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Was Paul given any gifts before he was baptized in Jesus Christ?

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Strider33 wrote:
While Scripture is silent whether Paul had any gifts prior to his baptism in Jesus Christ, but he was grace more than other gifts when he were called to be a servant of our Lord Jesus Christ and to thy Father..

Galatians 1:14-15 14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my nation, and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. 15 But when the one who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace was pleased Context (NET)

Romans 1:1 From Paul,a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.

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How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Isaiah 52:7

EVERY Christian has a Gift from the Spirit, as he bestows the Gift(s) at time of being reborn again!

And NO need to wait to be water baptised to have that happen, for it happen atthe rebirth, as we get that by faith/grace alone, independent of water baptism or any other ordinance!

each christian should also be water baptised, but that is a seperate issue!

And the gifts are sovereignly wills each one of us to have....

also have a gift from him, regardless on how we see the question of 'baptism in the Holy Ghost", as bible clearly teached ALL believers received that from Him!

It would appear from reading Paul in 1 Corinthians 12-14 that the "gifts" are given as needed and as one is zealous for seeking God's gifts for His Church. There is nothing as to a "gateway gift" (as some Pentecostals/charismatics propose) in Scripture...nor is it simply that one has everything at salvation. It is that God's grace (which is linked lexically to "gifts") meets needs as they arise.

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The Bible does state plainly that the Holy Spirit distributes them among the Body as he sees fit, that exh oe of us has at least one of them, and all are equal to the proper working of the body!

some clarification of terms would probably help -- a major 1 is listed below:

some say water baptism <> Holy Spirit baptism <> the moment the Holy Spirit Enters the new believer

that said, I see no reason to believe the Gifts come only @ the moment the person is born again -- if the Holy Spirit Gives 1 the words to speak when needed (no time to find reference in Acts), then why not the Gift(s)? -- some Scripture that places this asserted limitation would be needed before i'd change my take

also, some Gifts could be Given prior to conversion -- i'm thinking on things like teaching, service, & administration -- perhaps prior to salvation, these would be more properly deemed "abilities" & "Gifts" once Saved

God gives gifts that are categorically different in nature. In Ephesians 4:11 the focus is on individuals who are given to lead and build up the body of Christ for her work of service. In 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 the focus is on supernatural manifestations of the Holy Spirit. And in passages such as Romans 12:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:28-30 the focus is on different kinds of service, whether they arise from supernatural gifts such as prophecy, healings and miracles, or from motivational gifts such as leading, teaching, and showing mercy.

We know from experience and observation that motivational gifts, which reflect our natural talents, inclinations and personality, are typically given to us at the moment of conception. We come into the world with those gifts and later learn to use them for God's purposes under the direction and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Supernatural gifts of the Spirit are not typically given until we submit ourselves to God in faith. Scripturally, they might be given at various times in a believer's life. Otherwise, Paul would not tell the church to eagerly desire and to pray for them (1 Cor 12:31; 14:1,13). In my experience of some four decades, however, supernatural gifts of the Spirit are not typically given before an empowering anointing of the Spirit which is otherwise known as a baptism with the Holy Spirit. I hasten to add that Scripture does not teach that speaking in tongues is the definitive evidence of the baptism with the Holy Spirit, as is frequently taught in Pentecostal circles. I merely observe that I've never known anyone to operate in the supernatural gifts of the Spirit without first experiencing a distinctive empowering anointing of the Spirit which might occur at the moment of salvation, but which typically occurs at some point in time afterward.

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"The person who has my commandments and obeys them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal myself to him." (John 14:21)

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Actually, the bible does NOT state one must be "baptised in the Holy spirit to receive the gifts", as ALl Christians have at least a Gift bestowed by the Spirit unto them...

baptism in the Spirit seperate discussion, as I hold it is NOT as viewd in pentacostal/Charasmatic circles...

Would say that Christians need to realise the Holy spirit does want to empower ALL of us to be able to do the work and will of God, and that ALL have same Spirit in same amount sealing us, just question of yielding/submitting to Him daily!

The question of relationship between the baptism with the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit was raised in the OP. I think, therefore, that my discussion of that relationship is appropriate to this thread.

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"The person who has my commandments and obeys them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal myself to him." (John 14:21)

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Thats fine, as was not accusing anyone, just thought that it was policy to just discuss the main point raised by OP?

i'm guessing a mod would know the rules

Just a few questions in regards to this topic!

Where in the epistles did Paul/Peter/John ever command us to either seek or be baptised in/by the Holy Spirit?

Where did it ststae that ONLY baptised in Spirit believers had acess to gifts, as Bible states that AL, and EACH have at least One from the Spirit, unless that means ALL are indeed baptised by same Spirit already, when born again?

I will also ask you a question. Where in the epistles did Paul, Peter, or John ever command us to either seek or be baptized in water? The mere fact that the epistles may not say something with respect to a certain topic in no way negates what the other scriptures may have to say.

You are arguing against a point I did not make. I said that in my experience, supernatural gifts of the Spirit are not typically given before an empowering anointing of the Spirit which is otherwise known as a baptism with the Holy Spirit. With respect to motivational gifts, my observation was to the contrary.

Do you take exception to my observation that supernatural gifts of the Spirit are not typically given until we submit ourselves to God in faith? Will you challenge that perspective because the Bible doesn't say that, or will you accept that the evidence we do have (scriptural and experiential) seems to support it?

There are many things that Scripture doesn't tell us. For example, the Bible doesn't tell us how to discern whether or not God is speaking to us, individually or corporately, about particulars in our lives. It doesn't tell us how to discern the direction and leading of the Spirit. It doesn't tell us how the supernatural gifts of the Spirit work. While Scripture may give us some parameters and illustrations concerning these things, there are some things that we are expected to learn by experience. This doesn't mean that experience should drive our theology and our interpretation of Scripture, but it does mean that we aren't supposed to ignore our experience either. After all, God created us with a capacity for learning subjectively and experientially. And that capability is important in every aspect of life, including our knowledge of God and his ways. I dare say that if we don't know God experientially, we don't really know him at all. Wouldn't you agree?

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"The person who has my commandments and obeys them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal myself to him." (John 14:21)

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Thanks for the input
It is not surprising that Paul describes each believer's ability to contribute to the life of the Christian community as a manifestation or gifts of the Spirit Romans 12:6-8,
1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 12:28-30, Ephesians 4:11 here we have the rich variety of gifts granted to each believer for common good

Since from Paul's view the Christian from the outset is shaped by the Spirit of God

Isn't Luke's perspective considerably different from that of Paul?

Luke consistently portrays the Spirit as the sourse of prophetic inspiration emphasizing the dimension of the Spirit's activity

Such as the Spirit inspired pronouncements in the birth of Jesus John 1:14-45, 67-79; 2:25-32
This era is marked by the prophetic activity of John the ministry of Jesus and the mission of the church all which are done through the Power of the Spirit

John filled with the Spirit from his mothers womb Luke 1:15-17 Luke ties his account of Jesus' Luke 3:22 spiritual anointing together with Jesus' announcement at Nazareth Luke 4:18-21
Indicating that the Spirit came on Jesus at the Jordan to equip Him for His work

Wouldn't you think that the literary paralles between the description of Jesus' anointing at the Jordan and thet of the disciples at Pentecost suggest that Luke interpreted the latter event in light of the former?

The Spirit came on the disciples at Pentecost to equip them for their mission

Isn't this supported by John the Baptist's prophecy Luke 3:16?
and prophesied as being accomplished in the Spirit directed and Spirit-empowered mission of the church Acts 1:5, 8 and confirmed by Luke Acts 2:1-13
Just a little different than that of Joel 2:28-32

Now the disciples received the Spirit not as the source of cleansing and a new ability to keep the law they received the Spirit as a anointing that enables them participate effectively in God's work for the church.

I'd agree that at the time of salvation - each believer is given one or more spiritual gifts by the Holy Spirit. These gifts are to help the local church ministry. And no one is to be jealous of some one elses's ability / gift. When a person feels led to work in the church in a particular capacity - talk with the pastor about it - especially if there are already people doing something. Work out a schedule for helping.