run beyond his faith but let him take care not to speak beyond his faith. This, if observed, would cut out a lot of unprofitable talking in the gatherings of God's people. So too he that gives is to give with simplicity. He that shows mercy with cheerfulness, so that he does not do a kind act in an unkind way. And so on. The details of these verses hardly need remarks of ours, save that we may point out that "Not slothful in business," is rather, "As to diligent zealousness, not slothful." It has no reference to the keenness with which we pursue our secular callings.

Service in the Assembly. — On Church, or assembly associations and service the apostle now touches, and that briefly, though sufficient for the matter in hand, having elsewhere (1 Cor. 12 — 14) already enlarged at some length on this line of teaching. "Having, then, gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering" (6, 7). Gifts, charismata, there were fitting each one for his service, but all flowing, as 1 Cor. 12:4 shows, from the Holy Ghost. For whilst the ascended Christ and Lord gives gifts, domata, to men, which are the instruments, the living agents for the work, the Holy Spirit by a gift, charisma, fits each one for his service. It is of this last that the apostle writes in Romans 12:6, and, viewing the different kinds of assembly service, they can be divided into two classes, viz., ministry in the Word, and ministry in other ways. To these two it seems the apostle now refers under the heads of prophesying ministering, before speaking directly of the persons engaged in either the one or the other branch of assembly service. To each due attention was to be given. Now prophesying is a comprehensive term (see 1 Cor. 14:3), and though all teaching need not necessarily be prophesying, yet prophesying has in it an element of teaching, presenting, as it does, the truth set forth as the message of God for those to whom it is addressed. The normal idea of a prophet seems to be, one who has and can utter the mind of God, whether in foretelling the future, or having understanding of what is needed in the present. So Abraham is called a prophet by God, and is the first person so styled in the Old Testament (Gen. 20:7), though we never read of his foretelling the future. But, having the mind of God, he could pray to God on behalf of Abimelech, king of Gerar. Similarly Aaron was to be the prophet of Moses, to utter for him to Pharaoh (Ex. 7:1). Now prophesying was to be according to the proportion of faith. A needful caution that the individual should not overstep that which God had given to him, which never would, if rightly handled, distort or unduly magnify any part of Divine revelation. If such a caution was needed then, is it not likewise needed now?

Coming to the individuals, teachers and exhorters are mentioned. A prophet did exhort (1 Cor. 14:3). Distinctness of service in the ministry of the Word is here recognised and enjoined, not apparently as correcting some wrong practice in Rome, or introducing anything new, but as enforcing that with which they were previously acquainted. We see, then, that in apostolic days a man was not necessarily endowed with a gift, charisma, both for teaching and for exhorting. Room was to be given for the exercise of each gift, and each one was to keep to that service with which he had been entrusted by God. Well would it have been had this been constantly remembered and acted upon. As to other kinds of ministry, individuals are here also recognised, the instrument for service being mentioned, and not merely the character of service being described. "He that gives, let him do it with simplicity (or, liberality); he that rules, with diligence; he that shows mercy, with cheerfulness." The spirit in which these different services should be performed is noted. Simplicity in giving, diligence in ruling, cheerfulness in showing mercy. Ruling is mentioned. To what does it refer? To ruling at home, or in the assembly? Which? Both are mentioned in the New Testament. 1 Tim. 3:4-5, 12 treats of the former, 1 Thess. 5:12; 1 Tim. 5:17 of the latter. We believe the latter is referred to, though some have negatived such a thought. To refer it to a man ruling his own house seems unsuitable, coming in, as it undeniably does, connected with services rendered outside the household. And since all who ruled in the assembly did not necessarily labour in the Word, as 1 Tim. 5:17 informs us, the mention of any engaged in ruling or presiding in the assembly may fitly find a place in connection with labourers in the Word, whilst at the same time being plainly distinguished from teaching or exhorting.

Service is mentioned next. This is to be rendered in humility and according to the measure of faith as God has dealt to every man, who is a believer. Here the body, that is, the church, is touched upon. In first Corinthians and Ephesians the truth concerning the church and the different gifts is more fully revealed. All believers are members of that body, and as in the human body not all members have the same office, so in the one body there are different gifts bestowed by grace. Each must take his place given to him in that body and render the service unto which he is called and thus demonstrate the divine truth, that we are one body in Christ, and individually members one of the other. Ministry in the Word stands first and there is also ministry in other ways. The latter are, giving, ruling (or leading) and showing mercy. Giving is to be in simplicity (or liberality); ruling is to be in diligence and showing mercy in cheerfulness. The emphasis here is not so much upon the different gifts as it is upon the faithful exercise of the gift.

But next we find what is called here "ministry;" and by ministry I apprehend is meant serving the saints — kindly, loving, self-denying interest in their difficulties, snares, sorrows, wants, and trials. It is not preaching nor teaching, but helping the saints otherwise. This is set down as a real gift. Do you not feel and know that there are those who teach admirably, to whom you would not think of going if in any strait? I am sure there are not a few who can preach and teach too, yet do not possess that kind of spiritual power needed to advise in case of any trouble or difficulty. It is part of the fallen state of the church to concentrate all in one; as on the other hand there is no disrespect if one simply own each according to what is given from above. Scripture alone gives the certain truth, and sanctions the right man for the right place.